Egypt , Jordan and Istanbul
a la Indiana Jones

A Grand 16 day tour : Istanbul , ancient Constantinople , Egypt and Jordan

Indiana Jones himself couldn't squeeze more adventure into this journey:
We'll show you the top sights of the City of the Sultans , Istanbul , ancient Constantinople
Cairo and the Pyramids, a cruise on the Nile, the fabled temples and tombs of Luxor and Thebes, diving in the Red Sea, the mountains of Sinai, and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan.
Departures are weekly year round .Compare with the Ultra Deluxe Version

DAY 1 -- ISTANBUL - Thursday - Arrive weekly year round
( click here if your prefer to start in Amman Jordan)
Our local rep. meets your flight and escorts you to your hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure.

DAY 2 -- ISTANBUL - Friday (BLD)
We dive right into this fascinating city with visits to its top sights: Topkapi, the palace of the Sultans for centuries; Hagia Sophia, the greatest church in Christendom for a thousand years; the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles; the Byzantine Hippodrome, scene of chariot races and gladiator combat; and the eerie Sunken Palace cistern beneath it. Then a drive through modern neighborhoods brings us to the ancient city walls and the Kariye Museum (Chora Church), filled with brilliant Byzantine mosaics. Evening dinner at an exclusive yet charming local restaurant.

DAY 3 -- ISTANBUL - Saturday (BLD)
After breakfast we board a ferryboat, help ourselves to fresh Turkish coffee or tea, and cruise northward along the Bosphorus, the strait which separates Europe and Asia. Disembarking at a fishing village, we enjoy a seafood lunch at a local restaurant, then drive south to go on a shopping spree at the labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar , in the evening dinner is included with live music and belly dancing folk show .

DAY 4- CAIRO - Sunday
Our Egypt-based local rep. greets you in bustling Cairo airport and escorts you to your hotel .

Egyptian visa may be issued for a limited number of nationalities such as : for American, Australian , NZ, EU , Canadian, Mexican and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). Please pay the visa fee $ 15 upon arrival in cash. After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel .

DAY 5 - CAIRO Monday (BLD)
Your exploration of the ancient world begins today! First stop is the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. We'll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque. Lunch is included at Naguib Mahfouz or Hadaik Al-Azhar Park . Dinner at La Bodega Restaurant in Zamalek.

DAY 6 - CAIRO - Giza Pyramids - Dahshour Pyramids - Tuesday (BL)
After breakfast, we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. The museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops The museum is built over the rectangular pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years , the wooden boat was readied for the king's daily journey with the sun god, Ra . Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot) cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of Ancient Egypt.

Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (Included) is entirely your own choice!

Lunch is included at the Mena House

Continue to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The "Discovery" of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant or at your hotel.

Evening complimentary dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals, you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This afternoon we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo l! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively afternoon , and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences. Overnight in Cairo

DAY 7 - Cairo / Aswan : Nile Cruise - Wednesday (BLD)
After an early breakfast, transfer to the airport and board your flight heading for Aswan , where we settle you into your cabin on your Nile steamer. Complimentary welcome fruit basket.
We'll visit the world famous Nubian Museum, the enormous dams at Aswan, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters.

DAY 8 - KOM OMBO -Thursday (BLD)
We cruise northward down the Nile today, at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek. We'll also see Haroeris, the solar disk.

DAY 9 - EDFU and LUXOR- Friday (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Then we'll continue beside the Nile to take in an array of ancient splendors: the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut ; and, back in Luxor, the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.

DAY 10 - SHARM EL SHEIKH - RED SEA Saturday (BLD)
Now that you've seen the best of the Egypt of the Pharaohs, our guides escort you to the airport. You'll fly over the Sinai Peninsula and land at historic Sharm El Sheik on the Red Sea. You're at the beach and free to swim, or explore under the waters. Lunch is included at the hotel in Sharm, is the flight is a late one, snacks will be served at your room at no additional charges.
Complimentary welcome dinner at the hotel.

DAY 11 - SHARM EL SHEIK - Dinner with the Bedouins in Sinai Sunday (BLD)
Relax! Today is set aside as a strategic mid-journey break. Spend some time in the sun, but don't miss your chance to snorkel or dive under Red Sea waters for an array of coral and glittering tropical fish. Lunch at the hotel. Evening dinner with the bedouins in Sinai .

DAY 12 - MOUNT SINAI Monday (BL)
Our knowledgeable guides arrange a pre-dawn departure into the still-cool wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led the Children of Israel to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built of rock at the base of Mount Sinai, at the site of the Burning Bush. We tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings, then return to Sharm El Sheik.

DAY 13 - Amman PETRA Tuesday (BL)
We'll fly to Amman non-stop from Sharm El Sheikh or via Cairo , economy class tax included .
In Amman , our Jordan-based representative waits to greet you. You'll drive north under a towering ridge of mountains, and arrive at your hotel in Petra for the night. Complimentary Jordanian visa fee (valid only for a limited number of nationalities such as : American Canadian , Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU , Singaporean and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid and in order ). Lunch is included .

DAY 14 - PETRA - Wednesday (BLD)
We'll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury. Lunch at a charming local restaurant .In the evening we will call on you for a unique experience :
Dine as a local : The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of our chef.

Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza ( appetizers ) and salads, and a main course—all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

The Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly Jordanian experience—right down to the furnishings, all crafted in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered by the Jordan River Foundation.

Tour experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 15 - Mount Nebo -Madaba - Kerak - Dead Sea -Thursday (BL)
We drive North along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, today we cover :
Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of Palestine and the Holy Land.
Mount Nebo, to enjoy the panoramic view of the Promised Land the way Moses saw it for the first time . Lunch is included enroute . Finally we reach the Dead Sea , the lowest spot on earth, 1306 feet below sea level. Some do enjoy the experience of floating on the surface of the buoyant waters, four times saltier than regular seawater. Overnight at the Movenpick Dead Sea Resort or Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea Resort.

DAY 16 - DEPARTURE From Amman - Friday (B)
Our staff escorts you to Amman airport . End of our service. Jordanian Departure tax is included.
Or, you may choose to add one of our extensions,to Egypt , Sharm El Sheikh, Syria, Greece or Turkey .

RATES per person in USD

Enjoy a drink on board the deluxe Sonesta Nile Cruises in Egypt

Rates for the Ultra Deluxe. Rates are per person

Prices include:

• Air fares ( with tax) : Istanbul / Cairo / Amman . In economy class.
  
• All domestic flights in Egypt, economy class with tax .
  
• Air-conditioned hotel accommodations with tax and service charges
  
• All transfers in : Istanbul , Egypt and Jordan.

• Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Bottled water ( one per person) delivered daily to your cabin
  
• Bottled water / tea / coffee with every meal on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Nile Cruise with all meals & shore excursions, cabins are always outside with large panoramic windows.
  
• Sightseeing with professional guide and entrance fees as indicated
  
• Meals as indicated, with pre-set menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)

• Travel guidebook for Istanbul Jordan and Egypt
  
• Jordanian visa (valid only for American, EU, Australian, NZ & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival).
  
• Jordanian departure tax.

  Not included:

• Personal expenses and beverages .

• Tips
  
• International air fare from/to your home country
  
• Additional meals, drinks and services
  
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
  
• Visa for Turkey ( Please contact the Turkish Consulate , or pay in cash upon arrival)

• Egyptian Visa : please pay the $ 15 in cash upon arrival, no photos required . Visa maybe issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as : American, EU , Canadian , EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo.

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