Royal
Tour
of the Ottoman Empire in North Africa
Ultra
Deluxe Version : From Marrakech to Constantinople Via Cairo
Individual arrival, private tours, private transfers.
Explore the two gems of North Africa--Morocco and Egypt-- and Istanbul
on this 15 -day, tour to Casablanca, Marrakech, Cairo and Luxor.
Daily , year round
Day
1 - MARRAKECH -Arrive any day of the week - Year Round
Your international flight arrives in mystical Marrakech. Our staff escorts
us to our hotel.
Private car, driver for all your transfers
Day
2 - MARRAKECH (BD)
Full day at leisure. Breakfast at the Hotel. Evening dinner at a typical
Moroccan restaurant.
DAY
3 - MARRAKECH (BL)
We board a horse-drawn carriage for a clip-clop tour of this ancient
royal capital, including the Kotoubia, a former royal palace,
and of course the labyrinthine souks (bazaars). Lunch is included
at a charming local restaurant. Private car, driver and guide for all
your tours
Day
4 - MARRAKECH - Home Hosted Family Dinner (BD)
Now that you've got your bearings, today is yours to explore the city
on your own. If you prefer, join one of our optional tours (for an additional
fee): one takes you to a nearby Berber village, another takes you into
the souks for a shopping spree.
This
evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right
into the homes of some of the people of Marrakech ! 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 evening, and find that
you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may
enjoy dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting
us know your preferences.
Private
car, driver and guide for all your tours
Day
5 - BY TRAIN TO CASABLANCA (BL)
"Getting there is half the fun!" We board the train for our return to
Casablanca, cruising through the lovely countryside past green
fields, fruit-laden orchards, traditional villages and modern towns,
with the lofty Atlas Mountains soaring in the distance.
Lunch
is included in Casablanca. Our tour escort points out interesting features,
and fills us in on Moroccan life and culture. After arriving in Casablanca,
we visit the majestic new Grand Mosque of King Hassan II, second
only to the Great Mosque at Mecca in size. We continue on a panoramic
tour of the city and its souks. Overnight and hotel in Casablanca.
Private
car, driver and guide for all your tours
Day
6 - Casablanca / CAIRO (B)
After
breakfast , we check out . Our local rep. will escort you to Casablanca
Airport for your Royal Air Maroc or Egyptair flight across North Africa
to Egypt, air fare is included in economy class , tax included.
We arrive in Cairo . Complimentary
visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, valid only for American,
Canadian, NZ, Australian, EU , Mexican & Japanese citizens. Passports
must be valid for 6 month at least at time of arrival.
Visa
will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some
stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops,
at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers.
There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding
a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp
from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport
officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport
as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist
you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting
the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle)
to the hotel
DAY
7 - CAIRO (BL)
Today we visit Cairo's most famous monuments: The awesome pyramids of
Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx.
After lunch we drive to Dahshour, the newly opened pyramid field
south of Cairo, where we visit several ancient structures, including
the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops.
Lunch is included at the Mena House or the Meridien or the Movenpick
DAY
8 - LUXOR- By Air (aBL)
Very early breakfast at the hotel, we leave around 4 AM to board a an
early morning flight to Luxor , upon landing we cross the Nile to visit
the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. After
lunch in Luxor, we tour the stupendous Great Temple of Amon at
Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake and red granite quarry with
its huge unfinished obelisk. We take a quick look at the great temple
of Amon Ra at Luxor on our way to the airport for our flight
back to Cairo. Private
car, driver and guide for all your tours
DAY
9 - CAIRO -Home Hosted Dinner (BLD)
The world-famous Egyptian Museum, which holds the treasures of
Tutankhamon, is our first stop today, after which we
visit the Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque, enjoying
spectacular views of the city below. We descend from the Citadel into
Khan el-Khalili, the bazaar district, in search of Egyptian treasures.
In the evening you are invited to dinner with an Egyptian local
home to meet the locals,
you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (
T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town). ( if you prefer to have
a quiet dinner at the hotel, please let's know ).
Day
10 - Istanbul (B)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight
to Istanbul , air fare is included in economy class with tax, ticket
is issued & delivered in Cairo Egypt
You're
met by our representative, who sees you to your hotel, and answers any
questions you may have about getting to know the city. As you ride into
the great metropolis from the airport, two thousand years of history
are revealed: towering Roman walls, ancient Byzantine churches, slender
minarets framing the bulbous domes of graceful mosques. These ancient
monuments float on the skyline of a bustling modern metropolis of ten
million people. Welcome fruit basket in your room awaits you with our
compliments.
DAY
11 - ISTANBUL (BL)
The center of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul was on Seraglio Point,
framed by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We
visit the Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet III to challenge
the architectural primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia. We then
walk next door to compare achievements in Justinian's great Sancta Sophia.
Right behind Sancta Sophia is our next stop, sumptuous Topkapi Palace,
the sultans seraglio for centuries, filled with breathtaking exhibits
of priceless jewels, golden thrones, delicate colored tiles, and lavish
court costumes. After lunch in a local restaurant ,we finish up in the
bustling Grand Bazaar, where you can find jewelry, carpets, goat-hair
rugs, hand-painted ceramics, copper and brass in labyrinthine streets
holding nearly 4000 shops.
DAY
12 - BOSPHORUS - (BL)
Istanbul's history was formed by the Bosphorus, the winding strait
that separates Europe and Asia, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea
of Marmara. Now, as in ancient times, it is a maritime vital link between
the countries bordering the Black Sea and those in the rest of the world.
Today we take a leisurely cruise northward along this historic waterway.
Along its shores are ranged palaces great and small-Topkapi, Dolmabahçe,
Beylerbeyi, Küçüksu, Hünkar Iskelesi. Four
great fortresses rise on the hills, reminding us that to control the
Bosphorus was to control the destinies of nations. Our afternoon cruise
(morning cruise fro Oct-Apr season) of two continents, crossing from
Europe to Asia and back, includes visits to the Navy's Museum (showing
some magnificent boats used by the Ottoman Sultans), the Bosphorus Bridge,
Çamlica Hill lookout, and stupendous Dolmabahçe Palace.
Lunch
is included at a charming local restaurants . Hotel
Room amenity : Complimentary
Turkish Lokoom pastries
DAY 13 - ISTANBUL (B)
Istanbul is all yours, day at leisure, any way you like it.
Grab your Lonely Planet guidebook to Istanbul and stroll along the restored
19th-century thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, once known as
the Grand Rue de Péra. Search for spices and folk remedies in the Egyptian
Bazaar. Admire the medieval mosaics in the city's many Byzantine
churches. Shop in the chic boutiques around Taksim Square. Climb
the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese six centuries ago, for
a panoramic view of Old Istanbul.
Day
14 - "Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque"
(late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:"
(BL)
Morning walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where
the foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then
take the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish
tekke, and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates),
and point out the architecture. Stop for tea (included) at the
famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in
the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and
be picked up for the afternoon tour. In the afternoon the tour visit
Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri, a mini-palace south of Yildiz,
and finish up with a visit to the Military History Museum in Harbiye
in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman military band (mid-afternoon).
DAY
15 - Departure - ISTANBUL (B)
There are many more things to see and do in this fascinating city, but
they will have to wait for your next visit. After breakfast, our representative
escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight--until next time!
Bon
Voyage
Hotels
:
Deluxe Superior
Marrakech
in Morocco :
Deluxe Superior 5 stars Riad - RIAD KNIZA www.riadkniza.com
Deluxe five stars Superior hotel / Riad : JARDINS
DE LA KOUTOUBIA www.lesjardinsdelakoutoubia.com
In
Egypt : Cairo : Four Seasons Hotel
In Istanbul : Four Seasons or Ciragan Palace
| RATES per
person in USD |
Deluxe
Hotels |
In
Triple occupancy
|
US$
6930.00 |
Double
|
US$
7138.00 |
Single
|
US$
8540.00 |
Your
tour includes:
- International
airfare from Casablanca to Cairo and on to Istanbul in economy
class, tax included
-
Domestic airfares in Egypt as per itinerary , in BUSINESS
or FIRST class ( subject to plane configuration) , including
tax
-
First-class day train Marrakech-Casablanca , including tax and service
- All
airport and train station transfers ( private car/driver ) as described
in the tour itinerary
-
Your hotel room at a carefully-selected deluxe hotel, including tax
& service
- B
= Breakfast, (or aB, American Buffet Breakfast),
L = Lunch, D = Dinner
and all Egyptian airport taxes.
- Private
Guided sightseeing as listed in the itinerary including all entrance
fees.
- US,
Australian, NZ, EU and Japanese passport holders need a visa to enter
Egypt. You will obtain a visa at the airport upon arrival in Cairo
With our compliments, as long as your passport valid for at least
6 month . Visas are not required of US and Canadian passport holders
for entry into Morocco.
- VERY
IMPORTANT NOTE ON the visa for Turkey : You WILL require visa, please
contact the Turkish Consulate or secure upon arrival in Istanbul (
Cash only)
Add
a Nile Cruise
Nefertiti
Turns Egypt Upside Down!!
The
first bloodless religious revolution against the established church
in Ancient Egypt
And the seat of power that rested with the priests in Karnak
Nefertiti
Turns Egypt Upside Down!! 1350 BC - Queen Nefertiti is reported
to have led her Egyptian subjects on a wild spree of idol-smashing,
temple-destruction, and forced migration, all part of a campaign
of religious reformation.
"From
now on, there will be only one Deity, and that Deity is Aten,
the Sun Disc," she has commanded.
Reliable
sources in the Nile Valley report that all temples to gods other
than Aten have been closed, and that a hefty fine will be imposed
on anyone caught with an outlawed statuette.
Idols
are to be smashed immediately, and the shards turned over to the
priests of Aten.
"The
capital of Egypt will now be at Tel El Amarna," reads a decree
widely circulated in cuneiform on clay tablets.
"All priests are to settle within one hour's journey of the new
Temple to Aten. All bidders on public works contracts will likewise
have their head offices within the same specified distance."
Egyptian
leaders in exile have disputed the motives behind the upheaval.
"It's just a ploy to concentrate power and wealth in her hands
and those of her husband, Ikhnaton," stated one defrocked priest.
"Everybody knows that Nefertiti has risen to her position on qualities
that have nothing to do with religion.
She
isn't called Incarnation of Beauty for nothing," he added, referring
to the literal meaning of her name. The source asked not to be
identified, fearing reprisals. Tel El Amarna, Nile Valley, 2004
- from Paul Glassman, special correspondent "Wow," commented Joe
Shiner, an agro-businesman from Des Moines, as he toured the main
temple at Tel El Amarna. "It's one thing to hear that Nefertiti
was a real beauty. But it's quite another to visit in person and
learn the real story." "Until I came here, I didn't know that
she was behind the idea of having only one god-even before the
Hebrews and Christians and followers of Mohammed.
"And
now that I see her picture, I can understand why people followed
her. This is not what I expected . . . not at all!" Mr. Shiner
gestured as he spoke to a temple painting of a well-endowed Nefertiti
in a chariot, wearing only a see-through cloak and thong-style
panties.
"If
she was my queen, I'd follow her to the end of the . . . "
Mr. Shiner's comments were interrupted by the approach of his
wife.
Disclaimer:
The facts presented are as accurate as can be ascertained from
the archeological record. Mr. Joe Shiner is a composite of the
satisfied clients of Travel in Style.
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Click
for 19
day version with a Nile Cruise
and couple of nights at a deluxe camp in the Moroccan
sahara .
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