Highlights of Egypt, Palestine and Israel (12 Days)

A 12-Day Adventure Tour

Weekly on Wednesdays in Cairo, year round. Here’s the best way to see the best of Egypt, Israel and Palestine. Cairo, Luxor, Tel Aviv, Beersheva, Arad, Massada, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Tiberias, Galilee, Upper Galilee and Golan Heights, Nazareth, Acre, Haifa, Tel Aviv. Add Petra, Jordan. Compare with the 8 day edition.

Tour the highlights of Egypt in only 5 days. You’ll start with the throbbing capital of Egypt, and an exploration of the key sites both within the city and nearby. Then it’s on to the old-new land of Luxor, the Ancient Capital of the first United Kingdom (Egypt was originally divided into two kingdoms, that got united by Ahmos I) thus creating a United Kingdom in the Nile Valley.

Tour

DAY 1 – Wednesday – VIP Meet & Greet Service – CAIRO
Our local rep. meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel, VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport.
Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as American, Australian, NZ, 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. Our local rep. meets with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage, after you clear the passport and customs formalities and exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel.

DAY 2 -Thursday CAIRO- Home Hosted Dinner: (BL)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, Manial Palace of the former Crown Prince Mohamed Ali, Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch, we walk the narrow streets of Old Cairo, once a Roman fort, later the Jewish Quarter, then the Coptic Christian Quarter. We visit the Coptic churches of Abu Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra synagogue. Finally, we wander through the alleys of Khan el-Khalili bazaar in search of souvenirs.

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 evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo! 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 a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 3 – Friday- CAIRO: (BLD)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx. 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!

After lunch we drive to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit several ancient structures, including the great pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. In the evening, we board a flight to Luxor, transfers are always included, in Luxor, dinner is included at your hotel.

DAY 4 – Saturday – LUXOR: (BLD)
Breakfast is included at your hotel, after which we cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch in Luxor, we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake. We have a quick look at the great temple of Amon Ra at Luxor on our way to the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and your hotel, where dinner awaits you.

DAY 5 – Sunday Cairo / Tel Aviv: (B)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Tel Aviv. Upon arrival to airport meet our representative and transfer to hotel in Tel Aviv for your hotel and overnight. Please make sure that you have your passport in order and with visa ( if needed for Israel).

Day 6 – MONDAY – Tel Aviv – Beersheva – Arad – Massada – Jerusalem: (B)
Leave Tel Aviv – via Ashdod – Ashkelon – Beersheba. A short visit to the Negev capital. Continue via Arad to Massada. Ascend by cable car to the fortress, which was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, bathhouse, etc. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. Descend for a possible “float” in the in the salty water of the world’s lowest place. Via Ein Gedi & Kalya, proceed to Jerusalem for overnight.

Day 7 – TUESDAY – Jerusalem: sightseeing of the new city (B)
Drive to Mt. Scopus for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. On to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Agony. Drive to Mt. Zion for a visit to the tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and Dormition Abbey. Sightseeing in the new city including the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book with the famous Dead Sea scrolls, new Supreme Court bldg. Mt. Herzl and Yad Vashem (the memorial to the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust). Then visit the model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Afternoon visit of the Hadassah medical center in the synagogue with Marc Chagall stained glass windows, then via Ein Karem (the birth place of John the Baptist). Return to Hotel.

Day 8 – WEDNESDAY – Jerusalem – (Old City) – Bethlehem: (B)
Walk through one of the Gates to the walled Old City: the renewed Jewish Quarter; the Western Wall, the Temple area; the colorful bazaars; Via Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Continue to Bethlehem* to visit Rachel’s Tomb and the Church of the Nativity and return to Jerusalem for overnight.

Day 9 – THURSDAY – Jericho* – Tiberias – Galilee: (BD)
Leave Jerusalem, driving via Bethany to Jericho*, the oldest city in the world. Visit the excavations and then continue northward via Jordan Valley and the new settlements to Beit Shean. After a short visit proceed to Tiberias, the old center of Jewish learning. Drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue. Continue to a Kibbutz hotel for overnight. Breakfast & Dinner

Day 10 – FRIDAY – Upper Galilee and Golan Heights – Nazareth: (BD)
Drive to the Golan Heights. Visit the former Syrian fortifications, Birkat Ram, and the Druze villages, Via Banias, source of the Jordan River. Proceed via Kiryat Shmone and the Hula Valley to Safed, city of the Kabala, to visit synagogue and the artists’ colony and then to Nazareth to visit the Christian Holy Sites. Return to the Kibbutz hotel for overnight. Breakfast & Dinner

Day 11 – SATURDAY – Acre – Haifa – Tel Aviv: (B)
After Breakfast drive west to Acre for a visit of the old, famous Crusader stronghold and medieval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, sightseeing tour of Haifa, including the Bahai Shrine, Persian Garden and Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the city. Proceed southwards to Caesarea to visit the Roman theater and the Crusader fortress. Continue south for a short city tour of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and to hotel for overnight.

DAY 12 – Sunday DEPARTURE: (B)
Breakfast at the hotel. We’ll escort you to the airport to catch your homeward-bound flight. Salam. For crossing into Jordan, please add: $ 150 per person for the private transfer to the border, change of cars, and then a Jordanian sedan will meet you at the border and continue on to Amman or Petra.

Prices include:

• All ground transportation, including service between airport and hotels
• Meals as indicated, with preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
• All tips / Gratuities to drivers, guides etc.
• Guided sightseeing with professional guide and all admission fees
• Hotel accommodations, including tax and service charges
• Air fare Cairo Tel Aviv in economy class, tax included
• Domestic air within Egypt. Economy class, tax included
• VIP Meet & Greet Service at Cairo Airport.
• Egyptian visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of nationalities such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, Singaporean and Japanese citizens. Photos are not required. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo, for other nationalities please contact the Egyptian Consulate nearest you.

Not included:

• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance.
• Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
• Beverages
• Visa for Israel (if/when needed)