Let's Go to Turkey and Egypt

DAY 1 - ISTANBUL: Monday - Tour starts weekly in Istanbul, year round
We meet your flight and escort you to your hotel. Sample: Deluxe: Hilton Istanbul, Ceylan Inter.Continental Istanbul, Hyatt Istanbul, or similar. First Class (4-star) hotel: Blue House, Arena boutique hotels, or Senator, Yenisehir or Aygun Plaza Hotel or similar.

 

DAY 2 - ISTANBUL: Tuesday (B)
After breakfast drive to Balat along the Golden Horn where the Star of David appears on the facades of some buildings. See Ahrida Synagogue, built in the 15th century. See the Jewish Cemetery, where the martyrs of Neve Shalom are buried. Continue to the centuries-old Jewish neighborhood, Galata, with its tower built by the Genoese. From the panorama balcony. See the stunning views of old Constantinople, Bosphorus, Golden Horn and the Jewish quarters. Enjoy refreshments in this historical atmosphere. Afterwards see Neve Shalom Synagogue & Ashkenaz Synagogue. Afterwards drive to Ortaköy, first disembark point of Sepharads, welcomed by the Ottoman Sultan, and visit to Etz-Ahayim Synagogue.

Your last stop will be Zulfaris Synagogue, a 19th century synagogue which houses a museum. Here learn about the Turkish Jews who were welcomed by the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century after Inquisition forced them to flee Spain. There is an opportunity for rich collection of history books and novels about Turkish Jewry as well as CDs of Turkish Jewish folk music and lithurgical music, selection of souvenirs including Mezuzahs, Hamsa keyrings.
Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

 

DAY 3 - ISTANBUL: A Very Full Day - Wednesday (BL)
Let us show you the city: the Blue Mosque, Byzantine Hippodrome, Hagia Sophia, then the Underground Cistern. Walk thru the columns of this grand water reservoir and Topkapi Palace. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

DAY 4 - CANAKKALE: Thursday (BL)
After breakfast we start our scenic drive south to the famous Gallipoli, we cross the strategic Dardanelles, to land in Asia! Tour Troy, before we reach Çanakkale. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

DAY 5 - PERGAMON - IZMIR- KUSADASI - SELCUK : Friday (BL)
We drive to Pergamon to see its Acropolis, Temple of Trojan, Altar of Zeus and Temple of Dionysus, the Red Basilica, and the ancient medical center of the Asclepion, then continue to Izmir , on to Kusadasi or Selcuk ( Seljuk) and your hotel. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

DAY 6 - EPHESUS - PAMUKKALE: Saturday (BL)
We drive to Selçuk to visit the extensive ruins of Roman Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary. After lunch we continue to Pamukkale for a tour of the ancient Roman spa of Hierapolis and its warm calcium-rich mineral baths. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

DAY 7- KONYA: Sunday (BL)
Passing through Turkey's fertile Lake District, we drive to Konya, capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and home of the Whirling Dervishes. We visit the Mevlana Museum, where the founder of the dervish order is buried. Overnight Konya. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

DAY 8 - CAPPADOCIA: Monday (BL)
Enjoy your breakfast before continuing on to Cappadocia, stopping at the Sultanhan Caravanserai on the way. We descend into a labyrinthine Underground City at Kaymakli, then tour the rockhewn cave churches and monasteries of the Göreme Valley and the rockhewn natural citadel of Uçhisar. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

DAY 9 - ISTANBUL: Tuesday (B)
After breakfast we head to the airport for our flight to Istanbul and your hotel by the airport. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

 

DAY 10 - Istanbul - Cairo- VIP MEET and GREET Service : Wednesday (B)
We escort you to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Air fare is included in our rate. Economy class Istanbul Cairo. Our Egypt-based local rep. greets you in bustling Cairo airport and assist you to your hotel.

VIP meet and greet service included Egyptian visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, no photos required, (valid only for a limited number of nationalities such as: American, EU, Canadian, Australian, NZ, S. Korean, Singaporean and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel.

Sample hotel: Deluxe: Cairo InterContinental Hotel, Cairo Marriott or similar. First Class: Novotel El-Borg Cairo Hotel or similar. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

 

 

DAY 11 - CAIRO: Thursday (BL)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including the "Mummies Room", and King Tut's Gold Treasure Rooms. Lunch at the new Hadaik Al-Azhar Park. In the afternoon we tour the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster, then conclude the day with a walking tour of the legendary 11-century Khan El-Khalili Bazaar district. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

Day 12 - Joseph's Oases gift to the Pharaoh:
On Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids were old: Friday (BL)
We leave Cairo by sunrise (private air conditioned car/driver/guide): Full day Fayoum Oases including: Hawara Pyramid, El Lahoun Pyramid, Ruins of Karanis, drive by Lake Qarun, lunch is included at a local restaurant.

The wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains, oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.

Join us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place of camels, we'll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your hotel, and soon you'll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake the drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest. Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands. It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god Sobek.

We'll visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside the waters of today's Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen's village of Chak Chouk. There we'll stop for a lunch of fish caught fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village lanes and discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread, irrigating crops from the lake's waters, and bringing in the catch. We'll also include the craft and pottery museum where the best works of local artisans are on display.

Then it's into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure! We'll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes, and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the Whales ( In Arabic : Wadi-El-Hitan). Incredibly, these great mammals once thrived - almost forty million years ago - in waters surrounded by sands. We'll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone. This valley was discovered in 1936 by the German geologist George Schweinfurth in the northwestern corner of Wadi El-Rayan.

The valley provides evidence of one of the major changes in this mammal evolution has been declared by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. It is believed that these land based whales once had feet that may have helped them somewhat while ashore . A team from the University of Michigan discovered in the late 80's that these Zeuglodon whales did have rudimentary fee , this was a startling discovery, suggesting that whales of Wadi -El-Hitan had recently started living in water as well, these whales were not related to any of the whales we have today, rather a more slender body and may grow up to 75 feet long. Several skeletons of whales are exposed in the sand. George Schweinfurth named this extinct specie the Zeuglodon Isis Whales.

In the evening, you'll return to your hotel in Cairo. Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is included.

 

DAY 13 - CAIRO - Giza: Saturday (BL)
We drive to the edge of Cairo and reach the sahara and Giza to show you the Pyramids of Giza, visit Cheops Royal Wooden Barge (the oldest in the world), the Sphinx, then enjoy lunch at the Mena House before we head for Memphis, Sakkara, the Step Pyramid and the Nobles Mastabas Conclude the day with the visit to Imhotep Museum in Sakkara, then head back to your hotel. Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide.

 

DAY 14 - LUXOR - BOARD your NILE CRUISE: Sunday (BLD)
Very early breakfast, and flight to Luxor. From the airport we proceed to visit Luxor Museum then check in on your Nile cruiser. Complimentary welcome drink will be served upon arrival, also in your cabin you will find a basket full of fresh fruits with our compliments. After lunch, we visit the great temples of Luxor and Karnak, then return to our Nile cruiser in time for afternoon tea. In the evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Luxor souks and Bazaars.

 

DAY 15 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS: Monday (BLD)
We tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings, including Tut-Ankh-Amon's tomb, and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise. Then it's on to Queen Hatshepsut's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon.

Afterward, we'll continue on Luxor's west bank to get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers' settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers' paradise, we'll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs.

 

DAY 16 - EDFU & KOM OMBO: Tuesday (BLD)
We cruise by Esna to Edfu, where we board horse-drawn carriages for the ride to the Temple of Horus. Returning to our ship, we set sail for Kom Ombo. In the evening, there's a jolly Dahabiya party aboard.

 

DAY 17 - KOM OMBO & ASWAN: Wednesday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo, then sail south to Aswan. After lunch we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands, returning to our ship in time for tea.

 

DAY 18 - ASWAN ABU Simbel CAIRO: Thursday (B)
After breakfast we check out, visit the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk, then board a motor launch to visit the Temples of Philae, returning to Aswan by late morning. Transfer is included (private car/driver) back to Aswan airport.

 

A short flight to Abu Simbel:
If you wish to overnight in Abu Simbel & attend the Sound & Light show, please click here

In Abu Simbel we'll marvel at the temples dedicated to Ramses the Great and Queen Nefertari, saved from rising waters of the Nile when the High Dam was built, fly back to Aswan and connect with our returning flight to Cairo. Domestic air fare is included Aswan Abu Simbel Aswan as well as back to Cairo. In Cairo we meet you at the airport & escort you back to your hotel.

 

DAY 19 - CAIRO: Friday (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Full day on your own, or ask us for help with optional tours. Maybe another visit to the Egyptian Museum, or a shopping spree at Khan El Khalili 12-Century old bazaar district.

A 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 20 - CAIRO: Saturday - Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight. Bon Voyage! Itinerary is subject to change without notice. Bon Voyage.

 

.

Rates per person in USD $ - Minimum 2 Guests
	Modest Three Stars Hotels	Four Stars Hotels	Deluxe Five Stars Hotels
Triple	$6920.	$7705.	$8405.
Double	$7001.	$7885.	$8500.
Single	$8105.	$9210.	$10,530.

 

Rates per person in USD $ - Minimum 4-6 Guests:
	Modest Three Stars Hotels	Four Stars Hotels	Deluxe Five Stars Hotels
Triple	$6111.	$6903.	$7605.
Double	$6278.	$7045.	$7700.
Single	$7203.	$8310.	$10,152.

 

 

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES:

• One way air fare Istanbul Cairo in economy class, tax included.
  
• Domestic airfare within Turkey and Egypt (economy class), tax included.
• Nile Cruise in Egypt including all meals & shore executions.
• All transfers and porters assistance within Turkey and Egypt.
• Fully escorted, guided sightseeing (including admissions fees) as described in the itinerary
• Meals as shown: (cB = continental breakfast; L = set-menu lunch; D = set-menu dinner)
• Hotel & Nile Cruise accommodations, including hotel tax and service charges

• VIP meet and greet service is included upon arrival at Cairo Airport .
  
• Egyptian visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, no photos required, (valid only for a limited number of nationalities such as: American, EU, Canadian, Australian, NZ, S. Korean, Singaporean and Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month upon arrival). After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel.

 

 

 

 

Rate doesn't include:

• International air fare.
  
• Visa Fee: in cash upon arrival ,or from any of the Turkish Consulates.
  
• Trip/travel insurance
  
• Tips

 

Sample Hotels used or similar
5 Stars and best available, or similar:

• Istanbul: Conrad Hotel, Hyatt Hotel, Inter.Continental or similar. If you prefer a boutique style Ottoman Mansion Hotel, please let's know in advance: Sample: Blue House. Arena. Yesil Ev, Sultanahmet Sarayi, Sultanhan or similar
  
• Izmir: Deluxe: Hilton. First Class: Kaya Prestige Hotel, Konak hotel or similar.
  
• Kusadasi: Korumar Hotel or similar
  
• Pamukkale: Deluxe (best available) Colassae Hotel or similar. First class: Lycus River Hotel or similar.
  
• Antalya: Talya Hotel or similar
  
• Konya: Riixos Hotel or similar, Konya Ozkaymak Hotel, or similar.
  
• Cappadocia: Cave Suites Hotel, Kapadokya Lodge or similar. First Class: Cappadocia Inn Hotel, Perissia Hotel or, or similar

 

• Click here for the 17 day version.
• Most popular Yachting package: A Week's Escape on a Mediterranean Yacht. 8- Day: Including a Mediterranean Gulet Cruise
  
• Compare with the 7 Day Heart Of Anatolia version
• Compare with the 10 day edition
• Bodrum Edition
• Let's Go to Turkey and Egypt: With a Foray into London all in 20 Days
  
• Add Greece.
• Compare with the 9 Day Istanbul and Anatolia version.
• Click here for the 12 day edition