North Africa Crossing
A 20- Day Tour of Egypt and Libya

Here's the best way to see the best of North Africa : Egypt, Libya and Nile Cruise .

Compare with the 14-day edition . Add Tunisia ? . Arrive from Tunisia by road or fly into Tripoli.
Weekly every Monday year round - Add Ghadames , Tunisia , or Morocco

Libya far more than vast sweeps of desert. As you'll see on this tour, Libya is a country of extraordinary and unexpected variety, so rich that it was coveted and conquered in turn by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, and Byzantines-all of whom left their mark. During six days with five overnights, we'll travel to the province known to the Greeks as Cyrenaica, and see the ruins of Cyrene, Apollonia, Ptolemais and Gasr. We'll ascend to Jabel Akhdar, where the precious moisture allows a unique flora and fauna flourish. And we'll follow the route of Rommel's famed Afrika Korps to where it met its match at Tobruk in World War II. And then it's onward, to continue your travels through Egypt. The connections are seamless, thanks to our inside knowledge and local contacts .

DAY 1 -Tunisia / Libya or Fly Into Tripoli (LD) Weekly on Monday year round
Arrive from Tunisia across the border, or fly into Tripoli.
You'll head out after breakfast, and in short order, reach Tunisia's eastern border. After you pass through the formalities of customs and immigration at Ras Ajdir, our Libyan personnel will take over and see to your needs for the rest of the way. Our journey continues by road to Sabratha, site of a fine Roman city. We'll tour the ruins and visit the classical museum, and learn about Libya's key position on ancient trade routes. In the afternoon, we continue on into Tripoli, the busy capital of Libya, and settle into our lodgings for the next three nights. You can relax in the evening, or venture out to explore the modern quarters of the town, or the winding lanes of the old city.

DAY 2 - TRIPOLI (BLD) Tuesday
After breakfast, we'll take you for a drive through town to the Tripoli Museum, housing treasures of Libyan history from Roman times and earlier. We'll venture into the Old Town, and along the winding lanes of the souks, where in age-old fashion, merchants and customers haggle over local handicrafts and produce, treasures from across the desert, and practical items from over the seas. We'll see the venerable arch of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Gurgi Mosque, and the Karamanly Museum. Afterwards, you'll be free to explore on your own, and possibly to return to the souks to try your hand at bargaining for some of the crafts and treasures that you spied earlier.

DAY 3 - LEPTIS MAGNA, SILIN (BLD) Wednesday
We'll spend most of today at Leptis Magna, about 130 kilometers from Tripoli. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered the best-preserved Roman city in Africa. The enormous amphitheater and the remains of fine buildings testify to the city's former importance. After gaining insights into the old city at the ruins and in the museum, we'll continue to the delightful and largely intact Roman villa at Silin, with its remarkably lifelike mosaics and frescoes.

DAY 4 - BENGHAZI, PTOLEMAIS (BLD) Thursday
We'll head off after breakfast to the airport, and board our plane. It's a flight of under an hour to Benghazi. From there, we'll set out immediately for the ancient port of Ptolemais, founded by the Hellenic dynasty of Egypt. We'll view the great cisterns and Mausoleum, and more artifacts in the museum, where we'll learn about the kingdoms that vied for Libya in ancient times. Then it's off to the surprisingly fertile highlands of Jabel Akhdar. In Gasr Libya, we'll see a Byzantine church with a mosaic floor, and view another mosaic with the only panels known to show ancient Alexandria. Our stop for the night is El Beyda, where we'll lodge in the modest and welcoming three-star Gasr El Beyda Hotel.

DAY 5 - CYRENE, APOLLONIA, TOBRUK (BLD) Friday
We set out after breakfast for Cyrene, the Greek city that once rivaled Athens. Impressive temples to Zeus and Apollo remain Then it's off to Apollonia, Cyrene's ancient port, with a surviving Byzantine palace, theater, and baths. Late in the afternoon, we'll reach Tobruk, where we'll overnight at the comfortable Masira Hotel.

DAY 6 - TOBRUK, ON TO EGYPT and Mersa Matrouh (BL)
Saturday
We've followed in the path of Rommel to reach Tobruk. Today, we'll learn about the titanic and bloody clash of forces that marked the turning point of World War II, and pay a moving visit to the cemeteries where lie the dead from both sides. Rommel's push ended here, but not yours. You'll continue to the border of Egypt, where our Libyan personnel will bid you goodbye, and entrust you to your Egyptian hosts. On to Mersa Matrouh and overnight at a modest 4 stars hotel. ( Always with private facilities)

DAY 7 - EL ALAMEIN (BL) Sunday
We'll cross into another era of history today, as we motor westward through the dunes along the Mediterranean coast, following the route of Field Marshall Montgomery to El Alamein. Here we'll visit the fields of battle where Rommel's advance on Cairo was finally halted. We'll visit the museum. Lunch included at el Alamein, before we head back to Mersa Matrouh, remainder of the day at leisure

DAY 8 - SIWA, ORACLE OF AMON (BLD) Monday
It's back to ancient days as we follow the pilgrimage route of Alexander the Great to the Oracle of Amon. He marched westward along the Mediterranean coast, then inland (south) to the great oasis of Siwa. His aim was to visit the great temple of Amun which, tradition says, his legendary "ancestors" Heracles and Perseus had visited. He entered the temple and was hailed by the priests as pharaoh, the son of Amun. He then had a private audience with the High Priestess of the oracle, who proclaimed him to be a god, the son of Zeus. She predicted that he would conquer vast territories. He did. Leaving Egypt, he marched into Persia conquering all who came before him, all the way to what is now Lahore in Pakistan. On his return trip, however, he fell ill and died‹at the ripe age of 33 in Babylon.

Octavious visiting Alexander the Great's Tomb in Alexandria just after he defeated Cleopatra & Marc Anthony ( 30 B.C) . He left his coat as a token of respect to Alexander the Great. The search continues for Alexander the Great's Tomb.

According to ancient inscriptions, Alexander's body was returned to Egypt and buried but where?
Both Siwa and Alexandria are possibilities. His tomb has not yet been identified for sure. At Gebel Mawta, we'll see tombs of the Greco-Roman era, including one that's reputed to be Alexander's own tomb. At Siwa, we'll see an ancient fortress with winding alleyways, and the Temple of Amon, where Alexander's divinity and legitimacy were proclaimed. Within a short distance, we'll traverse centuries as we visit Cleopatra's Pool, a Roman outpost, and a Ptolemaic temple. Our lunch break will be at the springs of Ain Sharouf, where we might get to take a dip.

DAY 9 - SIWA, ALEXANDRIA (BLD) Tuesday
We'll retrace the desert route to Alexandria this morning (the portion never completed by Rommel), As the gateway to Egypt, the Nile and Africa, Alexandria has been contested by armies and navies ever since. In 1798, Lord Nelson defeated Napoleonıs navy just east of Alexandria.

In 1807 the British occupied the city. In 1941, General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps stormed across North Africa all the way to El Alamein, only 70 miles west of Alexandria. Rommel was driven back in desperate fighting by British forces under the command of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, yet another of the many generals to have struggled for control of this strategic land.

Today you 'll have the rest of the day free, to stroll the Corniche, acquire mementos of our trip, or look in on daily life in the ancient capital of Cleopatra. Lunch is served enroute . Dinner is included at the hotel in Alexandria.

DAY 10 - ALEXANDRIA (BL) Wednesday

Conqueror of the Mediterranean Coast - Alexander the Great
In 332 BC, Egypt was laboring under Persian military control when Alexander the Great arrived to drive out the invaders without the shedding of a drop of blood. The Persian governor surrendered and the conquering hero was hailed as a liberator and given Egypt's double crown symbolizing control of Upper and Lower Egypt. Alexander reinstated Egypt's traditional government and founded the city of

Alexandria at the countryıs most important crossroads: where the Nile meets the Mediterranean. . Today, we'll get to known Alexandria in depth, as we visit the Greco-Roman Museum, the Roman Amphitheater, the Koum El Shougafa Tombs, the fortress of Kayet Bey, and the Museum of the Crown Jewels. After lunch in an Alexandrine restaurant, on to : Qayet Bey Fortress housing recovered items from the French Fleet & Napoleons Flag Ship " L'Orient", sunk by the British & Admiral Nelson, east of Alexandria.

Qayet Bey Fort was built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world : the famous Alexandria Light House. A brief stop at " El Selsela" the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Crown Jewels Museum, then its off to the new site for the Alexandria Library before heading back to your hotel.

DAY 11 - ALEXANDRIA/ Wadi El Natroun / Cairo (BL) Thursday
After breakfast we 'll visit the new museum in Alexandria , the building was originally built in 1926 for the US consulate in Alexandria and is a masterpiece in 1920's architecture & Mediterranean style buildings on to Wadi El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo in the middle of the Sahara , where early Coptic Christians retreated here to escape the Roman persecution in the 4th century AD. The Egyptian Pope of Alexandria is always chosen from the Monks of wadi El Natroun. Reach Cairo late afternoon and your hotel.

DAY 12 - Pharaonic Giza (cBL) Friday
Today we tour Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas, The Serapeum, Unas, Pyramid of Teti and key Mastabas.
In the afternoon the tour takes us to Dahshour, the pyramid field south of Cairo:only-opened few years back after Sadat signed the peace treaty with Israel, and the Army did let go of this strategically "important" area.

DAHSOUR - we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, 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. We'll tour as well the famous "Bent" Pyramid.

DAY 13 - CAIRO LUXOR- Saturday (BLD)
A very early breakfast ( around 4 AM ) and flight to Luxor or Aswan.
Transfer is always included ( private car/driver) from your hotel to the airport.
Domestic air fare between Cairo & the cruise is included, tickets are issued in Cairo . Add $ 150 for upgrade to business class ( subject to availability).

Transfer is included from Luxor Airport to the Cruise.
Check in on your luxury cruiser at noon. After lunch, we visit the great temples of Luxor and Karnak, then return to our Nile cruiser in time for afternoon tea.

DAY 14 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS - Sunday (cBLD)
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.

Queen Nefertari's tomb will be closed for urgent repairs. , that's why we are visiting instead the Ancient Worker's village at Deir el Medinah

The Queen for whom the sun shines : ( closed for urgent repairs)
Long before Cleopatra humbled the ruler of Rome, an Egyptian queen held power over the heart and soul of Ramses, Egypt's greatest pharaoh. In the 12th century BC, a brokenhearted Ramses built a grand funerary tomb for Queen Nefertari, "the Beautiful one," in the Valley of the Queens. It's been exquisitely restored with the aid of an American endowment, and is among the rarest sights in all Egypt: the only great tomb ever built by a pharaoh for his late queen. Artistically, it is the closest thing you could ever come to see the original Ancient Egyptian art in all of its glory and finesse.
Because of its fragile nature, only a limited number of visitors are allowed entry each day. We are the only company to include a visit to Nefertari's tomb in our daily program. Because of the limited access we must rise early for our visit, appropriate as Ramses named Nefertari "the one for whom the sun shines." >>

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 15 - EDFU & KOM OMBO- Monday (cBLD)
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 galabia party aboard.

DAY 16 - KOM OMBO & ASWAN - Tuesday (cBLD)
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 17 - ASWAN / Cairo - Wednesday :
Nubian Museum, Camel Caravan, Nubian Village, Wednesday (cB)
After breakfast we check out, visit the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk, the Nubian Museum ,then board a motor launch to visit the the Island temple of Philae , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS :

The Mystery of Isis

Two millennia ago the Mediterranean world was enthralled by the mystery of Isis:

"I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever seen me unveiled."

Called Aset by the ancient Egyptians, the goddess was a Madonna in the Mediterranean tradition that stretches far, far back to the primitive Mother Goddess from Anatolia, home to some of the oldest human communities on earth.

Isis was the powerful and quick-witted protector of her son Horus, the Sun God. Ancient peoples throughout the Mediterranean regarded Isis and Horus as the perfect Madonna and Child. Another legend says she was
also the mother of the fertility god Min who, judging from the depiction of him on temple walls, needed no help from Viagra!

Because of her wisdom and skill at protection, she was admired as a good magician capable of healing the sick and protecting the dead in their journey to the Underworld.

Isis is portrayed regally, as a queen seated on a throne (which may be the meaning of her name), often holding her son Horus as a baby. Other images show her with broad, magnificent gilded wings able to protect the world.

Isis, the great Mother Goddess. Come explore her mystery in timeless
Egypt when you Travel in Style!

Be our guest if you wish on a complimentary short camel caravan to a near by Nubian Village for tea with the locals, returning to Aswan Airport .Transfer is included ( private car/driver) back to Aswan airport

Domestic air fare is included as well back to Cairo . In Cairo , we meet you at the airport & escort you back to your hotel .

DAY 18- CAIRO -Home Hosted Family Dinner (cBLD) Thursday
The Culture of Cairo

Today we’ll explore deep into the heart of Cairo, and get to know its daily rhythms, its spirituality, its history, and its modern diversions. We’ll start early, with a visit to a local market, with an immense variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables on offer, both familiar and exotic.

You’ll see that shopping in Cairo goes far beyond a supermarket experience. Be prepared for whispers, gestures, shouting, and controlled chaos. It’s all part of the bargaining process, engaged in by women in traditional modest garb as well as others in Western dress.

Then it’s on to the Museum of Islamic Art, with its tapestries, textiles, swords and other objects exemplifying one of the world’s great decorative traditions. We’ll continue to the Gayer-Anderson House, a serene and classic domestic oasis, right down to its central fountain and exquisite furnishings. Our visit is also a journey into a vanished way of life—the residence is actually two traditional medieval Cairo houses restored by an English physician to a former king. We’ll stop for lunch at a restaurant where Cairenes go, then visit the Bab an-Nasr, the Gate of Victory in Cairo’s old walls. You’ll even see graffiti that survives from soldiers of Napoleon and of the British Empire, among the many who passed this way.

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 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 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.

DAY 19 - 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 feet , 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 20 - RETURN HOME (B) Saturday
After breakfast, our Cairo staff will accompany you to the airport, where you'll board your flight to start your journey home. This tour departs weekly .

Photo Credit Osama Abdel A'al - Click here for more images from the Oases

RATES per person in USD

International airfare is not included from / to your home country
Christmas / New Year / Easter : please add 20 % to any of the rates

Please add 20 % supplement to the deluxe rates for the ultra deluxe :
M/S Tuya, M/S TiYi , Nile Vision , the all suites M/S Amarco , or the all suites with private balconies Nile Cruise , orSonesta Moon Goddess, Sonesta Star Goddess ( all state   rooms do offer private balconies)

The all suites M/S Amarco

The Ultra Deluxe M/S Amarco

Category A class hotels :
Five-star Sheraton / Hilton / Meridien in Cairo
Five-star Corinthia Bab Africa in Tripoli (www.corinthiahotels.com)
Alexandria : Sheraton, Hilton, Palestine Montazah Hotel
Siwa Oases Egypt:Hilton Borg El Arab or Safari Paradise Siwa

Category B class hotels :
Novotel / Maadi / Oases in Cairo
Yosser Hotel in Tripoli (newly renovated, near old town and Tripoli Museum)
Alexandria : Sheraton, Hilton, Palestine Montazah Hotel
Siwa Oases Egypt:Hilton Borg El Arab or Safari Paradise Siwa

In Libya, surprises are the order of the day! An invitation to a refreshing glass of mint tea while you browse in a shop . . . an encounter with a humble desert dweller . . . a gust of wind and a swirl of sand, followed by perfect stillness, and vistas under an endless blue sky.

You'll find sometimes that your tour schedule will be switched to accommodate changes in conditions. You might even start with your last day and proceed resolutely to the first! Your hotels will have facilities that match their ratings, and idiosyncrasies in service on the upside and downside, but always with a warm welcome.

It's all part of the experience and privilege of going where few have gone. Be flexible and ready for surprises. If that's not you, don't worry, we offer myriad options elsewhere tailored to your requirements and expectations.

Rate Includes:

• Hotel accommodation with tax as listed , and two nights in troglodyte accommodation
• All transfers in Egypt & Libya .
• Guided sightseeing including all entrance fees as per itinerary , always by air conditioned sedan/van or mini bus ( 15 - 24 seater) .
• Pre set meals as listed including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast), L = Lunch, D = Dinner
• Cairo & Libya and travel guide books.
• Egyptian Visa:
  Will be issued on a complimentary basis for American, Australian, NZ, Western European, Canadian , Singaporean & Japanese citizens, your passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of arrival.
• All Nile Cruise shore excursions, entrance fees, the service of an English Speaking guide.
• Welcome fruit basket upon check-in on board the Nile Cruise . One large bottle of water per person daily while on board the cruise. Tea or coffee with each meal on board the cruise
• All outside cabins, including all tax & service charges.
• All meals: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner. Afternoon tea daily onboard.
• All transfers as listed, all by air conditioned car/van .
• Domestic air fare between Cairo & the Nile cruise, tax included. Add $ 150 for upgrade to business class ( subject to availability)
• One small bottle of water per person with each meal on board the Nile Cruise

• Visa for Libya , issued upon arrival in Libya , American, Canadian, EU, Japanese nationalities, your passport must be valid for 6 month beyond the date of arrival. No Israeli visa stamps.

Not Included :

• Any International Airfare from/to your home country
• Tips.
• Beverages with meals
• Travel Insurance
  

Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel:

All Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient Pharaonic temple threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam. It's worth remembering that it was Jacquie Kennedy who provided crucial support for the mammoth rescue project. Without her help, Abu Simbel might have been lost. Read More

Tripoli hotels ( Five Stars ) :

Corinthia ( Bab Africa ) ( Five star Superior)
Tel: +218 21 3351990 Fax: +218 21 3351992 Email: tripoli@corinthia.com

Al Mahari : Tel: + 218 21 3334092/ 95 Fax: + 218 21 4449502 Email: info@libyaninvestment.com

Al Kabir : Tel: + 218 21 4445950 / 58 Fax: + 218 21 4445959 Email info@libyaninvestment.com

Bab Al Bahr : Tel: + 218 21 3350710/ 3350676 Fax: + 218 21 3350711 Email info@libyaninvestment.com

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