Pyramids and Prophets

Egypt , Palestine and Israel tour
All in 12 Days

You'll see the wonders of ancient Egypt, experience the sacred Old City of Jerusalem, and ride on the Sea of Galilee on this inclusive ten-day tour Operates weekly on Saturdays.

DAY 1 - Friday DEPARTURE
We take off aboard British Airways or Air France or Olympic Airways from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, or Newark (call us for add on from your hometown), bound for Cairo, via Europe. Our tour participants may also take Egyptair nonstop from New York.

DAY 2 - Saturday CAIRO
Our staff whisks you from the hubbub of Cairo's airport to your hotel. Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival for the following nationalities; American, Australian, NZ, EU , Canadian & Japanese, your passport must be valid and in order .

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 3 - Sunday CAIRO (BLD)
We'll spend a full day exploring the wonders of Cairo, starting with the Egyptian Museum and its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, and precious stones and metals. Then we'll motor to the edge of the city to gaze at the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids. Lunch will be taken at a charming local restaurant. We'll also stop at the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. In the evening, we settle you into your private wood-panelled sleeping compartment on the train bound along the banks of the Nile. You'll enjoy dinner in the dining car, as the lights of villages reflect in the river.

Day 4 - Fayoum Oases - The Valley of the Whales ( BL) - Monday
A True Gift from Joseph to the Mighty Pharaoh of Egypt As a token of gratitude for taking in the Israelites escaping the drought in Palestine.

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. Incredibly, these great mammals once thrived in waters surrounded by sands. We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone.

In the evening, you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo.

You will enjoy your private : Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser. Services of your own private chauffeur and private English speaking guide .
Lunch is included today at a local seafood restaurant.

DAY 5 - Tuesday LUXOR (BLD)
We'll detrain early in the day in ancient Luxor, where we'll take breakfast at a deluxe hotel. Then it's on to see the sights! First stop is the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, followed by the mighty Temple of Luxor. We'll then cross the Nile to the Valley of the Kings, the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Queens, and the Colossi of Memnon. In the evening, we'll head for the airport to board a flight for our return to Cairo.

DAY 6 - Wednesday ROYAL PALACES (BLD)
Half day tour of Prince Mohamed Ali Manial palace, as well as Abdeen Royal Palace, the seat of power for almost a century for the former Egyptian Royal family, then later on the late President Sadat. Lunch at a local restaurant. Now that you've become acquainted with Egypt, and especially with Cairo, you'll have the afternoon to explore it on your own! Where to go? The only problem is too many choices! There's the Khan El-Khalili bazaar with its spice merchants and craftsmen . . . the Pyramids of Dahshour . . . the Ben Ezra synagogue . . . cafés. Of course, optional tours are available. In the evening, we'll get together again for a Sound and Light show at the Pyramids, followed by a dinner cruise on the Nile and folklore show.

DAY 7 - Thursday CAIRO, TEL AVIV (B)
Our Cairo-based representative will call for you after breakfast and see you to the airport, where you'll board your flight for Tel Aviv. Our Israel-based personnel will be on hand to meet you, and take you onward to your accommodations in Jerusalem. You'll have the rest of this day to discover Jerusalem on your own . . . the crowds along Ben Yehuda Street, the new City Hall, the walls of the Old City illuminated at dusk, the gleaming Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem lives up to every expectation!

DAY 8 - Friday OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM, BETHLEHEM (B)
Our visit to the Old City starts with a walk through the reconstructed Jewish Quarter. We'll visit the newly excavated Cardo, a Roman promenade, and proceed to the Western Wall, all that remains of the Second Temple. Nearby is the Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest places of Islam. We will follow in the footsteps of Jesus along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, passing bazaars where brassware, embroidered dresses and inlaid woodwork are on offer. We'll depart Jerusalem in the afternoon for Bethlehem, to visit the Church of the Nativity, the site of Jesus' birth. We'll also stop at Rachel's Tomb before returning to Jerusalem.

DAY 9 - Saturday MASSADA, EIN GEDI, DEAD SEA (B)
We descend from Jerusalem to the shores of the Dead Sea, lowest spot on earth, then ascend by cable car to Massada, the last stronghold of the Zealots in their struggle against the Romans. We'll walk through the remains of Herod's Palace, the synagogue, and cisterns, before we return to Jerusalem late in the afternoon.

DAY 10 - Sunday MEGIDDO, NAZARETH, TIBERIAS (B)
We drive north from Jerusalem to Nazareth to see the Church of the Annunciation, then continue to cross the Sea of Galilee by boat to Tabgha. Traveling overland again, we'll stop at Cana, and stroll through lively waterside Tiberias. At Capernaum, we'll see the ruins of the synagogue and Church of St. Peter. We'll return to Jerusalem via the baptismal site on the Jordan River.

DAY 11 - Monday Jerusalem (B)
Full day on your own in Jerusalem . Breakfast is included at the hotel.

DAY 12 - Tuesday DEPARTURE (B)
We'll escort you to the airport to catch your homeward-bound flight. Shalom! This tour departs on Saturday weekly, throughout the year.

RATES per person in US:

• For departures from Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego or Seattle, please add US$ 350 per person to the rates.
  
• Summer Season Dates : For May through end of Sep departures, please add a summer airline surcharge of $350 per person to the rates.
  

• Complimentary visa for Egypt ,visa is issued upon arrival for the following nationalities; American, Australian, NZ, EU , Canadian & Japanese, your passport must be valid and in order .
  
• Air transportation from New York to Cairo, Cairo to Tel Aviv, and Tel Aviv to New York, all in economy class including taxes. You may make your own air arrangements and deduct $600 from these rates.
  
• All ground transportation, including service between airport and hotels
  
• Rail transportation in Egypt with sleeping accommodations, the sleeper train is rated 3 stars, if you prefer to fly , please add $ 150 USD per person to any of the listed rates.
  
• Domestic flight in Egypt , Luxor to Cairo in economy class, tax included
  
• Meals as indicated, with preset menu (B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)
  
• Guided sightseeing with professional guide and all admission fees
  
• Hotel accommodations, including tax and service charges

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Add an optional tour to the legendary : ABU SIMBEL Temples

In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters.
The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temples, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which we begin our leisurely drive back to Abu Simbel Airport

Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt :
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. Arrive early in Egypt, extend one day to be able to see Abu Simbel . Read More