Marrakech to the Nile

North Africa and the Near East
From Marrakech to the Nile and on to Petra Jordan

A 16 day adventure Tour including a 5 day Nile Cruise

Explore the two gems of North Africa--Morocco and Egypt-- then on to the hidden lost city of Petra , on this tour , that includes a 5 day Nile Cruise, Cairo , Luxor Aswan, Edfu, Kom Ombo ,Casablanca, Marrakech the top sights in Jordan on this locally escorted tour, including Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum and Jerash . Weekly year round

Weekly departure - Year Round

Day 1 - MARRAKECH - Thursday
Our international flight arrives in Marrakech . After completing customs and immigration formalities. Our local rep. escorts us to our hotel

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 Marrakech ! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, you'll enjoy a lively evening, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 2 - MARRAKECH - Friday (BLD)
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). Evening Dinner and Moroccan show

Day 3 - CASABLANCA - Saturday (BL)
Private chauffeured air-conditioned vehicle drives you back 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. 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. After lunch we head for the airport and board your Egyptair or Royal Air Maroc flight across North Africa to Egypt. Air fare is included in our rate , in economy class , tax included

Day 4 - CAIRO Sunday (B)
We arrive in Cairo with the dawn,Complimentary visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport, valid only for American, EU , Japanese and some other limited number of citizenship . Passports must be valid for 6 month at least at time of arrival.

We drive through the awakening city to our hotel for breakfast and a bracing cup of coffee or tea. Refreshed, while your room is booked for an immediate and early check -in , you may wish to dive in and on with the tour : 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. The rest of the day is yours: find a little local restaurant for lunch, go museum-hopping, take a nap, or stroll along the Nile, as you like.

DAY 5 - CAIRO Monday (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. DAHSOUR - we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to Dahshour, the 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.

Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant .

DAY 6 - Cairo / Aswan / NILE CRUISE Tuesday (BLD)
Your transfers are always on a private basis. Fly to Aswan and on to your Nile cruise.
Tour of Kalabsha Temple dedicated to the ancient god Mandulis, and the goddess Isis . Built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus , the small rock-cut temple of Beit El Wali, built by Ramses the Great , and the small yet charming Kiosk of Qertassi.

Return to the Nile Cruise in time for a delicious lunch. In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. For those who are interested: a short camel caravan & ride for almost half an hour to visit a local Nubian Village for tea with the locals.

DAY 7 - ASWAN & KOM OMBO Wednesday (BLD)
First we tour the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the island temples of Philae. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples.

DAY 8 - EDFU Thursday (BLD)
We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple. Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 9 - LUXOR Friday (BLD)
We tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings including King Tut's Tomb , and Valley of the Queens.

DAY 10 - LUXOR & CAIRO Saturday (B)
The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the morning, followed by a return flight to Cairo, and your hotel

DAY 11 - CAIRO Sunday (B)
Full day at leisure in Cairo. Wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

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 12 - Cairo / Amman - Monday (BLD)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Amman , air fare is included in our rate, in economy class , tax included.

Our staff will meet you upon arrival in Amman and help with the Visa .
Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival for American, EU & Japanese passport holders. Passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival. We drive south along the King's Highway, and on to PETRA. Lunch is included in Cairo or Amman subject to the flight departure time. Dinner is included at the hotel in Petra .

DAY 13 - PETRA - Tuesday (B)
Today the fabulous Nabatean City of Petra awaits us. Made famous in the Indiana Jones movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark," its ancient temples, tombs and striking Khazneh (Treasury) were hewn right from the pink and violet sandstone. We spend a full day here, and another night.

DAY 14 - WADI RUM & AMMAN - Wednesday (BL)
We board four-wheel-drive vehicles for an expedition to Wadi Rum, the "Valley of the Moon" where T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") organized Arab resistance to Ottoman rule during World War I. After our visit, we return to Amman. Lunch is included enroute.

DAY 15 - JERASH, Amman - Thursday (B)
We drive to Jerash, among the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, to tour its temples, theaters, churches and colonnaded streets. From Jerash, we will escort you back to Amman.

When it came to the "Harem & Arabia
The Orientalists painted a myth that may not have existed at all

DAY 16 - Amman , Departure - Friday -(B)
After breakfast , transfer back to Queen Alia Airport .
Jordanian departure tax is included in our rate . Bon Voyage .

RATES are  per person in USD

For a private guide in Morocco,Jordan, Egypt & on board the Nile cruise
Please add $250 to the above listed rate.

Hotels :

Marrakech In Morocco
Deluxe Standard 5 stars hotel :
KENZI FARAH or similar www.kenzi-hotels.com/anglais
Deluxe Standard 5 stars Riad - RIAD TIWALINE - www.riadtiwaline.com

In Egypt : Cairo : Sofitel / Hilton / Sheraton / Grand Hyatt / Conrad/ Inter.Continental
Nile Cruise : M/S Adonis . M/S Florence . M/S Mojito . M/S Monaco . M/S Monte Carlo .
M/S Beau Soleil. M/S Diamond.

You may wish to upgrade for the Ultra Deluxe Category
( 10 % supplement applies to the deluxe rate listed above)

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

Your tour includes:

• Airfare from Casablanca to Cairo and on to Amman , in economy class , including tax

• Domestic airfares within Morocco as well as Egypt , in economy class , including tax .

• All airport and train station transfers as described in the tour itinerary

• Your hotel room at a carefully-selected deluxe, Five Stars or first class four stars hotel, whichever you prefer, including tax & service, we confirm all hotels to you when you book, and before you send us your deposit.
  
  
• Five day Nile cruise include all meals and shore excursions, all cabins are outside, all with large panoramic windows, tax & service charges are included. Bottled water ( one per person) delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the cruise. Tea or coffee /bottled water with each meal while on board the cruise.
  

• B = Breakfast, (or aB, American Buffet Breakfast), L = Lunch, D = Dinner and all Egyptian airport taxes.

• Guided sightseeing as listed in the itinerary including all entrance fees.
  
  
• US and Japanese passport holders need a visa to enter Egypt and Jordan . You will obtain a visa at the airport upon arrival in Cairo and Amman With our compliments, valid with American or Japanese passport that is valid for at least 6 month . Visas are not required of US and Canadian passport holders for entry into Morocco.
  

The tour does not include:

• International airfare from/ to your home country .
• Travel Insurance, please ask us for the flyer
• Personal expenditures (beverages, laundry, special meals, etc.)
• Tips to hotel and restaurant staff, drivers and guides in Jordan

Nile Cruise Dining Room Reservations: Meet other passengers :
YOU will not require any, our dining rooms do accommodate all our guests in one seating, one less thing to worry about while you are on the Nile. Enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere with several different languages being heard at dinner.

Do we get sea sickness while sailing the Nile ?
This is river sailing, so do not expect any waves , no rough seas ! Your Nile cruises is actually a floating hotel that moves from place to place along the Nile. Actual cruising times are short and pleasant.