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!

Continue 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.
Lunch is included at a local restaurant or at your hotel.

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 a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 5 - Wed. LUXOR (aBL)
We leave our train for breakfast at your hotel, after which we cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings , including King Tut's Tomb, and the Colossi of Memnon.
Return to your hotel for lunch .
In the afternoon we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake and red granite quarries with their unfinished obelisk. As well as the great Luxor temple of Amon Ra .

DAY 6 - Thu. CAIRO (aBD)
Morning visit to the small yet charming Luxor museum. Later in the day head for the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and our hotel, dinner is included at the hotel.

DAY 7 - Fri. ISTANBUL (aB)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Istanbul . You're met at the airport by our representative, who sees you to your hotel, and answers any questions you may have about getting to know the city. As you ride into the great metropolis from the airport, two thousand years of history are revealed: towering Roman walls, ancient Byzantine churches, slender minarets framing the bulbous domes of graceful mosques. These ancient monuments float on the skyline of a bustling modern metropolis of ten million people.

DAY 8 - Sat. ISTANBUL, BELLE EPOQUE (BL)
"Imperial Constantinople in the Belle Epoque"
(late 19th century), the exotic romance of the "Paris of the East:"

Morning walking tour : We start with our guide in Karaköy where the foreign bankers and shipping companies had their headquarters, then take the Tünel up to istiklal Caddesi; stop in the whirling dervish tekke, and walk past the various old embassy buildings (now consulates), and point out the architecture.
Stop for tea (included) at the famous Pera Palace Hotel.
Walk at least as far as Galatasaray Square, and have lunch in the Çicek Pasaji (Flower Passage); then walk up to Taksim Square and be picked up for the afternoon tour.

In the afternoon the tour visit Yildiz Palace Park and the Ihlamur Kasri, a mini-palace south of Yildiz, and finish up with a visit to the Military History Museum in Harbiye in time to hear the "Mehter," or Ottoman military band (mid-afternoon).

DAY 9 - Sun, ANKARA / CAPPADOCIA (BLD)
Morning flight to Ankara. Air fare is included in economy class , tax included . Visit the Museum of Ancient Anatolian Civilization. & Ataturk mausoleum continue to Sultanhani the Seljuk Turkish caravanserai before making the drive to biblical Cappadocia and our Hotel.

Day 10 - Mon. CAPPADOCIA (BLD)
We explore the "moonscape" of Cappadocia, visiting the painted churches in the Göreme and Zelve Valleys, the rockhewn dwellings in Ortahisar, the pottery-making center of Avanos, and the incredible underground city of Kaymakl (or Derinkuyu).

Day 11 - Tue. IZMIR, EPHESUS (BL)
Fly to Izmir, upon arrival we proceed to time capsule & the gem of ancient cities of the Greco Roman world: Ephesus, the capital of Roman Asia Minor, we spend most of the day in Ephesus & a tour the Basilica of St. John, said to mark his tomb. Then drive to Izmir for the night. Kaya Prestige Hotel or similar.

DAY 12 - Wed. ISTANBUL (B)
Fly back to Istanbul & our hotel, one last chance for shopping spree in the legendary covered Bazaar. Istanbul is all yours, any way you like it. Grab your Lonely Planet guidebook and stroll along the restored 19th-century thoroughfare of Istiklal Caddesi, once known as the Grand Rue, DE Péra. Search for spices and folk remedies in the Egyptian Bazaar. Admire the medieval mosaics in the city's many Byzantine churches. Shop in the chic boutiques around Taksim Square. Climb the Galata Tower, built by the Genoese six centuries ago, for a panoramic view of Old Istanbul.

DAY 13 - Thu. ISTANBUL (BL)
The center of ancient Constantinople and Istanbul was on Seraglio Point, framed by the Golden Horn, the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. We visit the Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet III to challenge the architectural primacy of neighboring Sancta Sophia. We then walk next door to compare achievements in Justinian's great Sancta Sophia. Right behind Sancta Sophia is our next stop, sumptuous Topkapi Palace, the sultans' seraglio for centuries, filled with breathtaking exhibits of priceless jewels, golden thrones, delicate colored tiles, and lavish court costumes. We finish up in the bustling Grand Bazaar, where you can find jewelry, carpets, goat-hair rugs, hand-painted ceramics, copper and brass in labyrinthine streets holding nearly 4000 shops.

DAY 14 - Fri. Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.

Rates per person in US$:

INCLUSIONS:

• Airfare CAIRO/ISTANBUL in economy class , including tax
  
• Sleeper train and domestic airfare within Turkey & Egypt as per itinerary , domestic air is in economy class , tax included .
  
• Meals, as listed: B = Continental breakfast, L/D = Preset men lunch/dinner. * Guided sightseeing, all transfers in Turkey & Egypt, as per itinerary, including all entrance fees.
  
• Hotel accommodations, including tax and service charges.
  
• Locally hosted guide will escort the group at all times during sightseeing.
  
• Visa fee for Egypt. Visa issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport. Valid only for EU , American, Japanese, Australian & NZ passports. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month beyond date of arrival.

• Tips to drivers, guides, porters etc.

Not included: