Mediterranean Magic of Istanbul and the Nile

Tour these two gems of the East Mediterranean in 15 days
Tour Turkey, Istanbul, Egypt , including a Nile Cruise

Start Weekly in Istanbul , year round

DAY 1 - Friday . ISTANBUL (B)
Upon arrival at 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 2- Sat. 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. Evening overnight train to Ankara.

DAY 3 - Sun, ANKARA / CAPPADOCIA (BLD)
Morning arrival at Ankara. 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 4 - Mon. CAPPADOCIA (B)
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 5 - Tue. IZMIR, EPHESUS (BLD)
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 6- 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 7 - Thu. ISTANBUL, CAIRO (BD)
After breakfast our local representative will take you to the airport to catch your flight for Cairo, where our local staff whisks you through the excitement and hubbub of the terminal, and onward through the desert to your hotel .
Visa fee is included, issued upon arrival for EU , American, Japanese and Australian citizens, passports must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival. You are responsible for your passport being valid & 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 8 - Fri. CAIRO (BLD)
Today, you'll explore the wonders of the Egyptian Museum, with its treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, precious stones and metals. Travellers have long come to Cairo just to gaze on these sights, but your day has just started. You'll also see the Citadel of Saladin and the alabaster mosque of Mohammed Ali. In Giza, on the edge of the desert, you'll gaze in awe at the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids. In the evening we'll attend Sound & Light show at the Pyramids.

DAY 9 - Sat. ASWAN - BOARD YOUR NILE CRUISE (BLD)
Our Cairo personnel will escort you to the airport to board your flight to Aswan in Upper Egypt. You'll arrive in time to take lunch aboard your Nile cruiser. We'll have the opportunity to experience Egypt at its most authentic, as we sail the Nile in a graceful felucca. If you wish, try your hand at camel riding! We'll take a traditional caravan to enjoy tea with Nubian villagers.

DAY 10 - Sun. ASWAN, KOM OMBO (BLD)
After breakfast on board, we'll visit the dams at Aswan, including the High Dam, a modern wonder in this ancient land. At the ancient granite quarry, we'll see an obelisk left unfinished, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters. Back aboard our cruiser, we'll sail northward down the Nile at a stately pace, disembarking for a visit to Kom Ombo, the twin temple dedicated to the crocodile river god, Sobek.

DAY 11 - Mon. EDFU, ESNA (BLD)
Horse-drawn carriages or vans meet us at riverside to take us through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, best-preserved in all of Egypt. Later, we'll cruise to Esna, and by evening, we'll be in fabled Luxor.

DAY 12 -Tue. LUXOR (BLD)
We'll cross the Nile to view an array of ancient splendors: the tomb chambers of the Valley of the Kings; the imposing tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Queens; and, on the way back to the ferry landing, the Colossi of Memnon.

DAY 13 - Wed. LUXOR, CAIRO (BD)
We'll visit the imposing Great Temple of Amon at Karnak and the great Temple of Luxor before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Cairo. After we settle you into your hotel, you'll have your last opportunity to experience the excitement of this great city and, of course, do some last-minute shopping. Dinner included at the hotel.

Day 14 - DAHSOUR - HOME HOSTED MEAL - Thursday (cBL)
After breakfast, we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza.

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 15 - Fri . RETURN HOME (B)
Our Cairo-based staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Departures are weekly. Year Round

RATES per person in double occupancy in US$:
All cabins on the Nile cruise are outside cabins with two lower beds, all with panoramic windows.

 

	Deluxe	First Class	Tourist Class
Triple	$ 4150	$ 3620	$ 3320
Double	$ 4230	$ 3700	$ 3340
Single	$ 5390	$ 4890	$ 4380

Christmas/ New Years, Easter Weeks: Please add :10 percent to the rates.

Upgrade to a Suite accommodation with private balcony accommodations on the Nile cruise are available on the luxury-class M/S Nile Vision , M/S Sonesta Star Goddess or M/S Sonesta Moon Goddess at a 15 percent supplement to the deluxe rates.

Rate includes:

• International airfares in economy class between Istanbul and Cairo , with tax
  
• Five day Nile cruise, including all meals and shore excursions.
  
• Guided tours as listed , including all entrance fees. Hotel accommodation as mentioned in Turkey and Cairo, including tax and service charges, and breakfast daily. Meals as indicated, with preset menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
  
• Airport greeting and assistance. Transportation between airports, hotels, and port.
  
• One-way air transportation Istanbul and Cairo, in economy class, tax included .
  
• Domestic air transportation in Egypt , in economy class, tax included .
  

• Egyptian visa fee, available only for American, Canadian, EU & Japanese citizens. Must have a valid passport. Issued upon arrival at Cairo airport.

Not included: