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HIGHLIGHTS
OF TURKEY and EGYPT including Nile Cruise |
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DAY
01 - Arrival to Istanbul: |
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Arrival
to Istanbul Airport and meet for transfer on to the hotel. Rest
of the day is then at leisure (as per your flight arrival time).
Overnight in Istanbul. |
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DAY
02 - Istanbul Sightseeing Tour: |
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After
breakfast at hotel meet with the guide to depart on the full
daytour to explore some of the most important sights in Istanbul.
Visit the Blue Mosque, the St Sophia, Hippodrome & Obelisk,
the Grand Bazaar and Topkapi Palace (excluding optional extra
entrance to Harem room). After the tour, return to hotel with
the evening then at leisure. Overnight in Istanbul. |
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DAY
03 - Bosphorous Cruise - Flight to Cappadocia: |
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After
breakfast meet with the tour guide to depart for a mornings
cruise on the Bosphorous which seperates the East from West.
During the cruise visit the Spice Bazaar and the Rumeli Fortress.
At the end of the cruise, transfer back to hotel with the remainder
of the day at leisure for you to further explore on your own
until early evening transfer to airport. Depart on the domestic
flight to Kayseri (Cappadocia) and on arrival meet for transfer
to the hotel for check-in with the evening at leisure. Overnight
in Cappadocia. |
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DAY
04 - Tour to Goreme Open Air Museum: |
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Today
depart on the full days tour to visit Devrent Valley and Monk's
Valley (Pasabagi) where you find the world famous fairy chimneys.
Break for lunch in Avanos then on to the Goreme Open-Air
Museum to explore the numerous churches and monasteries with
their frescoes. These churches and monasteries where carved
from the soft volcanic stone and decorated by Medieval Orthodox
Christian Monks around 1000-1200AD. A visit to Ortahisar Natural
Rock Castle for panoramic views is also included. After tour
the evening is at leisure. Overnight in Cappadocia. |
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DAY
05 - Derinkuyu Underground City: |
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Breakfast
at hotel, check out then depart on another full day sightseeing
tour of Cappadocia this time starting with a visit to the famous
Derinkuyu Underground City which was built as a defence and
hiding site during the period of spreading Christianity. Then
to Cavusin Old Christian Village where you find a triple Apse
church and monastery of St John the Baptist. In Sinasos Old
Greek Village you find old Greek and Ottoman houses. The days
touring also includes an easy grade 3km hike through Red Valley
offering some great scenery that would otherwise not be accessible
by car and a visit to the Uchisar Natural Rock Castle. At end
of tour, collect luggage from hotel reception and transfer on
to the bus station for travel by intercity overnight bus to
Pamukkale. |
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DAY
06 - Pamukkale travertens and Hierapolis ruins: |
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Arrival
early morning to Pamukkale where you will be met at the bus
station and transferred to a small hotel with use of a room
to take a shower, short rest and have breakfast. Then it is
time to join on the group tour which visits the natural formation
of the travertens "Cotton Cliffs" and the ruins of
Hierapolis. Then transfer to hotel in Kusadasi & evening
at leisure. Overnight Kusadasi. |
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DAY
07 - Ephesus Sightseeing Tour: |
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Breakfast
then meet with guide to depart on the full day Ephesus Tour.
Begin with the Ancient City of Ephesus, the best preserved Greco-Roman
City in the world. Here you see the Agora, Odeon, Curetes Street,
Celsius Library, famous Roman Baths, the Grand Theatre and Marble
Street. After lunch, depart for the House of Virgin Mary where
she is said to have spent the remainder of her days. It is a
pilgrimage site for many people of various religious denominations.
The tour also includes a visit to the remains of Artemis Temple,
one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Tour ends with
transfer back to hotel & evening at leisure. Overnight in
Kusadasi. |
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DAY
08 - Departure flight to Cairo: |
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Breakfast,
check out and as per the available flight departure times on
required date of travel, transfer to Izmir Airport for check
in with flight to Cairo via Istanbul. On arrival to Cairo meet
for transfer to the hotel with remainder of the day or evening
at leisure. Overnight in Cairo. |
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DAY
09 - Tour of Giza and train Cairo to Aswan: |
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Breakfast,
check out and meet with your guide to begin the tour with a
visit to Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt dating from 3100BC
which contains the beautiful representation of King Ramsis II
through his colossal statue. Then proceed on to Sakkara where
you visit the world-famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the oldest
known of Egypt's 107 Pyramids. At Pyramids area, visit the Three
Pyramids built for Pharaohs Cheops, Chephren & Mycerinus
on the Giza Plateau and the mysterious Sphinx. After the tour,
transfer on to Cairo Rail Station for departure on the overnight
train to Aswan. Overnight onboard train, dinner included. |
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DAY
10 - Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor: |
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On
arrival to Aswan Rail Station meet for transfer to board the
Nile Cruise. Embarkation before lunch. Then depart with the
tour guide to visit the High Dam, one of the biggest dams in
the world and was an engineering miracle when it was built in
the 1960's. Then proceed to the Unfinished Obelisk, a huge obelisk
incompletely carved that shows the techniques ancient Egyptians
used. At the end, visit Philae Temple which was dedicated to
Goddess Isis and is now reassembled at a new site on Agilika
Island about 500km from its former site on Philae Island. (If
time of cruise allows, additional or alternative morning excursions
can be added to either Abu Simbel or felucca ride to view Elephantine
Island, Plantation "Kitcheners" Island and Agha Khan
Mausoleum.) Overnight onboard Nile Cruise. |
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DAY
11 - Nile Cruise to Kom Ombo and Edfu: |
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Cruise
sails to Kom Ombo and upon arrival visit The Temple of Sobek
and Haroeris, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple
stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles
basked in the sun on the river bank. Return to the cruise and
sail to Edfu. On arrival visit the Temple of Horus, the largest
and most complete preserved Pharoanic temple combining Pharaonic
& Greek architecture. Overnight onboard cruise. |
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DAY
12 - Luxor and tour to West Bank: |
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Sail
to Esna then Luxor. On arrival to Luxor, move to the West Bank
of the Nile to visit the Valley of Kings and Queens, a vast
"City of the Dead" where magnificent tombs were carved
into the desert rocks and filled with treasures for the afterlife
by generations of Pharaohs. Proceed to the foot of the cliff
to visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the only woman who
ruled over Egypt in Pharaonic History. On the way back to the
River Nile, your road passes by the famed Colossi of Memnon,
known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn.
Return back to cruise and evening at leisure. Overnight onboard
Nile Cruise. |
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DAY
13 - Overnight train Luxor to Cairo (flights also available): |
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After
breakfast disembark from the cruise (around 10am). You then
have free time at leisure in Luxor until the early evening (8pm)
transfer to Luxor Rail Station for departure on the overnight
train back to Cairo (an optional extra morning excursion to
visit Luxor and Karnak Temples is available if you wish to include).
Overnight onboard train in sleeper car, dinner included. |
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DAY
14 - Egyptian Museum and Old Cairo Tour: |
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Arrival
to Cairo around 6am and meet for transfer to the hotel. At around
9am meet with the tour guide and depart on a sightseeing tour
to explore the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel of Saladin (Alabaster
Mosque and Tomb of the Ottoman ruler Mohamed Ali) along with
Old Cairo area where we can find a mixture between Islamic and
Christian Monuments such as: Abu Serga Church, Al Mo'allaqa
Church or Hanging Church which are dated back to the beginning
of the 5th century AD and are built in the basilica style. Overnight
in Cairo. |
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DAY
15 - Departure: |
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Breakfast,
check out and as per your international flight time transfer
on to Cairo Airport. |
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