Jewels of the Nile
A Custom Tour of Egypt
April 19 – 30, 2012
$4,365.00* per person/double occupancy including round-trip airfare from Minneapolis to Cairo
At the request of Book It! Travel this unique, custom tour was designed and will be operated by Ya’lla Tours USA, a company with travel expertise in Egypt and other exotic Mediterranean Countries since 1993.
“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.” ~ St. Augustine of Hippo
Jewels of the Nile Itinerary
APRIL 19 – MINNEAPOLIS – CAIRO
Depart Minneapolis on Delta flight 220 to Paris leaving at 3:40pm. Arrive in Paris the next day.
APRIL 20 - CAIRO
Depart Paris at 1:35pm. Upon arrival in Cairo at 6:00pm, you will be met by a Ya’lla Tours Egypt representative and transferred to your hotel for a welcome dinner and overnight. Novotel Cairo el Borg Hotel is situated in the heart of Cairo overlooking the Nile. (D)
APRIL 21 – CAIRO
Drive to Giza and see the Pyramids, a royal burial chamber, the Valley Temple and the Sphinx. Also on the Giza plateau, visit the Solar Boat, one of the most amazing Pharaonic discoveries. Lunch will be en route. Drive to Sakara to see the prototype of the Pyramids: the Step Pyramid, built for the 3rd Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser by the exalted architect Imhotep. Return to Cairo and visit the Papyrus Institute and Merit Plaza. In the evening, enjoy dinner in view of the illuminated Pyramids. (B,L,D)
APRIL 22 – LUXOR
Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. Among other fascinating exhibits, see the treasures of the Tomb of Tutankhamen and the extraordinary Mummies Room. Over ten mummies, including that of Ramesses II, are displayed in freestanding glass cases in this climate-controlled room. Walk around the mummies and examine them from all angles, gaze into their incredibly well preserved 3000- year-old faces. Lunch will be en route. Then, transfer to the airport for your flight to Luxor on Egypt Air 365. Upon arrival, you will be met by a Ya’lla Tours representative and transferred to your hotel for a free afternoon and overnight. In the evening, enjoy a dinner in a local restaurant followed by the Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple. Sheraton Luxor is a beautiful 5-star property located on the banks of the Nile. (B, D)
APRIL 23 – NILE CRUISE (Luxor)
Visit Karnak Temple, known as the Temple of Temples. Karnak’s ancient name Ipet-isut means “the most sacred of places” and it is the largest place of worship ever built. The complex of temples was built over two thousand years by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, the great Hypostyle Hall is a forest of giant pillars covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral. Then, transfer to your Nile cruise for lunch and an afternoon to relax. Late in the afternoon, visit the graceful Temple of Luxor built by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II for ritual and festivals and dedicated to the god Amun. Amarcord is a 5- star vessel. (B,L,D)
APRIL 24 – CRUISE (Edfu)
Cross to the West Bank of the Nile and visit the Valley of the Kings, a vast city of the dead where the magnificent tombs of 62 pharaohs have been discovered. The tombs were carved deep into the desert rock, richly decorated and filled with treasures for the afterlife of the pharaohs. Visit several of the tombs. Next, visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This beautiful monument to the reign of the only female pharaoh rises out of the desert plain in a series of terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. On the way back to your cruise, stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two 66ft, 1 thousand ton statues of Amenhotep III. These colossal statues were known by the ancient Greeks to emit haunting voices at dawn. Return to your cruise and set sail for Edfu. The afternoon is at leisure. (B,L,D)
APRIL 25 – CRUISE (Aswan)
After breakfast on board, set out by horsedrawn carriage to visit the Temple of Horus, the most perfectly preserved of all the Nile Temples. Horus was the falcon-headed solar war god. Return to your cruise vessel by carriage and sail to Kom Ombo. Visit the Temple of Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility and creator of the world. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank. (B,L,D)
APRIL 26 – CRUISE (Aswan)
Drive along Lake Nasser to Abu Simbel. Visit the twin temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari. The entire complex of temples was moved to its present location 90 feet above its old site to protect it from the rising water of the Nile when the Aswan Dam was built in the early sixties. Drive back to Aswan and your cruise for lunch. In the afternoon, sail around Elephantine Island on a felucca, the traditional Egyptian sail boat. Elephantine Island is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and is the site of some of the most ancient remains in Egypt, with artifacts dating to pre-dynastic periods. Elephantine is Greek for Elephant. The name may indicate that the island was once a center for the trade of ivory. Continue sailing around Kitchner Island. Lord Kitchner was given the island for his campaigns in Sudan. He imported plants from around the world to create his famous garden. From the river, you have a nice view of the Aga Khan Mausoleum, an elegant pink granite structure built in the late 1950’s. Continue by a short motor-boat ride to the Temple of Philae on the island of Agilka. The temple was dedicated to Isis, sister/wife of Osiris and patroness of the Ptolemaic rule. (B,L,D)
APRIL 27 – CAIRO
Take a tour of Aswan High Dam, Egypt’s contemporary example of building on a monumental scale. Next, proceed to the granite quarries which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples. The quarries still hold the Unfinished Obelisk, possibly intended as a companion to the Lateran Obelisk, originally at Karnak but now in Rome. It would have weighed over 1,100 tons and would have been the world’s largest piece of stone ever handled. Lunch will be en route. Then transfer to Aswan airport for Egypt Air flight 135 to Cairo. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. You will then have free time to explore Cairo and find a place for dinner on your own. (B,L)
APRIL 28 – CAIRO
Drive to Memphis, capital of the Pharaohs during the Old Kingdom. See the recumbent statue of Ramesses II and the 80-ton Alabaster Sphinx. Continue south and visit the Pyramid of Dahshour. Senefru, father of Cheops, built this pyramid, also known as the Red Pyramid, approximately 4,600 years ago. Many scholars consider it to be more glorious than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Lunch will be en route. Return to your hotel for an afternoon at leisure. In the early evening, you will be picked up from your hotel for a driving tour of Cairo and a felucca ride on the Nile for an hour before dinner. (B,L,D)
APRIL 29 – CAIRO
After breakfast, visit Medieval Cairo to see the Old Coptic Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Lunch will be en route. Then, visit Mohamad Ali Mosque and the streets of Khan el Khalili Bazaar. Return to your hotel to rest, shower and get dinner on your own before your very early morning next day departure. (B,L)
APRIL 30 – CAIRO – MINNEAPOLIS
You will be transferred to the Cairo airport for your early morning flight to Amsterdam where you will board your connecting flight home to Minneapolis.
Pricing
Price per person in a double room: $4,365
Price per person in a single room: $5,065
PRICE INCLUDES:
- Round trip airfare from Minneapolis on Delta Airlines.
- Domestic flights in Egypt: Cairo-Luxor/Aswan-Cairo.
- All transfers from/to airports and ports in Egypt.
- 6 nights hotel with breakfast. Other meals as per itinerary.
- 4-night Nile cruise with all meals onboard ship.
- 9 days of touring in an air-conditioned bus with a licensed, English-speaking guide and site entrance fees as per itinerary.
- Sound & Light show at Karnak Temple.
- Felucca ride on the Nile in Cairo.
- Egyptian entry visa, local taxes and service fees.
- $570 in departure taxes (subject to change until final payment).*
- Tips to guide, driver, Nile cruise staff and transfer people.
- Ya’lla Tours Information Kit and travel bag.
Reduction for using your own air: less $950, plus cost of transfers to/from the airport in case of flying on different flights than the group.
PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Any increase in departure taxes over the included $570.*
- Meals (unless specified) and beverages of any kind.
- Travel insurance ($319 per person in a double room, $349 in a single room), highly recommended.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
- A U.S. passport is required to enter Egypt (must be valid at least 6 months beyond return date).
- A $750 per person deposit is required upon booking.
- The deposit is refundable until January 20, 2012.
- Final payment is due January 20, 2012.
- Funds paid to Ya’lla Tours are held in trust until paid to suppliers.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
PRICE:
- The price of the tour is: $4,365 per person in a double room based on a minimum of 20 participants. The price is guaranteed but if due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of Ya’lla Tours USA Inc. our suppliers increase the price, Ya’lla USA Inc. will adjust the price accordingly.
- Price of the airfare portion of the tour is subject to change until the air ticket is issued.
- Should a single traveler wish to share a room and Ya’lla Tours USA Inc. is unable to match him/her with a roommate, the single room supplement will apply.
- Should the number of participants, 90 days prior to departure, be lower than the published minimum number of participants to operate the tour, the price will be adjusted accordingly, or the tour will be canceled.
DEPOSIT AND PAYMENT POLICY:
- A deposit of $750 is due upon registration.
- Final payment is due January 20, 2012.
CANCELLATIONS & REFUND:
- For cancellation 89-45 days prior to departure, cancellation fee of 50% of the cost of the tour will apply.
- For cancellation 44-15 days prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 75% of the cost of the tour will apply.
- For cancellation 14 or fewer days prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 100% of the cost of the tour will apply.
- No refund will be paid for unused services such as: transfers, sight-seeing, meals, hotel entrance fees, etc.
PASSENGER RESPONSIBILITY:
Passenger has read the above terms and conditions and agrees to each of them. Passenger hereby warrants that he/she fully understands each of them. Specifically passenger understands that should he/she cancel their trip for any reason, passenger will be charged the cancellation fee set out in the ‘Cancellations & Refunds’ section.
PASSPORT AND DOCUMENTATION:
Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you are scheduled to return to the U.S.
RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY:
Whereas Ya’lla Tours USA and the participating airlines and tour operators operate the land tours offered under this program only as agents of the aircraft, railroads, car rental contractors, steamship lines, hotels, bus operators, sight-seeing contractors and others who provide the actual land arrangements, we are not liable for any act, omission, delay, injury, loss or damage or nonperformance occurring in connection with these tours. The Passenger contract in use by the airline concerned, when issued, shall constitute the sole contract between the airline and the purchaser of these tours and/or passenger. Ya’lla Tours USA Inc. reserves the right to bring legal action to collect damages in the event that purchaser fails to pay any fees due and owing for services, including cancellation fees as set out in the section entitled ‘Cancellations & Refunds’. The parties agree that should legal action be commenced, the prevailing party will be entitled to his/her or its reasonable attorney fees and court costs in addition to the actual damages sustained and proven.
LAND ARRANGEMENTS:
The Tour Operator reserves the right to change the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances. In all cases, Ya’lla Tours USA Inc. will strive to maintain the content of the tour. The Tour operator reserves the right to change the hotels listed on the tour for others of similar quality.
ENTIRE AGREEMENT SEVERABILITY:
This is the entire agreement of the parties and it may be amended only by written agreement signed by Ya’lla Tours USA Inc. and the client. If any part of this agreement is held unenforceable by a court of law, the rest of this agreement will nevertheless remain in force and effect.
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
Travel insurance is not included in your tour price. Ya’lla Tours USA highly recommends the purchase of comprehensive travel insurance. A waiver must be signed if insurance is declined.
CONTACT:
Carrie Caldwell at Book It! Travel 612-253-3383 or carrie@bookittravel.com