ABU SAMRA TOURS

The Oases of Western Egypt:

Day 1: meet & assist our guest at the airport and transfer them to the hotel & at evening nile cruise with dinner.
Day 2 : BREAKFAST IN THE HOTEL , VISIT GIZAPYRAMIDS,SAKKARA AREA & DAHSHOUR..HOTELAFTERNOON ENJOING LIGHT & SOUND SHOW THEN VISIT THE CITY CENTER MALL …

Day 3: From Cairo , you will take the air-conditioned bus to kharga. From there, Our representatives will meet you there and assist you in checking in at the hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Day 4: As we travel towards the Mediterranean, stop to visit Deir al-Surian Monastery, housing a rich library that includes Biblical texts and writings of the earliest 'desert monks'. Most of the manuscripts are in Syriac, a branch of Aramaic, and the language of Jesus, as well as Pharaonic, Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopic. Overnight in the San Giovanni Hotel along the Mediterranean coast in Marsa Matrouh. (B/L/D)
Day 5: (March 7): This morning's drive takes us to Siwa Oasis. Always more North African than Egyptian, Siwa today remains different from other Egyptian oases. It is the largest and most remote of them, and most Siwans are Berbers, descendents of Bedouins that roamed the coast from Tunisia to Morocco. The local people, who speak a dialect called Siwi, continue to harvest dates and olives and get about by donkey and cart. Set among thick palm groves and filled with walled gardens and olive orchards, the modern town encircles the remains of the ancient mud-brick fortress of Shali. We will explore the town this afternoon and visit the Siwa House Ethnographic Museum. Overnight for two nights at Siwa .
Day 6: (March 8): Today we explore several fascinating sites. The Temple to Amun dates from the 7th century B.C. In 331 B.C. after taking Egypt from the Persians, Alexander the Great consulted the oracle here to validate his status as the son of Zeus and thus the legitimate ruler of the country. The nearby Temple of Umm Ubayda was at one time joined to the Oracle Temple by a causeway and formed an integral part of the rituals related to the Oracle and the god. Gebel El Mawta, the Mountain of the Dead, guards the northern entrance to the oasis. Tombs from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, Ptolemaic, and Roman periods are cut into the side of the mountain. Fed by a network of underground springs, Siwa contains several springs. Cleopatra's bath is reputedly named for one of the Cleopatras who bathed here. (B/L/D)
Day 7: (March 9): Our drive through the sweeping sands takes us through Bahrein, Nawameissa, and Setra Oases, and on to Bahareya Oasis with it’s more than 200,000 palm trees, thousands of date and olive trees, and profusion of hot and cold springs. More than 2000 years ago, the oasis was thriving - a resting place for merchants traveling between Europe and Africa. One of the most famous visitors was Alexander the Great who stopped here on his way back to Memphis. A temple was erected to honor this king. Overnight at baharia.(B/L/D)
Day 8: In 1996, an amazing cemetery was found outside the village of Bawiti in Bahareya Oasis. When opened, it was found to contain Greco-Roman period mummies that had lain undisturbed in stone-carved catacombs beneath the sands of the Western Desert. Some of the mummies are on display at the Bahreya Museum. Time permitting, visit the early Christian basilica at Ain el-Hayez. Drive to Farafra Oasis where the mud-brick houses are painted blue, some even decorated with landscapes, birds and animals. Continue into the White Desert to explore the geologic formations. Tonight we will watch the sunset over the exquisite sands of the desert and dine under the stars. Overnight in Farafra (B/L/D)

Day 9: Deir El Haggar is a tiny perfect Egyptian temple ruin nestled between undulating dunes in the Sahara half-way between the Nile and the Libyan border. Dating from the Roman period (erected during the reign of the Emperor Nero) it has inscriptions from the reigns of Nero, Vespatian, Titus and Domitian. We'll visit Gebel Al-Muzawaqa to see decorated tombs of Pedubastis and Petosiris. Continue to Dakhla. Inhabited since prehistoric times, studies show that there was once a huge lake here. It is a very lush region brimming with orchards and produce, and 10,000 years ago, the climate here was similar to that of the African Savanna. Overnight for two nights in the Desert Lodge, built in the traditional style and situated on top of a cliff overlooking the village below. (B/L/D) Photos of Dakhla Desert Hotel: Entry Hallway Front Entry with Chess
Day 10: (March 12): There are several notable villages in the Dakhla Oasis. The capital, Mut, was named after the ancient goddess of the Theban Triad. Here, the Museum of the Inheritance is housed inside a traditional house, and displays different aspects of Dakhalan culture and family life. The ancient fortified town of Al-Qasr at the foot of the limestone cliffs and on the edge of the lush oasis is little changed from medieval times. Built on the foundations of a Roman village, the old town is a labyrinth of mud-walled alleys narrowly separating houses with elaborately carved wooden lintels. Amheida, on the western edge of Dakhla Oasis, is a vast archaeological site. It was thought to be the site of the ancient Roman town of Trimethis, according to literary sources, although the surrounding landscape indicates substantial occupation pre-dating the Roman Period. The afternoon is free. (B/L/D)
Day 11: (March 13): Balat is a picturesque town that was important in the Old Kingdom. Nearby are the Al-Adaba tombs and ain Asil. Most notable are the five mastabas, or burial buildings, which were discovered during a sandstorm. During excavations of the mastaba of the governor Medunefer, who served during the rule of Pepi II, rich funeral artifacts were found, including exquisite gold jewelry. Roman era tombs were found in nearby Ezbet Bashandi Village. Continue to Kharga and overnight for three nights in one of the most luxury hotel (B/L/D)
Day 12: (March 14): The largest oasis, Kharga, is usually identified with the city of Oasis mentioned by Herodotus. We will visit several outstanding sites within Kharga. The Temple of Hibis is the only Persian temple in Egypt. Built on the site of an 18th-dynasty settlement of Saites, the 6th-century B.C. temple is well preserved with painted vultures and huge reliefs of Darius greeting Egyptian gods on the outer walls. Nestorian chapels have been found at El-Bagawat, including 263 mud-brick chapels with Coptic murals, including the Chapel of Peace with images of Adam and Eve and the Ark on its dome, and the Chapel of the Exodus with frescoes of Pharonic troops pursuing the Jews led by Moses out of Egypt. Qasr el-Ghueida is one of the few temples constructed and decorated entirely during the Ptolemaic period. Qasr el-Zaiyan contains a small temple erected under the Ptolemies; it flourished until the Byzantine period. Northeast of Kharga is found the ruined Temple of Nadura, built by the Romans. The temple was most likely dedicated to the wife of the Egyptian god Amun. Finally visit the picturesque Kharga fortress city, the Ghuweita, strategically positioned on a high hill protecting the surrounding valley. (B/L/D) Photos: Temple of Hibis under restoration Roof lintels
Day 13: Today will be an adventure! By four-wheel drive vehicles, we will journey deep into the desert to explore three remote Roman fortresses. Qasr el-Labeka is an extensive site dramatically situated beneath the pastel northern cliffs and contains two temples, at least one aqueduct, a large cemetery, and the formidable fortress with its four round towers. Ain Umm Dabadib is an amazing collection of buildings, tombs, and aqueducts. Most distinguished among the ruins is this mud-brick fortress, which looms high above all the other ruins. Ed-Deir, another majestic mud-brick Roman fortress, protected the shortest caravan route between Kharga and the Nile. (B/L/D)
Day 14: Baris Oasis is the second largest settlement in Kharga. Here, walk through houses designed in traditional Nubian style by the architect, Hassan Fathy; they remain uninhabited because local people refused to live in them due to their similarity to tombs. The city of Dush grew as a result of the slave trade. The Temple of Dush, dedicated to Isis and Serapis, is in pure Pharaonic tradition. Its name derives from Kush, the ancient Sudanese capital which traded with Egypt along the Nile. Continue to Luxor. Overnight for two nights in Luxor. (B/L)
Day 15: Sightseeing in(Luxor ) - Temple of Queen Hatshipsuit, the Queen who would be King - The Colossi of Memnon - Evening Light and sound show at the Karnak Temple places.
Day 16: - Valley of the Kings (3 tombs)
- Opportunity to stroll around the city with its quaint market then take our air conditioned bus to hurghada for 2 nights.( B/D)
Day 17: AND ENJOING THE ATTRACTIVE VIEW OF THE RED SEA … AT NIGHT THE DINNER AT THE RESTAURANT IN THE HOTEL AND ENJOING THE ENTERTAINING PROGRAM OF THE HOTEL OR
SPEND YOUR TIME IN A BEDOUIN AREA
DAY 18 : TAKE THE BREAKFAST IN THE HOTEL THEN CHICK OUT FROM THE HOTEL AND TAKE THE WAY TO CAIRO.....GO TO THE HOTEL IN CAIRO
DAY 19 : GO TO THE AIRPORT

(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner

TRIP COST: $6100(per person, double occupancy) Includes round trip airfare from New York’s JFK to Cairo, Egypt and the Egyptian internal flight; all hotels; most meals (as listed in the itinerary); ground transportation; and entry fees.
COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: passport or visa fees; airport taxes , FLIGHT TICKET , beverages or food not included on regular menus; laundry; excess baggage charges; personal tips; alcoholic drinks; telephone and fax

ABU SAMRA TOURS

Sunday, December 23, 2007

ABU SAMRA TOURS

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