THE BEST OF TURKEY & EGYPT
A cultural tour of Turkey & Egypt

Turkey and Egypt have both played pivotal roles in human history and they still keep playing. The civilizations centres in both these countries are many and are the envy of many countries and civilizations. In this unique 17 days artistically designed program, we have attempted to cover the most well known historical and cultural centres in both these countries.  The tour culminates at Cairo from where one can enjoy a few more days in Egypt or the neighboring countries of Syria and Lebanon.

Day 1: Arrive Istanbul (TURKEY)
 This evening you are scheduled to arrive Istanbul International Airport.  Once clearing through Customs & Immigration, you will be met & transfer to the hotel.  This evening an orientation meeting has been scheduled at around 1900 hrs.
Overnight: Aziyade Hotel (2 nights)

Day 2: Istanbul
After breakfast, visit the Suleymaniye Mosque (the culmination of Ottoman architecture), as well as the Rustem Pasa Mosque with its beautiful Iznik (Nicea) tiles and the Spice Market with its exotic aromas. After lunch, visit treasure-filled Topkapi Palace (residence of the Ottoman sultans from the 15th to the 19th century) with its terraces overlooking the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus, and the Golden Horn. End the day at the historic Grand Bazaar. Dinner is on your own. (B, L)

Day 3: Istanbul / Bolu (162 miles)
In the morning, visit the Blue Mosque, recognizable by its six minarets. Built between 1609 and 1616 for Sultan Ahmet I, the interior is decorated with some 21,000 blue Iznik tiles. Visit the Hippodrome, where political, cultural, and athletic activities took place during Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman times. Visit the imposing Hagia Sophia, which marked the apogee of Byzantine Emperor Justinian's reign. Thereafter there is the possibility of an optional Cruise on the Bosporus, separating Asia from Europe and connecting the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea. Relish the best views of the city and its historic monuments. Discover beautiful marble palaces (Dolmabahce and Beylerbeyi), wooden Ottoman villas (yalis), and medieval fortresses. Lunch at a seafood restaurant along the Bosphorus. In the afternoon, drive to Bolu.
Overnight: Koru Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 4: Bolu / Ankara / Cappadocia (293 miles)
In the early morning, drive to Ankara, the nation’s capital since 1923. Explore The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations with its rich collection from the Hittite, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods. Visit the Mausoleum of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey. After lunch, continue to Cappadocia.
Overnight: Mustafa Hotel (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 5: Cappadocia 
Take a full day to discover Cappadocia. Visit the Goreme Valley, an open-air museum with rockhewn churches (7th-13th centuries) adorned with biblical frescoes. At a handicraft center, learn about the arts of rural Turkey and watch a demonstration on hand-made rugs. Tour an Underground City. Marvel at the cavedwellings and fairy chimneys of the Avcilar Valley and the Kiliclar Valley. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Cappadocia / Konya / Antalya (330 miles)
After breakfast, drive to Konya. En route, stop at the Sultanhani Caravanserai, Anatolia’s largest staging post for merchants during the Seljuk period in the 13th century. In Konya, visit the Museum of Mevlana honoring the famous mystic poet and founder of the Sufi Order of the Whirling Dervishes. After lunch, continue to Antalya.
Overnight: Khan Hotel (2 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 7: Antalya / Aspendos / Perge / Antalya
Visit two magnificent sites: Aspendos, a treasure with the world’s best-preserved Roman Theater, and Perge, a spectacular Greco-Roman city. On the return to Antalya, discover the tradition of jewelry-making by visiting one of the largest jewelers of Turkey. Later in the afternoon, visit Old Antalya - Kaleici and stroll through the picturesque streets of the old port.  (B, L, D)

Day 8: Antalya / Sagalassos / Pamukkale (209 miles)
Leaving Antalya, travel over the Taurus Mountains to the Greco-Roman city of Sagalassos, a recently excavated archeological gem. After lunch, drive to Pamukkale.
Overnight: Pam Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 9: Pamukkale / Selcuk (143 miles)
In the morning, admire the unreal landscape at the "Cotton Castle" of Pamukkale with its white terraces of limestone deposited by thermal waters through the ages. See the ancient spa, Hierapolis, still used today. Discover the necropolis, one of the largest cemeteries from antiquity to the present. After lunch, drive to Aphrodisias, the ancient site dedicated to the goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. Appreciate Anatolia’s best-preserved stadium. At this site, which drew artisans to its school of sculpture, enjoy the Temple of Aphrodite, the Tetrapylon, and the Theater. Continue to Selcuk.
Overnight: Kalehan Hotel (1 night) (B, L, D)

Day 10: Selcuk / Izmir / Istanbul / Cairo (EGYPT) (Flight)
Transfer to Izmir airport for your flight to Cairo via Istanbul. Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, you will be met and assisted through customs and formalities, then transferred to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure.
Overnight: Ramses Hilton (1 night) (B)

Day 11: Cairo – Aswan (by air) – Embark Nile cruise
You will be transferred to Cairo Airport for your flight to Aswan. Upon arrival at Aswan Airport, visit the High Dam, Old Dam, Philae Temple, and the Granite Quarries. You will be transferred to your Deluxe Nile Cruise Boat for a 4-day/3-night Nile cruise. Accommodations aboard will consist of an Outside Cabin with private facilities. Sail to Edfu.
Overnight: M/S King of Thebes (3 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 12: Nile cruise
Travel by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, the best preserved of all the large Egyptian Temples. Sail to Luxor. Overnight on board. (B, L, D)

Day 13: Nile cruise
Cross the Nile to the West Bank. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes, Colossi of Memnon, Queen Hatshepsut Funerary Temple, and the Valley of the Kings and Queens.  (B, L, D)

Day 14: Disembark Nile cruise – Luxor – Cairo (by air)
Visit Luxor Temple dedicated to the god Amon-Ra. It was expanded by Ramses II, who added statues of himself. Visit the magnificent Karnak Temple. Afternoon you will be transferred to Luxor Airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel.
Overnight: Ramses Hilton (2 nights) (B)

Day 15: Cairo
Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which houses the world's largest collection of artifacts from the era of the pharaohs including some belonging to King Tut. Tour Old Cairo, where early Judaism and Christianity flourished in Egypt. Visit sites like the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the Moallaka Church where the Virgin Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus took refuge. Spend the afternoon at the Great Pyramids of Giza built for Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinos, and the defending Sphinx.  End the day at the bazaar of Khan El Khalili. (B, L)

Day 16: Depart Cairo
Check out by 1100 hrs.  You will be transferred to Cairo Airport for your return flight. (B)

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Departure Dates
2012 English Speaking Departures Mar 04 & Nov 18 & Every Sunday between Mar 11 – Jun 03, Jun 10 – Aug 19 & Aug 26 – Nov 04
Inclusions
Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Hotels & cruise line as mentioned (or similar). Any airfares Hotel & port taxes Intra/domestic airfares (from USD 880.00) Meals as mentioned (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner) Airport/departure taxes Sightseeing and transportation Insurance & Visas Services of local English speaking guides. Tips/Gratuities to Drivers & Guides Entrance fees to museums and sites included in the itinerary – except the outdoor museum at Karnak Temple, visit inside the Pyramids, Tutankhamun & Ramses the 6th’s Tombs in the Valley of Kings, Nefertari’s Tomb in the Valley of the Queens.
Tour Price
We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.
Departures (2012) Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement Mar 04 & Nov 18 US $ 2570 US $ 785 Every Sunday between Jun 10 – Aug 19 US $ 2730 US $ 785 Every Sunday between Mar 11 – Jun 03 & Aug 26 – Nov 04 US $ 2925 US $ 785
Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour
Canada - West Coast US $ 1300 USA - West Coast US $ 1100 Canada - East Coast US $ 1100 USA - East Coast US $ 900
Participants
This tour operates on a minimum of 02 participants.
Notes
Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.