Day 1, Sat: USA / CASABLANCA Evening
departure from New York via overnight
transatlantic flight with meals on board.
Day 2, Sun: CASABLANCA - RABAT (L,
D) Arrive today at the
Casablanca Mohamed V airport where you
will be met by FreeGate representatives
and assisted through baggage claim formalities.
Begin the day with a sightseeing tour
of Casablanca, the business capital of
Morocco. See the great Mosque of Hassan
II and stroll along the Ain Diab corniche.
Enjoy a seafood lunch and depart for Rabat,
the administrative capital of Morocco,
and see the Mohamed V Mausoleum. Late
afternoon check in at the hotel in Rabat
for dinner and overnight.
Day 3, Mon: RABAT - MEKNES - FEZ (B,
L, D) After breakfast at
the hotel depart to Fez with a stop at
the Roman ruins and the sacred town of
Moulay Idriss I. Enjoy lunch in Volubilis
and continue to Meknes, known as the "Moroccan
Versailles", founded at the end of the
17th century by Moulay Ismail. Sightseeing
in Meknes will include Bab Mansour, Hari
Souani and the old medina. Arrive to Fez
for dinner and overnight.
Day 4, Tue: FEZ (B, L, D) The
entire day is devoted to sightseeing of
the city of Fez, the oldest, cultural
and spiritual city of Morocco. You will
see craftsmen working the old-fashioned
way and have a chance to purchase these
items. Enjoy a Moroccan lunch in a typical
local restaurant and continue sightseeing
in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight
at the hotel.
Day 5, Wed: FEZ - BENI-MELLAL -MARRAKESH
(B, L, D) Depart for Marrakesh
after breakfast passing Immouzer El Kander,
and Azrou, a berber village known for
its handicraft corporation. Continue through
the wooded and mountainous regions arriving
to Beni-Mellal for lunch. Continue to
Marrakesh for check in at the hotel. Dinner
and overnight.
Day 6, Thu: MARRAKESH (B, L, D) Enjoy
a full day of discovering Marrakesh, the
second oldest imperial city known as the
"Pearl of the South", with the Saadian
tombs, the Koutoubia, the Bahia Palace
and the Menara Garden. Return to the hotel
for lunch and in the afternoon explore
the souks and the Djemaa El Fna place
with its various entertainment. Enjoy
a diffa Fastasia dinner this evening under
caidal tents "Chez Ali", while watching
folkloric troops from different Moroccan
regions.
Day 7, Fri: MARRAKESH - CASABLANCA
(B, L,D) After breakfast
enjoy a morning at leisure to either do
some more exploring or relax by the pool.
Lunch at a typical Moroccan restaurant
and depart for Casablanca via Settat.
Arrival at the hotel; dinner and overnight.
Day 8, Sat: CASABLANCA - CAIRO (B) Morning
at leisure. Late afternoon transfer to
the airport for your departing flight
to Cairo, Egypt.
Day 9, Sun: CAIRO Early
morning arrival in Cairo. Meet your host
at the airport, who will assist you with
customs and baggage claim formalities
and escort you to your hotel. The remainder
of the day is at leisure.
Day 10, Mon: CAIRO - MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES-PYRAMIDS
and SPHINX (B) Today your
tour starts with the impressive Cairo
museum of Antiquities. Regarded as one
of the most prominent in the world, it
houses treasures from the first to the
thirty-first Dynasties of Pharaos including
the burial treasure of King Tutankhamon.
Then proceed to the great Pyramid of Cheops,
considered as one of the seven wonders
of the ancient world, and to the enigmatic
Sphinx. Early evening return to the hotel.
Day 11, Tue: CAIRO - LUXOR(NILE CRUISE)
- TEMPLES OF KARNAK & LUXOR (B, L,
D) This morning you will
be transferred to the airport for the
short flight to Luxor, where you will
embark on the cruise ship for your 5-day
cruise of the Nile. After lunch on board
you will visit the Temples of Karnak and
Luxor. The hypostyle hall with its 134
columns, the Obelisk of Queen Hatsepsut,
the avenue of the Sphinxes, colossal statues
and shrines, all bear witness of the greatness
of this ancient civilization. Return to
the ship. Tonight attend the captain's
welcome cocktail party, followed by dinner.
Day 12, Wed: LUXOR - VALLEY OF THE
KINGS and QUEENS - ESNA (B, L, D)
In the morning you will cross the
Nile by ferry to the West Bank. Visit
the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of
the Queens, the Great Temple of Queen
Hatsepsut, the funerary Temple of Ramses
III, and the Colossi of Memnon. Enjoy
a leisurely afternoon on board as you
sail to Esna. Tonight enjoy a dinner on
board, followed by a calabeya party.
Day 13, Thu: ESNA - EDFU - KOM OMBO
(B, L, D) Your visit to
the village of Esna this morning includes
the Ptolemaic Temple of Khnum, the ram-headed
god. Return to the ship for lunch as you
sail to Edfu. Sightseeing in Edfu includes
the superbly preserved Temple of the falcon
god Horus, built in the Hellenistic period
at 237 BC. Return to the ship and sail
to Kom Ombo. Dinner on board.
Day 14, Fri: KOM OMBO-ASWAN (B, L,
D) Today visit Kom Ombo's
Ptolemaic Temple, housing beautiful murals
and offering a splendid view of the Nile.
Enjoy lunch on board as you sail deeper
in to Upper Egypt to the Nubian town of
Aswan. In the afternoon you will visit
the old and high Dams, the ancient Granite
Quarries with the 170 meter-long unfinished
Obelisk, and the Temple of Isis. Dinner
and overnight on board the ship in Aswan.
Day 15, Sat: ASWAN - CAIRO (B) Disembark
this morning and sail on a felucca (local
sail boat) to view the Elephantine island,
the Botanical Gardens and the Agha Khan
Mausoleum. An optional excursion to Abu
Simbel is available for purchase locally.
Transfer to the airport for your flight
to Cairo. You will be met and transferred
to your hotel. The remainder of the day
is at leisure in Cairo.
Day 16, Sun: CAIRO - USA (B) You
will be transferred to the airport this
morning for your departing flight home.
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