Legends of the Greek Isles and the Nile
Santorini Edition

A Grand 16 day Mediterranean Tour : Greek cruise, a Stay in Santorini & Nile Cruise
Compare with the 14 day version

Where the lost civilization of Atlantis flourished. You'll disembark for your stay in your apartment/villa/or hotel.
Sample optional tours available based on Private arrangement or Local Group tour .

Sample Villas in Santorini:
Dana Villas, in Firostefani with view of the volcano.
Chromata Apartments, in Imerovigli with a view of the volcano.

DAY 7 - SANTORINI (B)
You'll take a leisurely breakfast on your private terrace. An optional tour to the archaeological site of Akrotiri is offered. Or, you can spend the day relaxing, and take in breathtaking views of the volcano and caldera. You might take a boat across to the dormant volcano, and ascend through a crater-pocked moonscape to the crater. Or savor a soak in hot sulphur springs.

Visa will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free shops, at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers. There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding a sign with the name you prefer to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel

DAY 14 - LUXOR, CAIRO - HOME HOSTED FAMILY DINNER (BD)
We'll visit the imposing Great Temple of Amon at Karnak and the great Temple of Luxor before heading to the airport to catch our flight to Cairo. After we settle you into your hotel, you'll have your last opportunity to experience the excitement of this great city and, of course, do some last-minute shopping. This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo ! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 15 - Cairo Fayoum - (BL)
On Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids were old

The wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains, oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.

Join us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place of camels, we’ll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your hotel, and soon you’ll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake the drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest. Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands. It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god Sobek.

We’ll visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside the waters of today’s Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen’s village of Chak Chouk. There we’ll stop for a lunch of fish caught fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village lanes and discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread, irrigating crops from the lake’s waters, and bringing in the catch. We’ll also include the craft and pottery museum where the best works of local artisans are on display.

Then it’s into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure! We’ll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes, and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the Whales ( In Arabic : Wadi-El-Hitan) . Incredibly, these great mammals once thrived - almost forty million years ago- in waters surrounded by sands. We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone.
This valley was discovered in 1936 , by the German geologist George Schweinfurth in the northwestern corner of Wadi El-Rayan.

The valley provides evidence of one of the major changes in this mammal evolution has been declared by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. It is believed that these land based whales once had feet that may have helped them somewhat while ashore . A team from the University of Michigan discovered in the late 80's that these Zeuglodon whales did have rudimentary feet , this was a startling discovery , suggesting that whales of Wadi -El-Hitan had recently started living in water as well , these whales were not related to any of the whales we have today , rather a more slender body and may grow up to 75 feet long. Several skeletons of whales are exposed in the sand. George Schweinfurth named this extinct specie the Zeuglodon Isis Whales .

In the evening, you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo. Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is included

DAY 16 - RETURN HOME (B)

Our Cairo-based staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage.

• Departures are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March through November
  Cruise itinerary may vary according to ship and line selected
• RATES per person in double occupancy in US$:
  
• Rates based on Greek (outside Cabin B category) & Nile cruise in an outside standard cabin with two lower beds.

Rate includes:

• Lonely Planet travel guides to Greece and Egypt
  
• 3-day cruise to Greek Isles and Turkey, including meals. Royal Olympic Cruises, or Golden Sun, we'll confirm the specific ship before you send us your deposit. Outside cabin Category B or similar with 2 lower beds
  
• 5-day Nile cruise, including all meals , afternoon tea served on deck daily , and shore excursions.
  
  
• One large bottled water per person delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the Nile Cruise . Plus a small bottle of water with each & every meal on board the cruise
  
  
• Tea or coffle and water with each & every meal while you are on board the Nile cruise.
  
  
• Complimentary welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
  
  
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Hotel accommodation as mentioned in Athens , Santorini and Cairo, including tax and service charges, and breakfast daily.
• Meals as indicated, with preset menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner).
• Airport greeting and assistance. Transportation between airports, hotels, and port.
• One-way air transportation from Athens to Cairo .
• Port taxes.
• Domestic air transportation in Egypt , economy class .
• Egyptian visa fee, available only for American, Canadian, Australian, NZ , EU & Japanese citizens. Must have a valid passport. Issued upon arrival at Cairo airport.
• One-way Santorini/Athens airfare .
• Villa accommodation in Santorini, sample villas that are used:
  For First Class superior , 4 stars accommodation:
  Villa style, " Sun Rocks " in Firostefani" , "Astra Apartments", " On The Rocks" in Imerovigli, or Chromata
  For 3-star, Tourist / first class accommodation in the: "Grotto Villas" in Firostefani in a 1 or 2 bed-room apartment.
  
• Sample Athens hotels :
  Deluxe: Divani Palace Acropolis. Superior First : Electra Palace. First Class/ Tourist : Stanley

Not Included:

• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• Shore excursions from Greek cruise ships (Please note that the Egyptian Nile Cruise does include all shore excursions as part of our service s& rate).
• International air fare.
• Additional personal expenses, beverages, and meals not specifically mentioned in the itinerary