Cairo to Istanbul overland tour
| country: | Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2010: 8 Mar, 21 Mar, 23 Apr, 2 May, 31 May, 1 Aug |
| price: | From £645 (37 days) excluding flights, plus £230 - £250 local payment, depending on season. Price includes accommodation, transport and guides |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This trip allows you enough time to see the ancient civilisations and immerse yourself in the culture of the region. Travel to Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Jordan where you'll experience pyramids and temples, the amazing lost city of Petra, the eerie beauty of Cappadocia, the ruins of Ephesus and the WW1 battle fields of Gallipoli among many other highlights.
We use fully-equipped, custom-built overland trucks, which are designed to be sociable and fun; chat to people up and down the truck without leaving your seat. We have a maximum group size of 24, unlike coach tours which squeeze up to 40 people into a bus. This trip also runs in reverse, from Cairo to Istanbul.
We use fully-equipped, custom-built overland trucks, which are designed to be sociable and fun; chat to people up and down the truck without leaving your seat. We have a maximum group size of 24, unlike coach tours which squeeze up to 40 people into a bus. This trip also runs in reverse, from Cairo to Istanbul.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-8: | Our Middle east overland trip from Istanbul to Cairo & Tunis begins as we embark on a half day drive through olive groves and rural settlements to Gallipoli and the Straits of the Dardanelles. In World War I, on this blustery and exposed peninsula, ANZAC and British Forces struggled unsuccessfully for nine horrendous months to dislodge Turkish troops from the hills above the beaches. It is a moving experience to visit the war graves and battlegrounds where so much suffering and unnecessary loss of life took place. Australians and New Zealanders make a pilgrimage each year on ANZAC Day to pay their respects to their fellow countrymen who died here. We attend the dawn service on ANZAC Day. From here we cross the Straits, leave Europe and enter the continent of Asia. We visit Troy on our way to Ephesus and spend the next 2 nights camping on the coast. Built by the Greeks a thousand years before Christ and then rebuilt by the Romans, this immense ancient city boasts an amphitheatre that can seat 24000 and a harbour with no water - still in good condition after all these years. We then travel via either Pamukkale where you can swim in warm, mineral-rich water, or take the more visually scenic route towards Marmaris and camp in the mountains before arriving in Olu Deniz where we spend 2 nights on the Turquoise Coast and then further down the Mediterranean coast at Olympus. Our accomodation is tree houses and campsites and we spend the next couple of days relaxing on the beach. You can also take boat trips or hire small motor bikes. |
| Day 9-15: | From here we travel inland and upwards for a day to the visually powerful, windswept landforms of Cappadocia via Saklikent Gorge where there is the opportunity to go river tubing. In Cappadocia over the centuries houses, churches, fortresses and even underground cities have been carved into this eerily eroded volcanic rock. The Goreme Valley provides us with an astonishing setting in which to spend a few days investigating the region. We will take you to one of the underground cities where you can explore alone or with a guide this ancient and mysterious area! |
| Day 16-23: | Driving through stunning mountain scenery in the crisp clear days of summer, and ice and snow in winter, we wend our way to Syria. Syrians are among the most hospitable people you will ever meet. The country has a rich and varied history with the Egyptian, Roman, Babylonian and Persian Empires having all passed through here along with Jesus and his disciples! Our first stop in this fascinating country is the market town of Aleppo. Nearby we visit Crac de Chevaliers - an 800-year-old Crusader Castle - perched on top of a mountain. Trekking out to the oasis town of Palmyra we really get into the desert proper. Sleeping out in this vast wilderness, untainted by artificial light is an experience not to be missed. The night sky dazzles with stars, satellites and shooting stars. On the road to Damascus, we head to one of the friendliest and safest of capital cities. We spend three nights in this, the oldest inhabited city in the world. From here, depending on the political and security situation in Lebanon, there is the option of taking a one day guided tour into Lebanon and Beirut. |
| Day 24-27: | A one-day drive takes us into Jordan where we camp overnight on Mt Nebo - with it's stunning views over the River Jordan and Israel. The Dead Sea is nearby and here, therapeutic mud baths and not so therapeutic mud fights are followed by an unusual swimming experience in this highly buoyant salt sea! Petra is nearby. One of the main attractions in the Middle East, this stone-carved city was only uncovered about 70 years ago after being forgotten for over 1000 years. Walking through an incredibly narrow, rocky defile brings you out to Petra's most famous site -The Treasury - The Nabataeans who carved this vast red city in 3 BC controlled the spice and slave caravans on their way to Arabia. On our way to Aqaba we desert camp over night at Wadi Rum - the desert headquarters of Lawrence of Arabia. This remote area is best viewed from the back of a camel! From Aqaba, we take the ferry across the Red Sea to the Sinai Desert and continue with our travel to Egypt. |
| Day 28-30: | Dahab is our base for the next few days. Here, you can snorkel or scuba dive to some of the best coral in the world or enjoy the Bedouin hospitality and just relax on the beach. For the energetic you can take a one or two day camel safari. Trekking off road down the desert coastline with experienced Bedouin guides and camels you will reach areas few tourists ever see. Mount Sinai and St. Catherine's Monastery are nearby deep in the desert. It was here, that Moses received the Ten Commandments. It is a great place, if a little cold, to camp the night and watch the sunrise. Crossing the Suez Canal we may well see the amazing spectacle of huge ships seemingly passing through the desert sands. |
| Day 31-33: | A days drive southward lies Aswan, arguably the most attractive city on the Nile and a highlight of our Middle East overland tours. Here you can walk along the Corniche with its riverside restaurants, some of them floating, and enjoy tremendous views of the Nile cataracts. We spend two days here, which gives you enough time to take a trip out to the stone monuments of Abu Simbel built by the greatest of all Pharaohs, Ramses II. On the third day, you have the opportunity to enjoy the Nile River from a traditional felucca sail boat for a two day trip to Edfu. Just lie back and watch Egypt glide by. |
| Day 34-37: | We rejoin our truck for the short drive to Luxor, where, based at one of the best campsites on the trip, we have two full days to explore. Both Luxor Temple & Karnak Temple are within easy walking distance. On our second day in Luxor we organise a trip to Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Kings. Here, the remarkably well-preserved tombs of Ramses II and Tutankhamun have coloured paintings & hieroglyphics that still seem fresh after 3000 years. From Luxor we travel to Cairo by overnight train. With almost 20 million people this is a hectic, chaotic city. The finale of our trip is a guided tour of the Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza including a camel ride. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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On this trip we stay at small, locally run campsites or hostels, and, where possible, buy our food in local markets, thereby directly supporting local communities. When we eat out we use local restaurants, not international chains and we encourage our clients to try food from street vendors and local beer!
We use local companies to run all our excursions and local guides at sites of historical interest. For example, in Egypt we use local Egyptologist guides to visit the Pyramids and Sphinx. In Luxor, our local rep Tayeb, sources the donkeys for the trip to the Valley of the Kings from his own family and neighbours and has been doing so for the past five years. This allows village families to gain extra income beyond their subsistence farming. In Aswan clients undertake a 2 day felucca trip. The feluccas are owned and run by Ahmed Fauzi and his extended family –we have been supporting their tiny felucca business from its start. They have recently managed to expand to 3 small sail boats which completely support their large extended village family. In Turkey we have Turkish guides when we visit Gallipoli and Cappadocia. In Jordan, we use Bedouin guides for 4WD treks into the more inaccessible areas of Wadi Rum. We have our vehicles maintained and serviced locally. In Turkey, Hamdi and Ali Deger have a workshop in Istanbul that we use regularly for maintenance and spares. We limit our group size to 24 thereby reducing their cultural and environmental impact on the region.  Before commencing the tour all our clients are provided with detailed pre-departure info which includes information on Responsible Travel. This information is re-emphasised by our Tour Leader at the start of the trip-clients are, for example, advised about respecting local customs particularly in terms of dress and behaviour; water conservation; animal welfare-a salient feature of this trip as we use carefully selected donkey and horse transport in Luxor-again supporting local communities. Charities supported on this trip: We support two charities on this trip. In Cairo we have donated computers, teaching materials and provide regular financial assistance to the Sudanese Community Development Program-a school for Sudanese refugee children. We have also helped the school set up a Sponsor-a Child scheme and arranged a letter exchange scheme between the children there and a school local to our UK office. This promotes opportunities for inter-cultural understanding and provides the Sudanese children with great encouragement. We can arrange pre or post-tour visits to the school, and many of our clients regularly donate old clothes and shoes to the Sudanese Refugees via our collection system at our Cairo Hotel. Most recently, in autumn 2008, we funded installation of an air conditioning system in the schools computer room as this room was unusable in the heat of summer. In Luxor we sponsor the Sunshine Project International, a home for abandoned and orphaned children. Apart from a regular financial commitment we have also donated bedding and play equipment to the school and even delivered a sandpit from the UK. Luckily there was no need to deliver any sand! Clients on the Egypt trip are given the opportunity to visit the home in Luxor and regularly donate baby toiletries and toys directly there themselves. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |