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Spiekermann
Tour Itinerarys...
SIWA & LIBYA ... FROM THE COAST TO THE
SAHARA Itinerary
April 04 & 05 FLY USA TO EGYPT
Depart the US for Cairo. You will be met on arrival the next day and helped
with formalities. Transfer to Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel or similar. (D)
April 06 CAIRO to ALEXANDRIA
Head north to visit the medieval St. Bishoi and Siryan Monasteries, built by
hermits in the 9th century. Continue to Alexandria to visit the Roman
Amphitheater, un-earthed in the middle of the 20th century, and the museum
with its collection of statues, coins and sarcophagi. Overnight at the
Mediteranean Azure Hotel or similar. (B,L,D)
April 07 ALEXANDRIA to MARSA MATROUH
Visit the Catacombs of Kom-el-Shokafa, which depict ancient Egyptian and Greco-
Roman deities. Proceed to the 95-foot Pompey’s Pillar. Erected by Diocletian
it was mistaken by the Crusaders as the tomb of Pompey. After lunch follow the
Mediterranean coast to Alamein to visit the commonwealth cemeteries and the
museum. Continue driving to the charming town of Marsa-Matrouh. Dinner and
overnight at the Carols Beau Rivage Hotel. (B,L,D)
April 08 & 09 SIWA
Depart for Siwa Oasis, a figurative Garden of Eden, with groves of date palms,
lush fruit fields, hundreds of water springs and magical sunsets. Siwa’s
inhabitants are Berber-speaking Bedouins who live in mud-brick houses and
still preserve their ancient traditions. Visit the remains of the 13th century
fortress of Shali and the rock tombs of Gebel al-Mawta. Head to the citadel of
Aghurmi to see the ruins of the 26th dynastic temple of the Oracle, a site
loved by Alexander the Great. Overnight at the Shali Lodge or similar. (B,L,D)
April 10 EGYPT to LIBYA
Depart Siwa and travel to Saloum for the border crossing into Libya. Continue
to Bardiyah to see the famous WW II mural in the Al-Burdi Fort painted by
British soldier John Brill. Overnight in a beachside hotel. (B,L,D)
April 11 TOBRUK and SOUSA
Journey to Tobruk, a city whose name is synonymous with Rommel, Montgomery and
the Desert Rats. See the Knightsbridge, Commonwealth, and French cemeteries,
and German memorial. Visit the Australian dugout hospital at Fig Tree,
Rommel’s operations bunker and the remains of the American Lady Be Good
aircraft that disappeared in 1943 and was discovered in 1959. Overnight in
Sousa. (B,L,D)
April 12 CYRENE
Visit Cyrene with its interesting and varied history: the Era of the
Republic, the conquest of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic rulers, the
overthrow by the Romans, the siege of the Byzantines and the Arabs. Tour the
agora, Forum of Proculus or Caesareum, Capitolium and the Tomb of Battus,
founder of the city. Explore the yet to be excavated, Acropolis Hill and the
Fountain and Sanctuary of Apollo. Linked to Greek mythology, it was the main
reason that the city was founded on this site. The sanctuary also includes the
Temple of Apollo, the Temple of Jason Magnus and the Temple of Isis. Continue
to the Greek theater, transformed by the Romans into an amphitheater. See the
Great Temple of Zeus and the Necropolis of Cyrene, one of the most extensive
cemeteries in the ancient world. Return to Sousa for dinner. (B,L,D)
April 13 APOLLONIA
Head to ancient Apollonia, Cyrene’s port for a thousand years. Its ruins form
an essential part of the complex constructed by the Greeks to house their
naval merchant fleet. Visit the Extra-Mural Church, remarkable for traces of a
triple apse that remain in the east end garden. See the theater built during
the Hellenistic Period and remodeled by Emperor Domitian, 92-96 AD. Continue
with a visit to Ras Al-Hilal and Al-Atrun to see the fifth century Byzantine
churches and the surrounding area. Return Sousa. (B,L,D)
April 14 SLONTAH and QASR LIBYA to TRIPOLI
Travel to Slontah to see a temple with carvings whose origin has been debated
as dating from pre-Greek times to the 4th century AD. Head to Qasr Libya;
known as Old Olbia, and later Theodorias, after the wife of Emperor Justinian.
Visit two churches, the Western and Eastern, with splendid mosaics from the
latter housed in the on-site museum. Continue to Ptolemais, founded in the 3rd
century BC. Tour the museum to see the four seasons’ mosaic and fountain of
the eight dancing Menadi. Then on to the remains of the Arch of Constantine,
the Columns Palace and the great cisterns. Drive to Benghazi and fly to
Tripoli. (B,L,D)
April 15 LEPTIS MAGNA
Visit the jewel of Libya, Leptis Magna. Founded by Phoenician merchants in the
first millennium BC it is one of the best-preserved cities of antiquity. Begin
on the main street with the Arch of Septimius Severus built to celebrate the
arrival of the emperor. Explore Hadrian’s Bath and the Palestra, a place for
sporting events and games. Continue to the Street of the Colonnades and the
Nymphaeum, a semicircular construction containing a pool and fountain
surrounded by walls. Tour the Severus Forum and the adjoining basilica before
heading to the harbor, once the natural mouth of Leptis Valley. In the
northern corner of the forum are the remains of tiles from the time of the
Emperor Augustus 30 BC - 14 AD. Visit the Museum and amphitheater built in the
time of Nero (56 AD). Stop at Villa Sillin to see the exquisite mosaics of
this summer home. (B,L,D)
April 16 SABRATHA
Visit the newly opened interactive Libya Museum with state of the art touch
screen technology that allows visitors to navigate around the archaeological
sites. Afterwards, depart for the Janzur Punic necropolis, a unique hypogeum.
Continue to Sabratha, designated an Emporium by the Phoenician merchants.
Sabratha boasts one of the most splendid mosaics of the Byzantine period and
the most magnificent Roman theater. Tour the Mausoleum of Bes, South Forum
Temple, Basilica of Apoleius, Antonine Temple dedicated to Marcus Aurelius,
Basilica of Justinian, Curia, baths, and Temple of Isis. (B,L,D)
April 17 TRIPOLI
Stop at the National Museum before heading out to explore ancient Oea, founded
by the Phoenicians in the 2nd millennium BC and transformed by the Romans in
146 BC. Continue to Ahmed Karamanli Pasha Mosque built in 1738 and a Karamanli
house now a museum depicting the life style of that period. Lunch in a
traditional restaurant then continue your tour in the old medina with its maze
of narrow alleyways, elegant mosques and the animated souk. Visit the Gurji
Mosque built in 1832 and the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, the only remaining
evidence of the Roman Empire in Tripoli. (B,L,D)
April 18 TRIPOLI to GHADAMES
Drive into the Berber heartland of the Jabal Nafusa mountain range. Stop at
Qasr al-Haj to visit the beautiful granary qasr and to Nalut to visit another
qasr on the edge of an escarpment with stunning views over the plain. Continue
to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ghadames, “Jewel of the Sahara.” (B,L,D)
April 19 GHADAMES
Enter via the ancient gateway of Bab al-Burr to explore the labyrinthine
streets and enclosed passages of Ghadames’ old town, renowned for its
distinctive architecture. Visit the small squares, old mosque and a madrasa.
See the fruit and vegetable gardens and the ancient system of irrigation. Have
lunch in a richly decorated traditional house in the age-old manner, sitting
on the floor eating from communal dishes. Climb to the roof of the house to
see where women, forbidden to wander the streets alone, used the rooftops as a
thoroughfare. Board 4X4 vehicles to visit Ras al-Ghoul (Summit of the Ghost),
the remains of a Roman fort. Head for the dunes of the Grand Erg Oriental,
bordering Libya, Algeria and Tunisia, to watch the sunset. (B,L,D)
April 20 KABAW, TORMEISA and GHARYAN
Head to Kabaw to see a fine example of a Berber qasr and to Tormeisa, an
abandoned Berber village, high on a hilltop with awe-inspiring views. Continue
to Gharyan for lunch in a troglodyte house. These ancient abodes, offering
protection from weather and invaders, were built below ground, open to the
sky, with a series of rooms off a central courtyard. Return to Tripoli. (B,L,D)
April 21 TRIPOLI
A casual day, but a unique one as you join a Libyan family for a picnic on
their farm on the outskirts of Tripoli. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner.
(B,L,D)
April 22 TRIPOLI to USA
Bid farewell to Africa as you depart Tripoli for the U.S. (B)
OR YOU CAN EXTEND YOUR TRIP TO COVER ROMAN TUNISIA & ALGERIA.
We (STS) reserve the right to change hotels, restaurants or the order of
activities if/as needed.
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