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26 Days
North African Overland
What an epic journey! We start in Cairo and travel across the top of Africa, discovering the highlights of Libya, Tunisia and Morocco.
n Cairo n aLexandria museum n roman CaTaCombs n eL aLamein n Cyrene & aPoLLonia n LePTis magna n TriPoLi n sabraTha n maTmaTa n douz n kairouan n Tunis n CasabLanCa n meknes n fes n aTLas mounTains n sand dunes aT erg Chebbi n Todra gorge & dades VaLLey n aiT benhaddou n road of 1000 kasbahs n marrakeCh
Temple of Zeus, Cyrene
Day 1/Cairo Our trip starts in Cairo no activities are planned for Day 1 so you may arrive at any time. Days 2-3/Alexandria In Alexandria we visit the excellent new Alexandria Museum and the extensive Roman Catacombs. The rest of our time is free to explore this cosmopolitan Mediterranean city and theres also time for an optional side-trip to El Alamein. Days 4-6/Marsa Matruh - Tobruk - Cyrene A days travel takes us along the north African coast to Marsa Matruh. Crossing the border into Libya, we visit Tobruk, another important WWII site and the fabulous ruins of Cyrene once an important Greek city. Day 7/Apollonia - Qasr Libya - Benghazi Apollonia is another impressive ancient site, and we also visit Qasr Libya, home to some wonderfully-preserved Byzantine mosaics. We continue to Benghazi, where we explore the old city with its narrow alleyways and atmospheric souk. Days 8-9/Sirt - Zliten - Leptis Magna We drive along the coast, through Sirt, before we arrive in Zliten, our base for exploring Leptis Magna, one of the finest ancient Roman cities in the world. We spend most of the day exploring this amazing site. In the afternoon, we continue our journey to Tripoli. Days 10-11/Tripoli - Sabratha Tripoli, an exciting, cosmopolitan city perched on a spectacular harbour, enjoys a fusion of several cultures and a rich history. The medina is a great place to spend a few hours we explore the bazaars and historic buildings. The following day we travel to the spectacular Roman ruins at Sabratha, then cross the border into Tunisia, where we spend the evening in an authentic Troglodyte house. PORTUGAL
SPAI N
Days 12-14/Matmata - Kairouan After checking out the bazaar at Douz, we take a fun camel ride into the spectacular desert. We spend the evening with a local family, who cook us some local fare. The following day, we explore the fascinating medina, before spending the night in Kairouan, an Islamic city with an impressive mosque, then continuing our journey to Tunis. Day 15/Tunis Shaped by 3500 years of history, Tunis is full of fascinating sights and we have a full day to explore the old whitewashed medina with its atmospheric souqs and splendid old mosque. Days 16-17/Casablanca - Meknes We fly to the French-influenced Moroccan city of Casablanca. The impressive Hassan II Mosque is one of many highlights in this buzzing city. We then continue our epic journey to Meknes which has a fascinating medina. Days 18-19/Fes Our adventure continues as we explore the favourite city of many travellers Fes. The souk is simply brilliant and an excellent place for shopping and exploring. The leather tanneries are just one of the many great spots we visit. Days 20-21/Midelt - Merzouga - Erg Chebbi Nestled between the High and Middle Atlas, Midelt is in a beautiful setting, and is a fantastic place to enjoy an afternoon walk. In the morning we drive to Erg Chebbi, where we spend the night in a simple desert camp and enjoy a camel ride through the sand dunes. Days 22-23/Todra Gorge - Dades Valley - Ait Benhaddou Leaving the beautiful desert behind, we head to Todra Gorge. Mud brick kasbahs, unbelievably green palm groves and fields, and deep, GREEC E colourful gorges make this area truly spectacular. We enjoy leisurely ITALY scenic walks in both Todra Gorge and the Dades Valley before arriving in Ait Benhaddou and exploring its magnificent kasbah.
Days 24-26/Ait Benhaddou - Marrakech Passing many Berber villages and amazing view points in the Atlas range, we arrive in Marrakech. Our hotel is right near the main square and souk and theres plenty of time to explore this fantastic city. Our extraordinary north African journey ends after breakfast on the final day.
trip info
Prices: See inside cover.
Group size: Maximum 15. Grade: Moderate. Transport: camel, mini-van, plane, private van, taxi. Accommodation: 1 night camping, 1 night homestay, 23 nights budget/tourist class hotels. Meals: 25 breakfasts, 7 dinners. Local payment: Your tour leader will collect US$400 from each person on Day 1. Tour Code: GEAO. Further Info & Trip Notes: www.geckosadventures.co.uk/trips/geao
Start Sat 2007 08-Dec 2008 05-Jan Finish Wed 02-Jan 30-Jan 01-Mar 29-Mar 26-Apr 24-May 13-Sep 11-Oct 26-Mar 23-Apr 21-May 18-Jun 08-Oct 05-Nov 08-Nov 06-Dec 2009 03-Jan 31-Jan 28-Feb 03-Dec 31-Dec 28-Jan 25-Feb 25-Mar 28-Mar 25-Apr 23-May 22-Apr 20-May 17-Jun
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Meknes Casablanca Fes
MOROCCO Midelt Marrakech Dades Todra Valley Gorge
Ait Benhaddou Merzouga
ALGERI A
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Tunis
Kairouan M E D I T E R R A N E A N S E A North African Overland Tripoli Cyrene Benghazi
Tozeur
TUNISIA
Matmata Douz Sabratha
Leptis Magna
Apollonia Tobruk Marsa Matruh
Alexandria
Cairo
EGYPT LIBYA
www.geckosadventures.co.uk
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