Real Travel

Ancient Egypt - More New Experiences

Egypt continues to attract large numbers of visitors- over 6 million last year. This obviously has both positive and negative implications on travel. Certainly the Egyptian National Museum is more crowded, but increased visitation has led to cheaper hotels rates. As a result we have been able to reduce the cost of our very popular 15-day ‘Land of the Pharaohs’ tour to $3695. We have also increased the frequency of this tour which can now depart from Sydney on the 1 st and 3 rd Saturday of every month with a minimum of only 2 persons. The tour is accompanied in Egypt by one of our highly qualified, very helpful Egyptologists. But of course our 4 to 5 accompanied departures each year will continue. We have also raised the standard of our guides in Egypt and our new, minimum qualification is a Masters degree in Egyptology together with good language skills and an outgoing personality.

We have now arranged two new tours which will extend the experiences of the ‘Pharaoh’ in different ways.

1: Luxury Egypt : We have introduced a new 10-day Luxury Tour. This tour includes accommodation at the deluxe Mena House Oberoi Hotel at the very base of the pyramids in Cairo , at the famous Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan (where Agatha Christie stayed while writing ‘Death on the Nile ’) and at the former Winter Palace of King Farouk in Luxor . Added to this is a 4-Day cruise on one of the Nile ’s most exclusive cruise ships.

2: Egyptian Adventure: Our second new tour, now in its final planning stages, is intended for the more adventurous traveler. The ‘Egyptian Adventure’ will include 4* accommodation, a 5* Nile cruise, entry to the Valley of the Kings on donkey across the plains of Habu, a camel ride in the desert from Aswan, dinner in a Nubian village and 4 days on the beaches of the Red Sea.

Our 5000 th Australian client to Egypt has recently returned to Australia . Like before, the comments received state that ‘your wonderful tour of Egypt exceeded our greatest expectations.’

Never Miss a Visit to Jordan !

Egypt and Jordan- neighbours but so very different. While Egypt basks in a Pharaonic history stretching back over 5500 years, Jordan offers a depth of Greco-Roman and early Christian tradition together with the indescribable beauty of the Rose City of Petra.

Approximately half of our clients to Egypt have taken the 8-Day extension into Sinai and Jordan. None have been disappointed. Our office in Amman opened just over two years ago. Sales and the number of clients, especially from Europe , have exceeded our expectations. Jordan is, in our view, a safe and hospitable

country in which to travel. The hotels are of a high standard, the roads and traffic orderly, the attractions are varied and interesting, the value for AUD exceptionally good. Could anything be more satisfying than driving across the deserts of Wadi Rum, walking through the Siq in Petra , exploring the cavernous chambers of Crusader period castles, swimming in the Dead Sea , seeing the well preserved Greco-Roman cities, bargaining for intricate gold jewelry in the souk, being amazed at the traffic of Amman . Jordan offers all of these experiences and more.

Sicily-Malta-Tunisia

This incredible tour was suggested to us by a number of past clients who first saw it in the Continuing Education travel brochure published by the University of Sydney . Although the university’s tour was offered at over $12,000 per person, we have been able to duplicate the exact tour for approximately $6200. Approximated only because we are still waiting on Air Malta to confirm some local flight costs.

The tour is scheduled to depart for Rome on 16 September, 2005.

After completing the Tunisian section the group returns to Rome for the return flight to Australia . This allows clients to remain in Europe for longer, either prior to or after the tour, for up to one year.

Enquiries for this unique tour are arriving in our office constantly and we should be able to start accepting reservations within the next two weeks. Call us now for more information, or for a brochure.

Syria the Magnificent

Our new operations office in Syria has now opened. After three years of research, visiting the sites, exploring the cities, inspecting the hotels, and satisfying ourselves that Syria offers a safe environment for travelers, we are ready to go. Already several small groups have completed a nine-day tour of the country, visiting the sites of Damascus which remains an almost complete walled, medieval city, the small town of Bosra (almost unchanged since it was a Roman garrison town), the incredible ruins of Palmyra, Aleppo, the amazing Crusader castle of Crac de Chevalier, and the old Aramaic Christian towns of

Sednaya and Ma’aloula. One of the finest things about a visit to Syria is that it is still unaffected by large scale tourism. This alone is reason to visit soon. Our recommendation is that you consider combining 9 days in Syria with 5 days in Jordan . Together these two countries offer an in-depth experience, not only of the Greco-Roman World and the Early Christian experience, but also of a warm and hospitable people who are finding a path between their deep cultural traditions and the modern world.

Egypt , Exodus and Ecstasy

Working with Canon Samuel Marsden, we have arranged a tour of Biblical proportions. Canon Marsden will lead a Pilgrimage from Cairo , along the Footsteps of Moses Route across Sinai, through the Holy Land and the historic Christian sites of Jordan.

This is a unique ‘experience of a life-time’ opportunity to see the Holy Land with the gt.-gt.-gt.- grandson of the famous Revd Samuel Marsden.

The Pilgrimage will depart on 16 Sep, 2005 with a maximum of 15 persons. Cost for this 20-Day tour is only $5170 per person in twin. Airfare, good accommodation, most meals and tours are included.

Morocco - Our Destination for 2005

What can I say about Morocco ? This fascinating country, with its magnificent architecture, historic royal cities, beautiful coastal and mountain scenery and exotic people, has attracted visitors since pre-Roman times. Today Moroc offers an amazing experience to travellers. Nowhere else will you find such a combination of architectural wonder, rich cultural tradition, colourful and exotic people and incredible scenery. We now offer independent travel, with a minimum 2 persons, with

regular departures. You will be met on arrival at Casablanca , transferred to comfortable hotels, and escorted by our highly qualified and very experienced local guides through the Royal cities of Rabat , Fez and Marrakech. In addition to regular independent departures we are planning a 14-day group tour, with an emphasis on photography, departing in November 2005. Call us soon to register your interest.

Latin American Discoveries

We have established our operations in Latin America . REAL –SAT now has well established offices in Brazil , Argentina , Chile , Peru , Bolivia , Ecuador , Mexico and Cuba . From these we are able to offer tours dedicated to any one of these countries, or a combination of several. Many North American retail travel agencies are already purchasing these tours from us and have complemented Real-SAT on the high standard of guiding, the efficient and reliable manner in which services are provided, and on the in-depth knowledge and expertise of the staff of our SAT offices. Although the tours are intended primarily for independent travellers (minimum 2 persons

travelling together) we are planning a short group tour of Chile , Peru and Bolivia . Departure from Sydney during June 2006 is envisaged. The itinerary, still being finalised, will include the flight from Sydney to Santiago de Chile, visits to Cuzco , Machu Picchu , Lake Titicaca , Puno, La Paz and Santiago city. We may also include a visit to the incredible National Park Torres del Paine in southern Patagonia , an experience of the southern Andes and an optional flight over the lines of Nazca. Details should be available during early July, but please call us to register your interest now.

Real Africa

The first group departure to Africa during 2006 will be to Kenya and Tanzania in East Africa during August. This safari will coincide with the migration across the Serengeti (subject to the weather). We therefore spend three days on game drives in the Mara and seven days in the Serengeti- Tarangire-Ngorongoro Crater conservation areas. This should be an extraordinary wildlife experience. A 3 night stay on Zanzibar will be offered as an optional extension and, as we will be flying Air Mauritius , an optional stay on heavenly Mauritius will also be available. For the best of Indian Ocean sunshine and East African Wildlife, this safari will be unbeatable.

Our second African group tour will be to South Africa in September 2006. After years of uncertainty following the ending of apartheid, South Africa is now booming. Some 6 million visitors are arriving each year. The cities are now much safer than they were a few years ago, and the game lodges, national parks and wild conservation areas are as fantastic as ever. We include a stay at an exclusive private game lodge for superb

game viewing, do game drives through the Kruger National Park, cross tribal Swaziland and KwaZulu, travel the Garden Route, overnight in an historic Cape Dutch town, and complete the adventure with a few days in beautiful Cape Town.

The East Africa Wildlife Safari will be accompanied by Riche du Plessis and local wildlife experts. The South African tour will be accompanied by Ed Taylor, formally of South Africa and now with the University of Wollongong .

In addition to the above group tours, we do offer a wide range of safaris, tours, overland expeditions and game lodge stays in every southern and eastern African country. These depart either weekly or daily and include experiences in South Africa , Botswana , Namibia , Zimbabwe , Zambia , Mozambique , Tanzania , Kenya , Uganda , Ethiopia and the Sudan . Call us to arrange an African adventure specifically to suit your needs and preferences.

The Reader’s Tour of Ireland

This tour has been arranged in association with the ‘Good Reading’ magazine (www.goodreadingmagazine.com.au). The tour will be accompanied from Australia by Chris Mansell and includes visits to the historic and cultural sites of Dublin , Sligo and Galway . Visits to two theatres are included as are fun evenings at some of Dublin ’s finest literary and music pubs, the National Gallery, the Book of Kells, homes

of many of Ireland ’s famous writers, Dinners in atmospheric and unusual restaurants, and much more. The tour departs from Australia on 24 Sep, commencing on arrival in Dublin on 25 September, 2005 with a maximum of 25 persons. Cost is $4900 per person in twin. Enquiries should be directed to Rowena at Good Reading Magazine.

Phone 02 9810 2477.

Japan

Another new destination for Real. We believe that Japan offers a wide range of experiences quite different from any other Asian country. We have therefore established REAL-Tokyu Inc. as our operations office in Japan . Real-Tokyu is able to provide hotel accommodation in all Japanese cities, airport transfers and both day and extended touring in this fascinating country.

We are planning a Group Departure for a 15-day tour of Japan for May 2006 to coincide with the Cherry Blossom season.

The tour will include not only the exotic atmosphere of some major cities but also cultural and rural experiences. This will be in keeping with the REAL philosophy that seeing only the sites at any destination results in merely half a tour, while having some experience of the cultural environment completes the tour.

Details of the group tour will be available from early July 2005. Please register your interest now.