Balkans Europe
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G E O T O U R S BALKANS EUROPE ALBANIA, GREECE, MACEDONIA, KOSOVO, MONTENEGRO, CROATIA, BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA JUNE 12 – 29, 2020 WWW.GEOTOURS.US MOSTAR, BOSNIA KOTOR, MONTENEGRO DUBROVNIK, CROATIA LAND COST = $2790 (Hotels, private bus, local guides, entries/activities, breakfasts, Matt/Suzan Ebiner as group leaders) AIRFARE = $1600 – approximate cost for round-trip flight from LAX-TIRANA; SARAJEVO-LAX Friday 6/12/20 Depart USA Saturday 6/13/20 Arrive Tirana, Albania Arrive in Tirana, Albania’s capital. Stay in Tirana for 2 nights at Vila Alba Hotel. Sunday 6/14/20 Tirana, Albania Take a guided tour of lively, colorful Tirana to see the historical and architectural highlights. Night #2 in Tirana. Monday 6/15/20 Tirana - Berat –- Gjirokastra, Albania Visit the beautiful town of Berat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided tour through the old neighborhoods of white houses with tiled roofs. Stop at the ancient Greek-Roman ruins of TIRANA, ALBANIA Apollonia and the beautiful Orthodox monastery at Ardenica. Continue to Gjirokastra, Albania’s prettiest town, with Ottoman-era mansions and an impressive hilltop fortress. Two nights in Gjirokastra at Hotel Kalemi. Tuesday 6/16/20 Gjirokastra, Albania Spend the day in the beautiful town of Gjirokastra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided tour through the cobblestone streets. Enjoy great views from the fortress. Free time to rest, shop, or explore on your own. Night #2 in Gjirokastra. BERAT, ALBANIA APOLLONIA, ALBANIA METEORA, GREECE OHRID, MACEDONIA Wed 6/17/20 Gjirokastra – Meteora, Greece Leaving Gjirokastra. we visit Blue Eye spring, a beautiful natural pool where cold water gushes up from deep underground. Enter Greece and continue to Meteora, an impressive landscape of enormous rock pinnacles, several of which are topped by stunning monasteries. One night at Doupiani House Hotel in Kastraki, Greece. Thursday 6/18/20 Greece - Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia Take a tour of the monasteries and magnificent landscapes of Meteora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Depart Greece and enter Macedonia. Two nights in Ohrid at Hotel Aleksandrija, on the shore of beautiful Lake Ohrid. Friday 6/19/20 Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia Enjoy a full day in Ohrid, a UNESCO World Heritage site and Macedonia’s prime tourist destination. Take a city tour to see beautiful churches, traditional architecture, the castle, and the ancient theatre. Free time in the afternoon to relax or explore on your own. Night OHRID #2 in Ohrid. Saturday 6/20/20 Ohrid - Skopje, Republic of Macedonia SKOPJE, MACEDONIA Leaving Ohrid we continue to Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia with many new monuments and museums. One night in Skopje at Alexandar Square Boutique Hotel. Sunday 6/21/20 Skopje - Prizren, Kosovo Depart Macedonia and enter Kosovo, the youngest country of Europe (2008). Continue to picturesque Prizren. Two nights in Prizren at Hotel Centrum. Monday 6/22/20 Prizren, Kosovo Morning walking tour of Prizren’s old town. Afternoon free to relax or explore on your own. Night #2 in Prizren. Tuesday 6/23/20 Prizren – Krujë, Albania Depart Kosovo and return to Albania. Go to Krujë and tour the fortress of Skanderbeg, Albania’s greatest hero. Skanderbeg defended Albania from the Turks in the 1400s and won all 25 battles he fought. Visit the Ottoman Bazaar, the best place in Albania for PRIZREN, KOSOVO souvenir shopping. Group dinner with a show of Albanian folk music and dancing. show in the evening. One night in Krujë at Hotel Panorama. [email protected] WWW.GEOTOURS.US/TOUR/BALKANS2020 KRUJE, ALBANIA KOTOR, MONTENEGRO DUBROVNIK, CROATIA Wednesday 6/24/20 Kruje –Kotor, Montenegro Depart Albania and enter Montenegro, an independent country only since 2006. Tour Kotor, dramatically located at the foot of cliffs along the fjord-like Bay of Kotor. Explore the old town with an optional hike up the hillside fortress with magnificent views. One night in Kotor at Hotel Kattaro right on the main square of the old town. Thursday 6/25/20 Kotor - Dubrovnik, Croatia Morning in Kotor. Depart Montenegro and enter Croatia. Arrive in Dubrovnik, the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Evening walk in Dubrovnik’s old town, with beautiful lighting on the old palaces, churches, and marble streets. One night in Dubrovnik at Hotel Lapad. Friday 6/26/20 Dubrovnik - Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tour Dubrovnik’s marvelous walled old town jutting into the Adriatic Sea. Option to walk around the old city on the city walls (1.5 miles) or take a cable car to a hilltop over the city with spectacular views. Depart Croatia and enter Bosnia & Herzegovina , the 7th country of the trip. Visit Kravice Falls, one of Bosnia’s most beautiful natural features. Continue to Mostar, the most beautiful town in Bosnia. One night in Mostar at Hotel Eden. DUBROVNIK, CROATIA Saturday 6/27/20 Mostar - Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Take a walking tour through the cobblestone streets of Mostar. The old town is split by the deep Neretva River, spanned by a picturesque arched bridge. Continue to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital city. Two nights at Hotel Hecco in Sarajevo. Sunday 6/28/20 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Tour Sarajevo, one of the most eclectic capital cities of Europe. It has a Turkish influence from 350 years of Ottoman rule, along with many beautiful buildings from the Austro-Hungarian rule during the late 1800s. Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, but in the 1990s was a war-torn city when it fought for independence from KRAVICE FALLS, BOSNIA Yugoslavia. See the different historical and archeological highlights, including a visit to one of the war museums. Farewell dinner and final night of the tour in Sarajevo. Monday 6/29/20 Depart Sarajevo or spend more time in Europe Return to the USA, or stay a longer to explore more of Europe or the Middle East. ****************************************************************** To reserve a spot for the tour, complete and submit the form on the next page or book online at WWW.GEOTOURS.US/TOUR/BALKANS2020 Questions? Contact Matt Ebiner at [email protected] SARAJEVO, BOSNIA Registration Form - GeoTours Balkans Europe : June 12 – July 29, 2020- LAND COST = $2790 Includes hotels, private bus, local guides, entries/activities, breakfasts, Matt & Suzan Ebiner as group leaders REGISTRATION/PAYMENT PROCEDURE 1. Complete this form and submit it to Matt Ebiner/GeoTours. Or register online at www.geotours.us/tour/balkans2020 2. Attach a $400 payment (check made payable to GeoTours LLC) to this form and mail to GeoTours at the address below, or submit payment online through www.venmo.com or www.paypal.com payable to [email protected] or 310-686-8171 (GeoTours phone #). You can also make an online bank payment through Zelle to [email protected] or 310-686-8171 (GeoTours phone #). 3. Second payment of $500 is due on December 15, 2019 4. Third payment of $600 is due on February 15, 2020. SPECIAL DISCOUNTS! 4. Final payment is due March 31, 2020. If signing up after March 31 full payment is due with registration. Sign up for this trip with your $400 deposit by 5. Payments made after April 30 will be assessed a $100 late fee. May 31, 2019 and receive a $100 discount. Sign up 6/1/19 – 8/31/19 and receive a $50 Payments should be made payable to GeoTours LLC and sent to: discount. GeoTours CONTACT: Sign up with a roommate and you each get a 1547 E. Puente Street Matt Ebiner, Trip Organizer/Leader, $25 discount Covina, CA 91724 [email protected]; (310) 686-8171 GeoTours alumni receive an additional discount of $25 multiplied by the number of GeoTours trips they have done (maximum $100 alumni discount). PARTICIPANT INFORMATION (Please print clearly and use your precise name as it appears, or will appear, on your passport) First Name Last Name Gender: Address City, State Zip Are you a US citizen? Yes ___No, I am a citizen of _________ Passport # Passport Expiration Email Address Date of Birth Phone (____) T-Shirt size: S M L XL ; T-shirt style: Unisex Crew Neck ____ Women’s V-Neck ____ ACCOMMODATION REQUEST - The program price is based on double occupancy. If you sign up without a roommate we will try to match you with someone of the same sex, but this is not guaranteed. A single room incurs a supplement of +$500. Please check one: Sharing a Twin room (2 beds) ______ Sharing a Double room (1 large bed) _____ Single Room _____ Name of preferred roommate (if any) EMERGENCY CONTACT Name Relationship _________________________ Address City, State Zip Home Phone ( _____ ) ________ _________Cell ( _____ ) Email Address CANCELLATIONS To cancel your participation, you need to inform GeoTours in writing or by email. Cancellation date is the day when GeoTours has received your written notice. Date of Cancellation Cancellation Penalty Date of Cancellation Cancellation Penalty On or before June 30, 2019 $100 December 1 – January 31, 2020 $600 July 1 – September 30, 2019 $200 February 1 – March 31, 2020 $800 October 1 – Nov. 30, 2019 $400 After April 1, 2020 No Refund Responsibility The program participant agrees that GeoTours LLC assumes no liability whatsoever for loss of property, injury, accident, illness, death, irregularity and delays during the duration of the tour. In addition, the program participant agrees to hold GeoTours LLC harmless for damage and delay due to equipment problems, quarantine, declared or undeclared war and insurrection, terrorist and criminal activity, revolt, civil disturbance, hostility, military action, strikes, labor unrest, any “act of God” or nature and for any act of any third party. The participant, by registering for this tour, agrees that GeoTours LLC is not responsible for delay, rerouting, omission and additional expense resulting from the passenger’s improper travel documents such as passport, visa and health document.