Cox & Kings Cox MIDDLE EAST North Africa • Central Asia • The Gulf 2020-21 Group Tours & Tailor-Made Travel Middle East • 2020-21 • East Middle XXXXXXXXXX 2 Contact us on 020 3930 5211 Inspiring travel Why entrust your holiday to Cox & Kings? for over 260 years • Our extraordinary heritage – founded in 1758 • Award-winning holidays In an age that has witnessed an explosion in the popularity of travel, when new travel • Big company value & small companies appear and disappear with bewildering frequency, Cox & Kings is, above all company service else, a travel company you can trust. Our experience, knowledge, service and business • The expert advice of your ethics are all underpinned by more than 260 years of heritage. personal travel consultant Cox & Kings’ illustrious history is extraordinary, not just in its longevity but in how it has • Equal expertise at organising reinvented itself as the world around it has changed. You can read more about our small group tours and private company’s story online at CoxandKings.co.uk/history. tailor-made travel A common strand running through the entire history is the spirit of innovation, which • The best guides to bring a has remained a driving force for the business to this day. Our company may be old but destination to life it’s full of youthful energy. We are proud that we continue to build on the tradition of high quality service, attention What we offer to the to detail and innovation that made our founder, Richard Cox, so successful 260 years ago. We very much hope that this brochure will inspire and that you will entrust your Middle East next adventure to Cox & Kings. • Private tailored travel • Small group tours The Team at Cox & Kings • Special group tours for solo travellers • Expert-led arts & culture tours • Family adventures • Luxury train journeys • Serene river cruises • Stylish tented camps 020 3930 5211 CoxandKings.co.uk Design & production: Cox & Kings Travel Ltd Printing: Buxton Press Photography: iStock, Shutterstock, Bigstock, Alamy, Getty Images, C&K Luxury Travel Limited Find out more at CoxandKings.co.uk or from your travel agent 3 INTRODUCTION Contents by Region 6 Introduction 112 Iran Group tours • Private travel • Tailor-made travel • Small group tours • Private & tailor-made travel Online travel inspiration 120 Oman 10 Egypt Small group tours • Solo Travellers tours • Family Adventures Private & tailor-made travel • River cruises Private & tailor-made travel 32 Morocco 138 Important Information Small group tours • Solo Travellers tours • Private & tailor- Booking conditions • Travel insurance • Details on travel in made travel • Family Adventures the Middle East • Documents & health • Airline upgrades 52 Jordan 146 Cox & Kings Holidays Explained Small group tours • Solo Travellers tours • Arts & Culture Tour categories • Accommodation ratings • Our prices tours • Private & tailor-made travel 78 Israel & the OPT Small group tours • Private & tailor-made travel • Family Adventures 90 Uzbekistan • Kyrgyzstan Small group tours • Arts & Culture tours • Rail journeys • Private & tailor-made travel 4 Contact us on 020 3930 5211 Small Group Tours Morocco Uzbekistan 38 Moroccan Explorer: Imperial Cities to Desert 96 Uzbekistan: Heart of Central Asia Superior tour • 11 days & 10 nights Discovery tour • 12 days & 10 nights 40 Mystical Morocco 100 The Golden Road to Samarkand Solo Travellers tour • Superior tour • 8 days & 7 nights Arts & Culture tour • Standard tour • 12 days & 10 nights 102 Colours of Kyrgyzstan • NEW Jordan Discovery tour • 10 days & 8 nights 64 Splendours of Jordan Superior tour • 8 days & 7 nights Iran 68 The Wonders of Jordan & Jerusalem 116 Treasures of Persia Standard tour • 11 days & 9 nights Superior tour • 11 days & 10 nights 70 Treasures of Jordan 118 Persian Palaces & Gardens Solo Travellers tour • Superior tour • 8 days & 7 nights Arts & Culture tour • Standard tour • 15 days & 13 nights 72 Ancient Jordan Uncovered • NEW Oman Arts & Culture tour • Superior tour • 9 days & 8 nights 126 An Arabian Odyssey Israel & the OPT Superior tour • 9 days & 8 nights 86 Treasures of Israel 128 Oman Discovery Superior tour • 10 days & 9 nights Solo Travellers tour • Standard tour • 9 days & 8 nights Find out more at CoxandKings.co.uk or from your travel agent 5 Escorted Group Tours Designed by Experts • Small Group Sizes • All Entrance Fees Included • Arts & Culture Tours We keep our groups compact and All sightseeing entrance fees included where This brochure includes a selection of expert- manageable, with an average group size of 14 possible, as well as local taxes. accompanied tours, designed for all art and a maximum of 26 (a maximum of 18 for enthusiasts (see page 146 for further details). Solo Travellers tours). • Balanced Pace Opportunities to relax or explore • 24-Hour Emergency Support • Local Tour Managers independently are built into most tours. While you are away you will have We employ local tour managers for their 24-hour phone numbers for both our local in-depth knowledge of the places, people • Tailored to You representatives and our UK emergency and culture, which in turn supports the local We are delighted to organise extensions phone. community. before or after your tour, as well as room and flight upgrades. • Full Holiday Protection • Excellent Value for Money We are members of AITO and ABTA, our air For those seeking a premium touring • Flight Flexibility holidays are fully ATOL protected and we experience, comparing all inclusions, Flights are included as standard with the follow British Foreign & Commonwealth Cox & Kings tours offer superb value for option to choose an alternative airline Office (FCO) advice regarding destination money. (where available), add regional flights or join safety (see pages 138-142 for details). the tour on a land-only basis. • High Quality Accommodation Please see page 5 for a list of all the group We take great care in our selection of • Solo Travellers Tours tours featured in this brochure. If you would accommodation. Typically, we feature well- This brochure includes a selection of tours like to find out more about how our holidays located, 4- and 5-star, character hotels. specially created for individual travellers operate, please refer to Cox & Kings Holidays (see page 146 for further details). Explained on pages 146-147 of this brochure. • Cox & Kings Signature Experiences Each tour includes a number of exceptional experiences, revealing hidden wonders and cultural secrets. 6 Contact us on 020 3930 5211 Private Travel Tailored for You • 100% Flexibility • Private Guides • Full Holiday Protection All our itineraries can be tailored to suit your An English-speaking local guide will We are members of AITO and ABTA, our air needs, or we can create an itinerary for you accompany most sightseeing excursions, so holidays are fully ATOL protected and we entirely from scratch, no matter how complex you can ask as many questions as you like, follow British Foreign & Commonwealth your requirements. based on your particular interests. Office (FCO) advice regarding destination safety (see pages 138-142 for details). • Planned by Experts • Cox & Kings Signature Experiences Throughout the planning process you will be From market tours and cooking classes to hot If you would like to find out more about guided by your personal tour consultant, who air balloon rides and epicurean dining, we can how our holidays operate, please refer to will design an itinerary around your particular arrange a whole variety of experiences. Cox & Kings Holidays Explained on pages interests and requirements. 146-147 of this brochure. There is also a • Wide Choice of Accommodation wealth of additional information about the • Support on the Ground Whether it’s a sophisticated city centre hotel countries featured in this brochure in the At each new destination on your journey, or a ‘back-to-nature’ wilderness lodge, we can Middle East sections of our website, you will be welcomed by a Cox & Kings cater to all tastes and a range of budgets. reached via the ‘Destinations’ link. representative who will accompany you to Please visit CoxandKings.co.uk your hotel and ensure you are happy with all • Multi-Country Itineraries the arrangements. We are experts at combining multiple countries in a single journey. • Private Car Travel For road journeys, you will be driven by • 24-Hour Emergency Support air-conditioned private car, allowing the While you are away you will have 24-hour flexibility to make stops en route, where and phone numbers for both our local when you wish. representatives and our UK emergency phone. Find out more at CoxandKings.co.uk or from your travel agent 7 INTRODUCTION Tailor-made Travel Cox & Kings has been organising private tailor-made travel for By its nature, even the best-planned travel has a degree of generations. All our expert travel consultants are regional specialists unpredictability. Aside from our expert planning and our network of with a wealth of first-hand travel experience. carefully selected representatives around the world, one of the great benefits of travelling with Cox & Kings is what happens in the event of They will listen to your requirements and then design an itinerary the unexpected. If a flight is cancelled, medical assistance is required, tailored to suit your particular interests, no matter how complex or or a strike affects local services, the peace of mind that comes from the unique they may be. support we provide to sort out the necessary arrangements is priceless. Kasbah Ait Benhaddou, Ouarzazate, Morocco Family Adventures Adventurous Honeymoons & Special Occasions Cox & Kings family holidays are ideal for families seeking adventure If your idea of the trip of a lifetime extends beyond the confines of and discovery without compromising on comfort and peace of mind. a beach resort, Cox & Kings’ travel consultants offer you a wealth of All families are unique, so the ideas we have put together in our experience and ideas for combining cultural exploration and wildlife Family Adventures range are intended purely as suggestions – our encounters with a dash of adventure, as well as some well-deserved specialist travel consultants are experts in designing holidays downtime.