ASA

For the cost of just $129 we include all the food, drinks and boats for lots of water-skiing and fun.  There may also be Wave Runners and other fun toys. 

Members who have been on one trip already need to wait until 2-weeks prior to sign up for another trip. Guests need to wait until 2-weeks prior.

Are you ready for the next dream vacation? The same company that arranged our Africa trip, which received very high marks from the members, are also specialists in Egypt and have put together this incredible package. We start off in Cairo where we will have 3 days to take in the wonders of Giza and the pyramids, Sphinx and Sakkara. The pyramids were reckoned by the Greeks to be one of the 7 wonders of the world. In the face of such immensity, one cannot help but feel the wonder and awe that so many writers & artists have sought to convey over the centuries. The Cheops Pyramid is especially interesting since its interior burial chambers are open for visitors. Not far from the Pyramids is the Great Sphinx of Giza, which dates from 2620 BC. Hewn from natural yellowish limestone & standing 65 feet high & 187 feet long, this unforgettable statue combines the head of a Pharaoh with a lion’s body. Sakkara is one of the most exciting historical & archaeological area in all of Egypt with its famous step pyramid of King Zoser.We’ll visit Khan el-Khalili bazaar, once known as the Turkish during the Ottoman period, is now referred to as the ‘Khan’.Our stay in Cairo will be at the 4-star Ramese Hilton located on the banks of the River Nile with views of the Nile and the Pyramids. From there will fly to Aswan, 550 miles south of Cairo and our starting point for our 3-night Nile cruise aboard MS Tiyi Cruise a 5* cruise liner. Being one of the oldest inhabited places in Egypt, Aswan hosts some of the most spectacular monuments, including Philae Temple, an unfinished obelisk and the Mausoleum of the a Agha Khan.  We’ll visit Philae Temple, which was once underwater but has now been re-erected on land. We’ll cruise to Kom Ombo and visit the temple shared by two gods Sobek & Haeroris in Kom-Ombo. We’ll continue on to Edfu and visit the Temple of Edfu the best-preserved major temple in Egypt. Then we cruise to Luxor with its breathtaking and impressive monuments of ancient Egyptian civilization it has become one of Egypt’s most enticing tourist destinations, home to some 80 percent of Egyptian artifacts. Its magnificent temples, tombs and palaces border the banks of the Nile River. On the east bank stand the Luxor and Karnak temples, while Queen Hatshepsut’s temple lines the west bank of the great river. The great city’s necropolis contains the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens and tombs of the nobles - a testament to Luxor’s ancient name al-Uqsur, or city of the palaces. Here we will have the option of visiting the tomb of Tutankhamen at an additional cost. We’ll visit the Temples of Karnak and Luxor Temple before flying back to Cairo.  Back at our Hilton Hotel for 2 more nights we’ll spend the next day visiting the fabulous Egyptian Museum the most important depository of Egyptian antiquities anywhere in the world. It features artifacts from the Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman periods, including the celebrated mummies of ancient Egypt’s king and Tutankhamun treasures. Cost of land-only package is $2,189 and includes 5 nights at Ramses Hilton with daily breakfast; all tours mentioned above, lunch at Naguib Mahfouz restaurant; air ticket from Cairo / Aswan - Luxor / Cairo;  3 nights on board the MS Tiyi Nile Cruise inclusive of meals and sightseeing tours as indicated in the itinerary; farewell dinner and oriental show including a belly dancer on the Nile Maxime cruise restaurant and entrance fees for sightseeing tours. At press time we were still working on air that will probably come in at approx. $1,400 with taxes. To sign up please send a $1,000 deposit. If paying now on our shopping cart we must add our 3% credit card fee.

We’ll be heading up to Yosemite for a long weekend of hiking with leader Tim Cowden. Yosemite is one of the most beautiful national parks in the country offering great hiking up the steep granite mountains and spectacular waterfalls. We’ll drive up on Thursday, hike on Friday and Saturday and drive home on Sunday. This is a camping trip but you won’t need a tent. We’ll be staying at their Housekeeping Cabins which feature concrete walls and beds (you provide the bedding) that sleep 4 but we’ll just be putting 2 people in. We’ll cook out by the river and enjoy some nice bonfires. We’ve reserved enough cabins to take 18 people (2 per cabin). Cost is just $119 (price in the newsletter was incorrect). Tim will be putting together a complete itinerary. Click to sign up today!

Here’s a new twist on a repeat destination for ASA where we will be visiting Lake Titicaca in addition to Cuzco and Machu Picchu a fascinating spot called the Lost City of the Incas. We start off by spending 3 days in Cusco, the center of the Incan world.  We’ll tour the city and ruins including the Temple of the Sacred Water and we’ll even have an opportunity to mountain bike through the Sacred Valley. Then we’ll take the Inca Express train through the unforgettable Urubamba Gorge for our 2-night visit to Machu Picchu where we can trek through the final stretch of the Inca Trail. There are really no words to explain Machu Picchu adequately except to say it is majestic and magical. With surreal clouds that hang from the surrounding mountains it appears as if these sacred ruins are leaping out from a fantasy. It is one of my favorite places on earth. From there we’ll spend one more night in Cusco and then take a train to Puno and the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. We’ll enjoy the incredible view of the herds of alpaca and llamas grazing on these highland pampas, interspersed with small villages, and the majestic backdrop of the Andes. Here, indigenous culture is at its height despite modernization of the rest of the Andes. The Uros Islands are divided into 35 floating islands with about 1000 habitants divided into 250 families.  In the 13th century the Uros Indians took refuge in the middle of the lake’s water in order to escape slavery and fighting with the Incas. We’ll even have an opportunity to stay with the locals. Then we’ll visit to the famous pre-inca tombs of Sillustani on the way, located on the shores of the solitary Umayo Lagoon, these tombs or “Chullpas” with circular shaped towers were a cemetery for the religious leaders of Tiawanacu Culture almost 2000 years ago. We’ll head back to Lima, spend the night, and enjoy a final city tour. Cost of $2,189 includes air from LAX, air from Lima to Cusco and Juliata to Lima, 8 nights hotel (dbl. occupancy), all land transfers, train to Machu Picchu and to Puno, all entrance fees to sites in the itinerary, 8 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners,  service charges, and taxes.  Not included in this price are departure tax/ fuel surcharge (currently at $248) and the $12 departure tax from Peru.  This is going to be an incredible trip.