CRUISE TO THE ARABIAN PAST AND FUTURE

Day 1-3: Dubai, Verenigde Arabiche Emiraten. On arrival private transfer to your hotel. Dubai is an extraordinarily modern and vibrant city, a city of superlatives in all kinds of elds, which has rapidly developed into a favourite destination for Westerners. There are beautiful sandy beaches, luxury shopping centers, plenty of sports facilities, from ski and skating to golf courses, but also a traditional souk for herbs and gold. Let the entire scene from the 830 m high Burj Khalifa, the world’s highest skyscraper, pass through to you. In the morning on day 3 you will be picked up and taken to the port of Dubai. Embarkation on board the MS EUROPA.

Day 4: Khasab, Oman; 07.00-14.00 hours. The Musandam peninsula has a fjord coast with rugged, bare mountains. In Khasab itself, the castle and the fortress are worth a visit, they are within walking distance of the harbour.

Day 5: Muscat, Oman; 07.00-18.00 hours. Muscat is the capital of Oman. The fort Bait Al Falaj, the opera house, the city gate and numerous mosques o er impressive sights. Muscat also houses the royal palace. At the Hotel Al Bustan Palace you can drink tea as if you were visiting the sultan. From Muscat, excursions go to the wadis: tropical oases in a cork dry landscape.

Day 6: Cruise day at sea.

Day 7: Mina Khalifa, Bahrein; 07.00-18.00 hours. Bahrain literally means: Two Seas. Fresh water used to lie under the salty seawater. It comprises 33 islands, 12 of which are inhabited. They are connected by means of a network of bridges, there is also a bridge to Saudi Arabia. Manama is the capital city and shows both tradition and contemporary design.

Day 8: Doha, Qatar; 07.00-18.00 hours. As a result of Qatar’s oil and gas, per capita income rose to the highest in the world and in a few decades, the shiny metropolis emerged. Apart from that, the Qatarians are in the minority here, Doha is a city of expats. The land reclamation project The Pearl consists of one large and twelve smaller islands. The Rialto Bridge, squares and canals have been built according to examples in Venice.

Day 9: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 08.00-00.00 hours. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates. The capital is situated on a at sandy island and is connected to the mainland by two bridges. Mineral portraits are in between shiny glass high-rise buildings. The Sheikh Zayed mosque is the largest of the UAE. On the arti cial Yas Island a Formula I racing circuit has been built. There are 20 curves, one of which passes underneath the Yas Viceroy Hotel.

Day 10-11: Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 07.00 hrs Sultanates and emirates are characterised by a high standard of living. State-of-the-art buildings and shops full of luxury adorn this city. You have the whole day free to spend and stay tonight for the last time on board the MS EUROPA. Disembarkation, end of your cruise.