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(10 Nights / 11 Days )
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Day 1: |
Upon your arrival at Cairo International Airport you will be met and assisted by our Representative who will be holding a sign bearing your name (Please advise us of your exact international flight details: Airline, flight number and arrival time). Our Rep will guide you through luggage identification, portage and customs clearance. Then he or she will drive you by private air-conditioned car to your hotel and assist you with check-in. Overnight in Cairo |
Day 2: |
After your (included) breakfast at your hotel, our private professional Egyptologist and English-speaking guide will meet you and accompany you by air conditioned private car to visit The Three Great Pyramids of Giza, listed among the seven wonders of the ancient world. This is an experience not to be missed! The largest and oldest of the Pyramids is that of Cheops (Khufu). It was built in the 4th dynasty (about 2960 B.C.). The ancient Egyptians believed that the spirit continued to live eternally after death, so they placed wooden boats near each pyramid to be at the disposal of the king when he went on his journey with the sun god, Ra, in the afterworld. In the front of the Pyramid of Khephre, we find the Sphinx, carved from a single piece of stone. Eulogized in poetry, enthroned in legend, the Sphinx has remained a symbol of strength, wisdom and mystery across the ages. The body of a lion with the head of a king or God, the Sphinx faces the rising sun and sits adjacent to a temple which resembles the sun temples found elsewhere in Egypt. Then, enjoy your (included) Lunch at an Oriental Restaurant . After lunch, visit the world-famous Museum of Egyptian Antiquities which houses collections that now exceed 120,000 artifacts ranging from the prehistoric era to the Greco–Roman period. It has actually been calculated that if you were to spend one minute at each exhibit it would take nine months to see the entire collection! Of course, here you will want to see the treasures from Tutankhamen's tomb, which occupy a large area along almost two side of the upper floor. Chariots, gloves, jewelery, the famous death mask – a myriad of antiquities from the famous tomb of “King Tut” are on display. Then our rep will escort you to the railway station where you will board a First Class Sleeper Train to Aswan. Dinner and breakfast will be provided at no extra charge aboard the train. Overnight on Train |
Day 3: |
Breakfast on Train. Upon your arrival at Aswan Railway Station our Rep will meet you to escort you by private air conditioned car to Abu Simbel. Your visit to Abu Simbel by convoy begins at either 04:00 A.M or 11 A.M, and the roundtrip will require almost 8 hours. There you will join a local English-speaking Egyptologist who will guide your tour of Abu Simbel. You will see the Temple of Ramesses II and the Temple of Nefertari dedicated to Hathor. This piece of history was the last bastion of ancient Egyptian religion and hieroglyphic usage. It is also a superb example of our threatened cultural heritage being saved in the face of modern civilization's march to change the environment. At the Temple of Abu Simbel four statues of the king, each 65 feet tall, are shown sitting in pairs at the entrance. The head and upper body of one of the statues on the left collapsed during the ancient period. The east-facing temple has the sculpture of the Re-Horakhty, the Sun God engraved in the niche right above the entrance. The temple is build in such a manner that the rays of the sun illuminate even the innermost sanctuary of the temple and fall on the seated statues of the Ptah, Amun-Re, Ramesses II and Re-Horakhty twice a year, on 22nd February and 22nd October. Then you will driven back to your hotel in Aswan and assisted with check-in. Overnight in Aswan |
Day 4: |
After breakfast at your hotel, check out and our Rep will meet you to accompany you by private air-conditioned car to your Nile Cruise. Your on board accommodations will include all meals, beginning with lunch on your first day and ending with breakfast on your last. After lunch on your cruise our Private Professional English-speaking Egyptologist will meet you to accompany you by private air-conditioned Motor Coach to visit The High Dam a modern wonder built to divert the Nile and prevent flooding while providing irrigation and electricity for all of Egypt . Then visit the Philae Temple, which was dismantled and reassembled on Agilika Island (about 550 meters from its original home on Philae Island) in the wake of the High Dam. The temple - dedicated to the goddess Isis - is in a beautiful setting which has been re-landscaped to match its original grandeur. Then you’ll enjoy a memorable trip by Felucca (a small sailing boat). View the Elephantine Island The island is very beautiful, though many of the artifacts there are in ruins. One of its main attractions is its “Nilometer,” a gauge used to measure the water level of the Nile as late as the nineteenth century. This island was the original “border town” between Egypt and the Nubian lands to the south and in ancient times was an important strategic position both for the defense of the border and as a trading route. Its ancient name was 'Abu' or 'Yebu', which means elephant and was probably derived from the shape of the smooth grey boulders which surround the island, looking like elephants in the water. Then view the Agha Khan Mausoleum This is the Mausoleum of Aga Sultan Mohammed Shah, the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, a Shi'ite Sect based principally in India but with followers around the world. The Aga Khan III (1877-1959) chose Aswan for building his beautiful villa for its beauty and perfect winter climate. He often wintered here and eventually chose to be buried in Aswan, as well. Finally, your Felucca trip will provide you with a view of the Botanical Garden. Here you will find a peaceful paradise, full of shady trees, beautiful flowers and unusual plants among the paved walkways. It was later used as a research station for examining different food and cash crops. Board your cruise and sail to KomOmbo. Dinner & Overnight On Board Cruise |
Day 5: |
Breakfast on board, after which our Private Professional English-Speaking Egyptologist will meet you to accompany you by private air-conditioned car to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo. The temple is unique because it is actually a double temple dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus, the falcon-headed god. Sail to Edfu where the same guide will meet you to accompany you by private air-conditioned car to visit the Temple of Horus. This temple was excavated in the last century by Auguste Mariette. Its courtyard and surroundings had been buried beneath centuries of sand, not to mention many houses built by the local villagers. Deep within the temple is the sanctuary where a statue of Horus would have been cared for by priests. Sail to Esna and cross the Lock. Sail to Luxor. Dinner & Overnight Onboard |
Day 6: |
Breakfast onboard, after which our Private Professional English-Speaking Egyptologist will meet you to accompany you by private air-conditioned car to visit the West Bank, where the Valley of the Kings awaits! This is where the ancient Egyptians entombed their leaders. They believed that “to speak the name of the dead is to make him live again," so they recorded the names of their kings here that they might be read and spoken by visitors for all time. They certainly achieved their objective! While many of the tombs have been raided, and many of the artifacts have been scattered to museums worldwide, the guide will still recount fascinating stories as you soak in the atmosphere. Then visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, one of the most dramatically situated in the world. The queen's architect, Senenmut, designed it and set it at the head of a valley over shadowed by a mountain peak. Visit the Colossi Of Memnon. Built in Thebes as a mortuary temple by Amenhotep III, it was guarded by two collossal statues atop the outer gates appropriately called the "Colossi of Memnon". Lunch aboard your ship and afternoon at your leisure. Overnight Onboard. |
Day 7: |
Disembarkation after breakfast. Then our Private Professional English-Speaking Egyptologist will meet you to accompany you by private air-conditioned car to visit Karnak Temple built over 2000 years and dedicated to the Theben triad of Amon, Mut and Khons. Karnak can be a confusing place, its buildings spanning a long period in Egyptian history. Most visitors have very little time to see much of the temple, and many visits are needed to get even a brief idea of the temple as a whole. Then visit Luxor Temple, central to the most important festival of the year for ancient Egyptians, the festival of Opet. The ancients believed that once a year the divine image of Amun with his consort, Mut, and their son, Khonsu, would journey in their sacred barges from Karnak Temple to the temple at Luxor to celebrate the festival during the inundation. Built largely by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, it appears that the temple's purpose was for a suitable setting for the rituals of the festival. Then our Rep will drive you to Luxor Airport to fly to Sharm El Sheikh. Upon your arrival in Sharm, our rep will meet you to escort you by private air conditioned car to your hotel and assist you with check-in. Overnight in Sharm |
Day 8: |
Breakfast at hotel , enjoy sun , sea & free time at leisure . Overnight in Sharm |
Day 9: |
Breakfast at hotel , enjoy sun , sea & free time at leisure . Overnight in Sharm |
Day 10: |
After breakfast at your hotel, check out. Then our Rep will meet you to accompany you by private AC car to Sharm el Sheikh Airport to fly to Cairo. Upon your arrival at the Cairo Domestic Airport you will be met and assisted by our representative, who will be holding a sign with your name on it. then drive you by private air-conditioned car to your hotel where he or she will assist you with check-in. Overnight in Cairo |
Day 11: |
After breakfast at your hotel, check out and our Rep will meet you to accompany you by private air-conditioned car to Cairo International Airport, where you will be assisted with luggage portage and through Passport Control formalities for Final Departure. (Please Advise us of your Exact International Flight Details: Air-carrier Name, Flight Number and Departure Time). |
The Program Includes: |
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The Program Excludes: |
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