Egypt

Day 1 ~ Arrive Cairo International Airport

Upon your arrival at Cairo International Airport, our company representative and a driver will meet you at the airport, regardless of what time your plane lands. They will assist you with your luggage and drive you to your 5-Star hotel.

After you have checked in, your tour guide and company representative will discuss with you the itinerary and answer any questions you might have. Your tour guide will also confirm pick up times for your various tours of Egypt, and then leave you to relax and enjoy the rest of the day on your own.

Meals included: According to arrival time

Day 2 ~ Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, papyrus and perfume shops

With our guide, we will drive 15-20 minutes to Giza to visit the Great Pyramids of Mycerinus. Then, on to visit Chefren and Cheops, the Great Sphinx and see the Pharaonic sailing boat by the Pyramid of Cheops. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Great Pyramids of Cheops, Chefren and Mykerinus were built to house the mummified bodies of the Kings during frenetic periods of construction, from roughly 2550 to 2490 B.C.

Meals included:  Breakfast + lunch, and a special evening dinner with a local family

Day 3 ~ Cairo Sightseeing and Aswan

It is hoped that we will be able to visit to the newly renovated Grand Egyptian Museum which is expected to be one of the largest museums in the world when completed. An opening date has not been undetermined as of yet, but rest assured that if possible, we will visit this dazzling museum. Look for further information from us regarding its status.

Later, we will drive to the Saladin Citadel, site of the famed Alabaster Mosque (Mohamed Ali Basha), followed by a visit to Coptic Cairo: the Hanging Church, Mary Girgis Church, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue.

Afternoon transfer to take our VIP sleeping coach train to Aswan.

Meals included:  Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 4 ~ Nile Cruise from Aswan

Upon arrival at Aswan train station we will drive to Aswan’s High Dam, the Philae Temple and the Unfinished Obelisk (the largest ancient Egyptian obelisk). Later, we will board the elegant 5-Star Nile Cruise, a small ship which will transport us on a wonderful 4-day cruise from Aswan to Luxor.

The Temples of Philae, 12 kilometers south of Aswan, was an ancient pilgrimage center for the cult of Isis. This sacred site was venerated from the Pharaonic era up to the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods. When the Aswan Dam was built, the entire complex of temples was moved block by block by UNESCO’s rescue project. Today this great monument of the Pharaohs sits on a beautiful green island in the middle of the Nile.

The enormous Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan, still lying in its bed of granite, reveals the building techniques of these monolithic monuments. It would have measured about 137 feet (42 meters) if completed and is estimated to weigh around 1,200 tons. How on God’s Desert Earth were the engineers planning to raise it? We will learn more when we visit this amazing open-air museum.

Then let us step aboard our beautiful boat and relax while floating down the romantic Nile.

Meals included:  Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 5 ~ Nile Cruise: Kom Ombo and Edfu

Breakfast and lunch on board our boat, with a visit in between to Kom Ombo and the Temple of Sobek. A further sail to Edfu to visit the Temple of Horus, the best preserved of its kind. Dinner on board, and a sound sleep while we cruise down the Nile to Luxor.

Built during the Greek-Roman era, the Temple of Kom Ombo is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. It sits on a high dune overlooking the Nile, and, with its Inner and Outer courtyards, texts, and carved reliefs, it is yet another fascinating example of Egyptian architecture.

The Edfu Temple, is dedicated to the falcon-headed God, Horus. This relatively young Pharaonic temple is one of the most intact temples in Egypt. Upon entering its library, sanctuary and numerous other chambers, we can admire its magnificent construction. We will note how the architects used daylight to illuminate the walls of these interior chambers whose inscriptions can be read as an encyclopedia on ancient Egyptian thought.

Meals included:  Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 6 ~ Nile Cruise: Luxor and Karnak Temples

Luxor and the East Bank of Luxor and Karnak temples. All meals and an overnight in a relaxed setting aboard the 5-Star Nile Cruise.

Originally called ‘Thebes’ in ancient Egypt, Luxor is often referred to as the world’s greatest open air museum. And with reason: their grandeur astounds. The ruins of the early Temples of Karnak and Luxor stand within the modern Luxor City on the East Bank. People crisscross daily in Felucca boats and ferries between the ancient monuments of the Left and West Bank. The people of today weave their every day lives among Thebes’ incredible collection of astounding temples and monuments of yesterday. This is an extraordinary place, one of Egypt’s most important and best-loved ancient sites.

Meals included:  Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 7 ~ Nile Cruise: Luxor: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut temple

We will complete our visit along the Nile in Luxor, visiting the second part the West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, where 62 Egyptian Pharaohs are buried; the mortuary Temple of Egypt’s first female Pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut, built in the 15th century BC; and the Colossi of Memnon. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant before boarding a VIP sleeping coach train for an overnight trip back to Cairo. Dinner aboard train.

This, the most notable gravesite in the world, was the burial place of Egyptian Pharaohs for 500 years. To date 63 tombs have been discovered and archeological authorities continue the search. We will learn how the ancient workers with their simple tools cut and painted these magnificent tombs. Many still display colorful paintings in surprisingly good condition.

Meals included:  Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 8 ~ Nile Cruise: Saqqara and Memphis

From the Cairo rail station we will board a van and travel to Saqqara to see the Djoser Pyramid, the first built in Egypt. We will travel on to the capital of the Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt, Memphis, and visit its renowned Necropolis (Dahshur). If we have time we will visit leather, cotton and carpet shops before returning to our hotel in Cairo.

Saqqara was the burial ground for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest complete stone building complex known in history. We will also see the Bent and Red Pyramids, both constructed during the reign of Pharaoh Sneferu. At Memphis we shall see the limestone colossus of King Ramses II which is approximately 34’ long, and a giant alabaster Sphinx which once stood outside the Temple of the God Ptah.

“December 2018: Archaeologists in Egypt have made an exciting tomb discovery – the final resting place of a high priest, untouched for 4,400 years.” – BBC News

At this time it is unclear whether or not this incredible new Saqqara Tomb discovery will be open to the public, but of course if it is, we will not miss this extraordinary site.

Meals included:  Breakfast + lunch, and a special evening dinner with a local family.

Day 9 ~ Alexandria

Taking only an overnight bag with us, we will leave our Cairo hotel early and drive in a van to Alexandria, a 3-4 hour drive. We will visit its Citadel of Qaitbey, the Montazah Garden, and the Palace of Mohamed Ali Pasha. Overnight at one of Alexandria’s best hotels.

Alexandria, Egypt. Even the name of this once most powerful city of the ancient Mediterranean sounds romantic. Founded in 332 BC by Alexander the Great, this great Hellenistic city was best known for its Lighthouse (Pharos) which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; its Great Library, and its Necropolis. Sitting near the mouth of the Nile River, Alexandria was a center of Hellenic scholarship and science and was the capital of Egypt until its surrender to the Arab forces 642 C.

Meals included: Breakfast + lunch

Day 10 ~ Alexandria and Cairo: Alexandria’s Great Library and its Museums

The ancient library is no longer, but is replaced today by a spectacularly designed cultural center hosting several museums, as well as one of the modern world’s most ambitious libraries. In the morning, we’ll explore the vast library interior: its beautifully curated exhibitions, the Manuscript Museum with its magnificent collection of ancient texts and scrolls, and the Antiquities Museum with its Graeco-Roman antiquities and statuary found during underwater exploration of the harbor. Later in the day we’ll return to Cairo for an overnight at our original Cairo hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast + lunch

Day 11 ~ Departure

You will be met by our representative and taken to the airport. He will assist you with luggage and take you to the airport.

If your flight is in the afternoon we can arrange an optional day tour to Pharaohs village and the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. You can combine history and shopping at this bustling market which has been operating since the 14th century. Lunch would be served in a local restaurant.

Meals included:  Breakfast