-Day 1 Start tour
Tour must depart North America on Sundays or Tuesdays
Day 2 As-salamu alaykum Cairo
Meet your tour director and check into hotel
Day 3 Sphinx & pyramids
Details: Giza Plateau excursion
Gazing serenely over the surrounding desert, the mysterious Sphinx has become one of the most recognizable symbols of ancient Egypt. The other? The pyramids. See them all as you explore the pyramids of Giza, the oldest of which dates from about 2500 BC. The pyramids were built both as funeral chambers for the pharaohs and as symbols of their empires' greatness, and they are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
Details: The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx visit
The Sphinx, designed as a lion's body with a man's head, was carved out of the soft limestone that remained after the blocks for the pyramids were quarried. The image used to have a beard -- Napoleon's troops used the Sphinx for target practice, knocking it off.
Details: Memphis visit
The original capital of the unified Upper and Lower Egypt, Memphis has mostly sunk beneath time; it was built primarily of mud bricks that have disintegrated over the centuries. An impressive limestone colossus remains, however, along with a giant alabaster sphinx and embalming slabs. The slabs were used to prepare sacred bulls, thought to be incarnations of the god Ptah, for mummification and burial.
Details: Sakkara site visit & view Step Pyramid of Djoser
Sakkara was the royal burial site when the kingdom's capital was in nearby Memphis and then later became the resting place for sacred animals, making it the largest archaeological site in Egypt. The most impressive structure is Djoser's pyramid. Originally rising over 200 feet above the ground, the pyramid was the largest structure ever built in stone and started the tradition of pyramid mausoleums in ancient Egypt. An immense funerary complex surrounds the pyramid. Friezes of animals, decorative thrones and pillars, false doors that allowed the dead souls to enter and depart, and various statues dot the complex.
Day 4 Cairo--Aswan (Egyptian Nile cruise)
Fly to Aswan
Optional
Abu Simbel excursion
$170
Board ship for 3-day Nile cruise
Cruise overnight
Details: Aswan guided sightseeing tour
See the Unfinished Obelisk, still connected to the stone quarry it was made from, which would have been the largest Obelisk ever constructed had it been completed. Visit the impressive Philae Temple, perched on an island in the Nile River, which was the seat of Christian Religion as well as Egyptian faith in the early part of the century. Then see an example of modern Egyptian architecture when you visit the High Dam which was constructed to control the annual flooding of the Nile River that kept the region fertile for thousands of years.
Details: Felucca sailboat trip
Get a spectacular view of the pink granite and sandstone Aga Khan Mausoleum and the luxurious desert oasis that is Elnabatat's Island from the deck of your cruise ship as it slices through the waters of the River Nile.
Day 5 Nile cruise: Aswan--Edfu
Philae Temple visit
Cruise to Kom Ombo
Cruise to Edfu
Details: Traditional Nubian village visit
Visit a Nubian village where you will visit a Nubian house to learn about Nubian culture. Local artists will teach you the techniques of local handicrafts. Enjoy some free time with villagers to explore the area.
Details: Temple of Kom Ombo visit
Kom Ombro has a strong zoological pull -- Ptolemy VI used to train his military elephants here, and the area attracted many ancient crocodiles (some of whom are mummified in a nearby chapel). The Temple of Sobek and Haroeris is the main draw, however. Standing along the Nile, the temple rises imposingly over the water, and seems to be split in two. The right side is dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek and his family, the left to aspects of Haroeris.
Day 6 Nile cruise: Edfu--Luxor
Cruise to Luxor
Details: Temple of Edfu visit
Construction of the enormous sacred complex lasted through the reign of six emperors (one of whom, Ptolemy VII, was affectionately known as "Fatty"!). Its chapels, sanctuaries, and hallways are all inscribed with episodes from the life of Horus. The creator god, Horus is often depicted as a falcon who flew up into the beginning of time. The sun and the moon were called his eyes, which meant that on the night of the new moon, when neither the sun nor the moon is present, he was blind. In one story, the new moon occurred while Horus was in the midst of battle, and his blindness caused him to behead all the gods fighting on his side.
Day 7 Luxor landmarks
Arrive in Luxor
Details: West Bank of Luxor guided sightseeing tour
Luxor brings starry-eyed travelers, big-throated bazaar merchants, and scurrying urchins together in a cacophonous, energizing mix. The grand Temple of Ramses III once held boats used in sacred processions. In the Deir El Medina, the village where the construction workers for the enormous nearby temples lived, you can find ancient graffiti diary entries recording labor strikes, personal grudges, and romantic gossip.
Details: Valley of the Kings visit
Seeing earlier tombs robbed and violated, Egypt's kings began hiding their burial monuments in valleys surrounded by high hills. From about 1500 BC, dozens of tombs were sunk into this landscape.
Details: Colossi of Memnon
Rising 60 feet over the desert, the Colossi of Memnon once guarded a now-destroyed temple complex. (And you can guess how enormous the temple must have been if these statues were merely the entryway!) An earthquake in 27 BC left one of the colossi with a crack that whistled in the wind, making it a popular destination for ancient Roman tourists, including the emperor Hadrian.
Day 8 Luxor--Cairo
Fly to Cairo
Details: East Bank of Luxor guided sightseeing tour
Find serenity at the picturesque Luxor Temple or the overwhelming temple at Karnak, whose main hall could hold both Rome's St. Peter's and London's St. Paul's--the two largest churches in the world!
Day 9 Cairo landmarks
Details: Cairo guided sightseeing tour
The largest city in Africa and the Middle East since 1258, Cairo overwhelms your senses to draw you fully into Egypt's frenetic capital. Its population of 18 million crowds its streets and bazaars, and its thick layer of monuments crowds every available nook and cranny. The Citadel is the most dramatic, with a forest of minarets piercing the sky. In 1811, the pasha Mohammed Ali, modernizer of modern Egypt, invited 470 of Egypt's former aristocrats to the Citadel, provided a feast for them, and then had them slaughtered to solidify his power. He died insane in 1849, and was buried in the mosque that bears his name within the Citadel. Go even further back in time at the Egyptian Museum, where more ancient mummies and monuments than you could see in a lifetime watch over quiet rooms.
Details: Egyptian Museum visit
Go back in time at the Egyptian Museum, where more ancient mummies and monuments than you could see in a lifetime watch over quiet rooms.
Day 10 Start extension to Alexandria
Travel to Alexandria
Details: Alexandria city walk
Beautiful Alexandria was once the decadent destination of choice for Europe's literary masters, including E.M. Forster. Epitomized by the myth of Cleopatra, who ruled from Alexandria, the city drips charm and sophistication. See the highlights with your Tour Director.
Day 11 Alexandria landmarks
Montaza Palace gardens visit
Roman amphitheater
Citadel of Qaitbay visit
Details: Alexandria guided sightseeing tour
Abutting the ancient tombs of Greeks who adopted Egyptian funeral customs, the gardens at the Ras El Tin palace stretch luxuriously to the Western Harbour. Mohammed Ali had this palace built so that he could watch ships while reclining in the audience hall. A nearby Roman amphitheater demonstrates the trade of ideas and goods between Egypt and Rome; offshore, archaeologists have found the remains of dozens of Greek and Roman trading ships.
Tour Includes:
- Round-trip airfare
- 5 overnight stays (8 with extension) in hotels with private bathrooms
- 3 overnight stays in cabins on cruise ship
- Breakfast daily
- Lunch included on cruise ship
- Dinner daily
- Full-time services of a professional tour director
- Internal flights
- Guided sightseeing and city walks as per itinerary
- Visit to select attractions as per itinerary
- Tour Diary™
- Local Guide and Local Bus Driver tips; see note regarding other important tips
- Note: On arrival day only dinner is provided; on departure day, only breakfast is provided
- Note: Tour cost does not include airline-imposed baggage fees, or fees for any required passport or visa. Optional excursions, optional pre-paid Tour Director and multi-day bus driver tipping, among other individual and group customizations will be listed as separate line items in the total trip cost, if included.
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