EGYPT LAND OF THE PHARAOHS

Arrive in the Land of the Pharaohs. At Cairo International Airport you will be welcomed and assisted through immigration, visa purchase and customs by your tour director, then escorted to your hotel. (Check in at 03:00 P.M.) Evening is free at your leisure.

After breakfast you will head to Sakkara where you will see the famous Step Pyramid. Visit a Carpet manufacturing school, a handmade tradition that began during the reign of King Farouk. The craft of weaving preserves its old form which classifies it as an Egyptian antiquity. After Lunch, start your day with exploring the Citadel of Saladin, a medieval fortification, including the marvelous Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque. Then, drive to Old Cairo to visit Al Moallaka Church (Hanging Church) and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Overnight in Cairo. (B,L)

Have your breakfast OR grab your breakfast box (in case of early flight) and transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, you will be escorted to your Nile cruise ship. Savor lunch on board before heading out with your guide to visit the impressive Karnak Temple and the Luxor Temple. The Temple of Karnak, located on the East bank of the Nile, was built by several great kings of Egypt including King Ramses II, King Tutmosis III, and Queen Hatshepsut. It was dedicated to the triad of Thebes: God Amun Ra, goddess Mut, and God Khonsu. Luxor Temple was dedicated to the god Amun and contains structures from many periods, the earliest dating back to the 12th Dynasty. Back on board, enjoy dinner. Overnight in Luxor. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, you will visit the West Bank, including the Valley of the Kings. The ancient Egyptians built massive public monuments for their pharaohs. They also spent time creating concealed underground tombs full of treasures. The most famed collection of such intricate tombs, the Valley of the Kings, became a royal burial ground for pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramses II, as well as queens, high priests, and other elites of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties. Later see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. Prior to leaving the Valley of the Kings, you visit an Alabaster workshop (Cultural Discovery Series) to see how vases and statues are made in the traditional ancient styles. Lunch on board, in the evening, welcome cocktail party followed by dinner on board. Sailing to Edfu passing through the Esna Lock. Overnight in Edfu. (B,L,D)

After breakfast once again, in today’s adventure you will visit Edfu Temple dedicated to Horus, the Falcon God. Totally submerged under the desert except for the very top of the pylon entrance, it is ancient Egypt’s most complete and best-preserved temple. A small amount of stone had been removed from the exposed part, but when excavated it was found to be in near perfect condition. Enjoy lunch on board and in the afternoon, you will visit Kom Ombo with its magnificent temple overlooking the river Nile. This Ptolemaic Temple is the only double temple in Egypt shared by two gods, the crocodile-headed God Sobek, and the falcon-headed God Horus. The temple has two entrances, two courts, two colonnades, two Hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries, one side for each god. This evening, enjoy a Galabeya Party after dinner. You are encouraged to shop and wear “The Galabeya”, traditional Egyptian garments native to the Nile Valley. Overnight in Aswan. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, you will visit Aswan’s High Dam, an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960’s. The dam was completed in 1971 and the huge reservoir behind it, named for President Nasser, was finished filling in 1979. The High Dam provided about half of the electricity production in Egypt, bringing power to most of Egypt’s villages for the first time. By regulating the flow of the river, the dam also increased the cultivatable land in Egypt by around 30 percent and allowed development in new areas that were previously inundated annually when the river flooded. Later you will visit workers at an oils and perfume factory to learn about this ancient industry. Your day will continue with visiting the Temple of Philae. Philae in Greek or Pilak in ancient Egyptian, means ‘the end,’ and defined the southernmost limit of Egypt. Return to your Nile cruise for lunch. After lunch, you sail onboard a “Felucca”, a typical Nile sailboat, and view Kitchener’s Island Botanical Garden and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. In the evening enjoy a Nubian Folkloric Show on board. Overnight in Aswan. (B,L,D)

Check-out and breakfast on board. According to your flight time back to Cairo, enjoy an “Optional Tour” to visit a Nubian village on Sohail Island. Here you will visit a traditional Nubian house to learn about the history and culture of the Nubian people over a glass of welcome tea. After your time at the house, take a walk to explore the island on your own, stroll through the village, and chat with the locals. Transfer to Aswan airport. Upon arrival in Cairo, transfer to your hotel and check-in. This evening is your own to relax by the pool. (B)

After breakfast, visit the Great Pyramid of Giza, the defining symbol of Egypt and the last of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, and the mysterious Sphinx a mythological creature with a lion’s body and a human head, an important image in Egyptian and Greek art and legend. Next, visit the Papyrus Institute and learn about papyrus making as an important part of Egypt’s history (Cultural Discovery Series).Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and continue your visit to The Grand Egyptian Museum. The Museum hosts over 100,000 artifacts from ancient Egyptian civilization, including the complete Tutankhamun collection, and many pieces will be on display for the first time. With 81,000 m2 (872,000 sq ft) of floor space, it is the world’s largest archeological museum. (B,L)

Transfer to the airport for your return flight home or extend your stay to Alexandria. (B)