In Search of Ancient Lands

A Grand 11 Days in Egypt with an 8 day Nile Cruise
Including Abu Simbel Mighty Temples

Abu Simbel Temple
By Than217 at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

How would you like to cruise the Nile the way the Pharaoh and Cleopatra did? These graceful boats will allow you to cruise the great river in a stately Pharaonic style. Our 11-day vacation in Egypt visits Cairo, all of Upper Egypt’s top sights, and gives you the chance to see the timeless Nile as adventurers have seen it throughout the ages. See the Pyramids, the Sphinx, and the timeless temples along the Nile in Luxury fit for a Pharaoh.

DAY 1 – CAIRO: Arrive weekly (year round) on a Thursday or Saturday
For the Ultra Deluxe Oberoi Zahra Nile Cruiser, please arrive on a Sunday.
Upon arrival, our local rep. will escort you to your comfortable hotel. Visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport.

VIP Arrival Hall At Cairo Airport, no photos required.
Visa issued locally in Cairo (for a limited number of nationalities) no photos required. Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports and then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments.

Sample Deluxe Hotels: Ramses Hilton, Cairo Sheraton, Sonesta, Cairo Marriott, Cairo Conrad, Semiramis InterContinental Hotel or similar.

DAY 2 – CAIRO – GIZA – Friday or Sunday (BL)
Today we see Cairo’s major sights: the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummies Room. Lunch at Naguib Mahfouz local restaurant. In the afternoon we see Giza’s major sights: Giza Pyramids, and the mighty Sphinx.

DAY 3 – LUXOR (or Aswan) – Saturday or Monday (BLD)
Please note that the cruise program will vary based on the cruise. Will confirm based on the cruise category you choose. Morning flight to Luxor, we’ll escort you to your Nile cruises. Check- in is at noon, if/when the domestic flight confirmation dictates an early morning arrival, your cabin may not be ready before noon, yet all the public facilities on board are at your disposal. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin.

Today tours include: Ancient Workers Village at Deir El Medineh, the first known “Workers Village” these were the true creative heroes who built the temples & tombs for the mighty Pharaohs of the Nile Kingdom.

Deir El Medinah is on Luxor’s west bank you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers’ settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we’ll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers’ paradise, we’ll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs. Evening Sound & Light show at Karnak Temple.

DAY 4 – VALLEY OF THE KINGS- Esna Temple is Included – Sunday or Tuesday (BLD)
Today we tour the Valley of the Kings, including King Tut’s tomb, Valley of the Queens, Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. After a shipboard lunch, we cruise to Esna and its great temple dedicated to Khnum, the creator-god, private guide. Onward to Edfu where we dock for the night.

DAY 5 – EDFU – ASWAN – On Board Your Nile Cruise – Monday or Wednesday (BLD)
In Edfu, we board horse-drawn carriages for the ride to the Temple of Horus. The best preserved temple in Egypt. Returning to our ship, we set sail for Aswan. A complimentary Galabya will be provided that you may wish to try on for the evening when there’s a jolly galabia party aboard.

Video by denniscallan

DAY 6 -ASWAN – Abu Simbel Temples – CAMEL CARAVAN – Nile Cruise – Tuesday or Thursday (BLD)
Morning flight to Abu Simbel. Air fare is included in economy class, tax included. All transfers are on a private basis. In Abu Simbel: your private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur and private guide will be waiting for you at the airport.

The larger temple is dedicated to Ramses the Great, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters. The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temple, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which we fly back to Aswan Airport and on to tour of Aswan Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, and Philae Temple, dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS. We head back for our lunch aboard. In the afternoon we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands of the Nile, be our guest if you wish on a complimentary short camel caravan to a near by Nubian Village for tea with the locals. Return to the ship in time for your afternoon tea.

DAY 7 – KOM OMBO – On Board Your Nile Cruise – Wednesday or Friday (BLD)
Morning at leisure or join us for an optional tour to Abu Simbel by plane. In the afternoon we sail for Kom Ombo where we dock for the night.

DAY 8- KOM OMBO – On Board Your Nile Cruise -Thursday or Saturday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris, the Sun God, and Sobek, the Crocodile God, at Kom Ombo and then returning to our ship in time for tea. We set sail for Luxor.

DAY 9- LUXOR- On Board Your Nile Cruise – Friday or Sunday (BLD)
After breakfast, we see the most recent discoveries housed in the small, yet charming Luxor Museum. Return to our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch.

DAY 10- LUXOR / CAIRO – Saturday or Monday (BD)
After breakfast, we check out, board our flight back to Cairo and transfer to your hotel. As usual, all domestic air fare within Egypt is always included – all airport transfers are always on a private basis. Dinner is included at La Bodega or Abu El Sid Restaurant or similar.

DAY 11 – Departure – Sunday or Tuesday (B)
Our local representative escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage!

• Dec 20 – Jan 5 and Easter Week: Please add 15% holiday supplement. (This supplement includes the New Year’s Gala, no credit/refund if you do not attend)
• Children discount: 25 % discount on the double rate. Child must be 10 years or younger at the time of travel. Children discount applies when sharing with 2 adults. No children discount applies for Category III.

Deluxe Nile Cruise:

• M/S Queen of Hansa
• M/S Nile Vision
• M/S Adonis
• M/S Mojito
• M/S Monaco
• M/S Monte Carlo

Deluxe Hotels:

• Meridien Pyramids Hotel
• Ramses Hilton
• Cairo Sheraton
• Cairo Sonesta Hotel, or similar

Sample Deluxe Hotels:

• Grand Hyatt
• Cairo Marriott Palace Hotel
• Cairo Conrad, or similar

Sample of the Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise:

• The Ultra deluxe M/S Tuya, M/S TiYi.
• The all suites M/S Amarco.
• The Movenpick: M/S Royal Lily, Movenpick M/S Royal Lotus.
• All state rooms with private balconies: the Sonesta Moon Goddess.

Sample Ultra Deluxe Hotels:

• Four Seasons Nile Plaza (Nile view Room)
• or Four Seasons First Residence (Superior Room)
• or the Mena House (mix and match if you wish)

Sample of the The Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise:

• Oberoi Zahra Deluxe Nile Cruiser.
• Sonesta Star Goddess (Beethoven Suite)
• Private guide / egyptologist in Cairo

Oberoi Zahra Deluxe Nile Cruiser

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES:

• Egyptian domestic airfares as described in the itinerary in ” Y ” class.
  Yet free upgrade to business class for Category II & Category III.
• All airport transfers and taxes in Egypt.
• Hotel accommodations in the category you select, including taxes.
• Pre set-menu (table d’hôte) meals as indicated in the itinerary above.
• Nile cruise based on your category selection, with all shore excursions and meals.
• Complimentary welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
• Large bottle of water (per person) delivered to you cabin daily while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
• Tea or coffee and bottled water with each / every meal while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
• Guided sightseeing by air-conditioned motorcoach, including all admissions fees.
• VIP Arrival Hall At Cairo Airport
  Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Our local rep. will meet you with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports and then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you by private vehicle to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments.

Not included:

• Insurance
• International air fare from / to your home country
• Tips
• For a private guide, private air-conditioned vehicle for the cruise shore excursions and a private chauffeur, please add $ 250 per person.

The Oberoi Zahra is the only luxury cruiser on the Nile with four therapy rooms. Each therapy room features a private shower and steam room. Uninterrupted views of the Nile, rejuvenating treatments and the finest natural products create the perfect experience. Rates do not include spa treatments.

Your Honeymoon on board the Oberoi Zahra Luxurious Nile Cruiser