Egypt in a Week (Luxor)

Luxor Edition
Thursday Arrival

Temple of Amon Ra, Karnak.
By Francesco Gasparetti, Senigallia, Italy [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

DAY 1 – CAIRO Tour Starts: Thursday- Weekly Year Round
On arrival, our local representative will greet you at the airport and whisk you to your hotel. Visa may be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport.

VIP Meet & Greet Upon arrival at Cairo Airport?
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.

DAY 2 – CAIRO- Friday (BL)
Breakfast. Lunch. On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including the “Mummies Room” and King Tut’s gold treasure room, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Cheops Royal Barge Museum. Lunch is included at a local restaurant. This is a very full day, you may choose the 9 or the 10 day edition.

DAY 3 – LUXOR! Board your Nile Cruise (BLD) – Saturday
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. We fly to LUXOR (or Aswan), in Luxor we proceed to cross the Nile to the West Bank. We tour today as the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon’s tomb and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut. We stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin. The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the afternoon. We’ll return in time for the afternoon tea served on deck. You’ll have a chance to explore your ship before dinner. Evening Karnak Sound and Light show, please bring a jacket and a flash light.

DAY 4 – LUXOR, EDFU- On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD) Sunday
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. We sail to Esna to go through the locks, and on to Edfu where we dock for the night. In the evening, we’ll celebrate in Egyptian style, dressed in galabias, the flowing national costume. A galabya will be delivered to your cabin with our compliments.

DAY 5 – EDFU, KOM OMBO- On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD) Monday
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt’s best-preserved temple. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we enjoy lunch as we sail further south upriver. We disembark downstream at Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples of Haroeris, the sun god, and Sobek, the crocodile god, then continue our voyage to Aswan, while we party after dinner with music and dance.

DAY 6 – ASWAN – On board Your Nile Cruise (BLD) Tuesday
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. First we tour Aswan dams, then next to an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the Island temple of Philae, dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS: “I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever seen me unveiled.”

Called Aset by the ancient Egyptians, the goddess was a Madonna in the Mediterranean tradition that stretches far, far back to the primitive Mother Goddess from Anatolia, home to some of the oldest human communities on earth.

Isis was the powerful and quick-witted protector of her son Horus, the Sun God. Ancient peoples throughout the Mediterranean regarded Isis and Horus as the perfect Madonna and Child. Another legend says she was also the mother of the fertility god Min who, judging from the depiction of him on temple walls, needed no help from Viagra! In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile.

DAY 7 – ASWAN, CAIRO (B) Wednesday
Breakfast. Board our return flight to Cairo, and your hotel. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

DAY 8 – CAIRO- Departure (B) Thursday
Breakfast. Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.

Consider visiting Nefertiti and Akhnaton’s capital in Tel Al-Amarna: Nefertiti Turns Egypt Upside Down!! The first bloodless religious revolution against the established church in Ancient Egypt And the seat of power that rested with the priests in Karnak. Nefertiti conducts the religious ceremony at the temple wearing only a see-through cloak!

• Private touring on board the cruise: Please add $ 250 per person for the full cruise/shore excursions.
• For Dec 15 – Jan 3, Easter, please add % 15 supplement to any of the listed rates.

Rates include:

• All domestic airfares within Egypt, in economy class, tax included.
• All transfers in Egypt, always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
• Nile Cruise with all meals and shore excursions.
• Bottled water (one per person) delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the cruise.
• Tea or coffee /bottled water with each meal while on board the cruise.
• Hotel accommodation with tax & service charges.
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin on the Nile cruise.
• Complimentary galabya on board the cruise for the costume party.
• Preset menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner.
• All guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees. On board the cruise you’ll be part of an average 10-15 English speaking group.
• VIP Meet & Greet Service Upon Arrival At Cairo Airport
  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.

Not included:

• Air fare from / to your home country.
• Travel Insurance.
• Tips

Cairo: Le Riad in the heart of El Moezz street in Cairo
In the heart of islamic medieval Cairo, a place acknowledged worldwide as the patrimony of humanity, Le Riad is the only one Hôtel de Charme 5 minutes walking distance from the famous souk of Khan El Khalili. Only 17 very private suites facing El Darb El Asfar and its exceptional ottoman houses. On the roof garden you will discover the 1000 minarets of Cairo and enjoy a panoramic view: the Fatimid walls, the Moquattam’s hills, the citadel of Mohamed Ali. And at your feet: mosques, sabils, madrasas, khanqas, khans mainly from mamluk time. The Riad will introduce you in an oriental dream with its typical old egyptian architecture, domes, arches, moucharabiehs, warm colors and its refined decoration mixing antiques with an amazing collection of drawings, paintings and silver jewellery. A 30 minutes drive from Cairo International Airport, the Riad is easily reachable by car.

Anakto Nubian House – Aswan:
Nesting on a ridge, AnaKato possesses an extraordinary view of the Nile all the way from Aswan to the Aswan Reservoir. A placid, tranquil environment, and the generous hospitality of the natives is so calming, its hard to imagine how one could return to the bustle of civilization.

Built as a traditional Nubian house, its unique and bright colours impose the feeling of peaceful happiness. Knowing that whomever has come to AnaKato, searching for inner peace, has reached their purpose, we welcome you into our haven, far away from any soul pollution.

The rooms are simply but tastefully furnished in the local style. With only 5 rooms the house is quaint yet cozy and familiar. Also on location is a mini-mart. The staff is friendly, love their job, and will be happy to help with any of your questions.

The legendary Tree that grows beneath the house shades a spectacular terrace, at the very edge of the cool Nile waters. We also provide a morning coffee shop and a bazaar that sells hand-made goods. Anything you will buy will help the people of the village, so you will be contributing to the community. You can relax on the little strip of sandy beach and cool off with a refreshing dip in the Nile.

There is also traditional Nubian music, dancing. And if you are in luck, and there is a wedding in the village, you may surely want to join the party, an event not to be missed! Camel rides are also available to take you to the unique, red sandy “Barbar beach.” Or if you prefer to go out into the desert for a safari we cater for that too. Also available on demand are henna tattooing and medicinal sand-burying.