Egypt in a Week

Boarding Aswan – Foray Into Nubia: Abu Simbel

Here’s the best of Egypt in a week: a good look at Cairo and a 5-day cruise along the Nile, locally escorted. Choose your own date – Tour starts DAILY in Cairo – Year Round. Click here to add a tour of Queen Nefertiti’s Capital: El Minya & Tel Al-Amarna.

DAY 1 – CAIRO Tour Starts DAILY in Cairo – Arrive any day of the week
Our local representative will greet you at the airport and whisk you to your hotel. Visa fee is included and will 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 (BL)
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, the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster. Lunch is included at the Mena House.

DAY 3 – ASWAN, ABU SIMBEL – Ramses the Great – Master Builder of All Times. Camel Caravan! (BLD)
We fly to Aswan (or Luxor) and connect to Abu Simbel, where your private guide, private air-conditioned vehicle and private chauffeur will be waiting for you.

Ramses the Great’s huge desert temple at Abu Simbel marked the southern border of the pharaoh’s dominions. Rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser by an international effort, it is a marvel of sacred engineering. Twice a year, and only then the sun penetrates to the Holy of Holies, illuminating the stone figures of Ramses and Nefertari. Group tour exploring the two huge temple, admire their ancient aura and artistry.

Fly back to Aswan and board our Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin. In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. Only for those who are interested: a short camel caravan to visit a local Nubian Village. Private touring in Abu Simbel, Aswan and even for your cruise shore excursions.

DAY 4 – ASWAN – KOM OMBO – On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
First we tour new Nubian Museum then the awesome Aswan dams, and next 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: 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!

Because of her wisdom and skill at protection, she was admired as a good magician capable of healing the sick and protecting the dead in their journey to the Underworld.

Isis is portrayed regally, as a queen seated on a throne (which may be the meaning of her name), often holding her son Horus as a baby. Other images show her with broad, magnificent gilded wings able to protect the world. Isis, the great Mother Goddess. Come explore her mystery in timeless Egypt when you Travel in Style!
Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples. Private touring for your cruise shore excursions.

DAY 5 – EDFU – on Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
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. Evening finds us in Luxor. In the evening your guide will call on your for a horse drawn carriage ride throughout Luxor souks and water front. Private Egyptologist for all the Nile cruise shore excursions.

DAY 6 – LUXOR – On Board Your Nile Cruise (BLD)
We tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings, including Tutankaomn’s tomb, and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise.

Afterward, we’ll continue on Luxor’s west bank to 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 and Light Karnak Show, please bring a jacket and a flash light.

DAY 7 – LUXOR – CAIRO – Home Hosted Family Dinner (B)
The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the morning, followed by a return flight to Cairo. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals. You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (T shirt, small souvenirs of your home town). This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo! You’ll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you’ll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they’re sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you’ll enjoy a lively evening and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

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

• For Dec 15 – Jan 3 and Easter, please add 10% supplement to any of the listed rates.

Rates includes:

• All domestic airfares with tax and transfers within Egypt.
• Hotel accommodation with tax & service charges.
• A complimentary home hosted family dinner in Cairo.
• 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.
• Nile Cruise with all meals, one large bottle water (per person) daily while on board the cruise & a welcome fruit basket
• All the shore excursions while on board the Nile Cruise and a complimentary welcome drink.
• 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:

• International airfares to or from Cairo
• Tips
• Travel Insurance

Deluxe – A
Cairo Hotels: Conrad / Hyatt / Cairo Marriott or similar.
Nile Cruise: M/S Monaco, M/S Mojito, M/S Queen of Hansa or similar

Deluxe – B
Cairo Hotels: Hilton, Sheraton or similar
Nile Cruise: M/S Lady Diana, M/S Florence, MS Princess Sara, or similar

First Class
Cairo Hotels: Oases or similar
Nile Cruise: M/S Nile Dream, M/S Ruby, or similar