In Search of Egypt's Ancient Lands

A grand 16 Day Tour of Egypt : Abu Simbel, Cairo , Giza ,
Alexandria, the Lair of Rameses :
Tanis, modern San El Hagar--famed in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark as the resting place of the
Ark of the Covenant the Suez Canal and of cours an 8 day Nile Cruise

See the Pyramids,the Sphinx, Alexandria , the timeless temples along the Nile in Luxury fit for a Pharaoh. Tour starts weekly in Cairo year round. 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 Egyptian adventure" cruise visits Cairo, all of Upper Egypt's top sights, and gives you the chance to see the Ancient city of Alexander the Great , the timeless Nile as adventurers have seen it throughout the ages , come and tour Bubastis, capital of the 22nd and 23rd dynasties. Here, the cat was more than a king, it was honored as a goddess .

DAY 1 - CAIRO : Start weekly , year round on : Thursday and Tuesday
Upon arrival, our local rep. will escort you to your comfortable hotel.
All transfers in Egypt are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur .
Visa may be secured upon arrival , please pay the $ 15 fee in cash at Cairo Airport , please pay in USD or Euro , this is available for a limited number of nationalities such as American , Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU , Singaporean, and Japanese Citizens , if in doubt about your eligibility , please contact the Egyptian Consulate nearest you . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you to your comfortable hotel. Hyatt , Hilton , Sheraton, or similar .

DAY 2 - CAIRO : Friday and Wednesday (B)
Cairo on your own. Full day at leisure. Breakfast is included at the hotel.

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 l! 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, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences. In the evening we head to Giza Plateau for the Sound and Light Show.

DAY 3 - GIZA - Saturday & Thursday (BL)
After breakfast, we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. The museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops The museum is built over the rectangular pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years , the wooden boat was readied for the king's daily journey with the sun god, Ra . Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot) cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of Ancient Egypt.

Guests who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (Included) is entirely your own choice!

Continue to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The "Discovery" of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place.
Lunch is included at the Mena House

DAY 4 - CAIRO - Sunday & Friday (BLD)
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummies Room, Abdeen Royal Palace Museum . Lunch is included at Abu El Sid or Naguib Mahfouz local restaurant. In the afternoon tour Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, Muizledeenallah and Khan El Khalili Bazaar districts. Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant.

DAY 5 - LUXOR - Monday & Saturday (BLD)
Morning flight to Luxor , we'll escort you to your Nile cruises . Check- in is at noon, if/when you arrive earlier your cabin may not be ready , yet all the public facilities on board are at your disposal.

Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin.

Today we tour the 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. In the Evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Luxor souks and water front.

DAY 6 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS - Tuesday & Sunday (cBLD)
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. Sail for Edfu where we dock for the night.

DAY 7 - EDFU - ASWAN - Wednesday & Monday (cBLD)
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 .Complimentary Galabya , you may wish to try on for the evening when there's a jolly galabia party aboard.

DAY 8 -ASWAN - Abu Simbel ( By Car ) - Thursday & Tuesday (BLD)
Get ready for the tour of Aswan Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, and Philae Temple ,before we head back for our lunch aboard. In the afternoon we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands of the Nile.

Abu Simbel: Private -air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide :
Depending on flight confirmation your Abu Simbel flights may be morning or an afternoon ones: Abu Simbel may be considered the highlight of your Egyptian adventure. Fly south over Lake Nasser.
Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel:
All Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient Pharaonic temple threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam.It’s worth remembering that it was Jacquie Kennedy who provided crucial support for the mammoth rescue project. Without her help, Abu Simbel might have been lost.Read More.

In Abu Simbel the larger temple 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 your Nile Cruise.

DAY 9- KOM OMBO - Friday & Wednesday (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 10 - KOM OMBO - Saturday & Thursday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris , the Sun God, and Sobek , the Crocodile God, at Kom Ombo, . Returning to our ship in time for tea. We set sail for Luxor.

DAY 11 - LUXOR - Sunday & Friday (BLD)
After breakfast, on to the Gigantic Temple of Karnak & the great temple of Luxor are our goal this morning , after lunch we see the most recent discoveries housed in the relatively new & charming Luxor Museum. Return to our Nile cruiser in time for afternoon tea

DAY 12- LUXOR/ CAIRO / Alexandria - Monday & Saturday (BL)
After breakfast, we check out, and our flight back to Cairo ,where we connect by private car /van to Alexandria; lunch enroute .Subject to availability, and depending on the hotel category you choose :
First class the Cecil Hotel with the old world charm, for Deluxe : Hilton or Palestine Montazah Hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure In the evening your guide will call on you for an evening walking tour of the downtown "Raml" district.

DAY 13 - Alexandria - Tuesday & Sunday (BL)
Full day tour of the Catacombs, the Roman Amphitheater, Qayet Bey Fortress built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world : the famous Alexandria Light House. Lunch in a charming local restaurant , after which we 'll visit the new museum in Alexandria , the building was originally built in 1926 for the US consulate in Alexandria and is a masterpiece in 1920's architecture & Mediterranean style buildings. A brief stop at " El Selsela" the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk, then its off to the new Alexandria Library.

DAY 14 - Alexandria - Wadi El Natroun Monasteries / Cairo - Wednesday & Monday (BL)
Morning tour of Zanket El-Setat and the local souks , before we break for lunch then we are off to Wadi El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo , where early Coptic Christians retreated here to escape the Roman persecution in the 4th century AD. The Egyptian Pope of Alexandria is always chosen from the Monks of wadi El Natroun. Reach Cairo early evening and your hotel.

DAY 15 - Tanis - Suez Canal - Thursday or Tuesday (B. Lunch Box )
Breakfast is included at the hotel, lunch box will be prapred by your chef with bottled water.

To the Lair of Rameses and the Suez Canal

Venture where few visitors have gone before, away from trafficked pathways and neatly packaged tours, to the legendary capital of Rameses II, the Great. So unusual is this full-day adventure, and so select are the people who take it, that special permits are required from the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. And if this opportunity is not enough to whet your appetite, we'll round out a spectacular day with a journey forward through the centuries, to the modern wonder of the Suez Canal.

Arrange your wake-up call . . . we'll be heading out from Cairo at 6 a.m. on our day of discovery. We'll make our way through busy streets, and beyond, to the fertile farmlands of the Nile Delta, seemingly unchanged since the time of the pharaohs, watered by a web of canals running from the life-giving Nile, worked by villagers with hand tools and the aid of camels and donkeys. We'll pass through Zagazig, a bustling cotton and grain farming center, and stop at nearby Bubastis, capital of the 22nd and 23rd dynasties. Here, the cat was more than a king, it was honored as a goddess, and sacred cats were buried in chambers that lie behind an Old Kingdom Chapel. Parts of temples erected by Osorkon II and Nectanebo II also remain.

But this is only prologue.. We'll continue to Tanis--modern San El Hagar--famed in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark as the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Tanis was the capital of Smendes, founder of the 21st Dynasty, a grand center whose rich remains include the main temple of Amun, and a royal Necropolis with the only Pharaonic burials never touched by ancient tomb raiders. There are even artificial lakes contained by limestone blocks.

So grand was Tanis that many believe that it was the capital of Rameses the Great. Among the layers of cities and palaces might lie the site of the Pharaoh's court that was built by the labor of the ancient Hebrews. before Moses led them out of Egypt.

Tanis is a restricted site because of its ongoing excavations and its intact burial chambers that are still yielding treasures and understanding of the ancients. It will be your privilege to make your own discoveries as one of the few to tread these stones. Because our path is away from the usual routes of visitors, we will travel with provisions, including a box lunch, and of course, bottled water.

After our discovery of Tanis, we'll journey northeastward through the delta and across the centuries to a wonder of the modern world. The Suez Canal opened in 1869 to international celebration that included the commissioning of the opera Aida, after ten years of excavation that employed more than a million laborers. The canal was the technological feat of its day, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, cutting trade routes to the East in half, and changing the course of history. Even today it is the mainstay of Egypt's economy, its neutrality guaranteed by treaty.

We'll visit Ismailia, where the historic Canal headquarters are located. We'll soak up the atmosphere of worldwide commerce passing through this sash of the sea, and conjure up the international intrigues of bygone days, as we take a break for tea and sandwiches at a local establishment. If time permits, we'll see the fortifications of the Bar Lev line, held by Israel after the Six Day War of 1967, and demolished by water cannon in 1973 in a surprise Egyptian attack.

After a day of encounters with ancient and modern history, we'll continue on our way back to Cairo.

DAY 16 - Departure - Friday & Wednesday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage

Deluxe Hotels & Cruise . RATES per person in USD $
M/S Mojito , M/S Nile Vision , M/S Adonis , M/S Monaco or M/S Monte Carlo

Dec 20 - Jan 5 & Easter Week : Please add 20 % holiday supplement.

First class ( 4 stars ) hotels & Cruise

M/S Nile Dream Nile Cruise or similar
And Economy class flights in Egypt

Easter Week , Dec 20 - Jan 5 and Apr 1-30: Please add 20 % holiday supplement.

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES :

• Egyptian domestic airfares as described in the itinerary in " Y " class . But business class for the Deluxe rate.
• 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.
• Abu Simbel Excursion by air.

Not included :

• Tips .
• Insurance and trip cancellation insurance
• International air fare from/to your home country
• Visa may be secured upon arrival , please pay the $ 15 fee in cash at Cairo Airport , please pay in USD or Euro , this is available for a limited number of nationalities such as American , Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU , Singaporean, and Japanese Citizens , if in doubt about your eligibility , please contact the Egyptian Consulate nearest you . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you to the hotel

Clothing on Board: Lightweight comfortable & casual clothing. Swimsuits, sun hat. Dining room dress code is casual for breakfast & lunch, but smart casual for dinner. All ships are fully air conditioned