In Search of Egypt's Ancient Lands

A Grand 14 Day Tour of Egypt and a cruise on the Sonesta M/S Moon Goddess
Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise Edition - Private Cabin on the Nile Cruise with a private balcony

Egypt with a one week Nile Cruise , Cairo , Giza, Abu Simbel Temples, Dendera Abydos Temples, Alexandria, and even includes a home hosted family dinner

We have even included all the tips. No hidden charges, no additional tax

Honeymoon on the Nile - Enjoying a drink before sunset on deck
The legendary Sonesta M/S Moon Goddess - Photo: Courtesy of Sonesta Nile Cruises

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 & 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 .

DAY 1 - CAIRO : Start weekly on : Sunday or Wednesday / Friday - Weekly - Year Round
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 the hotel : Hilton, the Grand Hyatt, Cairo Marriott or similar.

DAY 2 - GIZA -Monday (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.

Those 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 . All tours in Cairo are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

DAY 3 - CAIRO and GIZA -- Tuesday (BLD)
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummies Room, King Tut's gold treasure room . Lunch is included at Hadaik El-Azhar or Naguib Mahfouz . In the afternoon, we tour Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, El Rifai Mosque and the 12th Century Khan El Khalili Bazaar district. Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant . All tours in Cairo are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur .

DAY 4 -Cairo - Abu Simbel - ASWAN, Camel Caravan! (BLD) Wednesday
Very early departure . A very early breakfast served in your room ( no additional charge for the room service) , if you prefer you may have a breakfast box, rather than an early breakfast in your room, please advise at the time of your booking.

Transfer is included from your hotel in Cairo . Air fare is included , ticket is issued and delivered in Cairo .
Flights between Aswan and Abu Simbel are only available in economy class .
Fly to Abu Simbel, where your private guide , private air-conditioned vehicle, and private chauffeur will be waiting for you .

Ramses The Great : In the larger temple, 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 by ourselves in the quiet of the morning, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Then fly back to Aswan ( or Luxor ) and your ultra deluxe Nile Cruise : M/S Moon Goddess, or the Sonesta M/S Star Goddess. Return to your cruise in time for a delicious lunch.

Welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin with a large bottle of water for each guest . In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca among the rocky islands of the Nile, then a camel ride to a nearby Nubian village .
In the evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Aswan souks and the water front.

DAY 5 - ASWAN - KOM OMBO - Thursday (BLD)
First we tour( for guests staying on board the Amarco & Radamis we include the new Nubian Museum).
Today we tour the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the island temples of Philae. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples. Overnight at Edfu.

DAY 6 - EDFU - ESNA - Friday (BLD)
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, we cruise to Esna and its great temple dedicated to Khnum, the creator-god. We re-board in time to enjoy lunch as we sail further north for Luxor. Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 7 - LUXOR - Saturday (BLD)
We tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings , including Tutankaomn's royal tomb.

We tour as well 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.

The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the afternoon, we overnight in Luxor.

DAY 8 - LUXOR - Sunday (B)
Sip tea and enjoy your lunch, as we leave for Qena. Afternoon tea is served on deck, reach Qena in time for dinner , we dock at Qena for the night.

DAY 9 - DENDERAH - LUXOR Monday (BLD)
After breakfast we drive inland to tour Denderah Temple. Among the best preserved in Egypt. This temple as a sight to hold. Indiana Jones would have felt at home, with the massive stones & underground passages.

Denderah's Temple of Hathor, one of the best-preserved in all of Egypt, and also one of the most important. In the ancient beliefs, Hathor was the consort of the god of daylight, ruler of the west, and protector or the underworld. In the manner of wise desert wayfarers, we'll leave before dawn to take advantage of cool temperatures. Our air-conditioned van will take us through timeless Nile-side villages, where life revolves around the irrigation and harvest of crops. Finally, we'll reach the temple precincts. We'll take note of the unusually deep tombs, and pass under the celebrated Zodiac, in a chapel dedicated to Osiris. (Denderah is the traditional site of his rebirth.)

Sail back to Luxor as we sip our afternoon tea on deck.
Evening Welcome Cocktail & Dinner . Evening Sound & Light show at Karnak Temple. Cabin amenity : One large bottle of water.

DAY 10- Disembarkation - Luxor -Cairo /Alexandria - Tuesday (BL)
After breakfast, we check out: Private car & driver for the transfer to the airport , air fare is included . Fly back to Cairo where we proceed by private car /van to Alexandria; lunch enroute Subject to availability, and Palestine Montazah Hotel ( Suite) .

DAY 11 - Alexandria - Wednesday (cBL)
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. A brief stop at " El Selsela" the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit the Crown Jewels Museum, then its off to the new site for the Alexandria Library before returning back to you hotel.

DAY 12 - Alexandria - Wadi El Natroun Monasteries / Cairo - Thursday (cBL)
After breakfast at the hotel , 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. Then we head for the desert highway heading 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.
Lunch box or enroute . Reach Cairo early evening and your hotel. Grand Hyatt or Cairo Marriott or similar.

DAY 13- CAIRO- Memphis and Sakkara - Home Hosted Family Dinner- Friday(BL)
After breakfast , on to Memphis and Sakkara to visit the Royal Mastabas and the Zoser Step-Pyramid, and Imhotep small , yet charming museum , we stop to tour Al-Harania village before heading back to your hotel . Lunch is included at Abu -El Sid restaurant.

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 dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 14 - Departure - Saturday (cB)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage

Deluxe Hotels & Cruise - RATES per person in USD $

The Ultra Deluxe : Sonesta M/S : Moon Goddess , The Sonesta M/S Star Goddess ( Mozart suite ) .
Both are: All suites , all with private balconies

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

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES :

• Egyptian domestic airfares as described in the itinerary in " C" class business class . Except for Aswan Abu Simbel flights that are only available in economy class.
  
• All airport transfers on a private basis 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.