Itinerary

DAY 1 :  CAIRO ARRIVE CAIRO. MEET & HOTEL TRANSFER
Arrive at Cairo International airport where we are met by the local representative who will assist with immigrations and customs formalities and the hotel transfer. Overnight Pyramisa Hotel.

DAY 2 :  CAIRO GIZA PYRAMIDS, MEMPHIS & SAKKARA
This morning we are met at the hotel by our private guide. After breakfast we depart and begin our exploration of the ancient kingdom of the Pharaohs. Today we visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, built before 2000 BCE, and the Sphinx, one of the largest single-stone statues on earth. We continue to Memphis on the edge of the Western desert. Founded in 3100 BCE, Memphis was the capital of the Ancient Kingdom and with 30,000 inhabitants the largest and most important city in the ancient world. We explore Sakkara, the vast necropolis of Memphis where we encounter the colossal Step Pyramid of King Djoser, its temple complex and some of the impressive tombs. Overnight Pyramisa Hotel [B]

DAY 3 :  CAIRO FULL DAY TOUR; EGYPTIAN MUSEUM. OLD CAIRO
Take your time exploring the Egyptian Museum, which houses the most extensive and impressive collection of treasures from Egypt's Pharaonic era including the fabulous treasures of the young King Tut Ankh Amon. Other sites in the city include the 12th Century Citadel of Saladin on Mokattam Hill, which was fortified against the crusaders in the 12th century, and served as Egypt's seat of government until the 1860s. We visit the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali, the Coptic Quarter, and stroll through the Khan el Khalili Bazar. (NOTE: AN Optional evening sound and light show at the Pyramids of Giza is available at extra cost, please call for details)  Overnight Pyramisa Hotel [B]

DAY 4 :  CRUISE FLY LUXOR. EMBARK ON BOAT. PM KARNAK
Today we transfer to the domestic terminal at Cairo airport for an early morning flight to Luxor (*see Trip Notes below). Upon arrival we are met by ship staff for the short drive to the pier for our four-night Nile cruise. Once settled, we depart for a half day tour the awe-inspiring Karnak, a huge temple complex built over 2,000 years by thirty different pharaohs. We also visit Luxor Temple dedicated to the god Amon. During the New Kingdom of the Egyptians (16th-11th century BCE) this temple was the focus of the Opet festival during which a cult statue of Amon was brought from Karnak to stay with his consort Mut in a re-enactment of their marriage. Dinner and overnight on board. The Ti Yi is a comfortable cruise ship, with 59 cabins each with a large picture window, en suite bathroom and shower, and air conditioning. Enjoy nightly entertainment and spend time in the onboard pool. Overnight Ti Yi Nile Cruise boat. [BLD]

DAY 5 :  CRUISE ESNA, VALLEY KINGS , HATCHEPSUT, MEMNON
Early this morning we sail south to Esna, where a barrage crosses the Nile. Our cruise boat must negotiate a lock in the barrage and, whilst our boat waits for its passage through the barrage, we spend the day visiting first Esna Temple constructed during the Ptolemaic era (305-30 BCE), the temple which is dedicated to the god Khnum, now sits thirty feet lower than the surrounding city streets. We then drive north to Luxors West Bank to explore the impressive tombs of the Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens. As the sun rises in the east, the East Bank of the Nile is associated with life and boasts an array of temples, gardens, and palaces. The sun sets in the west, so the West Bank is associated with death and is home to countless mortuary temples and tombs. Today we visit the West Bank and the land of the dead. Pausing first at the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues that once guarded the now lost funerary temple of Amenophis III, we continue to the magnificent royal tombs of The Valley of the Kings, each wall decorated with texts from the Book of the Dead. Here, we visit a number of tombs, including that of Tut Ankh Amun (King Tut). Our next destination is the terraced temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Dier al-Bahri, destroyed by her successor Tuthmosis III and painstakingly reconstructed by Polish archeologists. We then drive to the Valley of the Queens and view the Tombs of the Princes. Return drive to Esna for overnight on the Ti Yi Nile Cruise Boat. [BLD]

DAY 6 :  CRUISE EDFU AND KOM OMBO TEMPLES
Today we cruise south on the Nile towards Aswan, passing fertile fields and local villages. Our first stop is the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Begun in 237 BCE by Ptolemy III, the temple was finished 200 years later by Ptolemy XII (Cleopatras father). Edfu is in excellent condition and is, in effect, a Greek copy of an architectural style already ancient in Ptolemys day. Our next stop is Ptolemaic Kom Ombo, a unique construction of twin temples side by side, each architecturally mirroring the other. One is dedicated to Horus (and his brother Haroeris, the sky-god and god of healing), the other to Sobek the crocodile-god of the Nile. An interesting frieze illustrates a large array of surgical instruments from the Ptolemaic (Greek) period and details the medical techniques of child birthing at about the same time as Octavian became Caesar Augustus and defeated Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius (Marc Anthony) at the battle of Actium in Greece. Near the entrance is a room containing stuffed and embalmed crocodiles, some more than twenty feet long, and some over two thousand years old. This evening the boat departs for Aswan. Overnight Ti Yi Nile Cruise boat. [BLD]

DAY 7 :  CRUISE ASWAN, OBELISK, HIGH DAM, PHILAE TEMPLE
Having arrived in Aswan during the night, this morning we explore the citys major attractions, including our first stop at the Unfinished Obelisk. Nearly twice the size of any obelisk found in Egypt, the Unfinished Obelisk may have been too difficult for the Egyptians to construct. The stone was carved out of granite but a crack appeared and the project was abandoned. Even today signs of the stone carving tools of the ancient Egyptians are still apparent on the rock. Driving past the High Dam and Low Dam en route, we take the 15-minute ferry ride to Philae Temple, perhaps the most memorable approach to any of Egypts monuments. With the construction of the Aswan High Dam, Philae was destined to disappear forever beneath the waters of Lake Nasser. Fortunately for us, Philae was saved by UNESCO, who in 1977 arranged the construction of a coffer dam around the temple and pumped out the water. The temple was carefully dismantled; every block assigned a number and its position noted. A nearby island called Agilkai was modified to resemble Philae Island and the temple was reassembled in exact replica. In 1980 Philae once again opened to the public. Today, Philae is one of the highlights of any visit to Aswan, and its lake location allows for some great photography. Overnight Ti Yi Nile Cruise boat. [BLD]

DAY 8 :  CAIRO FLY CAIRO OPTIONAL TOUR TO ABU SIMBEL
Today we disembark from our cruise boat. In the AM we sail faluccas to the Botanical Garden on Kitcheners Island before driving to the airport for our flight to Cairo. On arrival we are met and transferred to our hotel. Overnight Pyramisa Hotel. [B]

OPTIONAL EXCURSION: to Abu Simbel
This morning we have the option of adding an excursion to the spectacular temples of Abu Simbel. From the boat, we transfer to Aswan airport and fly to Abu Simbel (20 minutes), visit the Great Temples of Ramses II and Nefertari built more than 3000 years ago, like Philae Temple these two temples were dismantled in a truly historical feat of engineering and reassembled on a man made mountain when the Aswan Dam was constructed to preserve them from drowning under the waters of the newly formed Lake Nassar. In the early afternoon we fly back to Aswan and them onto Cairo. Please note: If chosing the Abu Simbel optional tour, there may not be the time for a falucca trip on the Nile.

DAY 9 :  DEPARTURE
Transfer to the international terminal of Cairo airport for our departure flight home, or begin trip extension. [B]

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