Travel to Egypt: Egypt Explorer Cruise

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Egypt Explorer Cruise

			DAYS: 19 GRADE: I-II, Some hiking & rustic desert lodges define PRICE: From $3965 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Cairo Giza Plateau & Sphinx Memphis & Sakkara Red & Bent Pyramids Alexandria Nile Cruise Aswan Luxor Western Desert Sharm El-Sheik ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges Yacht/Ship MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

This itinerary is designed as a comprehensive tour of Misr (Egypt)for those seeking in-depth perspectives on both ancient and modern Egypt. Explore Cairo and the Pyramids, traverse the Western Desert in 4x4 vehicles, cruise on the Nile and explore beautiful Aswan and ancient Thebes at Luxor - and visit many additional sites en route. We spend four days in the vast and desolate Western Desert, driving from palm fringed biblical oasis to oasis, and overnight in Farafra's stunning White Desert, a region of strange and wonderful sculptured limestone erosions. Discover Alexandria's central role in the development of western civilization and relax at a luxury Red Sea resort in the diving shangrila of Sharm El-Sheikh. This trip is offered from October to March when the Western Desert is relatively cool. Private departures and regional trip extensions are available.

DAY 1 :  CAIRO: ARRIVAL
Today we arrive in Cairo, capital of Egypt and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth.  On arrival we are met and transferred to our hotel. Overnight Sheppard's Hotel. [B]

DAY 2 :  CAIRO: DAHSHOUR, MEMPHIS & SAKKARA
Drive to Dahshour to see the Bent and Red Pyramids, then to Sakkara & Memphis and the Appis Tombs. Memphis was founded around 3100 BCE by Menes, the 1st Dynasty King who united Upper and Lower Egypt the Egyptian's Romulus. This Old Kingdom settlement soon became the administrative and religious center of Egypt. By the 3rd Dynasty the buildings at Sakkara, which is one section of the great necropolis of Memphis, suggest that Memphis had become a sizable city. The Step Pyramid of Djoser is perhaps the most well known funerary monument in Sakkara. Built for King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty by the architect and genius Imhotep, the first to build stone tombs in honor of the king's majesty, Memphis became one of the largest and most important cities in the ancient world. Overnight Sheppard's Hotel or similar. [B]

DAY 3 :  CAIRO: EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, GIZA PYRAMIDS
Depart for the Egyptian Museum. Our local guide will escort us through a collection documenting more than 4000 years of Egyptian history and daily life. We then depart for the Great Pyramids of Giza. Of the 80 pyramid complexes in Egypt, the pyramids of Giza are the largest and most renowned. The Great Pyramid, built by King Khufu 4500 years ago is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world.  We also visit the adjacent Solar Boat Museum and enigmatic Sphinx. Overnight Sheppard's Hotel or similar. [B]

DAY 4 :  ALEXANDRIA: CATACOMBS, MUSEUM, LIBRARY
This morning we board our transport and drive north from Cairo, passing through the fertile and green Nile Delta farmlands and eventually reaching Alexandria (3h) on the Mediterranean. Alexandria has a distinctive eclectic atmosphere with a wide variety of influences apparent in its architecture, climate and cultural heritage. Once the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt and the center of world learning and academics, Alexandria is today a major seaport and commercial center and more a Mediterranean than an Egyptian city. Sites include the Greco-Roman Museum, Catacombs, Pompey's Pillar, the new Alexandrian Library, and Montazah Palace and Garden. Overnight at the Sheraton Montazah or similar. [B]

DAY 5 :  DRIVE CAIRO, OLD FUSTAT (CAIRO) TOUR
This morning we return to Cairo and spend the afternoon exploring Fustat (Old City). Our first stop is the imposing Citadel. Located at the heart of Old Cairo on Mokattam Hill and built by the fabled hero Salah El Din (Saladin), this mighty fortress has dominated the city's skyline for more than eight centuries and encompasses the magnificent Mosque of Mohammed Ali. We visit the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church and 14th century Synagogue of Ben Ezra then plunge into Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, Africa's largest market. The narrow, almost biblical alleyways are lined with silk and spice merchants, silver stalls, food, craftwork, painters, alabaster emporiums and shops of enticing merchandise. Overnight Sheppard's Hotel or similar. [B]

DAY 6 :  FLY ASWAN (OPTIONAL ABU SIMBEL EXCURSION)
This morning we fly to Aswan and spend one night at a resort surrounded by lovely gardens on Elephantine Island. The afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the facilities or take an optional side trip to Abu Simbel (to be arranged in advance at extra cost), home to Ramses II's mighty temples. The remainder of the day is at leisure to wander the souk (market), take a felucca sail around the Nile's first cataract or swim in the hotel pool. Overnight Elephantine Island Resort or similar [B]

Note: Half-day tour of Abu Simbel: This involves a transfer in Aswan to the airport, a short flight to Abu Simbel, a transfer to the temple, and a guided exploration of this site. About to be drowned under Lake Nasser in the 1960s by the construction of the Aswan High Dam, Abu Simbel was cut into blocks and reassembled on the side of a totally man-made hill, 200 feet above the original location. This massive effort, instigated by UNESCO, is as phenomenal an achievement as the original construction. We visit the Great Temple dedicated to Ramses II, and the smaller Temple of Hathor built in honor of Ramses' favorite wife, Queen Nefartari. After the tour we return to the airport for the flight back to Aswan, where we are met and transferred back to the hotel.

DAY 7 :  NILE CRUISE: ASWAN TOUR
Following a mid-day transfer, we embark on a three night/four day Nile Cruise. The exact itinerary will depend on which cruise ship is reserved (and may even include an extra day). Our sightseeing itinerary whilst on the cruise is organized by the cruise boat. This afternoon, in Aswan, we visit the High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Philae. Philae Temple is reached by a 15-minute boat ride across Lake Nasser. With the construction of the Aswan High Dam, Philae was destined to disappear forever beneath the waters of the soon-to-be-created Lake Nasser. Fortunately, Philae was saved in 1977 when UNESCO built a coffer dam around the temple, pumped out the water, and carefully dismantled the temple. A nearby island was modified to resemble Philae's hill and the temple was reassembled in exact replica, reopening to the public in 1980. Today, Philae is one of the highlights of any visit to Aswan. Overnight on board the deluxe Ti Yi Nile Cruise Boat or similar, all sightseeing and meals included. [BLD]

DAY 8 :  NILE CRUISE: KOM OMBO TEMPLE
We then sail north to the Ptolemaic temple of Kom Ombo, a unique construction of twin temples architecturally mirroring the other. Near the temple's entrance is a room containing stuffed and embalmed crocodiles, some twenty feet long and two thousand years old. Kom Ombo also houses the famous Nilometer, used to keep records of flood levels on the Nile. Continuing our journey, we sail through the rest of the day and perhapse some of the night, mooring up when we reach Edfu. Overnight on board the deluxe Ti Yi Nile Cruise Boat or similar, all sightseeing and meals included. [BLD]

DAY 9 :  NILE CRUISE: EDFU TEMPLE
This morning we visit the massive Temple of Horus at Edfu, the second largest temple in Egypt. Begun in 237 BCE by Ptolemy III, the temple was finished 200 years later by Ptolemy XII (Cleopatra's father). After our visit we return to the cruise boat and continue sailing north on the mighty Nile River. At some point today or tonight we cross the Esna Barrage, and have plain sailing to our final destination Luxor. Luxor is constructed on the pharaonic city of 'Thebes', along with Babylon, Athens and Athens one of history's most important ancient cities. Overnight on board the deluxe Ti Yi Nile Cruise Boat or similar, all sightseeing and meals included. [BLD]

DAY 10 :  LUXOR: VALLEY OF KINGS & QUEENS, KARNAK TEMPLE
As the sun rises in the east, the East Bank of the Nile is associated with life and boasts an array of temples, gardens, palaces and towns. The sun sets in the west, so the West Bank is associated with death and is home to countless mortuary temples and tombs. This morning we disembark and cross to the West Bank to visit 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 late last century. We then drive to the Valley of the Queens and view the Tombs of the Queens and of the Princes. Returning to the East bank we visit Karnak Temple, a truly phenomenal place with its monuments built, quite literally, on the scale of the gods. Added to through many dynasties by zealous pharaohs competing to out-do each other, Karnak developed into the world's most dominant religious and political city, and remained so for a thousand years. Overnight Sheraton Luxor or similar. [B]

DAY 11 :  EL KHARGA: HIBIS, BAGAWAT CEMETERY
Departing Luxor after breakfast, we drive 230 km / 175 miles into the Western Desert to the oasis town of El Kharga (or el Wahad which means the one or first). Taking a picnic lunch en route, we reach Kharga in the early afternoon. As we approach town, we stop at the Temple of Hibis, one of the few Persian monuments in Egypt, and the Coptic Christian Necropolis of al-Bagawat.  We continue on to our hotel and enjoy free time to wash up and relax, and then proceed to the old market of El Kharga. Kharga used to be the second to last stop on The Forty Days Road, the infamous slave-trade route between the tropical south (Sudan) and coastal north (Mediterranean). Today, El Kharga is the biggest New Valley oasis town with over 60,000 inhabitants. Dinner and overnight is at Solymar Resort Pioneers Hotel. [BLD]

DAY 12 :  EL DAKHLA: KHARGA MUSEUM, AL-KASR, BASHANDI
Leaving early, we first visit Kharga Museum, then continue north to El Dakhla Oasis stopping for a picnic lunch en route. Dakhla is a collection of fourteen settlements dominated in the north by a wall of rose-colored rock. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty. The capital, Mut, houses the Museum of the Inheritance in a traditional house with an intricate wooden combination lock of ancient design, but still very much in use. We visit Al-Kasr, about 20 miles from Mut, originally a Roman settlement which later became the medieval capital of Dakhla, and the old town of Bashandi is a labyrinth of mud-walled alleys narrowly separating houses with elaborately carved wooden lintels; there is also an Ayyubid Mosque. Overnight Solymar Inn Mut. [BLD]

DAY 13 :  EL FARAFRA: DEIR EL HAGGAR
This morning we depart Dakhla and drive to Farafra (290 km). En route, we visit Deir El Haggar, literally, the monastery of bricks- restored by the Royal Ontario Museum in 1962. El Haggar is an Egyptian temple built during the Roman period, with imitation cartouches of Roman Emperors. We also visit the desert village of Qalamoun not far from Mut. Passing the strange phenomenon of several small lakes surrounded by scorching desert, the hilltop village comes into view surrounded in golden sand dunes; perhaps the closest one gets to the traditional romantic image of a desert oasis town. Much of its old quarter is inhabited and well-kept. Stopping for a picnic lunch en route, we arrive in Farafra late afternoon. The name Farafra is derived from the ancient Egyptian name of Ta Wert, which means Land of the Cow which, in a desert, is something equally as remarkable as a lake and so noteworthy. In preparation for tomorrow's desert bivouac adventure, this evening we prepare our overnight bag to ensure we have what we minimally need to sleep in the desert tomorrow. Overnight at the Badawyam Hotel Farafra or similar. [BLD]

DAY 14 :  EL BAHARIA: WHITE DESERT
This morning we stop at the local art museum before driving out of town to meet our pre-arranged 4X4 vehicles. We drive off road into the phenomenal White Desert, a region of blinding yellow sand and fantastical white and weathered limestone formations, more reminiscent of a surrealist moonscape than of a traditional desert. We continue north to Baharia Oasis (180 km), viewing the Black Desert enroute. On arrival we visit the Museum of Golden Mummies and Temple of Alexander the Great before arriving at our hotel for dinner. Overnight Palma Village Hotel. [BLD]

DAY 15 :  DRIVE CAIRO: BAHARIA MUSEUM, BAWITI VILLAGE
Explore the Baharia Oases, with its Antiquities Museum, Tombs of Qasr Salim, chapels of Muftillah and palm groves of Bawiti Village. Return to the bustling city of Cairo (365 km) through the open desert landscapes, with picnic lunch and views of the mountains of El Dist and Maghrafa enroute. Overnight Sheppard's Hotel or similar. [BL]

DAYS 16-18 :  SHARM EL SHEIKH
Transfer to the domestic terminal of Cairo airport for a flight to Sharm El-Sheikh where you are met and transferred to a deluxe beach resort. Free time to relax and enjoy the beach resort on your own. Activities can be booked directly with the hotel concierge. (Side-trips to St. Catherine's, Mount Sinai, or Sinai Desert camping safaris may be arranged in advance through Wildland Adventures.) Overnight three nights at the Ritz-Carlton Sharm El Sheikh or similar, bed and breakfast basis. [B]

DAY 19 :  DEPARTURE
Transfer to the airport for a flight to Cairo where you are met and transferred to the international airport to connect with your flights home. Optional overnight in Cairo may be arranged if your flights depart the following morning. [B]

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Adrian Chalker 1(800)345-4453