Travel to Egypt: Landmarks of Egypt Adventure

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Landmarks of Egypt Adventure

			DAYS: 7 GRADE: I define PRICE: From $1095 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Cairo Giza Pyramids Egyptian Museum Wissa Wassef Luxor Valley of Kings & Queens Hatchepsut's Temple Karnak Temple ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] SEASON: Year-round Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Our highlights of Egypt adventure explores the Great Pyramids to the Valley of the Kings, and from the mighty temple at Karnak to Cairo's landmark Citadel of Saladin. This short Egypt tour starts in Cairo, the modern heart of this ancient land where a contemporary culture mingles harmoniously with its truly glorious past. Visiting with shopkeepers in local markets, and a local school for prodigy children, we travel with our private guide to experience daily life in Egypt and discover how this Cradle of Civilization continues to evolve and to enrich the lives of those who are fortunate enough to land upon its ancient shores.

DAY 1 :  CAIRO: MEET & HOTEL TRANSFER
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 Shepheards Hotel.

DAY 2 :  CAIRO: EGYPTIAN MUSEUM, PYRAMIDS, WISSA WASSEF
Following breakfast, we depart for one of the worlds most important repositories of historical artifacts, the Egyptian Museum. Our guide will escort us through a collection documenting more than 4000 years of Egyptian history and daily life. During our tour we visit the Mummy Room (included). Afterwards, we lunch at a local restaurant serving traditional Egyptian and Middle Eastern cuisine then embark on a journey to the Pyramids of Giza. Of Egypt's eighty pyramid complexes, the Giza Pyramids are the largest and most renowned. The Great Pyramid, built by King Khufu 2500 years before the common era, is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world.  We also visit the adjacent Solar Boat Museum and the enigmatic Sphinx. Next on the agenda is a visit to the Ramses Wissa Wassef School of Art located in Harrania, close to the Pyramids. This little known school is a philanthropic organization for prodigy children discovered in rural Egypt, offering free education and board and an environment in which to develop their artistic talents - everything from carpet weaving to sculpture and painting. Evening at leisure. Overnight Shepheards Hotel. [BL]

DAY 3 :  O/N TRAIN: CITADEL & KHAN EL KHALILI MARKET
This morning we stow our packed bags in the hotel store room and depart to explore Medieval Cairo. Our first stop is the imposing Citadel, located at the heart of Old Cairo. Built by the fabled hero Salah ud Din, this mighty fortress dominated the city's skyline as the seat of government for eight centuries, and encompasses the magnificent Mosque of Mohamed Ali.  Following free time to buy our own lunch, we plunge into Khan al-Khalili, the citys main bazaar and Africa's largest market. The narrow, almost biblical alleyways are lined with silk and spice merchants, silver stalls, cafes, craftwork shops, painting and alabaster emporiums all festooned with exotic and enticing merchandise. Returning to the hotel to collect our stored bags there is some free time to relax prior to our transfer to the railway station to catch the Overnight Train to Luxor. Evening meal and breakfast are served in our cabins and a bar car is available on board for drinks and snacks during our journey. Overnight Sleeper Train. [BD]

DAY 4 :  LUXOR: KARNAK TEMPLE. EVENING AT LEISURE
On arrival at Luxor railway station we are met and transferred to our hotel.  After some time to relax and wash up we depart on a guided tour of Karnak Temple. Karnak is a truly phenomenal place with its monuments built, quite literally, on the scale of the gods. Added to over many dynasties by zealous pharaohs competing to out-do each other in architectural gifts to their gods, Karnak developed into the worlds most dominant religious and political city, and remained so for a thousand years. It was to destroy the entrenched power base of Karnak's priests of Amun that Amenhotep IV invented monotheism, and moved the royal court away from Thebes to el Armarna, a new capital city he built near present day El Minya. He changed the religion from Amun to Aten and his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhen Aten (Preist servant of Aten). Thus, Akhenaton set in motion a course of events that led to virtual war with Karnak's priests of Aten and his own murder and the destruction of his new city. Following his death, and the death of all his dreams, the priests of Amun regained political dominance and put a puppet king on the throne, Tut Ankh Amun. Tutankhamun's brief regency also ended in murder, at the hand of Ay, high priest of Amun at Karnak, who usurped the throne to become pharoah, if only for a few short years. Tutankhmun's low key and virtually secret burial ceremony led to his tomb remaining concealed from the voracious tomb robbers, eventually to become the only royal tomb to survive intact into the 20th century. After our tour, we return to the hotel. The remainder of the afternoon is free to wander the town or visit the market. Your guide is on hand to advise and to assist. Overnight Winter Palace Pavilion Hotel or similar. [B]

DAY 5 :  LUXOR: WEST BANK TOUR. EVE KARNAK SON ET LUMIER
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. Starting early, we cross to the West Bank and enter 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 over the last fifty years by Polish archeologists. We then drive to the Valley of the Queens and view the Tombs of the Princes and, if open to the public, the last resting place of Nefartari, the famously beautiful wife of Ramses II. Mid-afternoon, we return to the hotel and the remainder of the day is at leisure. In the evening we include a visit to the Sound and Light Show at Karnak - by calesh (horse drawn carriage). Overnight Winter Palace Pavilion Hotel or similar. [B]

DAY 6 :  CAIRO: FLY CAIRO. PM FREE
This morning we fly to Cairo. On arrival we are met and transferred to our hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure in Cairo. Overnight Shepheards Hotel or similar. [B].

DAY 7 :  FLY: TRANSFER TO AIRPORT
Transfer to the airport. Services end.

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

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