Travel to Egypt: Great Sites of Egypt Cruise

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Great Sites of Egypt Cruise

			DAYS: 9 GRADE: I define PRICE: From $1995 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Cairo Egyptian Museum Giza Pyramids and Sphinx Memphis Sakkara Luxor Kom Ombo Edfu Aswan ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges Yacht/Ship 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

The colossal pyramids, temples, tombs and Sphinx of Egypt are amongst the oldest tourist attractions in the world. In modern days, millions of travelers from around the world visit Egypt each year. This easy-going tour with flexible dates departs anytime year-round, and includes two full days touring in the Cairo area with a private guide. From Cairo join a five-day Nile cruise to view the ancient monuments, tombs, and temples along the Nile Valley between Luxor and Aswan. Our cruise ships all have outside cabins with windows overlooking the Nile. Local flights roundtrip between Cairo and the cruise ship are included. Depending on your dates, the cruise will either start or end in Aswan, where you have the opportunity for an optional side-trip to Abu Simbel. Throughout the trip you are accompanied by Egyptologist guides. Extensions to the Western Oasis, Sinai, Red Sea, Jordan or Turkey are available.

DAY 1 :  CAIRO
Arrive at Cairo International airport where you will be met by our local representative who will assist you with immigrations and customs formalities and transfer you to your hotel. Overnight at the Cairo Marriott, located downtown on an island in the Nile. The hotel is built around a 19th century palace and has a garden feel. Enjoy modern rooms equipped with air conditioning, television, and balconies overlooking the pool, the gardens, or the Nile itself. Overnight at the Cairo Marriott or similar. [Meals on your own]

DAY 2 :  MEMPHIS / SAKKARA
With a private guide begin your exploration of the kingdoms of the Pharoahs. Visit the three Great Pyramids of Giza, built before 2000 B.C. and the Sphinx, one of the largest single-stone statues on earth constructed by the Egyptians in the third millennium BC. Continue to Memphis on the edge of the Western desert. Founded in 3100 BC, Memphis was the capital of the Ancient Kingdom and with 30,000 inhabitants was the largest and most important city in the world. Explore Sakkara, the vast necropolis of Memphis where you see the colossal Step Pyramid of King Djoser, its temple complex and some of the impressive tombs. Return to the Cairo Marriott or similar for overnight. [BL]

DAY 3 :  CAIRO MUSEUM, OLD CITY
Take your time exploring the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, 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 the Mokattam Hill, which was fortified against the crusaders and served as Egypt's government seat until the 1860s. Visit the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali, the ancient Coptic quarter, and if time permits, stroll through one of Cairo's bazaars. Return to Cairo for overnight. (Optional evening sound and light show in Giza is available at extra cost of $50 per person.) [BL]

DAY 4 :  CAIRO / LUXOR
Transfer to the domestic terminal at Cairo airport for your early morning flight to Luxor (*see Trip Notes below). Upon arrival you'll be met by ship staff for the short drive to the pier for your four-night Nile cruise. Tour the awe-inspiring Temple of Karnak, a huge complex built over 2,000 years by thirty different pharaohs. Visit the Luxor Temple dedicated to the god Amon. During the New Kingdom of the Egyptians (16th to 11th century BC) 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, ensuite bathroom and shower, and air conditioning. Enjoy nightly entertainment on board and spend time cooling off in the onboard pool. Overnight onboard the Ti Yi Nile Cruise or similar. [BLD]

DAY 5 :  ESNA - WEST BANK OF THE NILE
Early morning sail to Esna's temple of the god Khnum. This later temple was constructed during the Ptolemaic era (305-30BC) and sits thirty feet lower than the surrounding city streets. Drive to the West Bank's rich Necropolis of Thebes to explore some of the impressive tombs at Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens. This area has been yielding archaeological discoveries for centuries with over 70 tombs in the Valley of the Queens alone. We will be able to enter one of the tombs, and we will discuss what the pharaohs took with them to the afterlife and why. Continue on to the Deir-El-Bahari temple and the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that stand guard over his memorial temple. Return to Esna for dinner and overnight on board. [BLD]

DAY 6 :  EDFU - KOM OMBO
Spend the morning exploring Edfu's Temple of Horus, the god represented by a falcon. Edfu is the second largest temple in Egypt, and houses the famous Nilometer, used to keep records of flood levels on the Nile. Sail to Kom Ombo and visit its unique Greco-Roman temple dedicated to the two gods Horus and Sobek, the falcon god of light and the crocodile god, respectively. This evening the boat departs for Aswan. Dinner and overnight on board. [BLD]

DAY 7 :  ASWAN
Explore Aswan, including the Unfinished Obelisk and the Philae Temple. 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. The Philae Temple was used as a southern garrison by the ancient Egyptians, and the whole temple was moved piece by piece to higher ground in order to protect the site after the construction of the High Dam and the creation of Lake Nasser. Dinner and overnight on board in Aswan. [BLD]

DAY 8 :  ASWAN/CAIRO
Disembark from the cruise ship and sail to the Botanical Garden by felucca (traditional Nile sailboat). Afterwards head to the airport for your flight to Cairo and transfer to the Cairo Marriott where your afternoon is free. [B]

You also have the option of adding an excursion to the spectacular Abu Simbel. From Aswan you will fly to Abu Simbel to visit the Great Temple of Ramses II and the smaller Temple of Nefertari. Built more than 3000 years ago, the two temples were dismantled in a historical feat of engineering when the Aswan Dam was built and moved to their current location to preserve them from the flooding of Lake Nassar. In the early afternoon, you will fly back to Cairo. Please call for costs.

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

Note: This is a typical daily itinerary for the Great Sites of Egypt trip. Depending on your dates of travel and which cruise ship you are on, the exact day-to-day itinerary and sites visited may vary. Days 4-8 will run in reverse if your cruise begins in Aswan.

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

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