| Day 1 Cairo |
Arrive Cairo airport. Met by our representative and escorted through Cairo Passport and Custom formalities. Then you will be chauffeured to your hotel and assisted with check-in. |
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| Day 2 Cairo |
Visit Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom. See the Alabaster Sphinx and the open-air Museum of Ramses II statue. On to the vast necropolis of ancient Sakkara, which contains tombs from almost every period of Egyptian history. Fourteen pyramids were constructed here including the famous Step Pyramid of Zoser (the world's oldest stone structure. On the way back to your hotel we will stop at an Oriental Carpet Factory. Rest of the day at your leisure. |
| Day 3 Cairo |
Visit the three Pyramids of the Pharaohs Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus. The Pyramids are the only surviving monuments of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Visit the nearby Solar Boat Museum, and the Sphinx which was carved from a single piece of stone. Take a camel ride if you wish. Visit the Papyrus Institute where you will observe how this plant was made into writing material by the Egyptians. End your day visiting the Bazaar. Option: You may wish to see the Pyramids Sound and Light Show at the Sphinx tonight. |
| Day 4 Cairo |
Visit the Egyptian Museum. This building houses more ancient treasures than anywhere on the planet! Here you will be transfixed by the many treasures of the boy king Tut-Ankh-Amon, intended for his voyage to the netherworld, and a fabulous array of statues, sphinxes and many sarcophagi. Visit a perfume factory on your way back to the hotel. Rest of the day free. |
| Day 5 Cairo |
Visit Old Jewish, Christian and Islamic Cairo. Visit sites like the 9th century Synagogue of Ben Ezra, which was supposedly built over the site where the baby Moses was found in the bulrushes. Visit El-Moallaka (Hanging) Church, the site where the Holy Family and the baby Jesus took refuge. Visit the 13th century fortress (Salah El-Din Citadel), which houses, among other famous structures, the Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque. The Mosque's architectural style is an amalgam of European, paranoiac and Islamic. Complete your visit with a walking tour of the bustling Khan El-Khalili Bazaars. Balance of the day at your leisure. |
| Day 6 Cairo |
Morning at your leisure. Late afternoon transfer to the train station for your overnight ride to Aswan. Dinner on board. |
| Day 7 Aswan - Nile Cruise |
(Participants choosing today's optional excursion will fly from Aswan to Abu Simbel, site of Ramses II's colossal temple.) Breakfast on board train. Upon arrival, transfer to your Nile cruise ship where lunch will be served on board. In the afternoon, board a felucca for an excursion to Elephantine Island. Wander the oasis of Kitchener's Island, the site of a wonderful botanic garden. On to the western shore and survey the rose-red granite domed Mausoleum of the Agha Khan. Delight in the delicate beauty of Philae Temple, a jewel of Ptolemaic-Roman architecture, dedicated to the goddess Isis. Dinner and entertainment on board. Option: The Sound and Light Show at Philae Temple. |
| Day 8 Nile Cruise |
Visit to the Aswan High Dam - this massive dam is 17 times the size of the Great Pyramids. Next see a monument to ancient construction - the famous cracked obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut. Enjoy lunch on board while continuing down the Nile to Kom-Ombo. Located on the east bank of the Nile, this temple is unique in that it was dedicated to two unrelated gods, Horus and Sobek. Return to the ship and cruise down the Nile. Dinner and overnight in Edfu. |
| Day 9 Nile Cruise |
Travel to the Temple of Horus, the best-preserved temple in all of Egypt. Behold the many reliefs, regarded as the finest in Egypt, which cover the walls, chambers and pylons. Lunch. Depart for Esna where you will visit the Temple of Khnum. Cruise to Luxor. Dinner. |
| Day 10 Nile Cruise |
Explore the west side of the river, where Egyptians believed the hereafter began. Visit the Valley of the Kings and Queens where tombs of many pharaohs and queens have been discovered, and enter some of the most important burials. View the most spectacular temple of Egypt's only female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut. Continue your visit through the Necropolis of Thebes and see the massive Colossi of Memnon. Lunch and dinner on board. |
| Day 11 Nile Cruise |
Marvel at the Temple of Karnak, a splendid complex designed to be the 'throne of the world'. Karnak Temple is the oldest and largest temple in the world. Each pharaoh added his own distinctive signature to this magnificent temple. A ceremonial avenue lined with sphinxes marks the route between the Temple of Karnak and the Luxor Temple |
| Day 12 Nile Cruise |
Early in the morning, sail to Dendera and visit the Temple of Hathor. Departure by bus to Abydos; visit the Temple of Seti I. Reboard the cruise ship at Nag Hamadi. After lunch, sail to Luxor. dinner. |
| Day 13 | Disembark cruise ship after breakfast. Your journey continues with a return flight to Cairo. There, check in to your hotel. Balance of the day at your leisure. |
| Day 14 | After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your next destination. |
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| Slight changes may occur in cruise itinerary due to circumstances beyond the control of Tours & Travel Dimensions, Inc. Please refer to cruise ship lobby bulletin board for the final itinerary. |
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