|
In
Search of Ancient Lands
A
13 Day Tour of Egypt with an 8 day Nile Cruise
See the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the timeless temples along the Nile
in Luxury fit for a Pharaoh.
We use only the finest vessels. Weekly , year round
How
would you like to cruise the Nile the way the Pharaoh & Cleopatra
did ? These graceful boats will allow you to cruise the great river
in a stately Pharaonic style. Our 12-day "soft adventure"
cruise visits Cairo, all of Upper Egypt's top sights, and gives you
the chance to see the timeless Nile as adventurers have seen it throughout
the ages. Add
Abu Simbel
. Add Alexandria
. If you're celebrating your Anniversary tour , or your honeymoon,
we can provide a private boat
. Click
here to add Sharm El Sheikh and Mount Sinai
DAY
1 - CAIRO - Saturday and Thursday - Weekly - Year Round :
issued
upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : Australian, NZ, American, EU,
Singaporean, Mexican , Canadian & Japanese citizens. You are responsible
for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond
the date of your arrival in Cairo.
visa
will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you will pass through a door or two , down some
stairs , then walk for 2-5 minutes , until you pass the duty free
shops, at the end of a wide corridor , you will see the security officers.
There you will be met by a local representative, who will be holding
a sign with your name .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a
stamp from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with
the passport officer. He will escort you through another last check
on your passport as you exit the passport control, into customs area,
he will assist you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs
. After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort
you (private vehicle) to the hotel .
DAY
2 - CAIRO Sunday and Friday (cBL)
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum, including
the Mummies Room. We'll continue to the Coptic Museum, and the
Church of Abu Sergha, and the Beni Ezra Synagogue. We'll see where,according
to tradition, Moses was found along the banks of the Nile. We'll take
our lunch at a local restaurant.
DAY
3 - LUXOR ( or Aswan) Monday
and Saturday (BLD)
Morning flight to Luxor ( board your cruise in Luxor or
Aswan ) , we'll escort you to your Nile cruise . Check- in is
at noon, if/when you arrive earlier , your cabin may not be ready
, yet all the public facilities on board are at your disposal. Morning
tour of Deir El Medinah, the first known "Workers Village"
these were the true creative heroes who built the temples & tombs
for the mighty Pharaohs of the Nile Kingdom.
Return
to the cruise for a delicious lunch, complimentary welcome fruit basket
in your cabin. Afternoon at leisure , maybe to explore the local bazaar
on your own. Evening Sound & Light show at Karnak Temple.
DAY
4 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS Tuesday (cBLD)
Today we tour the Valley of the Kings, including King Tut's tomb,
Valley of the Queens, including Queen Nefertari's tomb, Queen
Hatshepsut's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. After a shipboard
lunch. Sail for Edfu where we dock for the night.
DAY
5 - EDFU & ASWAN Wednesday (cBLD)
In Edfu, we board horse-drawn carriages for the ride to the
Temple of Horus. The best preserved temple in Egypt. Returning
to our ship, we set sail for Aswan .Complimentary Galabya , you may
wish to try on for the evening when there's a jolly galabia party
aboard.
DAY
6 -ASWAN & CAMEL CARAVAN Thursday (BLD)
Get ready
for the tour of Aswan Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, The Nubian Museum,
and Philae Temple ,before we head back for our lunch aboard. In
the afternoon
we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands of the Nile,
be our guest if you wish on a complimentary short camel caravan to
a near by Nubian Village for tea with the locals. Return to the ship
in time for your " Afternoon Tea"
DAY
7 - KOM OMBO Friday (BLD)
Morning at leisure or join us for an optional tour to Abu Simbel by
plane.
In
the afternoon we sail for Kom Ombo. Where we dock for the night.
DAY
8- KOM OMBO Saturday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris , the Sun God, and Sobek ,
the Crocodile God, at Kom Ombo, . Returning to our ship in
time for tea. We set sail for Luxor.
DAY
9- LUXOR Sunday (BLD)
After breakfast, on to the Gigantic Temple of Karnak & the great
temple of Luxor are our goal this morning , after lunch we
see the most recent discoveries housed in the relatively new &
charming Luxor Museum. Return to our Nile cruiser in time for
afternoon tea
DAY
10- LUXOR/ CAIRO- Monday (B)
After breakfast, we check out, and our flight back to Cairo &
your hotel.
DAY
11 - CAIRO- Giza - Tuesday (cBL)
Today we drive to the edge of the Sahara to stand in awe in front
of the Giza Pyramids, and the Sphinx, our rate includes as well a
visit to the Solar Boat Cheops Museum . Lunch is included at the Mena
House.
Afternoon walking tour of the charming old bazaar district of Khan
El-Khalili.
DAY
12 - On
Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids
were old ,
Wednesday (BL)
We leave Cairo by sunrise ( private air conditioned car/driver/guide):
Full day Fayoum Oases including:
Hawara Pyramid, El Lahoun Pyramid, Ruins of Karanis, drive by Lake
Qarun, lunch is included at a local restaurant.
The
wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue
for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains,
oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.
Join
us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place
of camels, we’ll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four
Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your
hotel, and soon you’ll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake
the drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest.
Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands.
It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god
Sobek.
We’ll
visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside
the waters of today’s Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen’s
village of Chak Chouk. There we’ll stop for a lunch of fish
caught fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village
lanes and discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread,
irrigating crops from the lake’s waters, and bringing in the
catch. We’ll also include the craft and pottery museum where
the best works of local artisans are on display.
Then
it’s into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure!
We’ll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes,
and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the
Whales ( In Arabic : Wadi-El-Hitan) . Incredibly, these great mammals
once thrived - almost forty million years ago- in waters surrounded
by sands. We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized
remains alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone.
This valley was discovered in 1936 , by the German geologist George
Schweinfurth in the northwestern corner of Wadi El-Rayan.
The valley provides evidence of one of the major changes in this mammal
evolution has been declared by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site.
It is believed that these land based whales once had feet that may
have helped them somewhat while ashore . A team from the University
of Michigan discovered in the late 80's that these Zeuglodon whales
did have rudimentary feet , this was a startling discovery , suggesting
that whales of Wadi -El-Hitan had recently started living in water
as well , these whales were not related to any of the whales we have
today , rather a more slender body and may grow up to 75 feet long.
Several skeletons of whales are exposed in the sand. George Schweinfurth
named this extinct specie the Zeuglodon Isis Whales .
In
the evening, you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo. Land
transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser
with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is
included.
DAY
13 - Departure -Thursday (cB)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.
Deluxe
Category
RATES per person in USD:
| |
Outside
Cabin |
Suite on the Nile
Including a private Egyptologist at all times
|
| Triple |
US$
2770 |
US$
4310 |
| Double |
US$
2810 |
US$
4725 |
| Single |
US$
3620 |
US$
5700 |
Sample
Nile Cruise : M/S Mojito, M/S Monaco, M/S Monte Carlo , or similar
Christmas,
New Year's : Dec 20 - Jan 2 & Apr 1-30 : Please add 20% holiday
supplement.
First class ( 4 stars ) hotels & Cruise
: RATES per person in USD $
| |
Outside
Cabin |
| Triple |
US$
2460.00 |
| Double |
US$
2590.00 |
| Single |
US$
3310.00 |
Sample
Nile Cruise : M/S Nile Dream, M/S Ruby , or similar
Christmas,
New Year's : Dec 20 - Jan 2 & Apr 1-30 : Please add 20% holiday
supplement
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES :
- Egyptian
domestic airfares in Economy class as described in the itinerary.
- All
airport transfers and taxes in Egypt. PRIVATE basis
- Hotel
accommodations (including taxes)
- And
set-menu (table d'hôte) meals as indicated in the itinerary above.
- Nile
cruise with all shore excursions and meals
- Guided
sightseeing by air-conditioned motorcoach, including all admissions
fees.
- Visa
fee issued upon arrival for American EU , & Japanese citizens,
passport must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival.
- Trip
interruption and cancellation insurance
- Personal
expenses, including excess baggage or shipping charges, beverages,
and personal charges in hotels for laundry, telephone, or other
services
- Gratuities
- International
air fare from /to home
- Optional
Excursion
|
