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 adventure tour and 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 Alexandria . Click here to add Sharm El Sheikh and Mount Sinai

DAY 1 - CAIRO Saturday and Thursday , weekly , year round :
Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa fee is included and will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : Australian, NZ, American,Western European , 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 & 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 Monday and Saturday (BLD)
Morning flight to Luxor , 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 (BLD)
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 (BLD)
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- Fly to Aswan Saturday (B)
After breakfast, check - out. Disembarkation/ Aswan
After breakfast, we check out. Fly to Aswan ( This portion of the domestic air is part of our inclusions& rate), and the legendary colonial style : Old Cataract ( Subject to availability) or the Movenpick Aswan Hotel ( on the Island of Elephantine in the Middle of the Nile ).For First Class hotels we use Basma Hotel or similar.

DAY 11 - Abu Simbel/ Cairo - Sunday (B. Lunch Box )
Breakfast. Then it is on to the airport for the short flight to Abu Simbel .
In Abu Simbel : Your private car and private Egyptologist will be waiting for you
In Ramses the Great Abu Simbel larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters. The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temples , admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments , and to enjoy our lunch box . Then head back to Abu Simbel Airport for the flight back to Cairo ( via Aswan)

In Cairo , our local rep. will assist with your transfer to your hotel. All transfers in Egypt are always on a private basis . Private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

DAY 12 - CAIRO- Giza - Monday (BL)
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 13 - CAIRO- Sharm El Sheikh - Tuesday (BL)
Fly over the Nile Valley , Sinai and the South Canal to Sharm El Sheikh, private transfers at all times, air fare is also always included . We land in Sharm and off to your hotel : Renaissance Sharm Hyatt or similar for DEluxe. Hilton, Sheraton, Sonesta for First.
Relax! This is your day to absorb all that you've seen and experienced so far, not to mention the bright Egyptian sun and sparkling sea.

DAY 14 - SHARM / MOUNT SINAI & St. Catherine Monastery- Wednesday (BL)
Very early in the day, we leave by air conditioned car/coach heading for Mount Sinai:

In the cool before sunrise, we drive into the wilderness of Sinai, through which Moses led his people to the Promised Land. Our goal is the Monastery of St. Catherine, built on the site of the burning bush at the base of Mount Sinai.

Only for those who are fit physically and do not have a problem with heights, you may wish to climb Mount Sinai ( while we'll provide guide at no additional charge, you climb the mountain at your own risk ) , those who decide to ascend the mountain , you will reach the top usually just before sunrise and on a good day you 'll be able to see Saudia, the promised land and the rest of Sinai.

Otherwise we tour the monastery, rich in history, icons and sacred paintings, lunch box is included, returning to Sharm airport late in the afternoon , connect to Cairo and your hotel.

DAY 15 - On Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids were old , Thursday (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 16 - Departure - Friday (cB)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.

Deluxe Category
RATES per person in USD:

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 $

• 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.