Ramses the Great Built a Temple in Abu Simbel in Honor of His Beloved Wife
This Tour Includes a Private Opening to : Queen Nefertari's Tomb in Valley of the Queens in Luxor

DAY 1 - CAIRO - Thursday - Weekly in Cairo , year round - VIP Arrival Hall At Cairo Airport
Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as : American, Australian, NZ , EU , Canadian , EU Singaporean and 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. Our local rep. meets with a sign that carries your name, and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports, then you claim your luggage, after you clear the passport and customs formalities and exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel .
Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room with our compliments. Sample hotels : J. W. Marriott . Cairo Marriott , Hilton , Cairo Conrad or similar

DAY 2 - CAIRO - Friday (BL)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum including the " Mummies Room" ,
Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant: Naguib Mahfouz or one of the restaurant at Hadaik El-Azhar, on to the Citadel of Saladin, and Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster. Conclude your tour with a walking tour of Khan El - Khalili Bazaar district.

A complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals, you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town ). This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo ! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

Day 3 - Saturday - Cairo to Luxor and board your deluxe air conditioned Felucca
Very early morning breakfast and transfer to Cairo Airport. Flight is included in our rate, in economy class , tax included . Morning arrival at Luxor . We'll meet you at the airport , and escort you to your deluxe air conditioned Nile cruise felucca or dahabiya.
Board Luxor ( or Aswan ) .

Embarkation in Luxor for a relaxing week sailing the Nile on a luxuriously appointed Dahabiya. After lunch, excursion to the West Bank for visits to the burial places of the Pharaohs - the Valley of the Kings - where Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. Continue to the adjacent Valley of the Queens, the temple of Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon.
Overnight moored on the Nile banks of Luxor. Sample Deluxe Felucca / Dahabiya : Sonesta Dahabiya or similar

Day 4- Sunday - Luxor - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise - Private Opening of Queen Nefertari's Tomb- Luxor
A very special day : Today we proceed to the West bank for a private opening of :

Queen Nefertari's tomb : The Queen for whom the sun shines :
Long before Cleopatra humbled the ruler of Rome, an Egyptian queen held power over the heart and soul of Ramses, Egypt's greatest pharaoh. In the 12th century BC, a brokenhearted Ramses built a grand funerary tomb for Queen Nefertari, "the Beautiful one," in the Valley of the Queens. It's been exquisitely restored with the aid of an American endowment, and is among the rarest sights in all Egypt: the only great tomb ever built by a pharaoh for his late queen. Artistically, it is the closest thing you could ever come to see the original Ancient Egyptian art in all of its glory and finesse. Because of its fragile nature, only a limited number of visitors are allowed entry each day. We are the only company to include a visit to Nefertari's tomb in our daily program. Because of the limited access we must rise early for our visit, appropriate as Ramses named Nefertari "the one for whom the sun shines." , then transfer to your luxuriously appointed dahabiya.

Today as well , we visit the magnificent temple complex of Amon-Ra at Karnak, with its vast hypostyle hall of 137 columns, followed by the imposing 28 th Dynasty Luxor Temple, and Luxor Museum , then on to : Deir El Medinah is on Luxor's west bank you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers' settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers' paradise, we'll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs, we include as well a tour of Madinet Habu and the Ramesseum .

Overnight moored in Luxor. In the evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Luxor and the water front.

Day 5- Monday - Luxor to Esna - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
Today will be a leisurely day. After breakfast, commence sailing to Esna where your Dahabiya will moor

Come to Egypt and enjoy your honeymoon or Anniversary cruise

Day 6- Tuesday - Edfu - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
This morning you will sail to Edfu to visit the wonderfully preserved Temple of Edfu.
Overnight on board as we will look for an island in the middle of the Nile where we moor.

Day 7- Wednesday - Kom Ombo - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
Today you will sail to Kom Ombo visit see the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus, god of the morning sun. Overnight moored beside a Nile island.

Day 8- Thursday - Aswan - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
A leisurely day sailing to Aswan where the dahabiya moors overnight. In the evening you 'll enjoy Sound and Light show at Philae Temple.

Day 9- Friday - Aswan - On board your Yacht Nile Cruise
Today you will visit the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1971); the Old Dam (completed in 1902) and the ' unfinished obelisk', lying in situ since the days of the pharaohs. You will also visit the Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, a structure rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam's construction. In the evening we will call on you once again for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Aswan and the local souks.

Day 10- Saturday - Aswan - Abu Simbel - Fly back to Cairo- (Breakfast and lunch box )
Breakfast aboard the dahabiya and check-out.
We bid farewell to the crew, we switch transportation modes and head for Aswan Airport and your flight back to Abu Simbel .

Breakfast aboard the dahabiya and check-out. Fly over Lake Nasser, watching the sky lighten and the sacred sun rise above the horizon. We reach the great temples where your " Private guide", Private driver and Private air-conditioned vehicle await you .

In the 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 temple , admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for our lunch , and refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temples we head for Abu Simbel Airport and fly back to Cairo , air fare is always included in economy class with all taxes . In Cairo , we 'll assist of course with your transfer to your hotel

Sample hotels : City Stars Inter.continental . J. W. Marriott , Cairo Marriott , Cairo Conrad or Grand Hyatt or similar . If you prefer to spend the night in Abu Simbel , please click here.

Day 11- Sunday - Cairo (BL)
Today we drive to the edge of the Sahara and Giza : Tour includes the Sphinx , the Pyramids of Giza, complimentary short Camel ride is included, to allow you a photo opp with the Pyramids in the background, time is limited , so please do not go for what the camel driver tries to convince you , i.e. go for a long ride around the Pyramids . Lunch is included at the Mena House . On to Memphis , Sakkara and the Step Pyramid. We return to your hotel late afternoon. Compare with Cairo and Abu Simbel in a 10-day tour with a 5-day Nile cruise.

DAY 12 - CAIRO/ Departure - Monday (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight. Bon Voyage
Please click here for the Dahabiya Photo Gallery . Sample Deck plan for some of the Dahabbiya's . All are available for private charter . Compare with the Ultra Deluxe Version based on Four Seasons or Mena House Palace Section .

• Queen Nefertari's Tomb - Long before Cleopatra humbled the ruler of Rome, an Egyptian queen held power over the heart and soul of Ramses, Egypt's greatest pharaoh. In the 12th century BC, a broken-hearted Ramses built a grand funerary tomb for Queen Nefertari, "the Beautiful one," in the Valley of the Queens. It's been exquisitely restored with the aid of an American endowment, and is among the rarest sights in all Egypt: the only great tomb ever built by a pharaoh for his late queen. Artistically, it is the equivalent of Tutankhamon's tomb. Because of its fragile nature, it is no longer open to the public, access is very limited to a few guests with permits , and ours is the only tour to visit it as part of a normal itinerary . Because of the limited access we must rise early for our flight and our visit, appropriate as Ramses named Nefertari "the one for whom the sun shines." Tomb of Queen Nefertari : our visit to the Valley of the Queens allows you this rare treat: a visit to the beautifully restored royal tomb of Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses II. Exquisitely restored with the aid of an American endowment, it is among the rarest sights in all Egypt: the only great tomb ever built by a pharaoh for his late queen.
  The romantic story of Nefertari and Ramses is best told by the great temples at Abu Simbel ( south of Aswan in Nubia). On one, Ramsis is seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters. The other is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. Nefertari thus precedes Cleopatra, Helen, Roxelana, and the Elizabeths of Russia and England as one of the world's great queens. Your visit to Abu Simbel may be considered the highlight of your Egyptian adventure. As you fly over and along the shore of Lake Nasser, watching the sky lighten and the sacred sun rise above the horizon. We try to book early morning flights to reach the temple while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden—just right for photographs. We explore the huge temple , admire its ancient aura and artistry, then retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramsis 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. PLEASE NOTE : Abu Simbel Temples tour ( when listed in any of our tour program) starts from Aswan not Luxor, we list the info as part of Queen Nefertari's story here.
  

• Royal Dahabiya :
  Dongola , Zarafa and more Felucca and Dahabia on the Nile . Royal feluccas and Dahabbiyas bore a larger-than-life image of the pharaoh, seated on a throne, to be seen and venerated by inhabitants even along the most remote canal. In turn, imbued with the same "ka," or spirit, as the living pharaoh himself, it would keep watch over his subjects and their activities. Dongola Dahabiya . Zarafa Dahabiya.

• Cairo and Abu Simbel in a 10-day tour with a 5-day Dahabiya Nile cruise.
  

• Luxury Dahabiya Yachts on the Nile: 24 -Day Edition - Egypt and Jordan Version . Including A foray into the Lost City of Arabia : The Famous Petra , as well as the Biblical Fayoum Oases . Middle Egypt " El Amarna and Beni Hassan , and the Red Sea .

• Combine with Morocco.
  

• Add Dendera and Abydos Temples.