The Egyptian Riviera ,Mount Sinai
Abu Simbel Edition

12 days - An Egyptian escapade to Sharm El Sheikh, Red Sea resort ,Abu Simbel Cairo , Luxor and foray into Sinai and St. Catherine Monastery. Cover Egypt by air, and ferry in the Red Sea - Compare with the 10 Day edition

Start Daily in Cairo - One week or 6 day Version . Add Hurgada

DAY 1 - CAIRO-
Welcome to Egypt! Our staff greets you as you enter our ancient land, and escorts you to your hotel. Why not take a walk around and gather those priceless first impressions?
Visa fee is included, visa will be issued upon arrival, you must be in a possession of a valid American,Australian, NZ, EU, Singaporean and Japanese passport, your passport must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of your arrival. Welcome fruit basket awaits you in your hotel room.

DAY 2 - CAIRO (aBL)
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel of Saladin, and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at a local restaurant, we walk the narrow streets of Old Cairo, once a Roman fortress. After lunch in a charming local restaurant, we wander through the colorful alleys of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar in search of souvenirs.

DAY 3 - CAIRO (aBLD)
After breakfast, we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid, depending ). Continue to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The "Discovery" of Dahshour:
For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place.

Lunch is included at a local home to meet the locals, you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town). We'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo l! You'll be invited to a family lunch , 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 afternoon , and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

In the evening we board a Nile riverboat for a dinner cruise, complete with folklore show and belly dancing.

DAY 4 - SHARM EL SHEIK (B)
We fly over the Sinai peninsula to Sharm El Sheik, and head for the beach!

DAY 5 - Colored Canyon, Dahab and Dolphin Bay: (BL)
from Nuweiba, we drive for 50 minutes on a track.
Our jeep will stop there on the top of a mountain where we'll start climbing down.
As we climb down, the valley will get deeper and narrower to the point where we have to walk in a single line on a very narrow path, surrounded by mountains, until we get to 250 mt. below sea level. We then end up on the other side of the canyon where your jeep will be waiting.
We then drive to Nuweiba and snorkel with the dolphin. On the back we stop in Dahab for a short tour and shopping.

DAY 6 - MOUNT SINAI - St. CATHERINE ( Santa Katarina / Catarina ) Monastery (BL)
Today join us on an Indiana Jones adventure to Mount Sinai , we leave in Jeeps or sedan/van 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. We tour the monastery, rich in history,icons and sacred paintings, returning to Sharm late in the evening.

You must be in good physical condition if you wish to consider climbing Mt. Sinai to watch the sunrise . The climb is not recommended for those affected by heights.

Please advise us early on , if you prefer to do Mount Sinai / St. Catherine's tour by Jeep versus air conditioned sedan / van.

DAY 7 - Ferry to Hurgada/LUXOR (BL)
After breakfast at the hotel, we head to to Sharm El Sheikh port to board your ferry heading for Hurgada.

The ferry is fully air conditioned 2 cafeterias on board, ferry capacity is 308 passengers. ( 46 Meter in Length & 12 meters in width), the trip takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Lunch is served in Hurgada before we proceed by private air conditioned car/van to Luxor, and your hotel.
Extend your stay to , Hurgada or Elgouna before you continue on to Luxor ?

DAY 8 - LUXOR (cB)
We cross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings , Deir El Medina temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Break and return to your hotel for the siesta . In the afternoon , we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake the smaller yet most charming temple of Amon Ra at Luxor .

DAY 9 - LUXOR / ASWAN (BL )
After breakfast at the hotel Aswan, we board a private air conditioned van heading south for Aswan , enroute we 'll tour: Kom Ombo twin temples, in Edfu, visit the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple, then to Esna and its great temple dedicated to Khnum, the creator-god, lunch box and a large bottle of water is included . Late afternoon arrival at Aswan where we'll settle you into your hotel.

DAY 10 - ASWAN, CAMEL CARAVAN, FELUCCA SAILING , NUBIAN VILLAGE - (B)
After breakfast , we'll visit the dams at Aswan, including the High Dam, a modern wonder in this ancient land. At the ancient granite quarry, we'll see an obelisk left unfinished, then board a launch on Lake Nasser to visit the Temples of Philae, rescued from rising waters. In the afternoon we tour the Nubian Museum. We board a graceful felucca for a cruise among the Nile islands ,then join a mini camel caravan to a nearby Nubian Village for tea with the locals.

DAY 11- ABU SIMBEL / CAIRO (BL)
Very early breakfast. Abu Simbel We've planned our visit to Abu Simbel to be a highlight of your Egyptian adventure. Rising before dawn, we drive along the shore of Lake Nasser, watching the sky lighten and the sacred sun rise above the horizon. We reach the great temples while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden;just right for photographs.
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 by ourselves in the quiet of the morning, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temples we begin our leisurely drive back to Abu Simbel Airport , fly back to to Aswan, connect to Cairo & your hotel .

DAY 12 - DEPARTURE (cB)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage

Rates per person in USD

	Deluxe	First Class
In Triple occupancy	$2050.00	$1850.00
In Double occupancy	$2150.00	$1900.00
In Single occupancy	$2850.00	$2700.00

Tour starts : Start Daily in Cairo , year round
For Easter, Christmas & New Year's weeks, please add % 20 to the rates