Egypt The Royal Tour

9 - Day Edition . Flying between Cairo & Upper Egypt

Here's the best of Egypt in 9 days : A good look at Cairo and a 5-day cruise along the Nile
Weekly in Cairo . Year round

The view from the Cataract Hotel in Aswan

Compare with the Ultra Deluxe version . Click here for the Sharm El Sheikh Edition or the 10 day edition
Compare with the 14-day Sun and Fun in Egypt . Add Alexandria

DAY 1 - CAIRO- Thursday

Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival for American, Australian, NZ , EU , Singaporean & Japanese citizens, passports must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of your arrival

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 the name you prefer to use for the sign .
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 - Friday (BL)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx,a very short camel rid ( 10 minutes ) more as a photo op :-) with the Pyramids in the background , the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster. Lunch at a local restaurant, followed by a walking tour of the legendary Khan El Khalili 12th century Bazaar district . in The evening we return to Giza Plateau for the Sound and Light show

DAY 3 - Aswan - Saturday (BLD)
After a very early breakfast we fly to Aswan, where we'll settle you into your hotel . Lunch is included at the hotel. Afternoon tour of the Nubian Museum, then for those who are interested: a complimentary short camel caravan & ride to visit a local Nubian Village for tea with the locals. Overnight at your hotel in Aswan

DAY 4 -Abu Simbel / ASWAN/ Board your Nile Cruise , Sunday (BLD)
Breakfast at the hotel . Morning flight to Abu Simbel , your private guide , private chauffeur and private air-conditioned vehicle will be waiting for you in Abu Simbel : In the larger Ramses the Great temple: you will stand in awa facing the colossal figures of Ramsis 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 we fly back to to Aswan, arriving in time for a late lunch on board your Nile cruiser. In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. Welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin

Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel:

All Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient pharaonic temple
threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam. READ MORE

DAY 5 - ASWAN & KOM OMBO Monday (BLD)
First we tour the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the island temples of Philae. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples.

DAY 6- EDFU & ESNA Tuesday (BLD)
We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple. Re-embarking, we cruise to Esna and its great temple dedicated to Khnum, the creator-god. Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 7- LUXOR Wednesday (BLD)
Crossing the Nile , we tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings , including King Tut's tomb, and Valley of the Queens. We tour as well the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut & Colossi of Memnon .

DAY 8 - LUXOR & CAIRO - Home Hosted Dinner - Thursday (BD)
The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the morning, followed by a return flight to Cairo. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Istanbul! 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 dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 9 - CAIRO/Departure Friday (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight. Bon Voyage

RATES per person in USD

This tour starts weekly in Cairo, year round.

For Easter , Christmas/New Year's week, add 15 % to the rates.

The rates include :

• All airfares within Egypt in economy class , tax included .
  
• All transfers within Egypt, always on a private basis , private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  
• Preset menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner .
  
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees.
  
• Hotel & Nile Cruise as listed, including all tax & service charges.
  
• Your Nile Cruise cabin is always an outside cabin.
  
• Large bottle of water per person per day delivered to your cabin while on board the cruise .
  
• Afternoon tea daily onboard the cruise .
  
• Tea/ Coffee and one small bottle of water per person with each meal
  
• Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival for American, Australian, NZ, EU , Singaporean & Japanese citizens, passports must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of your arrival

Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel:

All Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient pharaonic temple
threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam.

It’s worth remembering that it was Jacquie Kennedy who provided crucial support for the mammoth rescue project. Without her help, Abu Simbel might have been lost.

No one questioned that the temple must be saved. UNESCO developed a marvelous plan to cut the huge monument into 1,423 stone blocks and move it 200 meters (219 yards) north and 63 meters (207 feet) higher,
just above the estimated level of Lake Nasser, the vast inland sea that would be created by the new dam.

But who would pay? As a developing country, Egypt could not shoulder the burden alone. Other countries could contribute, but only one country--the United States of America--truly had the resources for this
monumental rescue effort.

No matter how much wealth there is, it is never enough. Many legitimate, worthwhile projects compete for funds. What Abu Simbel needed was an advocate, someone who recognized the temple for the irreplaceable world art treasure that it was.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, already famous for her grace, refinement, and sensitivity to the arts, saw the need to work for the salvation of Abu Simbel. It was she who urged Congress to allocate $10 million for the rescue effort (a sum roughly equivalent to $100 million today). It was an enormous amount of money, but she saw that America
must step up to the challenge of saving this treasure of worldwide importance for all time.

The rescue funds were approved by Congress and the temple was saved.

In appreciation for her efforts, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser presented the First Lady and the president with a 4000-year-old Egyptian statue (which is now preserved in the John F Kennedy Library &
Museum in Boston). (http://www.jfklibrary.org/visit_museum-14.html)

President Nasser wanted also to give a gift of thanks to the people of the United States for their valuable support. He asked Mrs Kennedy to choose an appropriate monument. She suggested the small Temple of
Dendur (c. 15 BC), and the gift was readily approved. The temple was brought to the United States in 1965 and installed at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1967.
(http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/ view1.asp?dep=10&full=0&item=68%2E154)

Times change, leaders come and go, but some acts of support and generosity are remembered through the decades.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy loved Egypt, and Egypt still loves her.