Egypt by River & Rail
15 - Day Edition * Nile Cruise Shore Excursion Included

This 15-day Friends Abroad ^tm itinerary includes Abu Simbel Excursions , a four-day (three-night) Nile cruise, and additional time in Cairo to allow you to squeeze in more sightseeing and Nile-side journeys aboard a first-class sleeper train. Extend to Hurgada/Red Sea

Honeymoon or Anniversary cruise on the Nile
Honeymoon on the Nile
Compare with the 14-Day Ultra Deluxe version

DAY 1 - CAIRO (daily ,year round, arrive any day - subject to availability of course)
Our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel.
Visa fee is included and issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for American, Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU, Singaporean & Japanese citizens with valid passports that are valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival. Compare with the 9 day  ,  10 day , or 11-Day .

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 (B)
Cairo is yours, explore the city as you wish with your travel guide book in hand. Or ask us for optional tours,

DAY 3 - DAHSOUR - HOME HOSTED MEAL (BL)
After breakfast, we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza. The museum of the Royal Barge of Cheops The museum is built over the rectangular pit that housed the Royal Barge for thousands of years , the wooden boat was readied for the king's daily journey with the sun god, Ra . Discovered in 1954, in a completely dismantled state, the 43-metre (140-foot) cedar boat is a rare window on the Royal boats used by the kings of Ancient Egypt.

Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (Included) is entirely your own choice!

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 restaurant or at your hotel.

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 l! 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 4 - CAIRO / Sleeper Train (cBD)
Cairo is yours! Explore it as you like. The Egyptian Museum is in the city center, the Pyramids and Sphinx only a short taxi ride away . In the evening, we depart for Aswan aboard the Nile Express
( Rated: Modest 3 stars ) sleeper train. Always in your own PRIVATE compartment, dinner is included on board. If you prefer to fly , please click here.

DAY 5 - ASWAN -(cBD)
Morning Arrival at Aswan , transfer . Enjoy this Nubian city on your own .Breakfast on the train & Dinner are included at the hotel

DAY 6 - ASWAN -(cBD)
One more day on your own in Aswan, or ask us about optional tours . Breakfast & Dinner are included at the hotel

DAY 7 - Abu Simbel -(cBD)
We rise before sun rise and proceed by car/van to Abu Simbel, We've planned our visit to Abu Simbel to be a highlight of your Egyptian adventure. We drive along the shore of Lake Nasser to this Ancient Egyptian sacred site.

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 in Abu Simbel for refreshments , remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight in Abu Simbel.
Breakfast & Dinner are included at the hotel

DAY 8 - Abu Simbel / ASWAN / Nile Cruise (cBLD)
After breakfast , We escort you to Abu Simbel Airport , fly back to Aswan and your Nile cruise vessel. After a delicious lunch, 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 enjoy afternoon tea on board . In the evening, we cast off and cruise down the Nile.
Shore excursions on board the cruise are all included in our rate .

DAY 9 - KOM OMBO & EDFU (cBLD)
We board horse-drawn carriages (or motor vans) for the ride to Edfu's Temple of Horus, one of the best-preserved Ancient Egyptian temples on the Nile. After lunch , we continue our cruise down the Nile to Luxor. Afternoon tea is served on the sun -deck. Dinner & entertainment on board.

DAY 10 - LUXOR (cBLD)
Today we tour the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut's Temple of El Deir El Bahari , and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch, the afternoon is free for shopping. Afternoon tea is served on deck. Dinner & folk dance show on board.

DAY 11 - LUXOR (cBLD)
We check out of our cabins after breakfast, but the facilities of the vessel are available to us until the evening. We tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak , the "mother" of all temples, and the smaller yet charming Temple of Luxor. Lunch is included on board .In the evening, we escort you to the train station for our first-class sleeper train journey back to Cairo.

DAY 12 - CAIRO /Alexandria (cBLD)
Early morning arrival at Cairo Railway station. Our local rep will meet at the train station, he will have the private air conditioned vehicle ready with bottled water for your convenience as we proceed to go to Alexandria . We'll stop at one of the major hotels in Cairo for restroom stop before we head off to the highway. Remainder of the day at leisure -Overnight in Alexandria . Lunch is included enroute. Breakfast & Dinner are included at the hotel

DAY 13 - ALEXANDRIA - (BLD)
Today, we'll get to known Alexandria in depth, as we visit the Greco-Roman Museum, the Roman Amphitheater, the Koum El Shougafa Tombs, and the Museum of the Crown Jewels.
Lunch is included in an Alexandrine restaurant.Breakfast & Dinner are included at the hotel

Octavious visiting Alexander the Great's Tomb in Alexandria just after the Roman Emperor defeated Cleopatra & Marc Anthony.  He left his coat as a token of respect to Alexander the Great. The search continues for Alexander the Great's Tomb.

Morning tour of the , Qayet Bey Fortress . A brief stop at " El Selsela" the site of the Underwater reserve where Cleopatra Place was discovered, as well as Caesar Kiosk. Lunch at a local restaurant , before heading back to your hotel. Overnight in Alexandria .

DAY 14 -The New Alexandria Library / Wadi El Natroun / CAIRO (cBLD)
Breakfast at the hotel. Please be on time today at 9 AM we start our day .
Time permitting we 'll visit the new museum in Alexandria , the building was originally built in 1926 for the US consulate in Alexandria and is a masterpiece in 1920's architecture & Mediterranean style buildings , then its off to the new site for the Alexandria Library before heading back to Cairo .
We stop at Wadi El Natroun monastery , where early Coptic Christians retreated here to escape the Roman persecution in the 4th century AD. The Egyptian Pope of Alexandria is always chosen from the Monks of wadi El Natroun. Reach Cairo early afternoon and your hotel.

Complimentary Dinner 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 l! 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 prefer to enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 15 - DEPARTURE (cB)
After breakfast, we escort you to the airport. Bon Voyage.

This tour starts every Sunday in Cairo , weekly , year round

The tour rates include :

• All transfers within Egypt.

• Abu Simbel excursion, including round-trip transfers, entrance fees, & local guide.

• Limited touring as per itinerary in Cairo and Alexandria, including the service of an English speaking guide and entrance fees.

• Hotel accommodations including tax and service charges.

• Complimentary welcome fruit basket upon arrival at your cabin on board the Nile Cruise.

• Complimentary Welcome drink served as you arrive on board the Nile Cruise.

• Pre set menu meals as shown including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast), L = Lunch, D = Dinner aboard the train.

• Bottled water ( one large bottle per person delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the cruise).

• Tea or coffee and bottled water with every & each meal while on board the cruise

• Cairo-Aswan and Luxor-Cairo first-class sleeper train tickets.

• Four-day (three-night) Nile cruise, including, all shore excursions, onboard accommodations, and all meals.

• Visa fee is included and issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for American , Canadian, Western European & Japanese citizens with valid passports that are valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival.

Rate does not include:

• International airfares not included.
• Sightseeing tours in Cairo are not included, and are available at additional cost.
• Tips
• Travel Insurance ( please ask for the flyer)

Deluxe Yachts on the Nile - deluxe private Air conditioned felucca or Dahabiya