Egypt by River and Rail
The 11 - Day Edition

This eleven -day itinerary includes Abu Simbel Excursions , a four-day (three-night) Nile cruise, an additional time in Cairo and Luxor , one way flying and Nile-side return journeys aboard a sleeper train . Extend to Hurgada/Red Sea

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DAY 1 - CAIRO Sunday (weekly ,year round)
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 & Japanese citizens with valid passports that are valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival.

DAY 2 - CAIRO - Monday (BLD)
Full day tour of the Egyptian Museum is in the city center, the Pyramids, Cheops Royal Barge Museum and Sphinx . Lunch is included at the Mena House . Afternoon walking tour of Khan El Khalili and Muizz Ledeen Allah medievla districts
In the evening we'll escort you back to the Pyramids Plateau for the sound and light show at Giza . Breakfast & Dinner are included at the hotel

DAY 3 - ASWAN / ABU SIMBEL Tuesday (BD)
Morning flight to Aswan , connect by air and continue on to Abu Simbel, and touring 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 temples , admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which, we head back to Abu Simbel Airport and fly back to Aswan & your hotel.
Deluxe : Movenpick or New Cataract. First Class : Basma or similar .Remainder of the day at leisure. Breakfast & Dinner at the hotel

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. Read More

DAY 4 - ASWAN- Wednesday (BLD)
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning at leisure , then around noon time we escort you to 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 temple of Philae , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS . 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 5 - KOM OMBO & EDFU Thursday (BLD)
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 6 - LUXOR Friday (BLD)
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 7 - LUXOR - Saturday (B)
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.

In the afternoon we check-in at your Luxor hotel : Deluxe: Le Meridien Luxor Sonesta St. George, Movenpick, or add : $100 per person for the : Old Winter Palace ,. First Class : Novotel or similar.

DAY 8 - LUXOR / Sleeper Train - Sunday (BD)
Full Day at leisure in Luxor, explore this Ancient capital on your own .
Check -out is extended until 5 PM , the extra day use room charge is included in our rate.
In the evening, we escort you to the train station for our first-class sleeper train journey back to Cairo.

DAY 9 - CAIRO -Monday (BD)
We escort you to your hotel. (Your room may not be ready until noon, but all other hotel facilities are available.) Why not go shopping in Khan el-Khalili bazaar? Breakfast on board the train & Dinner at the hotel

DAY 10 - CAIRO -Tuesday (BLD)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Half Day Tour of :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. We stop at Al Harania before we head back to Cairo and lunch at Abu El-Sid restaurant or similar .
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 11 - DEPARTURE Wednesday (cB)
After breakfast, we escort you to the airport. Bon Voyage.

The tour rates include :

• All transfers within Egypt.
• Abu Simbel excursion, including round-trip air fare "Y" class : Aswan / Abu Simbel / Aswan , transfers, entrance fees, & local guide.
• Sound & Light show at Giza Pyramids in Cairo .
• 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 air fare " Y" class , one way .
• And one way Luxor-Cairo sleeper train ticket ( train is rated 3 stars modest).
• Four-day (three-night) Nile cruise, including, all shore excursions, onboard accommodations, and all meals.

• Guided tour in Cairo as listed with all entrance fees included .

Rate does not include:

• International airfares not included.
• Tips
• Travel Insurance

• Visa fee is not included and maybe issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for$15 USD in cash or in Euros for a limited number of nationalities such as American , Australian, NZ, Canadian, EU & Japanese citizens with valid passports that are valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival.

Enjoy the newest sailing boat on the Nile -Royal Cleopatra, available as well with the itinerary, ask for details - On the Sailing Boat the Royal Cleopatra .