Escape to the Sun
11- Day : Deluxe Nile Cruise and the Egyptian Riviera on the Red Sea
Board the Nile Cruise in Aswan - Diving Edition

Our special 11 -day locally escorted tour shows you the top sights in Cairo, with four days (three nights) cruising on the Nile, including domestic air fare in Egypt. Add Abu Simbel , or Alexandria ?
Compare with Private Touring, Private Nile Cruising - For Live Aboard arrivals , please click here

DAY 1 - CAIRO
Our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Enjoy the sights and sounds of Cairo as you like for the rest of the day, complimentary visa for American, Australian , NZ , EU , Canadian, Korean , Singaporean & Japanese citizens, passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of arrival.

Weekly on Sundays , Mondays & Tuesdays & Wednesdays, year round
Click here for  the 7 day or 9 day edition

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 (aBLD)
Today we get to know the great Egyptian capital on a full-day tour. We start at the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummy room & Tutankhamoun Treasures, then go on to , Manial Royal Palace, Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, lunch is included at a charming local restaurant , and conclude with the 12th century district of Khan El Khalili.
Evening folklore dinner and Show that includes Belly Dance and or Nubian Dance / Whirling Dervishes Dance.

DAY 3 - Aswan (or LUXOR) / Edfu (aBLD)
An early flight takes us to Aswan , ( Cruise embarkation may also be from Luxor). A brief stop at the cruise to freshen up, then it is on to a complimentary short camel ride to a nearby Nubian Village for tea with the locals.

Back to the cruise , settle on board your Nile cruises, then visit the Aswan High Dam, the red granite quarries of the ancient pharaohs , and the temples of Philae, reconstructed on an island in the middle of the Nile ,

, rescued from rising waters , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS :

The Mystery of Isis

Two millennia ago the Mediterranean world was enthralled by the mystery of Isis:

"I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; no mortal man hath ever seen me unveiled."

Called Aset by the ancient Egyptians, the goddess was a Madonna in the Mediterranean tradition that stretches far, far back to the primitive Mother Goddess from Anatolia, home to some of the oldest human communities on earth. After a shipboard lunch, we set sail for Kom Ombo, where we explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek. We continue our cruise to Edfu, where we dock for the night.
Welcome complimentary fruit basket.

DAY 4 - EDFU & Luxor (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. Complimentary Galabya, maybe to wear it for tonight's costume party .

DAY 5 - Luxor (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,we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak , the "mother" of all temples, and the smaller yet charming Temple of Luxor, Afternoon tea is served on deck. Dinner & folk dance show on board. Complimentary Egyptian sweets/pastry tonight.

DAY 6 - LUXOR / SHARM EL SHEIK (B)
Morning check -out from your Nile Cruise.
We fly over the Sinai peninsula to Sharm El Sheik, and head for the beach! Add an extra night in Luxor ?

DAY 7- SHARM EL SHEIK - Diving (B)
Full Day diving : 2 dives . Land based. Non divers companions are welcomed to snorkel. Transfers are included You must bring your certificate with you to be able to dive, no exceptions.
Rate includes : Diving Guide .Two dives for 2 days in Sharm , land based , transfers included . Tank and weights. ( Other items may be rented on the spot)
The Dive center in will supply you with tanks and weights.
While they have regulators, buoyancy compensators and wetsuits available for rent. It may be a good idea that you bring along equipment that that you are comfortable and familiar with.

Sample / Choices of Diving Sites : ( Subject to availability at the time we receive your booking )
Please advise us of your preference in advance , we'll do our best to accommodate your request, but it is not guaranteed. WE 'll confirm all to you before you send us your deposit:

- Far Garden and The Temple.

- Ras Nasrani and the Tower , night dive at Naama Bay.

- Straits of Tiran

- Pinky's Wall and Paradise

- Shark Reef and Ras Muhammed Wall

- Amphoras and Ras Um Sid, night dive at the Tower

DAY 8 - Diving or The Colored Canyon, Dahab and Dolphin Bay: (BL)
You have a choice of another day of diving or a trip to Nuweiba and Dahab , 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 meter 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 9- CAIRO (B)
We return to Cairo by plane. In Cairo enjoy a free day in the Egyptian metropolis. Experience Cairo as you like. Now's a good time to do your souvenir and gift shopping in the city's fabled bazaars.

DAY 10 - GIZA / MEMPHIS / SAKKARA / DAHSOUR
GIZA / MEMPHIS / SAKKARA / DAHSOUR / Camel Ride
And a special treat tonight : Home Hosted Dinner (aBL)
Enjoy American or Buffet breakfast before we explore the great Egyptian capital in this full-day tour as we head for Giza Plateau :
Visit the majestic pyramids of Giza and the timeless Sphinx, enjoy a short camel ride and the famous photo op with the Pyramids in the background , then on to Memphis , the Step Pyramid of Sakkara and DAHSOUR . 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 restaurant.
In the evening we'll treat you to a home hosted dinner with an authentic Egyptian family.

Dinner is included at a local home , few visitors do enjoy such opportunity & experience, come and 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 dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences. 

DAY 11 - DEPARTURE (aB)
After breakfast, our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home . Bon Voyage

Weekly , year round - Click here for the 7 day edition

RATES per person in USD $

* Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruises:M/S Amarco , Queen TIYI , Radamis, Philae , Amarco : Please add 20 % supplement to    the  deluxe rate

* The Ultra Deluxe    

Your suite on board the M/S Amarco

Nile cruise includes all meals & shore excursions.
For a private Egyptology while on board the cruise , please add $100 per person , this will include as well private air conditioned car /driver for the duration of the Nile Cruise.
This tour starts weekly in Cairo , year round.

Rates include:

• Domestic airfare within Egypt, tickets issued & delivered in Cairo. Economy class
  Complimentary upgrade to business class with the purchase of Deluxe category
  
  
• All transfers within Egypt.
  
• Bottled water ( one large bottled per person) delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board.
• Tea or coffee and small bottled water with each & every meal while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
• Complimentary welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket in your cabin upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Pre set menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner.
  
  
• Complimentarily visa, included & issued upon arrival for American,Australian, NZ, EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens, passport must be valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of arrival.
• Hotel accommodation ,including tax & service charges.
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees
  

• Nile cruise including all meals & shore excursions.
  
• Diving Guide .Two dives for 2 days in Sharm , land based , transfers included .
• Tank and weights. ( Other items may be rented on the spot)

Rates do not include:
Any international airfare. Tips. Travel Insurance

.

Dining Room Reservations :
NOT REQUIRED ! our dinning rooms are large enough to accommodate all passengers in one seating, so no hassle of reserving your dinner seating.

Clothing on board :
Lightweight comfortable & casual clothing, swimsuits, sun hat. Dinning room dress code : Casual for breakfast & lunch, smart casual for dinner. All ships are fully air conditioned.