Escape to the Sun

A Grand 11 - Day Tour of Egypt with extended stay in Luxor
Deluxe Nile Cruise and the Egyptian Riviera on the Red Sea
Board the Nile Cruise in Aswan

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 within Egypt. Add Abu Simbel , or Alexandria ?

Private Touring, Private Nile Cruising

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 . For live aboard boat arrival at Hurgada or Marsa Alam , please click here

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 for a welcome drink and to freshen up, then it is on to a complimentary short camel ride to a nearby Nubian Village for tea with the locals. We return back to Aswan and a tour of the Nubian Museum before we head for the Nile cruise , after check-in and a brief rest , we go back ashore to 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.

Isis was the powerful and quick-witted protector of her son Horus, the Sun God. Ancient peoples throughout the Mediterranean regarded Isis and Horus as the perfect Madonna and Child. Another legend says she was
also the mother of the fertility god Min who, judging from the depiction of him on temple walls, needed no help from Viagra!

Because of her wisdom and skill at protection, she was admired as a good magician capable of healing the sick and protecting the dead in their journey to the Underworld.

Isis is portrayed regally, as a queen seated on a throne (which may be the meaning of her name), often holding her son Horus as a baby. Other images show her with broad, magnificent gilded wings able to protect
the world.

Isis, the great Mother Goddess. Come explore her mystery in timeless Egypt when you Travel in Style!

. 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 & ESNA (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 ESNA . 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 - Disembarkation (B)
Breakfast Morning check -out from your Nile Cruise.
Head back across the Nile to the West Bank : to visit : King Tut's Tomb , Queen Nefertari's tomb is closed until further notice for urgent repairs, so we 'll be touring instead : Ancient Workers Village at Deir El Medineh, the first known "Workers Village" these were the true creative heroes who built the temples & tombs for the mighty Pharaohs of the Nile Kingdom.

Deir El Medinah is on Luxor's west bank you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers' settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers' paradise, we'll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs.

As soon as Nefertari is opened again, we will reinstate it in our programs.

Overnight in Luxor : Deluxe : Old Winter Palace hotel or similar . First : Novotel or similar

DAY 7 - LUXOR / SHARM EL SHEIK (B)
Breakfast Morning check -out from your Nile Cruise.
We fly over the Sinai peninsula to Sharm El Sheik, and head for the beach!

DAY 8 - SHARM EL SHEIK - Snorkeling / Diving - Sunday (B)
Relax! This is your day to absorb all that you've seen and experienced so far, not to mention the bright Egyptian sun and sparkling sea.
Optional tour to St. Catherine & Mount Sinai , or full day diving ( 2 dives) .

DAY 9 - CAIRO Monday (B)
We return to Cairo by plane for 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 / Camel Ride (BL)
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.

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 $

Rates include:

• Domestic airfare within Egypt, tickets issued & delivered in Cairo.
  
  
• 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. 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.

Rates do not include:

• Any international airfare.
• Tips.
• Travel Insurance