In Search of Egypt's Ancient Lands

The 13 Day Tour of Egypt : Cairo , Giza , the Lair of Rameses :
Tanis, modern San El Hagar--famed in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark as the resting place of the
Ark of the Covenant the Suez Canal and of cours an 8 day Nile Cruise

Giza Pyramids Circa 1900 - Before Aswan Dams the flood water from the Nile used to reach the
Giza Plateau. The Pharaoh use to sail to the Temple Valley at the foot of the Pyramid

See the Pyramids,the Sphinx, the timeless temples along the Nile in Luxury fit for a Pharaoh. Weekly in Cairo year round. How would you like to cruise the Nile the way the Pharaoh & Cleopatra did ? These graceful boats will allow you to cruise the great river in a stately Pharaonic style. Our 12-day "soft adventure" cruise visits Cairo, all of Upper Egypt's top sights, and gives you the chance to see the timeless Nile as adventurers have seen it throughout the ages, come and tour Bubastis, capital of the 22nd and 23rd dynasties. Here, the cat was more than a king, it was honored as a goddess .

DAY 1 - CAIRO : Start weekly ( year Round ) on Wednesday or Friday
Upon arrival, our local rep. will escort you to your comfortable hotel. Hilton, Hyatt or Sheraton .
All transfers in Egypt are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

Visa may be secured upon arrival , please pay the $ 15 fee in cash at Cairo Airport , please pay in USD or Euro , this is available for a limited number of nationalities such as American , Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU , Singaporean, and Japanese Citizens , if in doubt about your eligibility , please contact the Egyptian Consulate nearest you . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you to the hotel

DAY 2 - GIZA - Thursday or Saturday (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. In the evening we return to Giza Plateau for the Sound & Light Show.
All tours in Cairo are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

DAY 3 - CAIRO - Friday or Sunday (BLD)
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummies Room.
Lunch is included at Abu El Sid restaurant or similar local restaurant.
In the afternoon tour Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque ,and the 12th Century Khan El Khalili Bazaar district. Evening dinner at La Bodega restaurant in Zamalek.
All tours in Cairo are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

DAY 4 - LUXOR - Saturday or Monday (BLD)
Morning flight to Luxor , we'll escort you to your Nile cruises . Check- in is at noon, if/when you arrive earlier your cabin may not be ready , yet all the public facilities on board are at your disposal.
All transfers in Egypt are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

On Board the Nile Cruise : Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin.

Today we tour the 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. Evening Sound & Light show at Karnak Temple.

DAY 5 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS - Sunday or Tuesday (BLD)
Today we tour the Valley of the Kings, including King Tut's tomb, Valley of the Queens, Queen Hatshepsut's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon. After a shipboard lunch. Sail for Edfu where we dock for the night.

DAY 6- EDFU - ASWAN - Monday or Wednesday (cBLD)
In Edfu, we board horse-drawn carriages for the ride to the Temple of Horus. The best preserved temple in Egypt. Returning to our ship, we set sail for Aswan .Complimentary Galabya , you may wish to try on for the evening when there's a jolly galabia party aboard.

DAY 7 -ASWAN - CAMEL CARAVAN - Tuesday or Thursday (BLD)
Get ready for the tour of Aswan Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, The Nubian Museum, and Philae Temple ,before we head back for our lunch aboard. In the afternoon we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands of the Nile, be our guest if you wish on a complimentary short camel caravan to a near by Nubian Village for tea with the locals. Return to the ship in time for your "High Tea".

DAY 8- KOM OMBO - Wednesday or Friday (BLD)
Morning at leisure or join us for an optional tour to Abu Simbel by plane.
In the afternoon we sail for Kom Ombo. Where we dock for the night.

DAY 9 - KOM OMBO - Thursday or Saturday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris , the Sun God, and Sobek , the Crocodile God, at Kom Ombo, . Returning to our ship in time for tea. We set sail for Luxor.

DAY 10 - LUXOR - Friday or Sunday (BLD)
After breakfast, on to the Gigantic Temple of Karnak & the great temple of Luxor are our goal this morning , after lunch we see the most recent discoveries housed in the relatively new & charming Luxor Museum. Return to our Nile cruiser in time for afternoon tea

DAY 11- LUXOR/ CAIRO - Saturday or Monday (B)
After breakfast, we check out, and our flight back to Cairo and 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.

Add an extra day in Cairo ? All transfers in Egypt are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

DAY 12 Tanis - Suez Canal - Sunday or Tuesday (B. Lunch Box )
Breakfast is included at the hotel, lunch box will be prapred by your chef with bottled water.

To the Lair of Rameses and the Suez Canal

Venture where few visitors have gone before, away from trafficked pathways and neatly packaged tours, to the legendary capital of Rameses II, the Great. So unusual is this full-day adventure, and so select are the people who take it, that special permits are required from the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. And if this opportunity is not enough to whet your appetite, we'll round out a spectacular day with a journey forward through the centuries, to the modern wonder of the Suez Canal.

Arrange your wake-up call . . . we'll be heading out from Cairo at 6 a.m. on our day of discovery. We'll make our way through busy streets, and beyond, to the fertile farmlands of the Nile Delta, seemingly unchanged since the time of the pharaohs, watered by a web of canals running from the life-giving Nile, worked by villagers with hand tools and the aid of camels and donkeys. We'll pass through Zagazig, a bustling cotton and grain farming center, and stop at nearby Bubastis, capital of the 22nd and 23rd dynasties. Here, the cat was more than a king, it was honored as a goddess, and sacred cats were buried in chambers that lie behind an Old Kingdom Chapel. Parts of temples erected by Osorkon II and Nectanebo II also remain.

But this is only prologue.. We'll continue to Tanis--modern San El Hagar--famed in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark as the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. Tanis was the capital of Smendes, founder of the 21st Dynasty, a grand center whose rich remains include the main temple of Amun, and a royal Necropolis with the only Pharaonic burials never touched by ancient tomb raiders. There are even artificial lakes contained by limestone blocks.

So grand was Tanis that many believe that it was the capital of Rameses the Great. Among the layers of cities and palaces might lie the site of the Pharaoh's court that was built by the labor of the ancient Hebrews. before Moses led them out of Egypt.

Tanis is a restricted site because of its ongoing excavations and its intact burial chambers that are still yielding treasures and understanding of the ancients. It will be your privilege to make your own discoveries as one of the few to tread these stones. Because our path is away from the usual routes of visitors, we will travel with provisions, including a box lunch, and of course, bottled water.

After our discovery of Tanis, we'll journey northeastward through the delta and across the centuries to a wonder of the modern world. The Suez Canal opened in 1869 to international celebration that included the commissioning of the opera Aida, after ten years of excavation that employed more than a million laborers. The canal was the technological feat of its day, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, cutting trade routes to the East in half, and changing the course of history. Even today it is the mainstay of Egypt's economy, its neutrality guaranteed by treaty.

We'll visit Ismailia, where the historic Canal headquarters are located. We'll soak up the atmosphere of worldwide commerce passing through this sash of the sea, and conjure up the international intrigues of bygone days, as we take a break for tea and sandwiches at a local establishment. If time permits, we'll see the fortifications of the Bar Lev line, held by Israel after the Six Day War of 1967, and demolished by water cannon in 1973 in a surprise Egyptian attack.

After a day of encounters with ancient and modern history, we'll continue on our way back to Cairo.

DAY 13 - Departure - Monday or Weednesday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage
All transfers in Egypt are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

Modest First class ( 4 stars ) hotels & Cruise : RATES per person in USD $ :
Sample hotels : Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo or the Oases
Nile Cruise : M/S Nile Dream , M/S Ruby :

Dec 20 - Jan 5 and Easter Week : Please add 15% holiday supplement.
( This supplement includes the New Year's Gala, no credit/refund if you do not attend )

Children discount : 25 % discount on the double rate
Child must be 10 years or younger at the time of travel . Children discount applies when sharing with 2 adults. No children discount applies for Category III .

Deluxe rate per person in USD $ :

Dec 20 - Jan 5 and Easter Week : Please add 15% holiday supplement.
( This supplement includes the New Year's Gala, no credit/refund if you do not attend )

Children discount : 25 % discount on the double rate
Child must be 10 years or younger at the time of travel . Children discount applies when sharing with 2 adults. No children discount applies for Category III .

Category I :
Deluxe Nile Cruise : M/S Nile Vision , M/S Adonis , M/S Mojito, M/S Monaco , or M/S Monte Carlo.

Deluxe Hotels : Hilton, Sheraton , Sonesta , or similar

Category : II
Sample Deluxe Hotels : Grand Hyatt . Cairo Marriott . J. W. Marriott Cairo . Cairo Conrad , or Similar
Sample of the The Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise :

• The Ultra deluxe M/S Tuya , M/S TiYi
  
• The all suites M/S Amarco
  
• The Movenpick : M/S Royal Lilly , Movenpick M/S Royal Lotus or the Movenpick MS Radamis II
  
• All the state rooms with private balconies in each suite the Sonesta Moon Goddess
  

Category : III
Sample Ultra Deluxe Hotels :
Four Seasons Nile Plaza , or Four Seasons First Residence , or the Mena House ( mix & match if you wish )
Sample of the The Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise : Oberoi Zahra Deluxe Nile Cruiser .
Sonesta Star Goddess ( Beethoven Suite )
Private guide / egyptologist in Cairo
For a Nile view room at the Four Seasons Hotel in Cairo : Please add $ 110 per person per night .

YOUR TOUR INCLUDES :

• Egyptian domestic airfares as described in the itinerary in " Y " class .
  Complimentary upgrade to business class when available , with the purchase of the deluxe category.
  
• All airport transfers are on a private basis in Egypt.
  
• Hotel accommodations in the category you select , including taxes.
  
• Pre set-menu (table d'hôte) meals as indicated in the itinerary above.
  
• Nile cruise based on your category selection, with all shore excursions and meals .
  
• Complimentary welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Large bottle of water ( per person ) delivered to you cabin daily while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Tea or coffee and bottled water with each / every meal while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
  
• Guided sightseeing by air-conditioned motorcoach, including all admissions fees. All tours in Cairo are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.
  
• Visa fee issued upon arrival for EU , American, Australian, NZ, Singaporean & Japanese citizens, passport must be valid for at least 6 month beyond the date of arrival.

Not included :

• Insurance
• International air fare from / to your home country
• Visa may be secured upon arrival , please pay the $ 15 fee in cash at Cairo Airport , please pay in USD or Euro , this is available for a limited number of nationalities such as American , Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU , Singaporean, and Japanese Citizens , if in doubt about your eligibility , please contact the Egyptian Consulate nearest you . After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you to the hotel
• For a private guide , private air-conditioned vehicle for the cruise shore excursions and a private chauffeur , please add $ 250 per person.
• Tips

Clothing on Board: Lightweight comfortable & casual clothing. Swimsuits, sun hat. Dining room dress code is casual for breakfast & lunch, but smart casual for dinner. All ships are fully air conditioned

Extend your stay in El Gouna and Hurgada and maybe luxuriate at the legendary Oberoi Sahl Hashish .

What other guests say about our services :
Adrian and Melina

-------- Original Message --------
From: "Adrian"
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 2:04 PM
To: omar@travelinstyle.com>, > Subject: We're Back!

We just wanted to let you know we made it back home after our weeklong detour through Italy. Athens was fantastic. The tours were very good, and short of heading out to the islands, I can't think of a single thing we would have rather done while there.



Although we had an excellent time in Athens, Egypt was by far the highlight of our entire trip, including Italy. We just can't say enough about Ahmed, Isis, Ashraf, and all our drivers. We simply could not have done the trip without their help. Ahmed was very professional, courteous, and helpful, and always went out of his way to make sure we
were where we needed to be at the right time. Our Egyptologist guides, Isis and Ashraf, were both very knowledgeable and made our visit so much better with their endless supply of information. We wore out both days
long before they did. We will definitely try to come back to Egypt when we have more time to spend.



Thank you so much for arranging the trip, allowing us to customize what we needed to, and putting us in touch with such good people. And please find attached pictures of us enjoying a camel ride. :-)



Adrian & Melina

The King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid was not meant to be visited:
Getting to it is challenging, and once you enter, it is very difficult to turn back. The stone passage is only wide enough for one person. You must be in good physical condition, able to climb several flights of stairs, bend double, crouch and duck-walk for short distances. The King's Chamber itself is the world's most claustrophobic place, with dim light and heavy, hot, oxygen-poor air. There is no ventilation. If you are at all sensitive to claustrophobia or confinement, or if you have any sort of respiratory condition, for your own safety and the safety of others, you must not enter the pyramid because it is impossible to remove a person or to bring aid to them quickly .