In Search of Egypt's Ancient Lands

13 Days Version : Egypt with an 8 day Nile Cruise and Alexandria
Start Weekly year round in Cairo

Compare with 10 days Edition   , The Ultra Deluxe Edition and 14 Days with Red Sea Extension

See the Pyramids,the Sphinx, Alexandria , the timeless temples along the Nile in Luxury fit for a Pharaoh. Tour starts 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 Egyptian adventure" cruise visits Cairo, all of Upper Egypt's top sights, and gives you the chance to see the Ancient city of Alexander the Great , the timeless Nile as adventurers have seen it throughout the ages.

Available in 10 , 12 , 13 days , 15-day Edition   & 14 Days with Red Sea Extension, Abu Simbel Edition . Add Petra ? 20-Day including Minya and Tel Al-Amarna , or sailing the Nile on board one of the Former Royal Dahabiays Yachts

DAY 1 - CAIRO : Start weekly year round on Wednesday and / or Friday and / or Sunday
Upon arrival, we escort you to your comfortable hotel. Meridien, Hilton or Sheraton. Complimentary visa is issued upon arrival for the following nationalities; American, EU , Canadian & Japanese, your passport must be valid and in order . All transfers in Egypt are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur Arrive early . Add an extra day to recover from your flight ?

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 - GIZA - Thursday or Saturday (cBLD)
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 & GIZA - Home Hosted Dinner - Friday or Sunday (cBLD)
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummies Room, The Manial Royal Palace, former residence of Egypt's last crown prince.
Lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon tour Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque,and the 12th Century Khan El Khalili Bazaar district. As you have a very early morning flight tomorrow, we'll have an early dinner this evening :

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 ! 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. All tours in Cairo are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur

DAY 4 - LUXOR - Saturday or Monday (cBLD)
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.

Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin.

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 (cBLD)
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 " afternoon Tea".

DAY 8- KOM OMBO - Wednesday or Friday (BLD)
Morning at leisure or join us for an optional tour to Abu Simbel by plane ( but it will be a very FULL day ) . 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 / Alexandria - Saturday or Monday (BL)
After breakfast, we check out, and our flight back to Cairo ,where we connect by private car /van to Alexandria; lunch enroute .Subject to availability, and depending on the hotel category you choose : : the Cecil Hotel with the old world charm, or Sheraton or Palestine Montazah Hotel.

All transfers in Egypt are on a private basis. Private air conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur .

DAY 12 - Alexandria & Wadi El Natroun Monasteries / Cairo - Sunday or Tuesday (cBL)
Full day tour of 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.

On to the Catacombs, the Roman Amphitheater, Qayet Bey Fortress housing recovered items from the French Fleet & Napoleons Flag Ship " L'Orient", sunk by the British & Admiral Nelson, east of Alexandria.

In Alexandria a brief stop at : Qayet Bey Fortress housing recovered items from the French Fleet & Napoleons Flag Ship " L'Orient", sunk by the British & Admiral Nelson, east of Alexandria.

Napoleon in Egypt:

From the Pharaohs to Napoleon: Discoveries Continue in Alexandria. Even today ( Sep 2003) , the treasures of Egypt are still being rediscovered—sometimes spanning millennia in a single location!

The Egyptian Department of Antiquity recently revealed the existence of a Pharaonic tomb dating from 400 BC on Nelson Island, just four kilometers from Alexandria’s Abu Qir Bay. Finds by a team of Italian archeologists included three mummies, along with earthenware utensils, statues, and figurines adorned with texts from the Book of the Dead.

But that’s not all. The English sank Napoleon’s fleet at Abu Qir in 1798, and the excavations yielded a treasure trove from the battle: the remains of soldiers, sailors and officers in uniforms, along with military gear, rosaries, and coffins and body wrappings, all well preserved in Mediterranean sands. There were even skeletons of newborns, as family members accompanied officers aboard ship.

As these exciting discoveries are catalogued and protected, many are sure to be placed in the collection of the Qeit Bey Castle Museum, which already houses relics from Napoleon’s fleet.

Qayet Bey Fort was built on the same site of the ancient wonder of the world : the famous Alexandria Light House. 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 , then its off to the new site for the Alexandria Library before heading to Wadi El Natroun monastery almost midway to Cairo , 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 evening and your hotel.

Octavious visiting Alexander the Great's Tomb in Alexandria just after he 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.

DAY 13 - Departure - Monday or Wednesday (cB)
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

Deluxe Hotels & Cruise
RATES per person in USD $

The Deluxe Nile Cruise : M/S Mojito, M/S Nile Vision ,
M/S Diamond , M/S Adonis . MS Solitaire, MS REnaissance
M/S Monaco or M/S Monte Carlo , M/S Beau Soleil , M/S Florence

Dec 20 - Jan 5 & Easter Week : Please add 20 % holiday supplement.

Please add : 20 % supplement for the Ultra Deluxe Boats :

Sample of the The Ultra Deluxe Nile Cruise :

• The Ultra deluxe MS Queen TiYi
  
• The all suites M/S Amarco
  
• The Movenpick New Royal Lotus or the Movenpick MS Radamis II
  
• The M/S Senator : the only yacht on the Nile with only 17 suites , all with private balconies ( Please add 30 % supplement to the listed rate)
  
• The all suites and with private balconies in each suite the Sonesta Moon Goddess
  
• The new Sonesta Star Goddess Nile Cruise ( Mozart Suite )

First class ( 4 stars ) hotels & Cruise
RATES per person in USD $

Easter Week , Dec 20 - Jan 5 & Apr 1-30: Please add 15% holiday supplement.
M/S Ruby - M/S Nile Dream - M/S Romance

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

Oberoi Hurgada -Sahl Hasheesh

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 :

• Tips .
• Insurance and trip cancellation insurance ( please ask us for the flyer).
• Hot Air Balloon over Luxor & Valley of the Kings : $ 300 Per person ( must show proof of insurance)

• Click for the Private Sailing on the Royal Cleopatra
  
• Or the 14 day with a Red Sea Resort stay at Sharm El Sheikh
  
• The  21 days with Alexandria
  
• Compare with the 10 Day edition without international air , or the 11-Day
  
• Add Petra & Wadi Rum in Jordan , the 14 day with more time in Upper Egypt
  
• The 17 day edition ,The 20 Day Ultra Deluxe version staying at the Four Seasons

• A grand tour of 17 Days in Egypt with a stay in a Red Sea Resort in El Gouna or Hurgada
  
• In Search of Cleopatra's Egypt and Petra : The 19 Day Egypt and Jordan Adventure Tour
  Egypt with an 8 day Nile Cruise , Alexandria , a stay in Sharm El Sheikh Resort on the RedSea
  Abu Simbel and a foray into Petra
  
  
• El Minya 20-Day including Minya and Tel Al-Amarna.
  
• The Ultra Deluxe 14-Day Version
  
• Compare with the 20-Day with Hurgada on the Red Sea