A True Egyptian Adventure Tour : From the Nile to Abu Simbel
And the Red Sea in 12 Days

Experience the best of Egypt on this 12 day locally escorted tour. You'll see fascinating Cairo and the Pyramids , a Nile cruise to see this ancient land from the Nile just as the Pharaohs did , a stay at a Red Sea resort. And the mighty temples of Ramses the Great in Abu Simbel. Tour leaves from JFK the weekly year round , on Friday. Compare with the 9 day edition

Click here for Private Touring, Private Nile Cruising
Click here for the Honeymooner's Private Yacht - 14 days edition.
Or the Hurgada Edition on the western shores of the Red Sea

DAY 1 - DEPARTURE - Friday ( Weekly departure)
We take off from New York's JFK International Airport (Please ask us for add on from your hometown), bound for Cairo . Flight choices include British Airways via London, Olympic Airways via Athens, and Egypt Air nonstop. (Earlier departures are available in order to add extra days in Cairo, Athens or London)

Click here for the 12 day edition 1001 Egyptian Nights.

For west coast passengers : you need not to fly thru JFK, usually we will use Lufthansa, or British or Air France etc, so you fly non-stop to Europ then a short flight to Cairo .
Air fare add-on : For Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando Houston : $300. Most West Coast cities : SFO, LAX, SEA, SAN , PDX $ 350

DAY 2 - CAIRO Saturday
Our staff greets you at Cairo's airport and escorts you to your hotel. Complimentary visa will be issued upon arrival for Americans, Australian, NZ, EU, Korean & Japanese citizens, passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the arrival date.

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 3 - CAIRO / Overnight Sleeper Train - Sunday (BLD)
We visit the Egyptian Museum including the "Mummies Room" , Citadel of Saladin and Alabaster Mosque. In the afternoon we fulfill your dream of seeing the Pyramids at Giza and the Great Sphinx. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. In the evening,it's all aboard! We'll see you to your private sleeping compartment on the train bound along the banks of the Nile. Dinner served in your compartment. The sleeper is rated officially as a 4 star category, we rate it as a 3 star only. If you do not like trains, then please add $ 150 to fly . In which case , you'll spend tonight in Cairo , and fly tomorrow to Aswan

DAY 4 - ASWAN / ABU SIMBEL - MONDAY (BLD)
A morning arrival at Aswan, where we are met by private air conditioned car/driver & guide and on to : Abu Simbel:
Ramses the Great's huge desert temple at Abu Simbel marked the southern border of the pharaoh's dominions. Rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser by an international effort, it is a marvel of sacred engineering. Twice a year , and only then the sun penetrates to the Holy of Holies, illuminating the stone figures of Ramses and Nefertari , we drive along the shore of Lake Nasser . We explore the huge temples , admire its ancient aura and artistry, then retire to your comfortable hotel for lunch. Remainder of the day at leisure.
Evening Sound & Light show at Abu Simbel temples , transfer & entrance fees are included
Dinner is included at the hotel in Abu Simbel

Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt :
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.

DAY 5 - ABU SIMBEL / ASWAN / NILE CRUISE - Tuesday (B)
Rising before dawn, we take a short drive along the shore of Lake Nasser, back to the temples site , watching the sky lighten and the sacred sun rise above the horizon. We reach the temple while the air is clean, clear and cool, and the sun's light still golden just right for photographs and one more photo op before we head back for .

Aswan and the legendary Old Cataract hotel or Movenpick ( for deluxe category ), or Basma Swiss Inn for First Class.

Afternoon tour of Kalabsha Temple dedicated to the ancient god Mandulis, and the goddess Isis Built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus , the small rock-cut temple of Beit El Wali, built by Ramses the Great , and the small yet charming Kiosk of Qertassi.

DAY 6 - ASWAN / NILE CRUISE - Wednesday (BLD)
Breakfast at the hotel. Morning at leisure . We meet you at the hotel and escort you to the Nile Cruise in time for lunch.
Today we tour the mighty Aswan dams, old and new, then board a motor launch to visit the Temples of Philae, moved to an island and saved from the rising waters of the Nile after building the High Dam, this Island temple of Philae was 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, the great Mother Goddess. Come explore her mystery in timeless Egypt when you Travel in Style!

DAY 7 - KOM OMBO- Thursday (BLD)
Our Nile vessel cruises serenely down the Nile for a visit to the great twin-temple at Kom Ombo, dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile river god, and Haroeris, the solar disk.

DAY 8 - EDFU & LUXOR - Friday (BLD)
We board horse-drawn carriages (or motor vans) for the short ride through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, the best-preserved in Egypt. Then we drive beside the Nile to the Valley of the Kings including Tutankamon's tomb , the magnificent tomb-temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the Valley of the Queens.

Afterward, we'll continue on Luxor's west bank to 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.

Followed by the Colossi of Memnon, before returning to Luxor, we tour the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak.

DAY 9 - SHARM EL SHEIK - Saturday (B)

Complimentary CAMEL CARAVAN or Horse Ride at your option
We're headed to a special place, today, off the traditional visitors' itineraries. After breakfast, we'll board our flight for the short trip to Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy this unique desert beach resort. Relax by the cerulean waters, take a camel ride at your option, and observe in the distance the steady line of ships heading to and from the Suez Canal.
(Complimentary) Sunset Camel Caravan or on Horse Backs
A two hour caravan on camels, if you prefer to enjoy a 2 hour of horse back riding, please do let's know, but in this case the horse ride will not be into the Sahara .
The camel caravan is fully escorted & guided as well by local Bedouins through the desert and through the mountain passes of El Aat mountain , we stop at the highest point in the valley for a cup of tea with the Bedouin, take in the the evening charm of the desert & nature before we head back to your hotel.

DAY 10 - SHARM EL SHEIK 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.

DAY 11 - CAIRO -HOME HOSTED DINNER Monday (BD)
We return to Cairo by plane for a free day in the Egyptian metropolis.

This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Istanbul! You'll be invited to a complimentary 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 by yourself , by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 12 - DEPARTURE Tuesday (B)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home. Bon Voyage

Rate per person in US $

Rate per person in US $	Deluxe Hotels Deluxe Cruise	First Class Hotel & Cruise
In Triple Occupancy	US$ 3950.00	US$ 3769.00
In Double Occupancy	US$ 4000.00	US$ 3889.00
In Single Occupancy	US$ 5265.00	US$ 4349.00

Your tour includes:

• Visa fee is included on a comp basis only for American ,Australian, NZ , Canadian, EU , Korean , Singaporean, Korean & Japanese Citizens .

• International airfares JFK/CAIRO/JFK with tax. In economy class . When you handle your own air fare please deduct $500 from the listed rates .

  AIRFARE NOTES : for any departures from June 1 through Sep 15 , Dec 20 - Jan 2 please add $ 300 high-season airfare surcharge to the rates shown above. This air fare supplement doesn't apply when you handle your own airfare.
  
  

• Set-menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner.
  
• All airfares, domestic sleeper train ( Private compartment) and airport transfers within Egypt.
  
• Hotel accommodations including tax and service charges.
  
• The Nile cruise including all meals, shore excursions and admissions fees.
  
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees
  
• Bottled water ( one per person delivered daily to your cabin while on board the cruise).
  
• Tea or coffee & bottled water with each & every meal while on board the cruise.

Honeymoon Wishes: A 14 days edition
A "Dream Come True" tour. 14 days , Cairo and the Pyramids. A Nile Cruise of course, and a beach resort at Hurgada or El Gouna, on the Red Sea. Including the welcome Zaffa (procession that will resemble an Arabian/Egyptian wedding party) with a troupe of dancers and musicians dressed with the Egyptian typical clothes, welcoming guests by singing and dancing Egyptian Folklore).

• Travel insurance ( please contact your insurance agent ).
• Tips.
• Beverages.

More Choices :

• Alexandria & Oases Edition

• The 10-Day or the 12 days version

• Honeymooner's Private Yacht.
  
• Add Petra , Jordan
  
• Divers Edition

Additional optional diving :

Inclusions:
Diving Guide

Two dives per day.

Daily transfers between your hotel and the port/ boat

Tank and weights. ( Other items may be rented on the spot)

Click here for more info on Le Meridien Makadi Hotel Hurgada

Read more on Cleopatra's First visit to Rome. She Turned Heads. The Senate was not amused Cleopatra visited Rome in 46 BC, was received in triumph, and moved into Caesar's villa even though Caesar was already married. Caesar's imperial ambitions and his indiscreet extramarital affair with Cleopatra turned powerful senators against him, and he was murdered on the steps of the Senate in March of 44 BC.