Temples and Timeless Vistas

A five-day Nile cruise and Abu Simbel Excursion
Board Aswan
Inclusive of air fare in Egypt - Compare to driving to Abu Simbel

Map -Nile Cruise Route
Rates & Itinerary for : 4 days , 8 Days Cruise - Add Sharm El Sheikh Resort on the Red Sea
On to Spain and Andalusia . Marsa Alam Petra edition

DAY 1 - Aswan / Abu Simbel : Weekly Year Round
or board LUXOR (LD)

Please advise the name of your hotel in Cairo or in Sharm El Sheikh . Or ask us for assistance with a hotel in Cairo ? or in Sharm El Sheikh

Transfer is included ( private car/driver) from your hotel to the Cairo airport.
Domestic air fare between Cairo or Sharm El Sheikh and the cruise is included.

If/when you are handling your own air fare between Cairo & the cruise. Please click here .
Or if you prefer to use the overnight sleeper train between Cairo and Luxor , please click here.

We have several boats that do start on different days of the week to accommodate your schedule: You may start this 5 day sailing Weekly on any Saturday , Monday , Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Flights from Cairo are usually around 6 AM , leaving your hotel around 4 AM , we'll always reconfirm the time locally in Cairo .

Connect or a brief stop in Aswan before we continue on to Abu Simbel:
There we'll marvel at the temples dedicated to Ramses the Great and Queen Neferatri, saved from rising waters of the Nile when the High Dam was built. In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters.
The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temple by ourselves in the quiet of the morning, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temples we begin our leisurely drive back along the shore to Aswan Airport for your flight.

Fly back to Aswan . Domestic air fare is included , issued & delivered in Egypt.
Check in on your cruiser . Complimentary welcome drink is served upon arrival.
Welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin .

In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. Only for those who are interested: a short camel caravan & ride for almost half an hour to visit a local Nubian Village.

Add an extra night in Aswan ?

DAY 2 - ASWAN & KOM OMBO (BLD)
First we tour new Nubian Museum then the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the the Island temple of Philae , 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!

Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples.

DAY 3 - EDFU & ESNA (BLD)
We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple. Re-embarking, we cruise to Esna , go thru the locks. Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 4 - LUXOR (BLD)
We tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings , including Tutankaomn's tomb, and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise.

Queen Nefertari's tomb will be closed for urgent repairs. , that's why we are visiting instead the Ancient Worker's village at Deir el Medinah

The Queen for whom the sun shines :
Long before Cleopatra humbled the ruler of Rome, an Egyptian queen held power over the heart and soul of Ramses, Egypt's greatest pharaoh. In the 12th century BC, a brokenhearted Ramses built a grand funerary tomb for Queen Nefertari, "the Beautiful one," in the Valley of the Queens. It's been exquisitely restored with the aid of an American endowment, and is among the rarest sights in all Egypt: the only great tomb ever built by a pharaoh for his late queen. Artistically, it is the closest thing you could ever come to see the original Ancient Egyptian art in all of its glory and finesse.
Because of its fragile nature, only a limited number of visitors are allowed entry each day. We are the only company to include a visit to Nefertari's tomb in our daily program. Because of the limited access we must rise early for our visit, appropriate as Ramses named Nefertari "the one for whom the sun shines." >>

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.

DAY 5 - LUXOR (B)
Check - out after breakfast. The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the morning. Return to the boat to collect your luggage, on to Luxor Airport . On to Cairo by air Domestic air fare is included as well back to Cairo .
In Cairo , we meet you at the airport & escort you back to your hotel or assist with your transfer to another connecting international flight. End of our service - Bon Voyage !

Itinerary is subject to change without notice. Compare with the overnight in Abu Simbel version

RATES per person in USD for the total 5 day Cruise

Inclusions:

• All shore excursions, entrance fees, the service of an English Speaking guide.
• Welcome fruit basket upon check-in.
• Large bottle of water per person per day delivered to your cabin.
• All outside cabins, including all tax & service charges.
• All meals: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner. Afternoon tea daily onboard.
• One small bottle of water per person with each meal
• Complimentary transfer from/to airport / railway station / Cruise in each of Luxor & Aswan.
• Abu Simbel Excursion, including transfers, group tour in Abu Simbel & entrance fees.
• Domestic air fare: Cairo or Sharm El Sheikh to Luxor , as well as Aswan / Abu Simbel Aswan / Cairo , all in economy class.

RATES per person in USD for the total 5 day Cruise

Inclusions:

• All shore excursions, entrance fees, the service of an English Speaking guide.
• Welcome fruit basket upon check-in.
• Large bottle of water per person per day delivered to your cabin.
• All outside cabins, including all tax & service charges.
• All meals: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner.
• Afternoon tea daily onboard.
• One small bottle of water per person with each meal
• Abu Simbel Excursion, including transfers, air fare Aswan Abu Simbel Aswan, group tour in Abu Simbel & entrance fees
• All transfers as listed, all by air conditioned car/van .
• Domestic air fare between Cairo & the cruise, tax included. Add $ 150 for upgrade to business class ( subject to availability)

Rates do not include:

• Tips.
• Insurance ( we'll be glad to send you the flyer)
• Drinks with meals. Meals not specifically mentioned. Tips for guides and hotel personnel.
  Expenses of a personal nature
• Baby Sitting : Available upon request : $10 per child / per hour
  

- For Christmas/New Year's and the month of April :
Please add %20 supplement, to any of the listed rates.

- For a PRIVATE: CAR/DRIVER & GUIDE for all the shore excursions for the duration of the cruise , please add :$ 150 per person. ( Guests booking a Presidential suite will always have a private guide, at no additional charge)

- Children discount :
10 % on the adult double rate. ( 9 years of age or younger), must be raveling with an adult. No children discount on triple or single rates.

- Transfer Between Hurgada & Luxor :
Minimum 2 guests : Rate per person : $55 + $15 handling fee. . Private air conditioned car & driver

Boarding the cruise is from either Luxor or Aswan, depending on the availability at the time of booking.  

- Dining Room Reservations: Meet other passengers :
YOU will not require any, our dining rooms do accommodate all our guests in one seating, one less thing to worry about while you are on the Nile. Enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere with several different languages being heard at dinner.

- Do we get sea sickness while sailing the Nile ?
This is river sailing, so do not expect any waves , no rough seas ! Your Nile cruises is actually a floating hotel that moves from place to place along the Nile. Actual cruising times are short and pleasant.

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- What to Pack:
Most of the year look forward to warm, even hot weather in Luxor & Aswan, morning & evenings are cooler. For Shore excursions, we suggest comfortable cotton & natural fabric lightweight clothing. Comfortable walking shoes are essential.

- 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

Jacquie Kennedy & Abu Simbel:

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.

No one questioned that the temple must be saved. UNESCO developed a marvelous plan to cut the huge monument into 1,423 stone blocks and move it 200 meters (219 yards) north and 63 meters (207 feet) higher,
just above the estimated level of Lake Nasser, the vast inland sea that would be created by the new dam.

But who would pay? As a developing country, Egypt could not shoulder the burden alone. Other countries could contribute, but only one country--the United States of America--truly had the resources for this
monumental rescue effort.

No matter how much wealth there is, it is never enough. Many legitimate, worthwhile projects compete for funds. What Abu Simbel needed was an advocate, someone who recognized the temple for the irreplaceable world art treasure that it was.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, already famous for her grace, refinement, and sensitivity to the arts, saw the need to work for the salvation of Abu Simbel. It was she who urged Congress to allocate $10 million for the rescue effort (a sum roughly equivalent to $100 million today). It was an enormous amount of money, but she saw that America
must step up to the challenge of saving this treasure of worldwide importance for all time.

The rescue funds were approved by Congress and the temple was saved.

In appreciation for her efforts, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser presented the First Lady and the president with a 4000-year-old Egyptian statue (which is now preserved in the John F Kennedy Library &
Museum in Boston). (http://www.jfklibrary.org/visit_museum-14.html)

President Nasser wanted also to give a gift of thanks to the people of the United States for their valuable support. He asked Mrs. Kennedy to choose an appropriate monument. She suggested the small Temple of
Dendur (c. 15 BC), and the gift was readily approved. The temple was brought to the United States in 1965 and installed at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1967.
(http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/ view1.asp?dep=10&full=0&item=68%2E154)

Times change, leaders come and go, but some acts of support and generosity are remembered through the decades.

First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy loved Egypt, and Egypt still loves her.