Egypt's Nile , You've got to go

Two Week in Egypt and the Nile Valley - For the Independent traveller - Design your own tours in CairoAncient River, modern ships, come Cruise the Nile

Add Spain and Andalucia

14 Days - Here's the best of Egypt : a good look at Cairo and a 5-day cruise along the Nile.
With hotel stays in Luxor & Aswan - Tour Starts DAILY in Cairo - Arrive any day of the week
Compare with the 12 Days Version - Go fishing for a day on Lake Nasser

DAY 1 - CAIRO Tour Starts DAILY in Cairo - Arrive any day of the week .
Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa fee is included and will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : Australian, NZ, American, EU , Canadian & Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo.

DAY 2 - CAIRO (cBL)
Own activities , explore Cairo as you wish with guide book in hand.

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DAY 3 - CAIRO- (cBLD)
We plunge into Cairo: the treasure-filled Egyptian Museum including the" Mummies Room" , the Citadel of Saladin, perched high above the city, and Mohammed Ali's Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at a local restaurant , we drive to Giza to see the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. If you're physically fit, you may scramble deep within the Great Pyramid to the king's chamber.

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 dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 4 - CAIRO, (cBD)
Another day in Cairo on your own in Cairo .
Own activities. In the evening, we host you on a Nile dinner cruise complete with exotic Egyptian entertainment.

DAY 5 - ASWAN, Camel Caravan! (B)
We fly to Aswan ( or Luxor ) and proceed to the Old Cataract Hotel. Overlooking the Nile and the ancient island of Elephantine. Only for those who are interested: a short camel caravan & ride for almost half an hour to visit a local Nubian Village, then on to the new Nubia Museum
Remainder of the day at leisure, the Oberoi hotel in Aswan or Old Cataract in Aswan ( Supplement applies) or other deluxe hotel subject to availability,for First Class : Basma Hotel or similar)

DAY 6 - Abu Simbel ASWAN (BL)
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've planned our visit to maximize your Abu Simbel experience. Rising before dawn, we drive along the shore of Lake Nasser, 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. We explore the huge temple by ourselves, admire its ancient aura and artistry, then retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temple we begin our leisurely drive back along the shore to Aswan, arriving late afternoon.

DAY 7 - NILE CRUISE , BOARD LUXOR or ASWAN (BL)
After breakfast at your hotel we escort you to board your Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin. In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile.

DAY 8 - 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 Island temple of Philae , dedicated to the Ancient Goddess ISIS . Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we sail downstream to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples.

DAY 9- 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 , pass through the Esna locks, Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 10 - 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 11 - LUXOR (B)

Full day at leisure in Luxor to explore this Ancient Capital on your own, in Luxor you'll stay at the Old Winter or other deluxe hotel subject to availability, at the time we receive your booking.

DAY 12 - LUXOR - CAIRO (B)
The gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor are our goals in the morning, followed by a return flight to Cairo. In the afternoon, wander through the city on your own, or do your last-minute shopping.

Photo: Courtsey of Sonesta Nile Cruises

DAY 13 - CAIRO- Own Activities (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.

DAY 14 - CAIRO- Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.

RATES per person in USD $

• For Dec 17 - Jan 5, Easter , please add %20 supplement to any of the listed rates.

• Private touring on board the cruise: Please add $ 250 per person for the full cruise/shore excursions.
  
  

Rates includes

• All airfare and sleeper train tickets .
  
  
• Bottled water ( one per person) delivered to your cabin daily while you are on board the cruise.
  
  
• Tea or coffee & bottled water with every & each meal while on board the cruise.
  
  
• Complimentary fruit basket upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
  
  
• Welcome drink served upon arrival on board your Nile Cruise.
  
  
• All transfers within Egypt. ( Honeymooners/ Anniversary / Birthday gift tours , all will enjoy private transfers at no additional charge )

• Hotel accommodation with tax & service charges. Sample hotels for:
  Deluxe : Cairo : Royal Nile Tower, Le Meridien Pyramids. Aswan Oberoi, . Le Meridien Luxor , or similar.
  

• Visa fee , visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : American,Western European, Canadian & Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 month beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo.

• Nile Cruise with all meals & shore excursions.Sample Deluxe boats : M/S Adonis , M/S Monaco , M/S Monte Carlo , M/S Beau Soleil, M/S Adonis , M/S Diamond
  
  
• Preset menu meals including B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental Breakfast) L = Lunch, D = Dinner .
• All guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees. On board the cruise you'll be part of an average 10-15 English speaking group.

Not included:

• International airfares to or from Cairo.
• Tips.
• Travel Insurance

Click here for the 14 -day edition with one week in Hurgada or El Gouna on the Red Sea:
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).

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.

Click Here for the Physically Challenged & Wheel Chairs private tour Edition

Add a Spa Package to your stay in Cairo when you stay at the Hyatt or the Four Seasons