Egypt in a Week

A 10 -Day Dream Vacation in Egypt and on The Nile
Ultra Deluxe Version

A good look at Cairo and a 5-day cruise along the Nile, locally escorted.

Tour Starts DAILY in Cairo - Arrive any day of the week - Extend to Petra & Jerash

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.
Hotel : Hyatt . Inter.Continental or similar

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 your name .
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 - CAIRO (BL)
On your first full day in Egypt we show you the Egyptian Museum, including the " Mummies Room" , and King Tut's Gold Treasure room , lunch is included at the Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant. After tour of the Citadel of Saladin, and the Mohammed Ali Mosque, made of alabaster then enjoy a treasure hunt walking tourof Khan El Khalili Bazaar district.

DAY 3 - CAIRO (BLD)
Today we drive to the edge of the Sahara and tour the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and the Solar Boat , before we break for lunch at the Mena House . Afternoon tour of Old Coptic Cairo , including the Coptic Museum , the Al-Moalaka Church and Beni Ezra Synagogue. Evening dinner cruise and fold show on board the Hyatt Dinner cruise .

DAY 4 - ASWAN, Camel Caravan! (BLD)
We fly to Aswan ( or Luxor ) , join us if you wish in an optional excursion to Abu Simbel by air.
Board our 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. Only for those who are interested: a short camel caravan & ride for almost half an hour to visit a local Nubian Village.

Ultra Deluxe Sonesta Star Goddess and Sonesta
M/S Moon Goddess . All Suites with private balconies

DAY 5 - 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 :

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 6 - 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 and its great temple dedicated to Khnum, the creator-god. Evening finds us in Luxor.

DAY 7 - 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.

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 8 - 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.

DAY 9 - On Desert Safari for the Day - Fayoum Oases - And you thought the Pyramids were old (BL)
We leave Cairo by sunrise ( private air conditioned car/driver/guide): Full day Fayoum Oases including:
Hawara Pyramid, El Lahoun Pyramid, Ruins of Karanis, drive by Lake Qarun, lunch is included at a local restaurant.

The wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains, oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.

Join us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place of camels, we’ll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your hotel, and soon you’ll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake the drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest. Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands. It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god Sobek.

We’ll visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside the waters of today’s Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen’s village of Chak Chouk. There we’ll stop for a lunch of fish caught fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village lanes and discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread, irrigating crops from the lake’s waters, and bringing in the catch. We’ll also include the craft and pottery museum where the best works of local artisans are on display.

Then it’s into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure! We’ll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes, and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the Whales ( In Arabic : Wadi-El-Hitan) . Incredibly, these great mammals once thrived - almost forty million years ago- in waters surrounded by sands. We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone.
This valley was discovered in 1936 , by the German geologist George Schweinfurth in the northwestern corner of Wadi El-Rayan.

The valley provides evidence of one of the major changes in this mammal evolution has been declared by the UNESCO to be a World Heritage Site. It is believed that these land based whales once had feet that may have helped them somewhat while ashore . A team from the University of Michigan discovered in the late 80's that these Zeuglodon whales did have rudimentary feet , this was a startling discovery , suggesting that whales of Wadi -El-Hitan had recently started living in water as well , these whales were not related to any of the whales we have today , rather a more slender body and may grow up to 75 feet long. Several skeletons of whales are exposed in the sand. George Schweinfurth named this extinct specie the Zeuglodon Isis Whales .

In the evening, you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo. Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is included

DAY 10 - CAIRO- Departure (B)
Our representative escorts you to the airport for your homeward flight.

Four Seasons Hotel - Standard Room
RATES per person in USD

Private touring in Cairo on board the cruise

For Dec 20 - Jan 1 Arrivals , Easter , please add %15 supplement to any of the listed rates.

Grand Hyatt Hotel - Nile View Room
RATES per person in USD

Private touring in Cairo and on on board the cruise

For Dec 20 - Jan 1 Arrivals , Easter , please add %15 supplement to any of the listed rates.

Children : maximum one child :
Age 10 years of age and younger sharing with 2 adults : 30 % discount on the adult double rate

Click for : Nile Cruise images : All suites Moon Goddess , All suites : M/S Senator, The New Movenpick Royal Lotus , Movenpick new Radamis II & The Ultra Deluxe M/S TiYi o the Amarco ( All Suites )

The Ultra Deluxe version , based on:
MS Queen Ti-Yi , M/S Senator , Movenpic M/S Radamis II , Movenpick MS Royal Lotus , MS Alexander the Great , MS Nile Vision , the all suites M/S Amarco , or the all suites Nile Cruise : the M/S Moon Goddess, or the new Sonesta MS Star Goddess ( all state   rooms do offer private balconies)

A sample suite on M/S Amarco ( all suites )

Rates includes :

• All airfares in business class in Egypt, tax include.

• All Airport / Hotel / Cruise transfers in Egypt based on private basis .
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Visa fee , visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for : 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.
  
  
• Nile Cruise with all meals , shore excursions and all entrance fees .
  
  
  
• 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 your home country
• Tips.
• Travel Insurance (we'll be glad to send you the flyer upon request)

Other choices :

• Flying from Madrid Spain ?

• Add a tour of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

• Start from Madrid Spain - Group departure

• Go fishing for a day on Lake Nasser .  

• Add an extra night in Sharm . Going to Taba ?

• Honeymooners , Private Parties ? Ask for a Private Cruise .

• En Espanol ? or Extend to Andalusia Spain after Egypt

• Honeymoon Egypt : with an extended stay in Sharm El Sheikh - 13 Day Version

• Compare with the  9 day edition

• The family edition at the Conrad Hotel or J. W. Marriott in Cairo

• The Ultra Deluxe with Four Seasons Hotel

• The 10 days, 11 Day , 12 Day with extended stay in Luxor or Aswan .

• Prefer to use the sleeper train ?

• Add: Abu Simbel

• Add Petra A La Indiana Jones

• Add Dendera & Abydos Temples .

• Egypt in a Week and Santorini in Greece
  
  
  
  
  

• 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).

Sample deluxe cruises

M/S Monaco , M/S Monte Carlo , M/S Mojito
Queen of Hansa ,MS Solitaire. MS Renaissance . MS Beau Soleil
MS Adonis , M/S Florence. MS Renaissance. MS Solitaire . MS Mirage . MS Princess Sara

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.

Deluxe Yachts on the Nile - deluxe private felucca or Dahabiya

Comapre with Zarafa ( giraffe) Deluxe Felucca Photo Gallery