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Egyptian
Wonders
Private Tour of Egypt 14 - Day Tour Ultra Deluxe - Sonesta Nile Cruise
Version
For the guests who can afford and want the BEST in touring Egypt
MS Amarco , Sonesta MS Moon Goddess , Sonesta St. George
or Sonesta MS Star Goddess Nile Cruises
Our
deluxe tour of Cairo and the Nile gives you an in-depth look at the wonders
of Egypt in 14 days, at the best rates possible. Meet the local, enjoy
a home hosted meal. Tour departs weekly on Sundays. Add
Abu Simbel . Extend to Alexandria
or to Petra & Jordan
DAY
1 - USA/CAIRO - Arrive any day subject to Sonesta Nile Cruises Sailing
dates & Availability
Air fare is included in economy class from JFK, add
-on air fare is available from major US cities.
Your wide-body jet departs the USA bound for Cairo. Overnight across the
Atlantic.
Sample carriers : British Airways, Lufthansa, Swiss, KLM etc. Egyptair
is the only one that's nonstop and get's you to Cairo in the afternoon
( Day 2 ).
Egyptair is the only non-stop flight JFK Cairo . With an afternoon arrival.
Upgrade to business class :$2000. OR $ 3000 for first class Roundtrip
with tax on Egyptair. ( Subject to change without notice) .
DAY
2 - CAIRO -
Private air-conditioned Vehicle . Private Chauffeur
Upon arrival in Cairo , we escort you to your comfortable hotel (
Club Level Room).
Visa fee is included & will be issued upon arrival for : American,
Australian , NZ , Canadian , EU , Mexican, Korean, Singaporean & Japanese
citizens.
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 (cBL)
-
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
Today we see Cairo's major sights: the Egyptian Museum including the"
Mummies room" , Manial Royal Palace, Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster
Mosque,and the 12th Century Khan El Khalili Bazaar district . Lunch
is included at a charming local restaurant.
DAY
4 - CAIRO (cBL) -
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
We tour Old Cairo: the Coptic museum, Church of Abu Sarga, and Ben Ezra
Synagogue, where we will visit the spot at which, tradition says, Moses
was found by the banks of the Nile. Remainder of the day at leisure. Lunch
is included at a local restaurant
DAY
5 - CAIRO- Home Hosted Dinner (cB)
Today Cairo is yours to explore (or to shop!) as you like, guidebook in
hand; or ask about our optional tours.
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.
DAY
6 - DAHSHOUR (cBLD) -
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
A half-day tour takes us to Dahshour, the newly-opened pyramid
field south of Cairo: DAHSOUR
- we'll motor to the edge of Cairo, 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. Dinner is included at the hotel.
DAY
7 - CAIRO - LUXOR - Board Your Nile Cruise (cBLD)
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
An early flight takes us to Luxor, where we settle in aboard our Nile
cruiser. Following lunch aboard, we visit the great Temple of Luxor,
and the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, returning to our
vessel in time for tea.
DAY
8 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS (cBLD)
We tour the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon's tomb,
temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari,
and Colossi of Memnon, returning to our Nile cruiser for lunch.
In the afternoon, your private guide will cal on you for a horse drawn
carriage ride through Luxor's folksy bazaar narrow street
Private
air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
.
DAY 9 - ESNA & EDFU (cBLD)
-
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
We cruise to Esna during the night and pass through the locks.
After breakfast we cruise to Edfu and board horse-drawn carriages
to get to the fine Temple of Horus. In the evening, we have a jolly
galabia party.
DAY
10 - KOM OMBO & ASWAN (cBLD) -
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist:
We explore Kom Ombo's twin Temples of Haroeris, the sun god, and
Sobek, the crocodile god, before cruising south to Aswan. After
lunch aboard, we board a graceful felucca for a cruise among the Nile
islands .
DAY
11 - ASWAN & CAIRO (cBD)
-
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
The mighty Aswan dams and the Nubian Museum are our first goal this morning,
followed by a trip by motor launch to the Philae temples ,
before returning to Cairo by plane and your hotel where dinner
awaits you.
DAY
12 - Giza , Memphis , Sakkara (cBL)
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza , the Solar
Boat Museum and the timeless Sphinx.
The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including the Step Pyramid of
Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas.
Lunch is included at the Mena House or Meridien Pyramids
In the evening, we return to the Pyramids for an awe-inspiring
sound-and-light show.
DAY
13 - CAIRO (cBLD)
Private
air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Private Egyptologist
The Culture of Cairo
Today
we’ll explore deep into the heart of Cairo, and get to know its
daily rhythms, its spirituality, its history, and its modern diversions.
We’ll start early, with a visit to a local market, with an immense
variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables on offer, both familiar and
exotic.
You’ll
see that shopping in Cairo goes far beyond a supermarket experience. Be
prepared for whispers, gestures, shouting, and controlled chaos. It’s
all part of the bargaining process, engaged in by women in traditional
modest garb as well as others in Western dress.
Then
it’s on to the Museum of Islamic Art, with its tapestries, textiles,
swords and other objects exemplifying one of the world’s great decorative
traditions ( closed in 2008 for repairs) . We’ll continue to the
Gayer-Anderson House, a serene and classic domestic oasis, right down
to its central fountain and exquisite furnishings. Our visit is also a
journey into a vanished way of life—the residence is actually two
traditional medieval Cairo houses restored by an English physician to
a former king. We’ll stop for lunch at a restaurant where Cairenes
go, then visit the Bab an-Nasr, the Gate of Victory in Cairo's old walls.
You’ll even see graffiti that survives from soldiers of Napoleon
and of the British Empire, among the many who passed this way. Farewell
Dinner cruise with folk show ( Hyatt cruise or similar )
DAY
14 - DEPARTURE (cB)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.
-
Private air-conditioned's Vehicle . Private Chauffeur .
Bon
Voyage.
RATES per
person in US$
| From
New York |
In
Cairo
Grand Hyatt , Conrad , or similar ( club level rooms )
|
| Triple |
US$
5105.00 |
| Double |
US$
5290.00 |
| Single |
US$
6725.00 |
Upgrades
on the Sonesta Star Goddess and Sonesta Moon Goddess :
The above listed rates do offer a choice of accommodation in a Beethoven
or Mozart Suite on the Sonesta Star Goddess .
For upgrade to the Chopin Suite on the Star Goddess or the Presidential
suite on the Sonesta Moon Goddess Nile Cruise : Please add $ 1100 USD
per person in double
DEPARTURE
NOTES .
For departures during Easter ( 2 weeks) , or : Dec 20 - Jan 2: Christmas,
New Year's , please add 20 % to the rates
DINING
NOTES
The set-menu meals included in your tour are indicated in the itinerary:
B = Breakfast, (or cB, Continental
Breakfast), L = Lunch, D
= Dinner. On our luxury Nile cruise vessels, our spacious dining rooms
accommodate all passengers at one seating, so there is no need to worry
about making reservations.
Air
Fare Supplement Notes :
Our airline partners for departures from New York are : Lufthansa , British
Airways, Air France, Egyptair and Olympic Airways.
From San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle-Tacoma, Phoenix, Denver
and Dallas-Fort Worth please add an additional $350; ( you need not to
fly via JFK, you'll be flying non-stop to Europe, one stop and on to Cairo.
From Chicago or Washington, DC's Dulles International Airport, please
ad an additional $250.
Air
Fare High Season:
In addition, for any departures from May 1 through Sep 30 , please
add $300 high-season airfare surcharge to the rates shown above. This
doesn't apply when you handle your own air fare.
If you choose to make your own arrangements for international airfare,
please deduct $500 per person from the rates.
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES:
-
International airfare
from New York, US departure tax. ( When you handle your own air fare,
please deduct $500)
-
Egyptian domestic airfares as described in the itinerary in BUSINESS
class, ( again this is limited to Egypt's domestic flights
between Cairo and the Cruise ) .
- All
airport transfers and taxes in Egypt.
- Hotel
accommodations (including taxes) as listed , club level rooms .
- Set-menu
(table d'hote) meals as indicated in the itinerary above.
- A
deluxe Sonesta Nile cruise with all shore excursions and meals.
- Guided
sightseeing by air-conditioned motor coach, including all admissions
fees.
- Visa
fee is included & will be issued upon arrival for : American, Canadian,
Australian, NZ, Mexican , EU , South Africa, Brazilian & Japanese
citizens.
- 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.
More
Choices :
.
DRESS
CODE All of our luxury Nile cruise vessels are fully air conditioned.
Onboard dress is casual except at dinner, when smart casual is the rule.
Lightweight cotton and other natural fiber clothing is best, with swimsuits
and sun hats for the sundeck and pool. Bring a light sweater or light
jacket for cool mornings and evenings, but most days are warm to hot,
with very little rain. Comfortable walking shoes are essential for shore
excursions.
On
board the ultra deluxe Movenpick Nile Cruise
On board the ultra deluxe Movenpick Nile Cruises: M/S Royal Lily , M/S
Royal Lotus , M/S Radamis II
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. Read More
Egypt's
Last Royal Family :
Photo Album: King Farouk, Queen
Farida and Princess Feryal
The
King's Chamber in the Great Pyramid was not meant to be visited:
Getting to it is challenging, and once you enter, it is very difficult
to turn back. The stone passage is only wide enough for one person. You
must be in good physical condition, able to climb several flights of stairs,
bend double, crouch and duck-walk for short distances. The King's Chamber
itself is the world's most claustrophobic place, with dim light and heavy,
hot, oxygen-poor air. There is no ventilation. If you are at all sensitive
to claustrophobia or confinement, or if you have any sort of respiratory
condition, for your own safety and the safety of others, you must not
enter the pyramid because it is impossible to remove a person or to bring
aid to them quickly
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