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Egyptian Wonders
Tourist class hotels - 14 -Day Version
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 starts weekly in Cairo on Mondays. Add
an extension to Petra Jordan or
to Alexandria.
Add a foray into the Western Sahara
and camping in the White Desert
DAY
1 - CAIRO Monday
Upon arrival in Cairo , we escort you to your comfortable hotel. Zoser
Pyramids or similar
Visa fee is included & will be issued upon arrival for : American,
Canadian, EU , Australian, NZ , Singaporean , Mexican , Korean & 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
2 - CAIRO Tuesday (cBL)
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
3 - CAIRO Wednesday (cBL)
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.
DAY
4 - CAIRO- Home Hosted Dinner Thursday (cBD)
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 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
5 - DAHSHOUR Friday (cBL)
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.
DAY
6 - LUXOR & KARNAK Saturday (cBLD)
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
7 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS Sunday (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, do as you like:
Luxor's folksy bazaar awaits you.
DAY 8 - ESNA & EDFU Monday (cBLD)
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
9 - KOM OMBO & ASWAN Tuesday (cBLD) 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
10 - ASWAN & CAIRO Wednesday (cB)
The mighty Aswan dams and the Nubian Museum are our first goal this morning,
followed by a trip 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!
Back on land, we 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, before returning to Cairo
by plane.
Zoser Hotel or similar
DAY
11 - Giza , Memphis , Sakkara Thursday (cBL)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza and the
timeless Sphinx. The afternoon is for Memphis and Sakkara, including
the Step Pyramid of Zoser & Nobles tombs/Mastabas. In the evening,
we return to the Pyramids for an awe-inspiring sound-and-light
show.
DAY
12 - CAIRO - Friday (cBL)
Full day at leisure in Cairo . Explore the city as you wish on your own.
DAY
13 - CAIRO - Saturday (cBL)
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. 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.
DAY
14 - DEPARTURE Sunday (cB)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight home.
Bon
Voyage.
RATES per
person in US$
| Start
in Cairo |
|
| Triple |
US$
2196 |
| Double |
US$
2238 |
| Single |
US$
3113 |
DEPARTURE
NOTES
Egyptian Wonders starts on Mondays in Cairo . For departures during Christmas,
New Year's , please add 10% 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.
YOUR
TOUR INCLUDES:
-
Egyptian domestic airfares as described
in the itinerary, in economy class .
- All
airport transfers and taxes in Egypt.
- Tourist
class Hotel accommodations in Cairo (including taxes).
- Set-menu
(table d'hote) meals as indicated in the itinerary above.
- A
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,
EU, Australian, NZ , Singaporean, & Japanese citizens.
- 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.
Not
Included:
- International
Air fare
- Tips
- Travel
Insurance
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.
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.
For Private Sailing Compare with
: Royal Cleopatra
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
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