Cairo, Alexandria, Denderah, Abydos, Dahabiya Cruise & Abu Simbel

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1 Cairo, Alexandria, Denderah, Abydos, Dahabiya Cruise & Abu Simbel Day/ 01 Cairo Arrival at Cairo International Airport, meeting with our tour Manager, who will assist you through your immigration and customs formalities, then he will escort you to your hotel for check in and overnight. Day/ 02 Cairo Breakfast at hotel. Meeting with your tour manager and qualified Egyptologist tour guide at the lobby to tour some of Egypt's most ancient sites: the ruins of Memphis at the edge of the western desert (30 minutes drive), Egypt s first Capital until the end of the first Kingdom, about 2270 BC, and one of the most important cities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt. You will be visiting Memphis open air Museum the most important piece is Ramses the second statue about 20 meters long. Close to Memphis, we drive to Sakkara, the City of the dead with the famous step Pyramid of Zoser, and the greatest Pharaoh of the 3rd Dynasty 2650 BC, the step pyramids is known to be the first stone building ever build in the world, then you will be visiting a Mastaba (Tomb) for the Nobel Mereruka from the old kingdom the tomb have beautiful colored paintings about life in Egypt during the old Kingdom, Continue your tour to the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Pyramid Cheops (Khufu s), is the largest one of the three and one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, was built In the 4th dynasty about 2690 B.C. In front of the Pyramid of Chephren, there stand the Sphinx, which was discovered in 1912 carved from a single piece of stone. It is a lion with a portrait of a Pharaoh s head thought to be a likeness of the Pharaoh Chephren. Overnight at hotel.(b) Day/ 03 Cairo/ Alexandria/ Cairo Breakfast at hotel. Meeting with your qualified Egyptologist tour guide and driver to transfer you 1 / 9

2 to Alexandria to start your tour visiting the Citadel of Qaitbey fort, this 15th century fort at the tip of the eastern harbor, is the site where one of the ancient seven wonders once stood : The Pharaohs Light House. Continue your tour to the Catacombs of Kom El- Shokafa, which is one of Alexandria s most memorable monuments. These tombs are remarkable for their unusual mixture of art styles, sculpture, and reliefs which are images of Egyptian Gods. These catacombs date back to the 2nd century AD during the Roman era. Visit Pompey s Pillar made of Aswan rose granite erected in 297 A.D. for the Roman Emperor Diocletian and thought to be one of the 400 columns that once formed the portico of Alexandria s famous library the Pillar is the tallest ancient monument in Alexandria. Continuing the Roman theme, the next site your guide will show you is the Roman Amphitheater, built in the 1st century A.D. uncovered in the late 1950, possibly the best preserved Roman site in Egypt. The site also includes the remains of a Roman street and homes. At the end of the tour you will be visiting your tour with a visit to the newly opened Library of Alexandria built in the same spot the historical one was existing the library contains a beautiful museum with very special pieces from the ancient and modern history of Egypt. As part of the library, a new and very important antiquities museum has been created in order to highlight the history of Alexandria across the ages. It specifically highlights the cultural era of the Hellenistic world, providing exhibits related to knowledge and the arts the museum as ceremonially opened in January It now contains rare artifacts from the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic and Islamic eras. These artifacts are displayed in chronological order, representing the evolution of writing, the birth of scholarship and librarianship, and the ancient arts with informative displays presenting mosaic, portraits, glassware, pottery, coins, textile and much more. Drive back to Cairo to your hotel for overnight.(b) Day/ 04 Cairo/ Luxor Breakfast at hotel. Meeting with your qualified Egyptologist tour guide at the lobby to enjoy your tour visiting one of the famous and unique museums in the World the Egyptian Museum, famous for its antiquities from Egypt s Pharaonic period, which includes the fabulous treasures of King Tut-Ankh-Amon. Continue your tour to Old Cairo, visiting the oldest part of Cairo the old Coptic Churches the Hanging Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary built in the 3rd Century and the Church of St.Sergious, where the Holy Family was hidden while they were in Egypt and built in the 4th Century. Followed by visiting the oldest Jewish Synagogue of Ben Ezra. Visit the medieval Citadel of Salah El- Din, built in the 12th Century and contains many structures, the most impressive of which is the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali, it was designed in the early 19th Century by a Greek Architect from Turkey. The style is based on the Ottoman mosques of Istanbul. At the end of your tour visit Khan El Khalili Bazaar (the old market). Finish your tour, you are invited to have mint Tea and nergile (if you wish) at the oldest and most popular cafe named "Fishawy cafe". PM Meeting with your tour manager to transfer you to Cairo Airport for your flight to Luxor. Upon arrival at Luxor Airport you will meet with our local tour manager to transfer you to your hotel for check in and overnight. (B) 2 / 9

3 Day/ 05 Luxor Breakfast. Meeting with your qualified Egyptologist tour guide by crossing to the West Bank, visiting the Tomb of Nobles of the great dignitaries from the middle and the new kingdom dynasties, there main characteristics are extreme architectural simplicity compared to the royal tombs and a choice of iconography notable for it s freshness and vitality, the Nobles tombs provide us with valuable information about the daily life during the new kingdom agriculture hunting and fishing scenes, palatial festivals musicians and dancers maids and servants craftsman and artisans as well as the court life in ancient Egypt such as the offices and functions of various dignitaries, you will be visiting 2 tombs, the most famous are Menna s tomb who was described as the scribe of the land register of the master of the upper and lower Egypt, utilized a preexisting tomb and enlarged it, the decoration depicts scenes as the work in the field the pilgrimage to Abydos, scenes for the sons and daughters of Menna, the tomb is considered among the most elegant, also you will visit Nakht s tomb he was the scribe and astronomer of Amon in the era of Tutmoses the 4th while his wife was the singer of Amon scenes in the tomb shows the growing of wheat, the harvest, hunting and fishing. Continue your tour visiting Habu temple the mortuary of Ramses the 3rd one of the world s largest monuments, is the second in importance and size to Karnak temple, a stone quarry used to occupy the site during the Christian era later excavations uncovered the remains of the Pharaoh palace the present complex consists of 4 temples, a fortress gateway in the style of Syrian architecture, wall relief depict the king doing battle with his enemies, we also see the great Pharaoh in paradise wearing the unadorned clothes of a simple farm worker he ploughs his land performing without fatigue one of the necessary duties of the deceased in order that he may be granted eternal life by the gods. continue your tour to visit the valley of the artisans that used to be village and necropolis of all the workmen who built and decorated the royal tombs in Thebes, it is the only place in Egypt where you can see normal Egyptian ancient houses from the Pharaoh s period, the village was built in the west bank and kept as a secret no one from the workers was allowed to leave his village in his life so the great secret of the place of the royal tombs wouldn t be released, the tombs of the Artisans is among the best tombs in Thebes not in it s size but for the quality of the painting material and the accuracy it was painted with, as the workmen kept the best quality painting material for themselves and for sure did there best in painting their own tombs, you will be visiting 2 tombs as tomb of Sennedjin an official at the time of 19th dynasty, his title was servant in the square of truth, the painting is so alive and fresh, on one of the walls Sennedjin painted himself accompanied by his wife worshiping the gods in the after life, at the head of all gods is Osiris with his green skin that symbolize the renewal of life at springtime. Continue your tour to the Ramesseum Temple built by Ramses the 2nd, Diodorus of Sicily himself was amazed at the complexity and architectonic grandeur of the monument unfortunately today only few ruins remain the decoration of the temple shows the exploits of the Pharaoh who stopped the Hittite advance there are also scenes depicting the festival held in the summer to honor Min the prehistoric god of fertility in whose honor the Pharaoh sacrifice a white bull. Continue your tour to Deir El-Medineh, is a village where the workmen of the royal tombs of the nearby Valleys of the Kings and Queens resided with their families. About 70 ancient houses are surrounded by an enclosure. Most of the houses date to the Ramses side period. The village is accessible by two doorways in the north and the west. It is divided in the middle 3 / 9

4 by a north-south main street intersected by smaller alleys. Most of the houses are identical in design and consist of rooms and a stairway leading up to the spacious roofs. Coptic hermits in their era used the village as a monastery and turned a nearby Pharaonic temple to a church. Return back to your hotel for overnight.(b) Day/ 06 Luxor Breakfast at hotel. Meeting with your qualified Egyptologist tour guide to start your tour visiting Abydos Temple, (2 hours drive) which has been built on one of the earliest settlements of mankind in the Nile Valley by Seti I and considered one of the most important one of the most important religious significance dedicated to Osiris the judge and ruler of the netherworld, the splendid colonnaded façade of the temple Seti I is dedicated to 7 gods, inside there are seven aisles for the funerary processions a unique feature in temple architecture of Egypt, the columns and walls are richly decorated with larger than life size relives. Then drive back to Luxor and on the way visit Denderah Temple (45 min. from Luxor) built in the first century B.C. for the Goddess Hathor, the Cow Goddess, known as the "Golden One", considered one of the most notable accomplishments of the late Pharaonic architecture extremely well preserved to this day, the Hathoric Columns are a special feature of Denderah, standing in the courtyard of the temple is the unique statue of Bes an ugly funny bearded dwarf with shaggy hair and chin very different than any other Pharaonic art style, he was considered the god of music childbirth also the god of marriage and happiness and was great favorite in Egyptian homes, Relief of the Roman period adorn the outside walls of the temple, beautiful Cleopatra and her caesarian son are outstanding. Return back to your hotel for overnight.(b) Day/ 07 Luxor Breakfast at hotel. Meeting with your tour manager to transfer you to your Dahabiya; meet our Captain and the crew for welcome drink and introductory meeting with your private Egyptologist Embarkation (embarking time after 1200) in Luxor for sailing the Nile on a luxuriously ultra modern appointed Dahabiya. After Lunch, you will visit the magnificent temple complex of Amon-Ra at Karnak, is one of the greatest architectural achievements of antiquity. It is a vast complex that embodies the works of many Pharaohs added over the centuries. It was the most important sanctuary in Ancient Egypt, followed by the imposing 28th Dynasty Luxor Temple, which was started by Amenhotep III and completed by Ramses II. Continue your tour visiting the Mummification Museum, it is a small Museum that have a main concept to explain, which is the principal of the Old Pharaonic religion showing up a clear and simple paintings explaining domain concept of the religion, which is process of mummification end judgment day. Also the Museum contains a lot of mummies for humans, animals and the tools they have used for the mummification process. Then to the Luxor Museum, it is a small but beautifully arranged exhibit, displaying in an impressive way a selection of some rare pieces that range from pre- historic to Mamluk periods. Lunch and dinner on board. Overnight moored 4 / 9

5 in Luxor. (L,D) Day/ 08 Luxor/Esna Breakfast. Excursion to the West Bank to visit the great burial places of the Pharaohs - Valley of the Kings and Queens, where tombs of 64 Pharaohs and 57 Queens have been discovered and enter some of the most remarkable burials, the famous King tut Tomb 14th Century B.C., his tomb KV 62 was discovered in 1922 by the famous British Egyptologist Howard Carter, it is the most complete and intact Egyptian tomb ever found. The treasures that were found in the tomb of the boy king Tut Ankh Amun amazed the whole world for years. Then visit to the Tomb of Queen Tausert, the wife of king Seth II from the 19th dynasty. She was buried in one of the longest tombs in the valley. That tomb was usurped by King Set Nakht who changed some of its inscriptions and added to its original construction. Ten visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari, which is an elegant terraced monument and its architecture remarkable unusual Temple than other Theben Temple and the Colossi of Memnon facing the Nile. Begin sailing - direction of El Hagz Island and enjoy your dinner on board. Overnight mooring beside El Hagz Island. (B,L,D) Day/ 09 Esna/ Edfu/ Kom Ombo At Sunrise start sailing to Edfu enjoy your breakfast while sailing down the Nile. Arrive to Edfu and your private horse drawn carriage will take you from the boat to visit the majestic Temple of Horus in Edfu, which is considered to be the best preserved cult Egyptian Temple. According to the Egyptian myths, it was the place where the falcon-headed god Horus revenged the murder of his father Osiris by killing Seth. Continue sailing to Farris Island. Lunch and dinner on board and mooring beside the Island. (B,L,D) Day/ 10 Kom Ombo/ Aswan Breakfast. Today you will sail to Kom Ombo visit see the Ptolemaic Temple standing on high grounds overlooking the Nile. The Temple shared by the two gods Harories with his falcon head and Sobek with his crocodile head. Continue sailing toward Aswan. Lunch and dinner on the Dahabiya with a day to relax and take in the sites of the Nile. (B,L,D) Day/ 11 Aswan Breakfast. Morning free at Leisure for your Enjoyments. Lunch on Board. Then visit the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1971); a modern achievement of great magnitude in Egypt s history, built by the Russians in the 1960 s, it supplies most of the country s needed electric power; the Old Dam (completed in 1902) and the Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, a structure rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam s construction. 5 / 9

6 Dinner on board. Overnight moored in Aswan.(B,L,D) Day/ 12 Aswan/ Abu Simbel/ Aswan Today bid farewell to the crew and disembark the boat after breakfast. Meeting with your tour manager and driver to transfer you to Abu Simbel by private air conditioned Van. Upon arrival at Abu Simbel you will be transferred to visit the Great Temple of Ramses the 2nd one of the greatest and most whimsical kings of Egypt the temple is dedicated in theory to the gods Amon-Ra, Harmakis and Ptah, the temple was carved in and stone rock cliff with the four colossal seated statues of the King in front of the entrance, each statue is 20 meters high and measures 4 meters from ear to ear, taking a closer look you will realize that each statue present the king Ramses in different ages of his life starting from youth age till he became a mature King, the temple wall decorations celebrate the military grandeur of the king, continue your tour visit the temple of Nefertari the King's beloved wife. Both temples were threatened by the increasing level of the Nile upon the completion of the Aswan High Dam and have been preserved in the 60 s by international action organized by UNESCO. All parts of the temple have been moved and rebuilt on a plateau above the former site, the temple is considered a miracle of the ancient and modern history. Return to Abu-Simbel a hewn in rock with the four colossal seated statues of the king in front of the entrance. It was dedicated to Amun-Ra, the Horrakhti and Ramses II. After visiting the Temple you will be transferred again to Aswan to Airport for your flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival at Cairo airport you will meet with your tour manager to transfer you to your hotel for check in and overnight. (B) Day/ 13 Cairo Breakfast at hotel, you will meet with your tour manager to transfer you to Cairo, where he will assist you through your check-in and immigration formalities for your International departure flight back home. (B) B : Breakfast D : Dinner L : Lunch N.B. Please kindly note that Dahabiya Cruise Itinerary might be changed without prior notice to navigational circumstances and security restrictions, may be in sequences but not in visits. We are not liable for these changes. 6 / 9

7 Program INCLUDES : 01) 4 Nights bed and breakfast at hotel accommodation in Cairo 02) 3 Nights bed and breakfast at hotel accommodation in Luxor 03) 5 Nights Full board on a Dahabiya Nile Cruise 04) 2 Full Days Tour in Cairo 05) Over day Trip to visit Alexandria in a private air conditioned Van 06) Extra sight seeing at the East (Mummification and Luxor Museums) & the West Banks (King Tut Tomb and Tausert Tomb) 07) 1 Full Day Tour in Luxor (Including extra sites at the West Banks classical) 08) Over day trip to Denderah & Abydos Temples 09) Over day Trip to visit Abu Simbel in a private air conditioned Van (Including transfer Aswan/Abu Simbel/Aswan + guiding fees for local English speaking guide provided by Egypt air + entrance fees) 10) All Transfers in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan & Abu Simbel will be operated in a private Air conditioned Van 11) All Tours will be operated privately,, Except on the Dahabiya Nile Cruise will be within a small group. You will join with other people, almost 2-10 persons 12) Guiding fee for an English speaking Private Egyptologist Tour guide All through 13) All entrance fees to all Sight seeing, as mentioned in our program 14) The service of Boat Captain and his crew (Sailor, Chief, House keeper) 15) The service of a towing motor Boat and its Two crew members accompany your boat in case of emergency or lack of wind 16) Horse drawn carriage ride in Edfu 17) Fuel, docking fees 18) English speaking tour manager to meet and assist you for finalizing passport control and escorting you from Airport to hotel and vice versa 19) Domestic air tickets Cairo/Aswan-Luxor/Cairo 20) English speaking tour manager to meet and assist you for finalizing passport control and escorting you from Airport to hotel and vice versa 21) All taxes and service charges 22) Meals : 12 Breakfasts + 5 Lunches + 5 Dinners Program EXCLUDES : 01) International airfares 02) Visa entry fee 03) Departure tax (If there will be) 7 / 9

8 04) Gratuities to tour guide, tour escorts, Egyptologist and drivers 05) Personal expenses not mentioned : mineral water, personal calls, laundry, etc... 06) Any meals not mentioned 07) All Beverages 08) Any Optional Tours 09) Supplement for domestic air Aswan/Abu Simbel/Aswan Per Person USD (Instead of Van) OPTIONAL TOURS : (Which can match with this program) Tour Rate Sound & Light Show at Pyramids of Giza Per Person USD. 00 Sound & Light Show at Philae Temple Per Person USD. 00 Sound & Light Show at Karnak Temple Per Person USD / 9

9 Hot Air Balloon Ride Per Person USD / 9