TREASURE OF EGYPT 10 NIGHTS - 11 DAYS. Full day tour of Pyramids, Sphinx and Sakkara.

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1 TREASURE OF EGYPT 10 NIGHTS - 11 DAYS Highlights Full day tour of Pyramids, Sphinx and Sakkara. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes, Tomb of Tutankhamen, 4 nights cruise along the mighty river The Nile and much more Itinerary 3 nights in Cairo 1 night Alexandria - 1 night Sleeper Train - 4 nights cruise between Luxor and Aswan 1 night Cairo. Package includes All transfers within Egypt, personalized sightseeing as mentioned in itinerary in a private vehicle with an Egyptologist and driver, Sleeper train between Cairo and Luxor as well as domestic flight from Aswan to Cairo. Page 1

2 DETAILED ITINEARY WEDNESDAY - CAIRO Arrive Cairo International airport. Meet, assist and transfer to your hotel in Cairo. Cairo Cairo has a unique atmosphere: both exciting and relaxed. The city pulses with life while the Nile flows on to the sea. "The Mother of the World" is one of the friendliest cities in the world: Egyptian hospitality will ensure that wherever you come from, you ll feel quite at home. Cairo has been the largest city in Africa for centuries. Modern Cairo encompasses many former cities and their monuments: the pyramids of the pharaohs, early Christian monasteries and churches; Salah al-din s Citadel; mosques of the Mamluke and Ottoman sultans. Five thousand years of culture are concentrated here, at the centre of three continents. Cairo offers an incredible selection of shopping, leisure, culture and nightlife. Shopping ranges from the famous Khan el-khalili markets, largely unchanged since the 14th century, to modern air-conditioned centres displaying the latest fashions. Particularly good buys are spices, perfumes, gold and silver, carpets, brass and copperware, leatherwork, glass and ceramics. Cairo comes alive at night, the best time to shop, eat delicious Middle Eastern cuisine, or simply watch the world go by from a pavement café. You can dine in a floating restaurant on the Nile, sample a shisha at a coffee shop or see oriental dancers and cabarets at a luxury hotel. And of course the most essential after-dark experience, the Sound and Light show at the Pyramids, a dramatic fusion of light and music recounting the story of antiquity. The Pyramids are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that has withstood the ravages of time. Located on the outskirts of the town of Giza on the West Bank of the Nile, opposite Cairo, they are the most visited site in the whole of Egypt. Just south of Chephren s pyramid is a huge mythical creature with a human head and a lion s body, known as the Sphinx. The Sphinx was traditionally associated with the Sun God, Amun, but although the Sphinx has been damaged by adverse weather conditions and pollution, in this instance it seems that the Page 2

3 workmen sculpted the creatures face to resemble King Chephren. Some say it was built out of stone let over form the Pyramid, others that was meant to guard Chephren s tomb. Overnight in Cairo Accommodation in Cairo for 3 nights at: BARCELO PYRAMIDS HOTEL - standard MERIDIEN PYRAMIDS HOTEL deluxe THURSDAY CAIRO (B) Breakfast at hotel. Commence a full day tour with an English Speaking Guide to the Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis & Sakkara. Cheop s Pyramid, the largest of the three was built in the 4th dynasty about 2650BC., and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In front of the Pyramid of Chephren, we find the Sphinx carved from a single piece of stone, it is a lion with a pharaoh s head thought to be a portrait of the Pharaoh Chephren. In the afternoon visit Memphis on the edge of the Western Desert, the capital of the ancient Kingdom, and one of the most important cities throughout the history of ancient Egypt. From here we drive to Sakkara, the vast Necropolis of ancient Memphis. Memphis was the ancient capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation until around 1300 BC. The ruins are 19km south of Cairo on the West Bank of the Nile. Sakkara and The Step Pyramids of Djozer Major pyramids at Saqqara include the Step Pyramid of Djozer the world s oldest monumental stone building the Pyramid of Userkaf and the Pyramid of Teti. Also at Saqqara is the Pyramid of Unas, which retains a pyramid causeway that is amongst the best-preserved in Egypt. This pyramid was also the subject of one of antiquities earliest restoration attempts, conducted under the auspices of one of the sons of Ramses II. Saqqara is also the location of the incomplete step pyramid of Djozer s successor Sekhemkhet. Archaeologists believe that had this pyramid been completed it would have been larger than Djozer s. Accommodation in Cairo. Page 3

4 FRIDAY CAIRO (B) Breakfast at hotel. After breakfast, visit the famous Egyptian Museum, a warehouse of Pharaonic treasure. Here among the many thousands of artefacts on display, you will view Tutankhamun s splendid treasures. In the afternoon, visit the Citadel of Saladin, Albaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali s before continuing to the Bazaars. Overnight in Cairo. SATURDAY - CAIRO / ALEXANDRIA (B) Breakfast at hotel. Depart by air condition vehicle to Alexandria. (About 220km.) Alexandria Lawrence Durrell described it as "the capital city of Asiatic Europe, if such a thing could exist". Alexandria has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern. Visitors can eat seafood caught by local fisherman, take a tram to view Roman remains or drink coffee in European-style patisseries. Alexandria is a year-round beach resort in winter the sun shines along the white sand coast while yachts race in the harbour, in summer sun lovers seek out the cooling sea breezes. Whether you come for the past or the present, for history or just a holiday, when you visit Alexandria you ll see more than one city. Arrive at your hotel and accommodation for 2 nights at: GREEN PLAZA HOTEL - standard CHERRY MARYSKI HOTEL deluxe Page 4

5 SUNDAY ALEXANDRIA CAIRO RAILWAY STATION (B/D) After breakfast commence a full day tour of Alexandria including Pompey Pillar, Catacomb and Roman Greco Theatre with a local English Speaking tour guide. In the afternoon transfer to Cairo Railway Station for your Sleeper Train to Luxor including dinner and breakfast. MONDAY LUXOR - CRUISE (B/L/D) Breakfast on board the train. Upon arrival at Luxor station, meet, assist and transfer to your cruise. Luxor is the world s greatest open-air museum filled with the awe-inspiring monuments of ancient civilization. Today you can walk through history; past statues with the heads of gods and animals, beneath pillars carved with lotus buds and papyrus. Ride in a horse-drawn caleche, sail in a felucca, take a sunset cruise or see the city from a hot-air balloon. Accommodation for 4 nights on board : Various sites can be explored including the City of the Dead: the Tombs of the Nobles, the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatshepsut s temple and numerous other sites. However you look at it, Luxor is unique. M/S Presidential Nile Cruises standard M/S TU YA Nile Cruises deluxe After lunch, enjoy an unforgettable visit to Luxor Temple; also tour the awe inspiring temple complex of Karnak, with its vast Hypostyle Hall. Dinner and overnight on board Page 5

6 TUESDAY CRUISE: LUXOR/ESNA/EDFU (B/L/D) Early morning after breakfast visit to the West bank including Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon & Hatshepsut Temple. Reaching the boat at Esna. Sailing to Edfu passing the Lock of Esna. Lunch, dinner and overnight on board. WEDNESDAY CRUISE: EDFU / KOM OMBO / ASWAN (B/L/D) Breakfast on board. This morning enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride to visit he beautifully preserved Temple of Horus, the Falcon God, possibly the most complete in Egypt. Lunch on board while sailing to Kom Ombo Visit the temple shared by the Two gods Sobek (the crocodile god) and Haroeris. Sail to Aswan. Dinner and overnight on board. Aswan Aswan, Egypt s sunniest southern city and ancient frontier town, has a distinctively African atmosphere. Small enough to walk around and graced with the most beautiful setting on the Nile, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. Days can be spent stalling up and down the broad cornice watching the sailboats etch the sky with their tall masts or sitting in floating restaurants listening to Nubian music and eating freshly caught fish. Here the Nile is at its most beautiful, flowing through the amber desert and granite rocks, round emerald islands covered in palm groves and tropical plants. Explore the ancient stronghold of Elephantine Island, take a felucca to the Mausoleum atop a hill at the southern end of the west bank, or ride a camel to the ruins of the Coptic Monastery of St. Simeon. Aswan has been a favourite winter resort since the beginning of the nineteenth century and is still a perfect place to get away from it all. Page 6

7 THURSDAY CRUISE: ASWAN (B/L/D) Breakfast on board. Take a motorboat to the Temple of Isis, rising from the waters of the Nile on the Island of Philae. On the way back, visit the High Dam. Lunch on board. PM Sail in a traditional Nile felucca around Aswan s Botanical Gardens. View the Elephantine Island and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. Dinner and overnight onboard the cruise in Aswan. FRIDAY ASWAN / CAIRO (B) Free day till your departure to the Airport for your flight to Cairo. Or you may opt for an optional tour to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel Abu Simbel is the most beautiful and imaginative construction of the greatest and most whimsical Pharaoh in Egyptian history - Ramses II. The façade consists of four colossal statues of the Pharaoh seated on his throne. Each statue is twenty meters high, measures four meters from ear to ear and one meter along the line of the lips. To the Pharaoh architects, the temple represented a tremendous challenge which, two thousand year later, was to be taken up again by the engineers of the world community in order to save it from the waters of the Nile. In the afternoon transfer to Aswan airport for your flight to Cairo. Arrive Cairo and transfer to your Hotel for 1 night including breakfast. Overnight in Cairo. BARCELO PYRAMIDS HOTEL - standard MERIDIEN PYRAMIDS HOTEL deluxe SATURDAY - CAIRO / SYDNEY (B) Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Cairo International Airport for your final departure. End of Our Services Page 7

8 Please note the following: 1. Optional tours are extra to be requested and paid for on the spot 2. Cruise itinerary and other arrangements may be altered for different reasons. Please check with your tour guide for any changes they may occur. 3. Domestic and International flights may be altered pending on the airline. We do not take any responsibility, however our representative in Egypt will do their best to accommodate you on different flights. 4. The meaning of the abbreviation in the itinerary are: (B) = Breakfast (L) = Lunch (D) = Dinner Page 8