Nov. 11-23, 2010
DAY 1 THURSDAY, NOV. 11- CAIRO Upon arrival you will be met, assisted and transferred to your hotel, the Mercure Le Sphinx Hotel. Remainder of the day at leisure. Welcome dinner at your hotel. (D) DAY 2 FRIDAY, NOV. 12 - CAIRO After breakfast is your morning drive to Giza. From afar, you will already begin to see the famous PYRAMIDS AT GIZA. View the three PYRAMIDS, the oldest surviving structures of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Stand in awe at the MAGNIFICENT SPHINX which was carved from a single piece of stone, guarding the Giza plateau. Continue on to the CITADEL OF SALADIN and the 12th century alabaster MOSQUE OF MOHAMMED ALI, with its lovely minarets and cupolas. Drive to the bustling KHAN EL KHALILI BAZAAR, where shopping is an exotic experience. Lunch at a local restaurant followed by an afternoon visit to the world famous EGYPTIAN MUSEUM with its 100,000. Tonight special treat dinner on board the Standing Boar Blue Nile Overnight Cairo. (B,L,D) DAY 3 SATURDAY, NOV. 13 CAIRO/ALEXANDRIA/CAIRO After breakfast depart Cairo and drive to Alexandria, upon arrival visit the GRECO-ROMAN MUSEUM with a collection that covers the period from the 3rd century B.C to the 7th century A.D. Continue to see POMPEY S PILLAR, which were part of Serspis Temple. On to visit to the CATACOMBS OF KOM EL-SHUQAFA, dated from the 2nd century A.D, the Catacombs are unique both for their plan and decoration, they are a curious blend of Greco-Roman and Egyptian designs. Drive on, passing the Montazah Palace and visiting the Public Gardens; see the grand structure built in a mixture of Turkish and Florentine styles. Return to Cairo for overnight. Lunch is included in your program. (B,L)
DAY 4 SUNDAY, NOV. 14 CAIRO/LUXOR Morning transfer to the airport in time to board your flight to Luxor. Upon arrival drive to DENDARA, visit the site of the temple complex dedicated to Hathor, goddess of love, beauty and fertility, with its profusion of reliefs and inscriptions. Lunch is included on the way. Back to Luxor check into the Steigenberger Nile Palace hotel. (B,L) DAY 5 MONDAY, NOV. 15 - CAIRO/LUXOR (Cruise) After breakfast, transfer to your 5-day/4-night cruise aboard the M/Y MIRAGE. Enjoy lunch as you sail for your visit to the vast KARNAK TEMPLE COMPLEX, built by generations of Pharaohs over a 2,000 year period. Continue sailing to the famous AVENUE OF THE SPHINXES and the imposing TEMPLE OF LUXOR with its grand colonnades. Spend time exploring the mighty temple of Amun with its mass of obelisks, pylons, colossi and courts. Marvel at the Avenue of the Sphinxes, which once stretched between the Temples of Karnak and Luxor. Enjoy dinner onboard as you sail to your next stop. (B,L,D)
DAY 6 TUESDAY, NOV. 16 LUXOR /EDFU (Cruise) After enjoying breakfast onboard, you will tour the VALLEY OF THE KINGS secluded in the Theban Hills, the location of where the New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in dramatically shafted tombs built into the hillsides. Enter the astonishing TOMB OF TUTANKHAMUN. Continue to MEDINAT HABU before proceeding to the beautiful terraced TEMPLE OF QUEEN HATSHEPSUT, one of the most brilliant conceptions in the history of architecture. View the fabled COLOSSI OF MEMNON standing over 70 feet tall. In the afternoon, sail to ESNA and enjoy lunch on board. Sail to EDFU. Dinner on board. (B,L,D) DAY 7 WEDNESDAY, NOV. 17 EDFU/ASWAN (Cruise) After breakfast onboard, proceed to the TEMPLE OF HORUS, the best preserved of all large Egyptian temples, built by the Ptolemies over a 180 year period. Sail to KOM OMBO as you relax on deck and glide by primitive villages, basically unchanged for over 1,000 years and nestled on the banks of the Nile. In the afternoon, visit the unique twin GRECO-ROMAN TEMPLES, dedicated to Horus, the Sun God and Sobek, the Crocodile God. Sail on to Aswan. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 THURSDAY, NOV 18 - ASWAN (Cruise) A morning visit to the ASWAN HIGH DAM and the GRANITE QUARRIES where stone for the ancient monuments and the modern dam of Aswan was cut. View the unfinished OBELISK OF QUEEN HATSHEPSUT. Continue by motorboat to the beautiful island of PHILAE and view the exquisite sandstone TEMPLE OF ISIS. In the afternoon, enjoy a relaxing sailing trip on a typical Egyptian Felucca (sail boat) and glide along the Nile past ELEPHANTINE ISLAND, LORD KICHENER'S BOTANICAL GARDENS and the dramatic white marble AGA KHAN MAUSOLEUM. (B,L,D) DAY 9 FRIDAY, NOV. 19 ASWAN/CAIRO After breakfast, you will disembark and transfer to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel the Ramses Hilton, dinner and overnight at the hotel. (B,D) DAY 10 SATURDAY, NOV. 20 CAIRO/ SHARM EL SHEIKH Morning transfer to the airport in time to board your flight to Sharm El Sheikh, upon arrival you are transferred to your hotel the Sonesta Sharm El Sheikh, the remainder of the day at leisure, dinner and overnight. (D) DAY 11 SUNDAY, NOV. 21 SHARM EL SHEIKH Full day at leisure. Dinner and overnight. (D) DAY 12 MONDAY, NOV. 22 SHARM EL SHEIKH/ST. CATHERINE/SHARM EL SHEIKH Drive for approximately 2 and ½ hours and visit this still active monastery situated at the foot of Mount Sinai and about 1571 meters above sea level. ST. CATHERINE MONASTERY dates back to Roman times 542 A.D, and is still the home for the same order of monks who constructed it in the 4th Century. We will visit the church of St. Catherine, which is considered to be one of the most famous churches of the world. In artistic style it is similar to the Italian school of this period, especially the mosaics in the church of St. Vitalius, as well as in the Aghia Sofia in Istanbul. The Charnel house is a repository of the bones of the monks who died at St. Catherine over the centuries. The visit also includes a closer look at the Moses well and the Icon gallery of the monastery. The burning bush is situated within the confines of the monastery, and was planted here in order to build the Holy Alter upon
its roots, and it is the only bush of its kind growing in the entire Sinai Peninsula. We will have lunch at St. Catherine, and drive back to Sharm El Sheikh. Dinner and overnight. (L,D) DAY 13 TUESDAY, NOV. 23 EN ROUTE Early morning transfer to the Sharm el Sheikh Airport for your flight back to Cairo International Airport. ** The cruise reserves the right to alter the sailing schedule in the event of unforeseen circumstances. THE PRICE OF THE ABOVE PACKAGE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING SERVICES: Air Transportation: Intra-domestic flights Transfer & Porterage: Roundtrip transfers between airports and hotels including assistance by our representative upon arrival and departure. Porterage of one average sized pieces of luggage per person only. Accommodations: The following hotels, with private facilities including service charge and/or taxes: Dates City Hotel # of Nights Nov 12 Nov 14 Cairo Mercure Le Sphinx Hotel 2 Nov 14 Nov 15 Luxor Steigenberger Nile Palace Luxor 1 Nov 15 Nov 19 Cruise M/Y Mirage Cruise 4 Nov 19 Nov 21 Cairo Ramses Hilton Cairo Hotel 2 Nov 21 Nov 24 Sharm El Sheikh Sonesta Sharm El Sheikh 3 MEALS: 11 Breakfasts 8 Lunches 10 Dinners SIGHTSEEING: Sightseeing in deluxe private air-conditioned motorcoach, services of a licensed English-speaking guide, all entrance fees as per the attached itinerary. NOT INCLUDED: Passport & insurance fees; tips to guides, drivers and hotel personnel; costs for items not on table d hôte menus; any other items of a personal nature such as gratuities, laundry, telephone calls, etc. NO INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TO AND FROM CAIRO