10 Days Highlights of Egypt: Women Only Departure Tour Package

Duration: 10 Days / 9 Nights
Priced From: $6,995 ( Price is per person, based on double occupancy )
Dates: October

This introduction to Egypt visits Cairo's best-known sites and the treasures of the Nile on a four-night cruise aboard own luxury cruiser MS 'Sun Boat IV.' Exclusive features include a private lesson on the art of belly dancing and a guest lecture by Egyptologist Manal Saad, whose current work involves bridging the gap between Western and Middle Eastern civilizations.

YOUR EGYPTOLOGIST
Hala El Sayed
A native of Cairo, Hala El Sayed has undergraduate degrees in political science and guiding/Egyptology, as well as a master's in Islamic art and architecture. Part of a group of selected Egyptologists chosen to assist in orientation for new professors at the American University in Cairo, Hala has also lectured in the United Kingdom. She has been a licensed guide since 1989 and enjoys the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and represent her country in a positive manner.

Day 3
Cairo
The morning is at your leisure. This afternoon visit the world-famous Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, housing relics that date to 4000 BC. The highlights of your museum visit are the treasures of Tutankhamun and the Mummy Room. Return to your hotel where a private instructor demonstrates Egypt's traditional art of belly dancing. You have time to freshen up before gathering for a welcome cocktail and a lecture on "Women in Egypt" by Ms. Manal Saad, a licensed Egyptologist and researcher on the modern history of Egypt and the Middle East. Her master's thesis work led her to further research focusing on the public and political roles of 19th-century Egyptian women, and she is currently involved in bridging the cultural gap between the Western and Middle Eastern civilizations.
Mena House Oberoi, Pyramids View Room B, D

Day 4
Cairo
After breakfast, drive to Memphis, the capital of the ancient kingdom. Its splendor has been destroyed, but the alabaster Sphinx, built during the 18th Dynasty, still remains, as does a beautifully carved statue of Ramses II. Continue to the necropolis of Sakkara, whose surviving pyramids include the world's oldest stone structure, King Zoser's 27th-century BC step pyramid. After lunch visit the famous Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza that include the great pyramid of Cheops, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Stop at the nearby Solar Boat Museum, housing Cheops's 142-foot funerary boat, considered to be one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. Later, you may attend the Sound and Light performance at the Giza Pyramids. (Please note: the Sound and Light performance is an optional excursion, available at an additional fee.)
Mena House Oberoi, Pyramids View Room B, L

Day 4
Cairo/Luxor
Early this morning fly south along the Nile to Luxor, known to the ancient Egyptians as Thebes, and the launching point for the Nile cruise portion of your tour aboard the luxurious 'Sun Boat IV.' Later this morning, travel to the East Bank of the Nile with your Egyptologist for a guided tour of the awe-inspiring Temple of Karnak, a huge complex 2,000 years in the making. The Hypostyle Hall within the temple covers 50,000-square-feet with 134 columns that once supported an enormous roof - an extraordinary engineering feat for the 12th century BC. View the massive statues of Ramses II and Tutankhamun, and the obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis I. After lunch on board, explore the Nile's West Bank, including the necropolis of Thebes where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried. Wander through Valley of the Kings where 64 tombs have been discovered. Continue to the terraced funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt's first female pharaoh, before arriving at the Colossi of Memnon. These two enormous seated statues of Amenhotep III were known in ancient times for their haunting voices at dawn. When you return to 'Sun Boat IV,' your boat manager introduces you to the staff. After he reviews on-board facilities and your cruise program, pause for cocktails, canapés and dinner.
MS 'Sun Boat IV' B, L, D

Day 5
Luxor/Denderah/Qena/Luxor
There is time to rest and enjoy the lovely scenery this morning - far from the crowds and other cruise ships - while you cruise to Qena. Disembark and continue overland to Denderah, site of the darkly beautiful Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor, the goddess of pleasure and love. The wonderfully preserved temple complex has a massive stone roof, dark chambers, underground passages and towering columns inscribed with hieroglyphs. Return to 'Sun Boat IV' and enjoy lunch as you return to Luxor. Sometime during your cruise, join the on-board chefs for a unique cooking lesson. Later, return to the East Bank to explore the graceful Temple of Luxor, built by Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, Haremhab and Ramses II and dedicated to the god Amun.
MS 'Sun Boat IV' B, L, D

Day 6
Luxor/Edfu/Kom Ombo
Your time is your own this morning. This afternoon, in Edfu visit the preserved Temple of Horus (the falcon god), built in 230 BC by Ptolemy III. Return to the ship for afternoon tea as you cruise to Kom Ombo. Dress in a traditional galabeyya and join your fellow travellers this evening for an "Egyptian Night" costume party. Dinner is a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by Arabic music and dance.
MS 'Sun Boat IV' B, L, D

Day 7
Kom Ombo/Aswan
Explore the Greco-Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god). Built in the third century BC, it stands at a bend in the Nile where sacred crocodiles once basked in the sun. Return to 'Sun Boat IV' for lunch as she sails toward Aswan. Visit Aswan's High Dam, the world's largest rock-filled dam. Take a short boat ride to the exquisite Temple of Philae on the island of Agilika. Recently moved from the submerged island of Philae, the temple was reconstructed stone by stone on Agilika and was dedicated to Isis and decorated with the image of her alter ego, Hathor. Continue to the granite quarries that supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used to construct the pyramids and temples. This is also the site of the enormous Unfinished Obelisk. Weather permitting, board a traditional Nile felucca (a typical Egyptian sailing boat) to sail around Elephantine and Kitchener's Islands. A local artist joins you aboard 'Sun Boat IV' for afternoon tea and demonstrates the delicate art of henna painting. Later, white-gloved waiters serve gourmet cuisine at your gala farewell dinner.
MS 'Sun Boat IV' B, L, D

Day 8
Aswan/Abu Simbel/Cairo
Leave the ship today and board a short flight to Abu Simbel, site of the magnificent temple of Ramses II. Impressive in itself, this great temple is further remarkable in that it was moved up the hillside when threatened by floodwaters from Lake Nasser and the high dam project. Return to Aswan and connect to Cairo, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. The balance of the day is at your leisure, a perfect opportunity to indulge in a pampering spa treatment at your hotel.
Sofitel El Gezirah Cairo B, L

Day 9
Cairo
Explore Cairo's Islamic culture this morning. Caliph Amr conquered the Roman fortress at Cairo in AD 640, and since then Islam has played a significant role in Egyptian culture. Today there are 250 mosques that represent works by the rulers of the ensuing centuries. Visit the medieval Citadel of Salah El Din, with its Ottoman style alabaster mosque of Mohammed Ali. Stroll from Bab El Fotouh, the city gates, to the Khan El Khalili souk (bazaar), once part of the old walled city. As you shop the stalls for bargains, your Egyptologist fascinates you with stories of shopkeepers who sell everything from licorice tea to obscure spices and birds. Additional staff members are available to help you bargain for treasures. Return to the hotel for leisure time on your own. Tonight, join Gihan El-Sadat, Egypt's former first lady, for a special farewell dinner in her home.
Sofitel El Gezirah Cairo B, L, D

Day 10
Cairo/United States
Board your homebound flight.
B

Special Notes: The sequence of daily sightseeing may vary due to local conditions, as well as the arrival and departure times of the cruise ship.

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

10/08