Lindblad Expeditions Cruises, Passage Through Egypt, Cruise Vacation Package
Duration: 15 Days / 14 Nights
Priced From: Call Travelwizard
Dates: Oct - Dec, Jan - Mar, Oct - Dec
Ship: Salacia
From: U.S./Fly Overnight to Cairo, Egypt
Passage through Egypt has been developed to reveal Egypt in depth -- the celebrated sites along with less-traveled. Leading Egyptologists join you as we see the great Pyramids, the impressive monuments and inspiring paintings and statues – built with techniques still not fully understood by modern engineers. Our 15-day journey goes at a comfortable pace, and features a 6-night Nile voyage aboard the 54-guest Salacia, possibly the finest ship on the river. You’ll visit Luxor and the West Bank twice, and explore the Temple of Dendera. You will spend three days in Cairo before your six-day river voyage, discovering its rich heritage, along with time after the voyage seeing the Pyramids and other ancient sites at the edge of the desert. Throughout this voyage you will discover the remarkable achievements that have drawn visitors for millennia.
Itinerary
DAY 1 — U.S./Fly Overnight to Cairo, Egypt
DAY 2 — Cairo - The Four Seasons at the First Residence
Arrive late in the day and transfer to the Four Seasons at the First Residence in Cairo for four nights.
DAY 3 — Cairo
The morning is dedicated to a tour of the Egyptian Museum and its seemingly limitless collection of antiquities: mummies of the pharaohs, funerary jewels. The afternoon is left free to allow you to unwind and adjust to the time difference. Relax, take advantage of the hotel and its spa and get caught up on your rest. It will enhance your experience throughout your expedition in Egypt. (B)
DAY 4 — Cairo
Explore Islamic Cairo, seeing the five domes of Mohammed Ali Mosque and other intriguing sites. After lunch at a traditional restaurant, stroll through the Khan el Khalily bazaar. Welcome dinner at a fine Egyptian restaurant. (B,L,D)
DAY 5 — Cairo
Coptic churches, including the Church of Abu Serga and the 4th century “hanging” church, are found in Old Cairo. Walk through the winding streets to the millennium-old Ben Ezra Synagogue. In the afternoon there is a talk by a noted expert on Egypt. (B)
DAY 6 — Cairo/Luxor/Embark
Fly by private aircraft to Luxor and embark Salacia. The legendary Temples of Karnak and Luxor are located about two miles apart, but were once joined by a single paved road lined with ram-headed sphinxes. Explore Karnak Temple, an architectural wonder and, in the late afternoon, visit the Luxor Museum, home to a remarkable collection of Egypt’s antiquities. This evening, return to Karnak for a sound and light show, which narrates the story of the Temple and the history of Thebes (ancient Luxor). (B,L,D)
DAY 7 — Luxor
After stopping at the Colossus of Memnon, cross the Nile to Luxor’s West Bank to Valley of the Kings. In this area, which was for four centuries the burial ground for Egypt’s Pharaohs, we visit one of the many tombs. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 — Luxor/Dendera/Luxor
At Dendera see the beautifully preserved Temple of Hathor. Constructed during the time of the Roman emperors this temple was known as a healing center in the ancient world. Its dramatic columns are topped with images of the cow-headed goddess, Hathor, the “Mistress of Heaven.” Then, explore the Luxor Temple complex, guarded by massive statues of Ramses VI. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 — Luxor/Edfu
This morning we view the tombs of the Nobles, decorated with vividly painted scenes of ancient Egyptian life. Then, at Deir El Bahari visit temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s female pharaoh. This mortuary temple lies in a dramatic setting beneath sandstone cliffs and contains wonderful interior reliefs that tell the story of the Queen’s expedition to the land of Punt, a fabled site in the Horn of Africa. Later in the day, we sail toward Edfu. (B,L,D)
DAY 10 — Edfu/Kom Ombo
Edfu's Temple of Horus is considered the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt. Said to have been built on the site of the battle between the gods Horus and Seth, this is the last in a long series of temples built on this location. Because the roof is intact, the play of light and shadow is much as it must have been during Ptolemaic times (from 305 BC to 30 BC.). The art and architecture here are extraordinary. In the afternoon, sail towards Kom Ombo. Strikingly set atop a hill overlooking the Nile, Kom Ombo’s temple was built in an unusual double style. One side is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world. The other side is dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris. The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis. (B,L,D)
DAY 11 — Kom Ombo/Aswan
Watch life along the Nile as we sail toward Aswan where we explore Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess, Isis. Isis was immensely popular in the Roman world and most of the work is from that period. Pilgrims would come from all over the Mediterranean to visit Isis’ Temple at Philae. At Aswan we also walk the length of the massive 1,162-ton unfinished obelisk, largest in the ancient world. This roughly dress stone developed a crack during its carving that has caused it to remain horizontal for millennia. Later in the day we sail by felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailboat, along Kitchener’s Island. (B,L,D)
DAY 12 — Aswan/Disembark/Abu Simbel/Cairo
Disembark Salacia and board our chartered flight to Abu Simbel, site of the great Temples of Ramses II, which were rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. When the Nile was dammed at Aswan, this entire structure was removed from its original site and raised 200 feet, piece by piece, to where it stands today. The Great Temple of Abu Simbel is hewn out of the side of a sandstone cliff. Just to the north of the Great Temple, is a smaller temple to Hathor, built for his favorite wife, Nefertari. After our visit we fly by private aircraft to Cairo and transfer to the Mena House Oberoi Hotel at Giza. (B,L)
DAY 13 — Cairo, Pyramid & Sphinx
Among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World only the Pyramids of Giza have survived. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is composed of more than two million blocks of stone and took ten of thousands of workers twenty years to build. Below is the massive Sphinx, carved from a single piece of stone with the head of a man (the Pharaoh Chefren) and the body of lion. A visit to the Solar Boat Museum concludes today’s discoveries. In the evening, return to the plateau and attend the Sound & Light performance, which narrates the history of the Pyramids and their builders. (B,L)
DAY 14 — Cairo, Memphis, Saqqara & Dashur
In the morning visit Memphis, known for its giant toppled statue of Ramses II; Saqqara, site of the Step Pyramid complex; and less visited Dashur, to see the Bent and Red Pyramids. This afternoon is at leisure to explore Cairo on your own, revisit the Egyptian Museum or relax. A farewell dinner ends your expedition. (B,D)
DAY 15 — Cairo/U.S.
Fly home this morning or extend your expedition to Jordan. (B)
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For reservations: Fill out the Lindblad Expeditions Cruise vacation planner to be contacted by our Lindblad Expeditions, River Journeys vacation specialist.
Contact: Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
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