10 Days Egyptian Splendor Tour Package
Duration: 10 Days / 9 Nights
Priced From: $1,661 pp Dbl. Occ.
Dates: Jun - Dec /08, Jan, Feb /09
This 10-day Cruise & Tour vacation offers an exciting voyage through the Kingdom of the Pharaohs. Your journey begins in Cairo, where you’ll marvel at Tutankhamon’s treasures in the Egyptian Museum, visit the enigmatic Sphinx, and see the Great Pyramids of Giza. Then fly to Aswan to enjoy a felucca ride and board the elegant Royal Lotus for a four-night Nile River cruise to Luxor. Along the way, you’ll visit Kitchener Island’s lush Botanical Gardens, gigantic Aswan Dam, the Temple of Isis, the Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens, and Luxor Temple. You’ll also enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, visiting colorful local bazaars, and exploring the stunning monuments of Karnak.
Itinerary
Day 1
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Cairo, Egypt
A welcome drink awaits you at your hotel; settle in and start soaking up the atmosphere of this exciting city.
Day 3 Cairo. The Pyramids
Meet your Egyptologist and traveling companions at 8 a.m. Sightseeing in and around Africa’s largest metropolis starts at the EGYPTIAN MUSEUM with Tutankhamon’s fabulous treasures, an exciting first encounter with the splendor of three millennia of Egyptian civilization. Then, leave for ancient MEMPHIS to admire the 40-foot statue of Ramses II and the Alabaster Sphinx. On to SAKKARA’S “stairway to the sky,” the oldest of all pyramids. At GIZA, take a close-up look at the enigmatic SPHINX and the daunting GREAT PYRAMIDS. Cheops, with an original height of 496 feet, is the most colossal pyramid ever built. A suggestion for tonight: enjoy an optional dinner cruise on the Nile River. (BB)
Day 4 Cairo–Aswan
Enjoy time this morning for independent activities or join an optional excursion to walled Old Cairo. Saladin’s 12th-century Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, and the labyrinthine bazaar are well worth a visit. In the afternoon, fly 500 miles up the Nile Valley to the lovely resort town of Aswan. (BB,D)
Day 5 In Aswan
Morning at leisure in Aswan. You may want to join an optional flight (weather permitting; approximately US$190) to the huge sandstone temples of Abu Simbel. Then check into your elegant river cruise vessel in time for lunch. In the afternoon, a special treat: board a felucca and sail right across the blue waters of the river. En route, see the ancient “nilometer” on Elephantine Island, Kitchener Island’s lush BOTANICAL GARDENS, and the splendid Aga Khan Mausoleum on the left bank. (BB,L,D)
Day 6 Aswan–Kom Ombo
Take a morning excursion to the turn-of-the-century Old Dam—to this day the widest dam in the world—and the gigantic Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970. Board a motor launch to the island of Agil Ika between the two dams and visit the TEMPLE OF ISIS, transplanted from the submerged island of Philae. Also stop at the ancient GRANITE QUARRIES to see the famous unfinished obelisk. Before lunch, start your leisurely cruise down Egypt’s river of destiny. Dock at KOM OMBO for a short walk to its bluff-top temple dedicated to the crocodile and falcon gods. Haggle for bargains in the local market before returning to the boat. (FB,L,D)
Day 7 Edfu
Board a horse-drawn carriage for the drive through Edfu to the TEMPLE OF HORUS with its menacing black stone statue of the falcon god. Built in the time of Cleopatra about 2,000 years ago, it is recent by Egyptian standards and beautifully preserved. During the hottest part of the day sip a drink on the sun deck of your cruise boat and savor the panorama. See white-clad farmers with their donkeys, camels, and water buffaloes work lush, green fields; and ever present on the horizon beyond the palm trees is the desert. Tonight, dock at Luxor and take advantage of the optional sound and light show at Karnak. (FB,L,D)
Day 8 Luxor
Focus on the VALLEY OF KINGS and VALLEY OF QUEENS on the west bank of the Nile, where generations of pharaohs and nobles were buried in great splendor in crypts cut into the cliffs. Sixty-two royal tombs have been uncovered so far, of which only the tomb of Tutankhamon was nearly inviolate when discovered in 1922. Visit DEIR EL-BAHARI, Queen Hatshepsut’s monumental rock temple. Stop for pictures at the two COLOSSI OF MEMNON guarding the valleys. The afternoon is dedicated to LUXOR TEMPLE. (FB,L,D)
Day 9 Luxor (Disembarkation)–Cairo
Experience a grand finale to your sightseeing in the Nile Valley with the stunning monuments of KARNAK, the greatest city of ancient Egypt. To walk among the pillars of the colossal TEMPLE OF AMON RA and along the AVENUE OF THE SPHINXES is an experience you will treasure the rest of your life. Afterward, a late morning flight takes you from Luxor back to Cairo. An afternoon at leisure lets you catch up on your postcard writing and souvenir shopping. Tonight’s optional sound and light show at Giza might be just the way to top off an exciting touring adventure. (FB)
Day 10
Homebound flight. (BB)
Highlights
CAIRO
Welcome drink; guided sightseeing, visit Tutankhamon’s Tomb in the Egyptian Museum, Ramses II & Alabaster Sphinx in Memphis, the ”stairway to the sky” at Sakkara, the Great Pyramids & Sphinx of Giza.
CAIRO-ASWAN
By air including airport transfers
ASWAN
Sail by felucca to Kitchener Island & visit the Botanical Gardens, excursion to Old Dam & High Dam, motor launch cruise to Agilka, visit Temple of Isis & ancient Granite Quarries
4-NIGHT NILE CRUISE
In two-berth outside staterooms with private facilities on the Royal Lotus
LUXOR
Guided sightseeing; visit the Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens, Deir El-Bahari, and the Luxor Temple
ALL DAY-TIME SHORE EXCURSIONS
LUXOR-CAIRO
By air including airport transfers
INSIDE VISITS
Inside visits and special features are shown in the description, including admission charges when applicable.
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Contact: Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
3/09
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