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Ancient & Natural
Wonders of Egypt

February 13 - 26, 2010

$3578
per person, double occupancy, land only

Feb 13: Welcome to Egypt! Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel for check in. Overnight Cairo.

Feb 14: After breakfast at the hotel, depart for a full day of sightseeing starting with a visit to the open air museum at the Necropolis in Memphis. Here you will see many examples of ancient Egyptian funerary statues, sarcophagi, and sacrifice tables. The museum is also home to a giant statue of Ramses the Great. This will be followed by a visit to the Step Pyramids of Sakkara. The pyramid at Sakkara is the architectural precursor to the pyramids at Giza - as the ancient Egyptians were learning to design the pyramids, they went through several iterations before reaching the final outcome of the Great Pyramids. They started by building one rectangular mastaba on top of another, then another, and so on. You may see some of these early examples with only 2 or three steps. After our visit here we will have lunch at a typical restaurant with B.B.Q kabab or chicken including different kind of mezzeh. After lunch visit one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Pyramids, the Sphinx and Solar Boat at the Giza Plateau. Enjoy a camel ride at the Pyramids desert with a great view of the entire site, then return to the hotel for overnight. (B/L)

Feb 15: This morning check out of the hotel then drive to explore the Western Desert starting with the Baharyia Oasis. Upon your arrival in Bahariya check in to the hotel, then visit the Valley of the Golden Mummies and the ruins of the Temple of Alexander the Great, who is believed to have traveled through this area after visiting and oracle in the desert. Excavation on the Valley of the Golden Mummies only began in 1996 and has revealed several tombs. We will visit the Tombs of Kasr Selim, and the Chapels of Ain Almoftilla. Both Lunch and dinner are provided today. Overnight in Bahariya. (B/L/D)

Feb 16: After breakfast check out. Our journey today takes us, via 4x4 vehicle, through some amazing and awe inspiring natural landscape. The wind and sand have left their mark in this land. In the white desert we will see white chalky stone formations like no others in the world. The black desert is littered with hills and piles of black volcanic stones. We will visit the crystal mountain rock formation, and continue on to Farafra Oasis. The isolation of the Farafra Oasis creates a special world of eternal sunshine and incredible beauty that is just beginning to be penetrated by the outside world. Peaceful and serene, its big skies and rugged landscape contain some of the most spectacular scenery in the Western Desert. Overnight at Farafra Oasis. (B/L/D)

Feb 17: Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then check out as we continue our journey across the Western Desert to the Dakhla Oasis. Dakhla is the breadbasket of the area, with its fields and orchards lush with produce. The beige and brown landscapes are replaced with golden sand, red earth, pastel villages, and vibrant green fields. Step back centuries as you visit the spellbinding medieval village of Al-Qasr. Walk the narrow alleys threading among the mud-brick structures. Be sure to take note of the four/five-story Ottoman houses with their wooden-grill windows and lintels carved with verses from the Koran. Visit the 12th century mosque. Two miles beyond Al-Qasr, is the El-Muzawwaka burial site, with its 1st and 2nd century tombs. Qasr Dakhla, situated to the north-west of Mut, is one of the fortified Medieval Islamic towns often seen in Dakhla. It rests on the Sioh Ridge, nestled beneath the pink limestone escarpment that marks the dates to 1518 on the Beit Ibrahim. The Islamic town, el-Qasr, meaning 'the Fortress' was probably founded around the 12th century AD by the Ayyubids, over the remains of an earlier Roman period settlement. Lunch will be served en rout. Check in to our hotel for overnight. (B/L/D)

Feb 18: After breakfast check out and visit the Temple of Deir El Hagar, originally dedicated to the Theban Triad then later rebuilt by the Romans. Next visit Sement El Kharab and the village of Beshendi visit the Nadura Temple and Temple of Ghuweita. Lunch will be served en rout while driving to Kharga Oasis. Once in Kharga Oasis we will check in to the hotel for dinner and overnight. (B/L/D)

Feb 19: Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then check out and visit Qasr El Zayan and the Tombs of Bagawat. Afterwards we will drive to Luxor (approx. 3 hours drive). Upon our arrival in we will check into our hotel for dinner and overnight. (B/D)

Feb 20: This morning we will transfer to our Nile Cruise ship before lunch. Lunch will be on board then we will depart to visit the East Bank of the Nile including the Temples of Luxor and Karnak. The Temple of Karnak is dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amon, Mut, and Khonso, and is the largest religious complex in the world. The complex was constructed over several hundred years. You will see the many efforts of successive rulers to put their individual mark on the temple, and efforts to remove the presence of others. After exploring this magnificent site, go to the smaller but just is beautiful Temple of Luxor with its elegant colonnaded hall and sculpture of King Tut and his wife. Return to the ship for a relaxing afternoon tea. Dinner will be on board the ship followed by a belly dance show. Overnight in Luxor. (B/L/D)

Feb 21: After breakfast journey to the West Bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings, a vast City of the Dead, where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks. You will be able to visit a few of the tombs to compare the extent of their construction and complexity. Our next stop is the restored Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Rising out of the desert plain as a series of terraces, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (Ancient Egypt's first female pharaoh) merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. On the way back to the Nile River, pass the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn. Return to the ship and sail on to Esna where we will have a tour of the West Bank of the Nile. Return to ship in Esna after the tour for afternoon tea and a Captain's welcome cocktail. Dinner on board followed by musical entertainment. Overnight in Esna. (B/L/D)

Feb 22: This morning the ship will sail to Edfu where we will go by horse drawn carriage to visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu, the best preserved Greco-Roman temple in Egypt. The large complex was built between 237 BCE to 57 BCE, into the reign of Cleopatra VII. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple was constructed over the site of a smaller New Kingdom temple. Afterwards return to the ship and sail to Kom Ombo. Lunch will be on board. Enjoy afternoon tea then visit the temple shared by the two gods Sobek and Haeroris in Kom Ombo. Enjoy dinner and an Egyptian Galabya party on board. Overnight in Kom Ombo. (B/L/D)

Feb 23: Early in the morning the ship will sail to Aswan. Enjoy breakfast on board then we begin our sightseeing in Aswan with a visit to the Aswan High Dam. Afterwards take a boat ride to the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika. The temple at Philae was constructed over a three-century period, by the Greek-Ptolemaic dynasty and the Romans. The principal deity of the temple complex was Isis, but other temples and shrines were dedicated to her son Horus and the goddess Hathor. We will also visit the Granite Quarries where the famous pink granite came from. Wander through the quarry and see the unfinished obelisk: it was partially cut from the surrounding stone when a fatal flaw was discovered - a crack - making it unusable, so it was never finished. Return to the ship for lunch on board, then sail on the Nile by Felucca around Kitchener's Island. Afternoon tea on board the ship. We will enjoy our last evening on board the cruise ship with dinner and a Nubian Folkloric Show. Overnight in Aswan. (B/L/D)

Feb 24: After an early breakfast we disembark and transfer to the Aswan domestic airport for our flight to Abu Simbel. Upon arrival in Abu Simbel we will transfer by Egypt Air Shuttle to temple of Ramses II. The temple was originally located further down the banks of the Nile and would have been submerged when the High Dam was completed and the waters of Lake Nasr rose to fill the valley. The temple was painstakingly dismantled and then reassembled in its present location. After our visit of the temple we will transfer back to the airport for our flight to Cairo. Upon our arrival in Cairo we will be transferred to our hotel to check in, then the rest of the day is free. Overnight in Cairo. (B)

Feb 25: After breakfast at the hotel we will start our sightseeing with a visit to the Citadel of Salah El Din and the Alabaster Mosque of Prince Mohamed Ali, located in the citadel. We will have an opportunity to enjoy the view of Cairo from this hilltop fortress before going to lunch which will be served at a typical Egyptian restaurant. After lunch we will visit the Egyptian National Museum of Antiquities where we will see the fabulous treasures of the tomb of Tutankhamon, mummies, and the amazing collection of Egyptian antiquities depicting Egyptian life and culture through the ages. We will end our tour at the Khan El Khalili Bazaars where we will have free time for shopping or to sit and relax at one of the famous Egyptian cafés near the bazaar. Afterwards we will return to the hotel for overnight. (B/L)

Feb 26: Breakfast then check out and transfer to Cairo International Airport for final departure. (B)

End of Services

Note: Cruise, sightseeing schedules and flights are subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control

Included:

• Accommodation based on double occupancy, meals as noted in itinerary;
• Desert Oasis Safari for 5 days / 4 nights including English speaking guide, 4 wheel drive vehicle transportation and entrance fees;
• 5 Star Nile Cruise on full board basis including all sightseeing with English speaking guide and entrance fees;
• All transfers and sightseeing tours in Cairo and Luxor provided by air conditioned mini bus with English speaking guide

Not Included:

• International airfare;
• Domestic air ticket Aswan/Abu Simbel/Cairo US$323 per person on Y class including (airfare is subject to change without notice);
• $20 Egyptian visa fee - visa obtained on arrival in Cairo;
• Entrance fee to Abu Simbel - paid directly at the gate;
• Extra meals not listed on itinerary, snacks, beverages at any meals;
• Items of a personal nature such as phone/fax, room service, laundry, souvenirs, etc.;
• Tips for guides and drivers - we recommend about $4 for the drivers and $7-$10 for the guides, per person, per day

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