Tour Land Of Pharaohs

Others

Sightseeing & entrance fees as per the itinerary Day trip to Abu Simbel Day trip including lunch to Alexandria Tours from the cruise ship as per below details: The Karnak Temple and Luxor Temples The Valley of the Kings & Valley of the Queens The Kom Ombo temple All applicable taxes

Guide

Service of English-speaking Egyptologists during sightseeing tours

Meals

19 MEALS Daily Breakfast Full Board Meal Plan Aboard Cruise

Transport

Transportation in private AC chauffeur driven vehicles

Accommodation

06 Night’s accommodation at listed hotels or similar 04 Night’s accommodation on the listed cruise ship or similar Hotel Oasis Pyramid Aracan Eatabe Luxor Hotel Isadora Cruise / Radamis I or II Cruise Ramses Hilton Hotel

Not included:

Optional

Optional Tours - Sound & Light show at Pyramids: USD 65 per person based on Min. of 2pax Sound & Light show at Karnak Temple: USD 50 per person based on Min. of 2pax Hot air ballooning over the valley at sunrise: USD 180 per person based on Min. of 2pax Sound and Light show at Philae Temple: USD 75 per person based on Min. of 2pax

Others

Items of a personal nature Tips & gratuities Visa fees Optional tours Travel insurance International Airfare Arrival & departure transfers Items not mentioned as included

Insurance

Insurance is not included

Flights

Domestic airfare: Cairo – Luxor & Aswan – Abu Simbel - Cairo

Start planning your experience

Day 1 Day 1: Cairo
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Cairo

Welcome to Cairo! Cairo, called Al-Qahirah in Arabic, with a population of 17 million, is not only Africa’s largest city but the political and cultural center of the Arab World. Cairo’s old quarters retain their ancient charm with many streets still known by descriptions given to them by medieval chroniclers. Modern Cairo’s architecture is distinguished by Ottoman and later European influences, especially in commercial architecture, particularly as the city’s population boomed during the 19th century. On arrival at Cairo International Airport make your own way (transfer not included) to your hotel.

Overnight in Cairo
Day 2 Day 2: Cairo (B/-/-)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2: Cairo (B/-/-)

Spend the day on the Giza Plateau home of Egypt’s signature attractions: The Great Pyramids, proclaimed by the Greeks to be among the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. A single pyramid is built of 2,300,000 blocks, each weighing an average of two and one–half tons. In the face of such immensity, one cannot help but feel the wonder and awe that so many writers & artists have sought to convey over the centuries. This morning see the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the timeless Great Sphinx of Giza, which dates from the time of Chephren (2620BC). Hewn from natural yellowish limestone & standing 65 feet high & 187 feet long, this unforgettable statue combines the head of a Pharaoh with a lion’s body. This afternoon visit the Pyramids of Khafra and Menkaura, explore the remains of their mortuary temples, the Tombs of the Noblemen, Qar and Idu, and an ancient limestone quarry.

Overnight in Cairo
Day 3 Day 3: Cairo (B/-/-)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3: Cairo (B/-/-)

This morning visit the world-renowned Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. Accompanied by your certified Egyptologist, you’ll stroll through the halls highlighting each historical period of this ancient land. Admire the world’s greatest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the golden treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb (not included) and the Mummy Room, where more than 20 pharaohs lie in state. Continue to the ancient capital of Memphis to visit the outdoor museum and see the beautiful Colossus of Ramses II. Memphis served as the capital of Upper and Lower Egypt some 5,000 years ago during the 1st Dynasty. Menes, the first pharaoh of this dynasty, built a great white-walled palace and the Temple of Ptah here. Then on to Sakkara one of the most exciting historical and archaeological areas in all of Egypt, situated about 12 miles south west of Cairo. The site is dominated by the famous step pyramid of King Zoser. It was the first pyramid to be built in ancient Egypt, preceding those at Giza by many centuries and is the work of the famous pharaonic architect, Imhotep.

Overnight in Cairo
Day 4 Day 4: Luxor – Abydos – Dendara - Luxor (B/-/-)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4: Luxor – Abydos – Dendara - Luxor (B/-/-)

Early this morning transfer to Cairo airport for a flight to Luxor (Domesctic Flights not included). On arrival in Luxor, you will be met and transferred to the hotel before visiting two of Egypt’s most spectacular and under-visited sites, Abydos and Dendara. At Abydos closely associated with the legend of Osiris see the seven sanctuaries temple. Abydos occupies an important place in the religious history of Pharaonic Egypt. By the end of the Old Kingdom, its local god, Osiris, was the most prominent and popular of the Egyptian gods, since he was considered the god of the afterlife. According to the popular tradition, Osiris’ head was buried in Abydos. Here Seti I and his son Ramses II built a beautiful temple ca. 1300 BC In the afternoon continue on to the Ptolemaic Temple of Goddess Hathor in Denderah. This wonderfully preserved temple complex is a rare sight to behold, complete with a massive stone roof, dark chambers, underground passages and towering columns inscribed with hieroglyphs. The main Temple of Hathor is almost intact. Hathor was the goddess or pleasure and of love, usually represented as a cow or a woman with a cow’s head. She was the beneficent deity of maternal and family love, of beauty and light; the Greeks associated her with Aphrodite.

Overnight in Luxor
Day 5 Day 5: Luxor (Embarkation) (B/L/D)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Luxor (Embarkation) (B/L/D)

Late this morning transfer to your Nile cruise ship, your floating hotel for the next five days. Enjoy lunch on board before visiting Karnak Temple erected in 1928 BC as a small shrine dedicated to Amun, god of Thebes. The Temple comprises three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples - all constructed over 1300 years. The three main temples of Mut, Monthu, and Amun, are enclosed in enormous brick walls, with the temple of Amun at the center. Karnak is now the largest and oldest temple compound on earth. Many festivals were celebrated in Thebes. The Temple of Luxor was the center of the most important one, the festival of Opet. Built largely by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, the temple served as a setting for the rituals of the festival, which was held to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with his divine office. The procession of images of the current royal family began at Karnak and ended at Luxor Temple.

Overnight onboard the cruise
Day 6 Day 6: Luxor - Esna (B/L/D)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 6: Luxor - Esna (B/L/D)

After breakfast, cross the newly constructed Luxor Bridge to visit the Valley of the Kings, which includes the tombs of the Theban rulers, Seti I and Tutankhamen. The Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt is home to many pharaonic tombs of the New Kingdom, including those of King Tutankhamun and Ramses the Great. Each king’s formal name and the title is inscribed in his tomb, which is also adorned with his images and statues. Most of the tombs were cut into the limestone following a similar pattern: three corridors, an antechamber, and a sunken sarcophagus chamber. Explore several amazing Royal Tombs. Continue to Deir el-Medina, with its small Ptolemaic temple. This is the ancient village of the workers who built the pharaohs’ tombs and is home to the beautifully preserved Tomb of Sennedjem. After lunch tour the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the only woman Pharaoh to rule ancient Egypt. The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut of the 18th dynasty was built just north of the Middle Kingdom temple of Mentuhotep Nebhepetre, amid the bay of cliffs known as Deir El-Bahri. In ancient times the temple was called Djeser-djeseru, meaning the sacred of sacred. The female pharaoh chose to build her temple in a valley sacred to the Theban Goddess of the west, on a direct axis with Karnak Temple of Amun on the East Bank. Then, proceed to the Valley of the Queens to visit the burials of some royal consorts and offspring. The Valley of the Queens (Biban Al-Harem) has between 75 and 80 tombs. These tombs belong to Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties. Among these is the famous tomb of Nefertiti, one of the five wives of Ramses II. Nefertari was said to be Ramses’ favorite wife, and her tomb is regarded by many as the most beautiful in Egypt. End the tour with a panoramic stop at the Colossi of Amenhotep III named the colossi of Memnon by the Greeks.

Overnight on board the cruise
Day 7 Day 7: Esna - Edfu - Kom Ombo (B/L/D)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 7: Esna - Edfu - Kom Ombo (B/L/D)

This morning after breakfast disembarks at Edfu. A "caleche" ride will take you through the town to the Temple of Horus, the Falcon God. The Temple of Horus is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt and the second largest after Karnak. Built from sandstone blocks, the huge Ptolemaic temple has a massive entrance pylon covered with traditional scenes of the king smiting his enemies before Horus. Continue sailing most of the day before arriving at Kom Ombo and enjoy a short walk to the twin Temples of Sobek and Horus. One is dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek, and the other to the falcon god, Horus the Elder. There are clear depictions of ancient medical instruments on one wall. Kom Ombo’s Greco-Roman style Temple of Sobek built for the Crocodile God stands serenely on a hilltop, the site offers an incredible view of the Nile. In ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank near here, and hundreds of mummified crocodiles were found in the vicinity.

Overnight onboard the cruise
Day 8 Day 8: Kom Ombo - Aswan (B/L/D)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Kom Ombo - Aswan (B/L/D)

Enjoy buffet breakfast onboard the cruise in Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city. South of here lies the flooded lands of Nubia, Sudan, and Ethiopia. Just north of the border between Egypt and Sudan lies Aswan High Dam, a huge rock filled dam which captures the world’s longest river, the Nile, in the world’s largest artificial reservoir, Lake Nasser. The dam, known as “Sadd El-Aali” in Arabic, was completed in 1970 after 10 years of work. Then, on to the granite quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in their pyramids and temples, and see the famed Unfinished Obelisk, located in the Northern Quarry, still lies where a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock. This obelisk would have been the largest ever erected if it hadn’t cracked before it was fully quarried. Tools left by its builders have given archaeologists much insight into how such work was performed. Invoke the healing powers of the goddess Isis with a visit to the Temple of Philae and the delightful Temple of Isis. Enjoy a short trip on a motorboat to Philae Temple, which will bring you to a magnificent vista of the island of Agilika before landing at what would have been the ancient quay on the south side. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis and has many legends connected to it. The best-known legend tells the story of how Isis found the heart of Osiris here after his murder by his brother Seth. Ancient Nubia was known to the pharaohs as the “Land of Gold,” and its wealth and lands were eventually incorporated into Egypt around 1500 BC. Later take a short felucca ride to Botanical gardens.

Overnight onboard the cruise
Day 9 Day 9: Aswan (Disembarkation) – Abu Simbel - Cairo (B/-/-)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Aswan (Disembarkation) – Abu Simbel - Cairo (B/-/-)

This morning transfer to Aswan airport to board a flight to Abu Simbel via Aswan (Domestic Flights not included). Upon arrival in Abu Simbel you will be transferred to the temple site. Visit the Temple of Ramses and Temple of Queen Nefertari; not only are the two temples located at Abu Simbel among the most magnificent monuments in the world, but their removal and reconstruction were an historic event itself. When the temples (280 km from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser the two temples that of Rameses II primarily dedicated to Re-Harakhte, and that of his wife, Nefertari dedicated to Hathor were moved to their new location. After touring you will be transferred back to the airport for a short flight back to Cairo. Once you arrive in Cairo you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

Overnight in Cairo
Day 10 Day 10: Cairo – Alexandria - Cairo (B/L/-)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 10: Cairo – Alexandria - Cairo (B/L/-)

After breakfast embark on a full day excursion to Alexandria widely known as the Pearl of the Mediterranean. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC Alexandria has historically been a place of learning and attracted poets and writers for thousands of years to its famous seaside library the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Alexandria is also home to the Pharos Lighthouse one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Largely because of its unique cosmopolitan roots, Alexandria differs widely from the rest of the country, especially Cairo. Explore the Alexandria National Museum comprised of more than 1800 archaeological pieces that narrate the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic, Islamic, and modern history of Egypt. One display features pieces picked up from the seabed at Abu Kir Bay and the eastern harbor near the Qaitbay Citadel. The Alexandria Museum is number 27 in the series of historic and archaeological museums across Egypt. You will have a panoramic view of Fort Qaitbay, built in the 1480s by Sultan Qaitbey, at the site of Alexandria’s ancient lighthouse. Remnants of the lighthouse can be seen in the construction of the old fort. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the lighthouse was an astonishing 125 meters high, containing some 300 rooms for workers. Then visit the new Alexandria Library built in 2002 to commemorate the great library of the 3rd Century BC which formed the cornerstone of ancient intellectual life. Shaped like a massive, partly hidden, tilted disc rising up from the Mediterranean, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina evokes the image of a rising sun, a source of light and enlightenment. Aside from a library displaying books on 7 levels that form a pyramid of knowledge, the cultural complex also includes other specialized libraries, museums, exhibition areas, education centers, and an international conference center.

Overnight in Cairo
Day 11 Day 11: Cairo (Departure) (B/-/-)
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11: Cairo (Departure) (B/-/-)

After breakfast you will make your own way (transfer not included) to the airport for your departure flight.

11 days tour

Land Of Pharaohs

This tour includes:

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Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Land Of Pharaohs

Day 1: Cairo

Day 2: Cairo (B/-/-)

Day 3: Cairo (B/-/-)

Day 4: Luxor – Abydos – Dendara - Luxor (B/-/-)

Day 5: Luxor (Embarkation) (B/L/D)

Day 6: Luxor - Esna (B/L/D)

Day 7: Esna - Edfu - Kom Ombo (B/L/D)

Day 8: Kom Ombo - Aswan (B/L/D)

Day 9: Aswan (Disembarkation) – Abu Simbel - Cairo (B/-/-)

Day 10: Cairo – Alexandria - Cairo (B/L/-)

Day 11: Cairo (Departure) (B/-/-)

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