Intriguing Egypt Series lll
Full Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Cairo where you will be met by our Egypt Tours and Travel tour manager, who will meet and greet you. Transfer to your historical and luxurious hotel, the Marriott Mena House. Overnight.
Day 2
Meet with your Egypt Tours tour guide, then drive to Memphis at the edge of the Western Desert, the capital of the Ancient Kingdom, and among the cities of greatest importance in the history of Ancient Egypt. Drive to Sakkara, the vast Necropolis of Ancient Memphis, visit the Djoser pyramid. Comprising six mastabas, the pyramid has a unique stepped appearance and dates back to the 27th century B.C. In the afternoon, drive to the Pyramids of Giza. Cheops Pyramid, the largest of the three Pyramids, was built in the 4th dynasty about 2690 BC and is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Enjoy a camel ride by the Pyramids area if you wish. In front of the Pyramid of Chephren (Khafre), stands the Sphinx carved from a single piece of stone. It is a lion with a Pharaoh's head thought to be a portrait of the Pharaoh Chephren (Khafre). Continue your tour to the Solar Boat Museum where a dismantled river barge of King Cheops (Khufu) was found and has been masterfully reassembled. Return to your hotel. In the evening, you will be met and transferred by our tour Egypt Tours tour manager to the Giza Plateau, to attend the magnificent Sound and Light show. Transfer back to your hotel. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 3
Meet with your Egypt Tours tour guide. Start your tour visiting the Egyptian Museum famous for its antiquities from Egypt's Pharaonic period, dating back some 50 centuries and includes the fabulous treasures of King Tut-Ankh-Amon. Afternoon excursion to Old Cairo, visiting the very old Coptic Churches, Abu Serga Church, built over the crypt where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph stayed while in Egypt, also visit the Hanging and the oldest Jewish Synagogue of Beni Ezra. Continue your visit to the Alabaster mosque of Mohammad Ali and the Citadel of Salah-El-Din and the medieval Bazaars of Khan-El-Khalili, where you can bargain for your jewelry, copper, and hand-tooled leather items. Return to your hotel. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 4
You will be met by your Egypt Tours tour manager and transferred to Cairo Airport for an early flight to Aswan. Upon arrival at Aswan Airport, you will be met and transferred to embark your deluxe cruise ship. The Sonesta M/S Moon Goddess. Later you will be sail by by "Felucca" to visit the Elephantine Island, the Mausoleum of Agha Khan, the Botanical Gardens, and the Temple of Philae. Overnight on-board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5
Visit the Unfinished Obelisk at the Ancient Granite Quarries and the famous High Dam. Cruise to Kom-Ombo. Visit the Temple shared by the two gods Sobek and Haroeris, dating back to 180 BC, during the Ptolemaic era with additions made during Roman times. Sail to Edfu. Overnight onboard.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6
Visit the temple of Horus, one of the best-preserved temples in existence. It’s a Ptolemaic temple built between 237 and 57 BC. Sail to Luxor via Esna. Overnight on-board your cruise ship.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7
Cross to the West Bank of the Nile, visit the Necropolis of Ancient Thebes. Explore the valley of the Kings and Queens where tombs of 64 Pharaohs and 57 Queens have been discovered, and enter some of the most remarkable burials including King Tut Tomb. Visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Karnak, which took over 1500 years to build and is considered the world's largest religious complex. Continue the tour to the Temple of Luxor, started by Amenhotep III and completed by Ramses II. Overnight onboard.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8
Disembark your cruise ship, where you will be met and transferred to Luxor Airport for your flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be met and transferred by your Egypt Tours tour manager to your hotel, the historical and luxurious Cairo Marriott Hotel & Casino. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 9
Meet with your Egypt Tours tour guide. Drive to Dahshur, visit the Red Pyramid and Bent Pyramid. The builder of these pyramids thought to have been Sneferu, believed to have built the pyramid of Maidum. His son Cheops (Khufu) continued his construction tendencies. In the afternoon, transfer to downtown Cairo, embark on a 2-hour "Felucca" (sailboat) ride, exploring downtown Cairo and riding in a sailboat the same way ancient Egyptians did thousands of years ago. Return to your hotel. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 10
Meet with your Egypt Tours tour manager and transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight to Sharm-El-Sheikh Upon arrival at Sharm, you will be transferred to the Marriott Sharm Hotel. Balance of the day for swimming, snorkeling, diving, or just relaxing by your hotel pool or private beach. Overnight.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 11
A day of leisure for swimming, diving, or snorkeling. In the evening you will be met and transferred by car through the Sinai Desert. From the desert road, ride a camel if you wish, or continue by car to meet the Bedouins. Experience Bedouin hospitality. A candlelit dinner will be barbecued and served in front of you, at a canyon in a Bedouin tent surrounded by nothing, except the stars. Traveling and dining in the desert with the Bedouins will make you relive the adventures of Lawrence of Arabia. Later transfer back to your hotel for overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12
A day of leisure for swimming, diving, or snorkeling. Late afternoon proceed to St. Catherine. Arrive St. Catherine and transfer to the St. Catherine Village. A 3-hour climb to the top of Mount Sinai is available if you wish to view a spectacular sunrise as well as view the Red Sea and the Saudi Arabian border from the summit. The recommended time to start the climb of that 3,750 steps is at 2:00 A.M. to arrive at the summit for a spectacular sunrise around 5:00 A.M.
**You must be physically fit, healthy, and not have a fear of heights in order for you to do the 3-hour mountain climb.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13
Visit St. Catherine Monastery built by Emperor Justinian during the 6th century. The site sits at the foot of Mount Sinai, where Moses is believed to have received the Ten Commandments. Visit the churches, gardens, and the living quarters of the monks who operate it. Some of your highlights will be the actual Burning Bush Shrub that grows nowhere else in the world. The Monastery owns more than 2,000 Byzantine icons, many of which are displayed in the main Church of the Transfiguration. The Monastery also has a priceless collection of more than 4,500 manuscripts including the world's second-oldest Bible. Walk in the same footsteps where Pope John-Paul II did when he visited Egypt in February of 2000. Depart St. Catherine for a drive to Cairo, transfer to the Cairo Marriott hotel for overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 14
Meet with your Egypt Tours tour manager and transfer to Cairo Airport, where you will be helped with your check-in for your departure flight.
Meals: Breakfast
Also Included: Egypt Tours includes all transfers within Egypt. Personalized sightseeing as mentioned in the itinerary, in a private car, with a tour guide and a driver including entrance fees to sights mentioned. Included as well is the service charge imposed by hotels, port charges, porterage, meeting and assistance at airport, hotels, and docks.
Extensions & Optional Tours: Extra days and optional tours to sites that are not included are available upon request.
Pricing
$5469
Intriguing Egypt Series Ill
$649
Single Supplement
**Please keep in mind that if you are travelling alone, you are single occupancy.
