| Departure Date | Standard Price | Special Offer |
| 1/12/2019 | | $1899 per person |
| 6/1/2019 | | $1699 per person |
| 6/29/2019 | | $1699 per person |
| 9/28/2019 | | $1999 per person |
| 11/9/2019 | | $2099 per person |
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| DAY 1: Saturday • Depart for Egypt Depart for Egypt. DAY 2: Sunday • Arrive in Cairo Welcome to Egypt, one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations. Arrive in Cairo and transfer to your deluxe 5star hotel located mere steps from the Great Pyramid. Enjoy time at the hotel pools, in the air-conditioned bars and restaurants, or in the lush hotel gardens. Tonight, attend an orientation meeting and welcome drink with your Tour Manager and fellow travelers at your hotel. Dinner is on your own. DAY 3: Monday • Cairo After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we start our tour at the Egyptian Museum*, a neoclassical building located on Tahrir Square. The museum houses the world's largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts with more than 120,000 items on display. Our tour manager (also an expert Egyptologist) will point out some of the more interesting artifacts and bring their stories to life. We enjoy lunch at an authentic Egyptian restaurant nearby. Then we visit Old Cairo’s ancient churches with crypts where the Holy family stayed during their period of exile. We also visit a Jewish Synagogue, and explore the famous Khan el Khalili Bazaar area with bustling markets where we find copper, brass-ware, leather, perfumes and antiques. Tonight, treat yourself to a superb dinner at one of the fine international restaurants. Or, attend the optional Sound & Light Show held in Giza with views of the mighty Pyramids. A spectacular and unforgettable evening. *Note: this stop will be replaced by the new Grand Egyptian Museum when that facility opens to the public. B,L Optional: Cairo Sound & Light Show at Pyramids (PM) |
DAY 4: Tuesday • Cairo After breakfast, we visit the famous Pyramids of Giza,
built during the 3rd and 4th dynasties of the Old Kingdom. Enjoy an up-close
view of the Great Pyramid, built for the Pharaoh Khufu, as well as the Pyramids
of Khafre and Menkaure. We ride camels into the nearby desert for a different
view. Not far from the Pyramids, we see the great Sphinx of Giza, the legendary
statue with the head of a human and the body of a lion, amazingly carved out of
a single, huge piece of limestone. We have lunch at an authentic Egyptian food
restaurant, before continuing to Sakkara and the Step Pyramid. It is the first
Pyramid and the oldest construction of stone in the world. We also observe wall
carvings with daily life activities depicted on the Nobel Tombs. You may have the opportunity to explore the Pharaoh’s Burial chamber. We return to our hotel for a relaxing evening on our own. B,L DAY 5: Wednesday • Aswan - Abu Simbel Optional Trip - Cruise After breakfast, we fly to Aswan. Upon arrival, we have the morning at leisure in this ancient frontier town. Or, join the optional Abu Simbel tour. A flight from Aswan transports you back in time to the mighty Temple of Abu Simbel, reclaimed from the floodwaters of the Aswan High Dam and totally reconstructed in the present location. The site is dominated by the looming twin temples of Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertari. It is one of the most recognizable ancient sites of Egypt. We fly back to Aswan and transfer to our cruise ship, our home for the next three nights. After lunch, we have the opportunity for a rare glimpse into another world and even another time as we visit a Nubian Village including a family house, and school (if open). We sail with a motor boat through the National Parks of Aswan, watching local & migrant birds, various plants while learning about the Nubians’ origin, culture, ancient & modern history. We end our day with a beautiful Sunset Felucca Ride, the traditional sailboat of Egypt used along the Nile as we watch the exquisite sunset. Dinner is on board our Nile River cruise ship. B, L, D Optional: Abu Simel by air (AM) |
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DAY 6: Thursday • Aswan/Cruise to Edfu After breakfast, we tour the spectacular
Aswan High Dam, an engineering miracle when originally constructed in the 1960s.
We continue to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, and marvel at the
temple's beautiful island location. The tour concludes with a visit to a granite
quarry holding the largest known unfinished ancient obelisk. In the afternoon,
we set sail on the Nile. Watch the scenery pass from the pool or your sun-bed
lounger. Our first stop is the temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile
god Sobek and the sky god Horus. We continue to Edfu where we dock for the
evening. B,L,D DAY 7: Friday • Edfu Temple, Cruise to Luxor This morning, we take a horse-drawn carriage ride to the stunning Temple of Horus in Edfu, considered one of the best preserved of all the Egyptian temples. Built during the Ptolemaic times, it was completed over a 180-year period. This afternoon, the ship sails via Esna to Luxor, known in ancient Egyptian times as the city of Thebes and trove of historic treasures. There is an on-board lecture by our Egyptologist/Guide. B,L,D Mortuary DAY 10: Monday • Free day or Optional Bedouin Village Safari Trip This morning, enjoy a late breakfast and relax on the beach or at the pool. Or you may join an optional exploration visit to the Egyptian desert and the Bedouins to learn about their life and traditions. Enjoy a jeep ride, short camel ride if you wish, tea or coffee. In the late afternoon, we transfer to Hurghada airport for your short flight to Cairo and check into our hotel for the night. B Optional: Mountain Safari & Bedouin Village (AM) Cruise sailing times are subject to change. At certain times of the year your itinerary may be amended to travel early in the morning and late afternoon to avoid the heat. Order or duration of some visits may changed without notice.
| Tour Prices: Two for One Special Offer* Book by December 31, 2018 for select dates for special half-off pricing, based on double occupancy. Additional dates available for groups of 8-40. "Go Private" with a surcharge for a minimum of 2 passengers. Your Tour Includes: • Land transportation via private, deluxe air conditioned vehicle • Domestic flights within Egypt • Accommodations (double-occupancy) in 4 and 5 star hotels • Meals as indicated in itinerary: 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 3 dinners • English-speaking Egyptologist/tour manager throughout • Admission to all activities as per itinerary • All taxes and tips except as indicated below Your Tour Does Not Include: • International flights to/from Cairo. Booking assistance is available upon request. Estimated fares from ORD $800 - $1600 depending on dates, airline and routing. • Entry Visa at Cairo airport (Available upon arrival) • End of tour tips for tour manager and coach driver • Items of a personal nature such as passport fees. (Passport must be valid for 6 months beyond return date.) • Optional insurance for health, baggage and cancellation. (This insurance is available and recommended.) Payment Schedule: A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is due with reservation. Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure date. Invoice will be sent out prior to final payment. Early registration is encouraged. Currency: Currency exchange rates fluctuate constantly. In the event of a significant drop in the value of the dollar, we reserve the right to add a currency surcharge to the price of the tour. Refund/Cancellation Policy: Due to the limited availability of this special offer, both deposit and final payments are non-refundable. We highly recommend the purchase of health, baggage and trip cancellation/ interruption insurance. Purchase of health, baggage and trip cancellation/ interruption insurance is strongly encouraged. |