DAY 1: Departure from USA
- Board your international flight from USA to start your journey back on time to the ancient land of the Pharos. 2 Meals will be served on board of your overnight flight.
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DAY 2: Sat - Arrive Cairo
- Arrival in the Land of the Pharaohs, at Cairo International airport, Right Travel Representative will be waiting for you after you get your luggage and clear customs and will be holding the Right Travel Sign, then will transfer you to your hotel.
- Evening, you may choose our optional tour (Sound & Light Show in Cairo - C32). Inaugurated in April of 1961, with the narrative voice of the late Richard Burton, magnificent sound and lighting effects, the show begins with the narrative of the Sphinx, who has been the guardian of the city of the dead for five thousand years. Overseeing the building of the three pyramids, the Sphinx reflects on the historical contributions of Thutmosis IV, Akhnaten, Nefertiti and Tutankhamon. (if your flight arrive after 3 PM, we can offer this open on Day 3)
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DAY 3: Sun - Cairo, Combo Tour, Optional Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Drive to the Giza Plateau, home of Egypt signature attractions, the Great Pyramids, proclaimed by the Greeks to be among the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The largest among these is the Great Pyramid of Cheops, probably built more than 2,600 years before the time of Christ. Standing 480 feet tall this is the last of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world that still standing. Little is known of Cheops, you`ll also see the inscrutable and mysterious Sphinx, known in Arabic as Abu al-Hol ("the Father of Terror") and carved almost entirely from one piece of limestone.
- Lunch at Local restaurant (Abu Shakra)
- Drive to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, a large museum in the ancient city of Fustat, now part of Cairo, Egypt. The museum partially opened in February 2017 and will display a collection of 50,000 artefacts, presenting Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
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DAY 4: Mon - Cairo, Aswan, Cruise Sightseeing
- Early morning transfer to Cairo airport, for your flight to Aswan.
- Upon arrival you will be escorted to your luxury cruise ship where you will spend the next 3 nights / 4 days relaxing and enjoy the sailing from Aswan to Luxor. After Lunch, the Nile cruise shore excursion will start. Visit the High Dam, located near Aswan, the world-famous High Dam was an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. It contains 18 times the material used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops. The Dam is 11,811 feet long, 3215 feet thick at the base and 364 feet tall. Today it provides irrigation and electricity for the whole of Egypt and, together with the old Aswan Dam built by the British between 1898 and 1902`, 6km down river, wonderful views for visitors. From the top of the two-Mile-long High Dam you can gaze across Lake Nassar, the huge reservoir created when it was built.
- Proceed to The Unfinished Obelisk is a rare opportunity to consider what this process might have been like and just how difficult it was to shape and carve the great stone blocks that make up Egypt&rsquos many monuments. This huge obelisk would have stood 140 feet in height, the largest even in Egypt. It was to be carved from the Red Aswan granite that decorate many of Egypt&rsquos greatest monument and for which the city is famous. This greatest of all of Egypt&rsquos monoliths, however, was never finished. At a late stage in its formation, a flaw in the rock was discovered and it was abandoned.
- Our last visit today will be to the Temple of Philae, was dismantled and reassembled (on Agilika Island about 550 meters from its original home on Philae Island) in the wake of the High Dam. The temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, is in a beautiful setting which has been landscaped to match its original site. It`s various shrines and sanctuaries, which include The Vestibule of Nectanebos I which is used as the entrance to the island, the Temple of the Emperor Hadrian, a Temple of Hathor, Trajan`s Kiosk (Pharaohs Bed), a birth house and two pylons celebrate all the deities involved in the Isis and Osiris myth. The Victorian world fell in love with the romance of the Temple.
- Overnight in Aswan.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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DAY 5: Tue - Aswan, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor
- Early Sail to Kom Ombo and visit Kom Ombo Temple (the Ptolemaic Temple of Sobek & Haroeries). Located in the town of Kom-Ombo, about 28 miles north of Aswan, the Temple, dating to the Ptolemies, is built on a high dune overlooking the Nile. The actual temple was started by Ptolemy VI Philometor in the early second century BC. Ptolemy XIII built the outer and inner hypostyle halls. The outer enclosure wall and part of the court were built by Augustus sometime after 30 BC, and are mostly gone. There are also tombs from the Old Kingdom in the vicinity of Kom-Ombo village.
- Sail to Edfu to Visit Edfu Temple. Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god, it was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies. We have a great deal of information about its construction from reliefs on outer areas. It was begun in 237 BC by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and was finished in 57 BC. Most of the work continued throughout this period with a brief interlude of 20 years while there was unrest during the period of Ptolemy IV and Ptolemy V Epiphanes. This is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak. It was believed that the temple was built on the site of the great battle between Horus and Seth. Hence, the current temple was but the last in a long series of temples build on this location.
- After that Sail to luxor via Esna for dinner and overnight.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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DAY 6: Wed - Luxor, West and East Bank Tour, Optional Sound & Light Show
- After breakfast visit the West Bank necropolis including the Valley of the Kings, with its many tombs chiseled deep into the Cliffside. From the 18th to the 20th Dynasty, the Memphis area and pyramid-style tombs were abandoned in favor of the West Bank of the Nile in Thebes. Several great leaders as well as many less important rulers are buried here, and more tombs are being discovered even today. This is where Howard Carter discovered the treasures of Tutankhamen and was struck "dumb with amazement" when he beheld its "wonderful things" in 1922.
- Proceed to the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari. The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most dramatically situated in the world. The queen`s architect, Senenmut, designed it and set it at the head of a valley overshadowed by the Peak of the Thebes, the "Lover of Silence," where lived the goddess who presided over the necropolis. Last stop for our morning tour will be at the Colossi of Memnon. Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty) built a mortuary temple in Thebes that was guarded by two gigantic statues on the outer gates. All that remains now are the 23 meters (75 ft.) high, one thousand-ton statues of Amenhotep III. Though damaged by nature and ancient tourists, the statues are still impressive.
- Last stop for our morning tour will be at the Colossi of Memnon. Amenhotep III (18th Dynasty) built a mortuary temple in Thebes that was guarded by two gigantic statues on the outer gates. All that remains now are the 23 meter (75 ft.) high, one-thousand-ton statues of Amenhotep III. Though damaged by nature and ancient tourists, the statues are still impressive.
- Back to the cruise for lunch. Afternoons proceed to your East bank visit of Luxor, visit Karnak Temple. In ancient Egypt, the power of the god Amun of Thebes gradually increased during the early New Kingdom, and after the short persecution led by Akhenaten, it rose to its apex. In the reign of Ramesses III, more than two thirds of the property owned by the temples belonged to Amun, evidenced by the stupendous buildings at Karnak. Although badly ruined, no site in Egypt is more impressive than Karnak. It is the largest temple complex ever built by man, and represents the combined achievement of many generations of ancient builders. The Temple of Karnak is actually three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples located about three kilometers north of Luxor, Egypt situated on 100 ha (247 acres) of land. Karnak is actually the sites modern name. Its ancient name was Ipet-isut, meaning "The Most Select (or Sacred) of Places". This vast complex was built and enlarged over a thirteen-hundred-year period. The three main temples of Mut, Montu and Amun are enclosed by enormous brick walls.
- Continue to visit the Temple of Luxor, built by the two pharaohs, Amenhotep III and Ramses II. Ancient Thebes was a center of festivals, and the Temple of Luxor was the setting for the most important-the festival of Opet, designed to merge the ruler`s human and divine aspects. The temple was dedicated to Amun-Ra, whose marriage to Mut was celebrated annually, when the sacred procession moved by boat from Karnak to Luxor Temple.
- Evening, you may add the (Optional Sound & Light Show -L14). Inaugurated in 1972 the Sound and Light Show in the Temple of Karnak begins with a historical introduction covering the birth of the great city of Thebes and the construction of the Temple. Depicting the glorious achievement of the Pharaohs, spectators listen to the lyrical and poetic descriptions of artistic treasures, grand festivals, heroic deeds and literature of the times. Overnight in Luxor.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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DAY 7: Thu - Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride, Luxor, Cairo, Khan El Khalili, Egyptian Museum
- (Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride in Luxor). As the sun rises over Luxor, so can you, aboard an optional hot-air balloon ride. The sights, sounds, and sheer spectacle of seeing these antiquities from the sky will surely make for a morning youll remember forever.
- After breakfast, check out from your Nile Cruise.
- Transfer to Luxor airport for your flight back to Cairo. Arrival and transfer to your hotel.
- Start your Cairo tour by visiting the world-renowned to the largest traditional shopping bazaar in the world, the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. In the tiny alleyways, there are hundreds of shops where you can watch gold and coppersmiths, brass makers, and fortunetellers at work. Look also for leather goods and woodwork inlaid with camel bone and mother-of-pearl. Bargaining, Arab-style, is the norm here, and practiced as a national pastime.
- gather for a briefing on your upcoming Cairo trip. Your Program Director will go over the details of the trip and answer any questions you may have. You`ll also attend a Discovery Series discussion on "Ancient Egypt," as a prelude to the discoveries ahead.
- Lunch at Local restaurant (Studio Misr), proceed to the Egyptian Museum Antiquities. Accompanied by your certified Egyptologist Program Director, you`ll stroll through the halls highlighting each historical period of this ancient land. Marvel at the glittering treasures of King Tutankhamen, unparalleled in their variety, exquisite beauty, and sheer weight in gold. Seeing this treasure of more than 1,700 fabulous items buried with a young and relatively unimportant king, who can even imagine what the tombs of great and long-lived pharaohs must have contained.
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
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DAY 8: Fri - Departure
- After early breakfast, transfer to Cairo airport for your international flight back to USA.
- Meal: Breakfast
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