SPLENDOURS OF EGYPT
Egyptologist escorted
group tour
26 September - 6 October 2010
THIS TOUR IS FULL & CLOSED
5 star de luxe Nile cruise
& Abu Simbel
TOUR COST
- includes air fares & tips
From Cape Town, per person sharing R20 577 plus tax R2 645
From Johannesburg, per person sharing
R18 960 plus tax R1 917
Single room supplement R5 080
Terms & Conditions apply - fares and tax subject to change.
Tour cost includes:
- International & all domestic air fares
- Accommodation with private bathrooms and meals as stated in itinerary
- 3 night Nile cruise Aswan/Luxor, full board & sightseeing
- 4 Transfers in Cairo
- 1 Transfer in Aswan
- 2 Transfers Aswan - Abu Simbel and return by road
- 1 Transfer in Luxor
- 1 lunch box in Aswan
- 1 Full day tour in Cairo (Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, Saqqara and lunch at a local restaurant)
- 1 Half day tour in Cairo (Citadel, Alabaster Mosque, St. Sergius Church, Hanging Church and Khan El Khalili Bazaars).
- 1 Half day tour in Cairo (Egyptian Museum)
- 1 Abu Simbel Temples visit
- 1 Sound and Light Show - Abu Simbel
- All transfers in air-conditioned vehicles
- Entrance fees at all sites per itinerary
- English speaking Egyptologist guide
- Tips: porters, drivers, cruise staff, guide, transfer agents
Price excludes:
-
Drinks & extras at hotels, cruise, etc.
- Visa or visa handling charge
- Travel insurance
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Itinerary
Sunday 26 September 2010
In the afternoon you depart Cape Town or other centres and fly to Johannesburg where you check in for your EgyptAir flight to Cairo. Dinner is served on the flight.
Monday 27 September
You arrive at Cairo International Airport in the early morning and will be met by our agent and transferred to the Cairo Sheraton Hotel, or similar, where you are booked on a bed & breakfast basis. You will have your room on arrival and can take breakfast.
Later, when you are refreshed, there will be a half day tour to Old Cairo where you visit the Citadel overlooking the city and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Aly. This is followed by a visit to the Coptic St Sergius Church and the Hanging Church. Finally you visit the famous medieval Khan el Khalili Bazaar. Overnight Cairo.
Tuesday 28 September
This morning there is a full day tour visiting the incredible Giza Pyramids, Sphinx and the Valley Temple - lunch is included at a local restaurant. In the afternoon you will have an interesting drive out of Cairo to visit the site of the ancient capital of Memphis where you can see the colossus of Ramesses the Great and other ancient sculptures. Following this visit you will be driven to the desert site of Saqqara and the vast funerary arena of 3rd Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser (c. 3700 BCE) and see the Step Pyramid, the first ever pyramid. Overnight Cairo.
Wednesday 29 September
After breakfast you will be transferred to Cairo Airport for the short flight south to Aswan. On arrival at Aswan you will receive a lunch box and be transferred by road along part of the ancient 40-day caravan route through the desert to Abu Simbel. You check in at the Seti Abu Simbel Hotel on the banks of Lake Nasser where you are booked on a full board basis.
In the evening you will see the spectacular Sound & Light Show at the Abu Simbel temples and return to the hotel for dinner. Overnight Abu Simbel.
Thursday 30 September
This morning you will visit and enter the great temple of Ramesses II with its 4 seated 20 metre high statues of the pharaoh fronting the temple. Also you will visit the adjacent temple dedicated to Ramesses the Great's Chief Wife Nefertari who is also depicted on the front of her temple. Following the visit you will transfer by road to Aswan where you check in at the superb new 5 star Iberotel Aswan Hotel, or similar, on a bed & breakfast basis. The remainder of the day is at leisure to enjoy this picturesque town with its fascinating souk (market) running the length of the town. Overnight Aswan.
 Friday 01 October
The morning you will be transferred to your 5 star de luxe Nile cruiser M/S Tiyi, or similar, for the 3 night Nile cruise to Luxor which is on a full board basis starting with lunch. All cabins have picture windows for you to enjoy the timeless Nile scenes. You will travel by road to view the Aswan Dam which forms the 500km long Lake Nasser and visit the ancient granite quarry with its 1,000 ton Unfinished Obelisk. You cross the water by motor-boat to visit the elegant island Temple of Philae dedicated to the supreme maternal goddess Isis.
Overnight Aswan.
Please note the sequence of the cruise can change due to local conditions.
Saturday 02 October
This morning, the Nile cruiser will sail northwards to Kom Ombo where you will visit the riverside temple. After the visit the cruiser continues sailing to Edfu. On arrival in Edfu, you will be transported by horse carriage to visit the huge Temple of Horus - this is the most complete temple of the ancient world. You continue sailing to Esna where the ship passes through the lock and continues to Luxor with its massive concentration of ancient sites. On one evening during the cruise there is likely to be a traditional gallabiya party when everyone dresses Egyptian-style. Items can be bought inexpensively in the bazaars and sometimes hired on the boat. Overnight Luxor.
 Sunday 03 October
This morning you cross the Nile to the West Bank by road to visit the tombs of the pharaohs in the famous Valley of the Kings. Later you visit the great temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch you visit the incredible Karnak temple complex, the largest religious complex in the world, with its forest of pillars, sacred lake and carved reliefs and also the riverside Luxor Temple. In the evening there is likely to be a Belly Dance Show on board. Overnight Luxor.
Monday 04 October
Today you will disembark your cruise ship and will be transferred to Luxor airport for your flight back to Cairo. On arrival you will be transferred to the centrally situated 5 star Cairo Sheraton Hotel, or similar, on a bed & breakfast basis. The remainder of the day is at leisure. You could consider an optional visit to the Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids and Sphinx or a dinner cruise with show on the Nile. Overnight Cairo.
 Tuesday 05 October
This morning you will have a guided tour of the famous Egyptian Museum where you can see the incredible gold treasures of the boy king Tutankhamun and an antiquities collection spanning 5000 years. The afternoon is at leisure for last minute shopping or whatever takes your fancy in this vibrant city. You will have your hotel room until the late evening transfer to Cairo International Airport where you will be assisted through the airport formalities for your return flight to Johannesburg.
Wednesday 06 October
Arrive Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport about 07h30 and transfer to Domestic Departures for flights to other centres.
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