Treasures of Egypt

We depart for Cairo on a direct flight.

We arrive in Cairo and set out to enjoy a panoramic tour of Old Cairo, with a visit of the Alabaster Mosque and the Great Citadel. Built by Saladin, rising majestically over the city, the mosque offers a panoramic view of Cairo and the Nile. We visit the Church of Abu Serga, Al-Muallaqa Church (Hanging Church) and the Ben Ezra Synagogue—the oldest Jewish synagogue in Egypt. We will enjoy a traditional Egyptian lunch before checking into our hotel. This evening is our Welcome Dinner.

This morning, we visit the world famous Grand Egyptian Museum, including the fabulous collection of Pharaonic antiquities, especially the golden treasures of the Tut Ankh Amun Exhibit. The museum houses over 50,000 artifacts that span 7,000 years of history.

Today we travel to Giza, overlooking the Nile Valley and Cairo, to visit the three Great Pyramids— one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—and the Great Sphinx, a colossal lion with a Pharaoh’s head. After lunch at a local restaurant, we return to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure.

This morning, we transfer to the Cairo airport for our short flight to Luxor in Upper Egypt. We will explore the East bank of the Nile, to visit the most impressive of all temples—Karnak, and see the Great Temple of Amun, the Hypostyle Hall, the Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, the Granite Scara of Amenophis II, Sacred Lake, and many shrines. We will transfer to our Nile Cruise for embarkation, and enjoy an afternoon at leisure.

Our sightseeing in Luxor will include the West Bank (Thebes) where there are some of the richest treasures in the world in the Valley of the Kings. We will be able to visit some of these royal tombs. Continue to visit Hatshepsut’s funerary temple at Dier El Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. Then we sail to Edfu via the locks of Esna.

This morning, we visit the ancient, yet remarkable intact, Temple of Horus. Horus (the Sun God) is always pictured as a man with a falcon’s head, often with a solar disk. Then we sail past small desert villages where life goes on much as it has for thousands of years. See camels, water buffalo, and donkeys at work on the small farms. We arrive at Kom Ombo to visit the Sobek Temple, dedicated to 2 gods: Haroeris—a hawkheaded god, and Sobek—the crocodile god. In order not to offend either, a twin shrine was built on a hill overlooking the Nile. We sail to Aswan for our overnight.

In Aswan, the Nile parts into many arms divided by immense granite rocks and islands, particularly the island of Elephantine. There is only a small area of fertile land producing what are considered the finest dates in all of Egypt. We visit the Temple of Philae, dedicated to Goddess Isis, and the High Dam. In the afternoon we sail in a felucca to view Kitchener’s Island, the Botanical Garden, and the Aga Khan Mausoleum.

Enjoy a day at leisure to explore Aswan on your own. An optional tour of Abu Simbel will be offered or spend the afternoon visiting the spice bazaar and the local market.

Relax on board your river cruise ship as we sail to Kom Ombo and to Edfu via the locks of Esna.

Enjoy a full day of sailing on the Nile to Luxor, passing through the locks of Esna.

We disembark from our Nile Cruise in Luxor where we will have the afternoon at leisure. An optional tour to visit the Temple of Dendera will be offered. This evening, we transfer to the Luxor airport for a flight to Cairo.

This morning we drive past small villages to visit the towns of Memphis and Sakkara. The highlight will be the Step Pyramids of King Zoser—the oldest stone building in the world! We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to our hotel.

Morning at leisure. We spend the afternoon at the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar—rich in silks and carpets, where craftsmen use age-old traditions in creating their wares. This evening is our Farewell Dinner.

We fly home to Canada direct.