Description
| Type of Tour: | Individually Tailored |
|---|---|
| Operates: | Departs Fridays, Mondays & Wednesdays |
| Duration: | 8 days / 7 nights |
| Visit: | Cairo – Luxor – Nile Cruiser – Esna – Edfu – Kom Ombo – Aswan – Cairo |
| Includes: | • All transfers as indicated in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan • 3 night’s accommodation Cairo • 1 full-day sightseeing in Cairo visiting the Egyptian Museum, Citadel and Bazaar • 1 full-day sightseeing in Cairo visiting Memphis, Sakkara, the Pyramids and Sphinx • 4 night Nile Cruise sailing Luxor – Aswan or Aswan – Luxor • Sightseeing and entrance fees as per itinerary • Meals as indicated in itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner) |
| Excludes: | • Airfare and airport taxes • Any optional sightseeing tours • Extras at hotels and meals not mentioned • Visa costs, travel insurance and tipping |
| Notes: |
|
Full Itinerary
Day 1: CAIRO
You will arrive at arrive Cairo Airport and be transferred to the hotel.
Overnight: Cairo
Day 2: CAIRO – EGYPTIAN MUSEUM – CITADEL
Today will be spent exploring the city of Cairo starting with a tour of the Egyptian Museum with the treasures from the Tut-Ankh-Amun burial site. Then the tour will continue to the Citadel from where one can enjoy a spectacular view of Cairo. Later you will visit the Alabaster Mosque, which adds a wonderful picture-postcard element to Cairo’s skyline. You will be given some time at leisure for shopping in the famous Khan-el-Khalili bazaar which is a labyrinth of cobbled alleyways. This vast bazaar tempts the senses with spices, perfume and glittering gold, silver and brass.
Overnight: Cairo (B)
Day 3: CAIRO – MEMPHIS – SAKKARA – PYRAMIDS – SPHINX
On this day you will finally be able to satisfy your curiosity regarding the Pyramid. But first you will visit Memphis, the ancient capital of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. It is the home of a colossal Statue of Ramesses II and the Alabaster Sphinx. Then you will continue to the “Cemetery City” of Sakkara and view the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the oldest of all Pyramids. In the afternoon you will visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, the only present-day survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the image which immediately pops into your head when you think of Egypt. Nearby, the mystical Sphinx surveys the plains of Giza. The 20m high man-animal Sphinx, created as a “living image of the sun-god”, was built by Chephren to guard the entrance to the Pyramids.
Overnight: Cairo (B)
Day 4: CAIRO – LUXOR – NILE CRUISER – KARNAK & LUXOR TEMPLES
You will be transferred to Cairo Airport for the flight to Luxor (cost of flight not included). After arriving in Luxor you will be transferred to your Nile Cruiser. Later you will visit Karnak Temple, a complex dedicated to Amun Ra. Its impressive features are probably the most overwhelming of all the Egyptian monuments. Thereafter visit Luxor Temple discovered beneath the shifting desert sands.
Overnight: Nile Cruiser (BLD)
Day 5: LUXOR – WEST BANK – VALLEY OF THE KINGS – ESNA
Temporarily leave the vessel to take a bus tour to the West Bank and visit Thebes Necropolis and the Valley of Kings, a vast City of the Dead for generations of Pharaohs, where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks. The tombs were richly decorated and filled with treasures for the afterlife but unfortunately however very few of these rock-cut tombs escaped grave robbers during ancient times. The most famous of the sixty-two tombs is the tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amun unearthed by Howard Carter. Later, at Deir al-Bahri, you will see the Temple of Hatshepsut built for the only woman who ruled Egypt. See the Colossi of Memnon; it is all that remains of the Temple of Amenophis, destroyed by the annual flooding of the Nile. Then the cruise continues to Esna, crosses the lock, and continues again onto Edfu.
Overnight: Nile Cruiser (BLD)
Day 6: EDFU – KOM OMBO – ASWAN
This morning you will take a horse-drawn carriage through Edfu to the famous and best preserved ancient Greek-built temple. Horus Temple dedicated to the falcon God was built on a rise to escape the annual flooding of the Nile. Later the cruise continues to Kom Ombo where the Temples of Sobek and Haroeris will be visited. Sobek refers to the crocodile god whilst the temple of Horoeris was built for the falcon-headed god.
Overnight: Nile Cruiser (BLD)
Day 7: HIGH DAM – PHILAE TEMPLE – FELUCCA RIDE
During the morning you will visit the High Dam, a huge rock-fill dam, which captures the world’s longest river. Travel by motorboat to Agilkia Island and visit the reassembled Philae Temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. The temple has a majestic aura, particularly at sunset when it seems to be made of gold. In the afternoon you can enjoy a Felucca ride during which you might catch a glimpse of the lush Botanic Gardens on Kitcheners Island, Elephantine Island, and Aga Khan’s Mausoleum on the west bank (view only, no visit).
Overnight: Nile Cruiser (BLD)
Day 8: ASWAN
The cruise ends after breakfast and you will disembark and be transferred to Aswan Airport for your flight to Cairo (cost of this flight is not included). (B)
Rates on request, please e-mail: travel@itt.co.za
All rates will be converted at time of final payment according to ITT’s bank selling rates. Please double check the final ZAR amount with us on day of payment. All services are subject to availability time of booking and subject to the General Terms and Conditions of ITT Inspirations Travel & Tours (PTY) LTD.
ITT Inspirations Travel & Tours
Email: travel@itt.co.za
l Tel: +27 (0)31 266 0030
www.itt.co.za
