Day 1: Friday - Depart USA

En Route

Depart on your overnight flight to Cairo

Day 2: Saturday - Cairo

Conrad International

Arrive Cairo International Airport where you are met and assisted through customs/immigration formalities and transferred to the city center Conrad International, considered the finest hotel in Cairo. Located directly on the River Nile not far from Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Museum, the Conrad International features a number of fine restaurants, pool, health club and beautiful casino.

Day 3: Sunday - Cairo

Conrad International

Meet your Egyptologist and transfer to the Giza plateau where you begin your day's sightseeing with a visit to the old Pharaonic capital of Memphis, seeing the beautiful Alabaster Sphinx and the giant reclining statue of Ramses the Great. Continue to Sakkara and tour the first stone structure ever built, King Zoser's famous Step Pyramid, and tombs with incredibly vivid hieroglyphs of daily life in ancient Egypt. In the afternoon, savor a tour of the most famous ancient monuments in the world -- the three Great Pyramids of Giza, Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos. Time permitting, you may chose to go into one of the pyramids, visit the famed Solar Boat or take a camel ride. Your tour ends at the foot of the inscrutable Sphinx, the giant man/beast puzzling mankind for generations. (B)

Day 4: Monday - Cairo

Conrad International

This morning's tour of the incomparable Egyptian Museum of Antiquities certainly will be a highlight of your tour. It is the greatest repository of ancient artifacts in the world, from the famed treasures of King Tutankhamon to the multitude of exquisitely carved statues dating from the 1st Dynasty. The afternoon is free to explore Cairo's multitude of interesting areas including Coptic and Islamic Cairo, the Citadel and the Khan el Khalili Bazaar. (B)

Day 5: Tuesday - Cairo/Luxor

Sonesta Nile Cruise

After breakfast fly to Luxor and embark your luxurious 5-star Nile cruise boat Sonesta Moon/Sun/Nile Goddess. Lunch aboard ship. Afternoon visit to the East Bank of ancient Thebes, including the fabulous temple of Luxor, with its Avenue of Sphinxes, and massive Karnak Temple with its huge hypostyle hall and labyrinthine passageways. Be sure to circle the giant Scarab at Karnak Temple to ensure a long healthy life and successful return to Egypt! This evening's entertainment is a Belly Dance Show. Dinner and overnight aboard ship. (B,L,D)

Day 6: Wednesday - Luxor/Edfu

Sonesta Nile Cruise

After an early full American breakfast, cross the Nile by ferry and depart for your tour of the West Bank to visit the incomparable Valley of the Kings. Tour the tombs of the great Pharaohs of Egypt and see where new excavations, conducted by the renowned American archaeologist Ken Weeks, of the tomb of the sons of Ramses the Great are taking place. Continue to the beautiful temple of Queen Hatchepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon as they sit as giant sentinels overlooking the Nile. Return to Sonesta Moon/Sun/Nile Goddess for lunch. Cruise to Edfu. Tonight join the Captain's Welcome reception, dinner and overnight aboard ship. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Thursday - Edfu/Kom Ombo

Sonesta Nile Cruise

Breakfast aboard ship. Morning visit to the most well preserved temple in all of Egypt -- the Temple of Horus at Edfu. After a short ride by caleche (horse-drawn carriage), this is your chance to study the exact layout of one of these fabulous Pharaonic structures. Enjoy the fun of „haggling¾ with the local merchants as you walk from the temple. Continue your cruise to Kom Ombo, the temple shared by two gods, Sobek and Haroeries. Be sure to see the mummified crocodiles and the Nilometer where the priests determined the current year's taxes! Galabeya Party, dinner and overnight aboard ship. (B,L,D)

Day 8: Friday - Kom Ombo/Aswan

Sonesta Nile Cruise

Morning cruise to Aswan. late morning tour of the Aswan High Dam and the British Old Dam, the granite quarries with its Unfinished Obelisk, and Philae Temple, situated on an island in the middle of the Nile. This afternoon there is a delightful felucca sailing excursion to Kitchener's Island and its botanical gardens, and to see the Agha Khan's mausoleum. Farewell dinner, Nubian Folkloric Show and overnight aboard ship. (B,L,D)

Day 9: Saturday - Aswan/Cairo

Conrad International

After breakfast, take the return flight to Cairo. Balance of afternoon at leisure for final sightseeing or shopping. (B)

Day 10: Sunday - Depart Cairo

En Route

Transfer to Cairo International Airport for your return flight home. Bon Voyage! (B)

INCLUDED IN YOUR PROGRAM

• 4 nights in Cairo at the Conrad International Hotel including buffet breakfast.
• 4-night Nile cruise aboard Sonesta Moon/Sun/Nile Goddess (depending on departure date) including all shore excursions, entrance fees, three meals daily.
• Sightseeing as detailed in itinerary with a private professional Egyptologist in Cairo and the boat Egyptologist during the cruise including entrance fees.
• Meals as indicated by (B), (B,L), (B,L,D).
• All transfers and sightseeing by private A/C vehicles.
• Meet & Greet services at all airports.
• Gratuities for luggage handling.

SORRY, NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR PROGRAM

• Cost of visa for Egypt.
• Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, drinks, incidental expenses at hotel and aboard ship, travel insurance, etc.
• Tips for Egyptologists, drivers and boat crew.

OPTIONAL TOURS IN EGYPT

Abu Simbel   $295
Fly south over azure Lake Nassar to incredible Abu Simbel, featuring four mammoth seated statues of Ramses II. Tour the magnificent temples of Ramses and his favorite wife, Nefertari, built as a testament to his vast importance and to intimidate enemies. In 1964, Abu Simbel was saved from inundation by the monumental efforts of UNESCO.
 
Islamic Cairo   $60
Half-day tour including the medieval citadel of Salah el-Din, Mohammed Ali's Alabaster Mosque, the 14th century mosque of Sultan Hassan, the finest example of Egyptian/ Islamic architecture in Cairo, and the world famous Khan el Khalili Bazaar, the quintessential shopper's paradise.
 
Coptic Cairo   $60
Half-day tour featuring Old Cairo's Roman fortress of Babylon, the fascinating Coptic Museum, Ben Ezra Synagogue and the unusual Hanging Church.
 
Sound & Light at Pyramids   $45
With the incomparable setting of the Sphinx and Pyramids in front of you, witness the awe-inspiring Sound & Light performance on the Giza Plateau.
 
Sound & Light at Karnak Temple   $45
Enjoy the Sound & Light spectacle at Karnak as you „walk¾ your way through Egypt's Pharaonic history.

A LA CARTE TOUR EXTENSIONS

Alexandria & Cairo   $795
Explore the namesake city of Alexander the Great on the Mediterranean coast on this four night/five day extension. Stay near the former site of the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Highlights are the Royal Jewelry Museum, Pompeii's Pillar, the Roman Amphitheater and Alexandria's antique district. Plus extra time in Cairo. Optional tour to El Alemain.
 
St. Catherine's Monastery & The Sinai   $895
A five night/six-day extension to the Sinai Peninsula featuring St. Catherine's Monastery founded in 530 A.D. by the Emperor Justinian. There's high adventure as well with a 4X4 desert excursion to the Colored Canyon and four nights at Sharm el Sheikh, the best resort and diving location on the Red Sea coast.
 
The Lost City of Petra   $1295
A five night/six-day extension to Jordan featuring the rose-colored Nabatean city of Petra, the capital city of Amman, the spectacular Roman Decapolis League city of Jerash, the intriguing crusader-era castles of Kerak and Ajlun, the mosaic city of Madaba, and Mt. Nebo, alleged burial place of Moses, beautifully set overlooking the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.