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Africa - Egypt
Sample package
Egypt with 4-day cruise 12 days/10 nights
DAY 1:
Departure flight.
DAY 2:
Arrival at
the airport in Cairo; meet with the tour guide and your driver.
Cairo, largest city of the African continent, heart of the Arab world, is
located where East and West meet and mixes one’s exotic character with the
other’s sophistication. With its thousand minarets, its typical oriental
bazaars, its sumptuous hotels and buildings bordering the Nile as well as its
refined residential quarters, the city is a mix of a far-away past, buzzing
with activity, and a definitely modern present.
Assistance with the visa formalities.
Transfer in motorcoach
towards your hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Cairo.
DAY 3:
Breakfast.
Guided tour of the Giza Pyramids and of the Sphinx. No
other construction in the world has enjoyed as much fame as the pyramids. No other
ancient civilisation has given that much importance to the dead as the
Egyptians did. For this purpose, they built the pyramids, sepulchres for their
deceased sovereigns. Their beliefs in the afterlife led them to consider the
grave as a home where the body, as well as all its necessities in food or
other, should be preserved.
Lunch in a local restaurant.
Departure for Memphis, the
first capital of Egypt, and the Pyramid of Djoser in the Saqqara necropolis. Also
known as the step pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser is renowned because it was the
first structure in the world to be built entirely of stone. The pyramid covers
an area of 123.5 x 107 meters, and reaches a height of around 59 meters.
Dinner and overnight in Cairo.
DAY 4:
Breakfast.
Visit of the
Antiquities museum of Egypt.
Lunch in a local restaurant.
Visit of the Salah El Din Citadel. Visit of Sultan Hassan’s Mosque. Built in
the shape of a cross, Sultan Hassan’s Mosque is composed of a central courtyard
encircled by four porches covered by an archway. The deepest porch indicates
the direction for the prayer. It includes the “mihrab” (niche pointing towards
the Mecca), the pulpit and the jubé.
Free afternoon in the Khan El Khalili Bazaar to shop for souvenirs and gifts.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Cairo.
DAY 5:
Breakfast.
This morning, you will
begin with the visit of the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Legend as it that it is here
that the Pharao’s daughter picked up Moses, floating on the Nile in his bulrushes
basket. Legend also tells of his growing up in these premises.
Then, work your way towards one of Egypt’s most ancient churches, the El Muallaqa
church, which means “Hanging Church”, also known as Saint Virgin Mary’s Church.
Hanging from the summit of Roman Babylon’s water tower, it was built in the VIIth
century during Christianity’s introduction in Egypt. Demolished in 840, it was
then rebuilt and revamped on many occasion.
West of the synagogue, one can find the Abou Serga Church which contains a
crypt; the story tells that, when Herod, Jerusalem’s roman governor, ordered
for the execution of every child in his kingdom, the Virgin Mary, Joseph and
baby Jesus fled and found shelter in this crypt during three months.
Lunch included.
Transfer towards the train station in motorcoach.
Night train departure towards Luxor.
Dinner and overnight on board the train.
DAY 6:
Breakfast on board the train.
Arrival in Luxor.
Transfer in motorcoach to board a boat for the 4-day cruise on the Nile.
Dinner aboard the boat.
This afternoon, we will
visit the East Bank of Luxor and Karnak Temple. Located near Thebes, the
religious capital, Karnak is Egypt’s largest and richest religious center. Its
Egyptian name is Ipet-isut, generally
translated as “The Most Selected of Places”.
Late afternoon tea and free time to unwind on the boat.
Dinner and overnight aboard the boat.
DAY 7:
Breakfast aboard the boat.
Today, we will visit Luxor’s West Bank. Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple of a Million
Years in Deir el-Bahari, built beneath an eastern Theban mountain cliff, is a partly
underground temple directly carved in rock.
The Valley of the Kings counts 62 open tombs. It was once referred to as the “Gates
of the King” or “Land of Truth”.
The Valley of the Queens has 80 tombs destined to the members of the royal
family (men and women) as well as high-ranked dignitaries.
The Colossi of Memnon. These 2 monolithic, 18-meters tall statues made of red
Aswan quartzite and weighing 700 tons each are the last remains of Amenothep
III’s gigantic mortuary temple (XVIIIth dynasty) built on the
Eastern bank of the ancient Thebes, near the Ramesseum. They depict the pharaoh
sitting, his hands resting on his knees.
Lunch aboard the boat.
Take the afternoon tea
and rest while your boat takes you to Esna.
Dinner and overnight aboard the boat.
DAY 8:
Breakfast aboard the boat.
Free time to relax aboard the boat.
Lunch aboard the boat.
In the afternoon, visit of the Temple of Horus in Edfu. Edfu is a city located
on the left bank of the Nile. Dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god, son of
Osiris and Isis, this temple is one of Egypt’s most important religious
monuments from the Ptolemaic period.
Departure from the boat towards Kom Ombo.
Dinner and overnight aboard
the boat.
DAY 9:
Breakfast aboard the boat.
This morning, you will visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to Sobek, the
crocodile god. Located 45 km to the north of Aswan, Kom Ombo sits on the bank
of the Nile. The boats can dock directly to it which permits day and night tours.
At night, the Temple of Kom Ombo takes another dimension. The lighting is
particularly well executed and animates frescoes with new life and relief.
Departure from the boat towards Aswan.
Lunch on the boat.
This afternoon, you will visit the High Dam and the Temple of Isis on the small
island of Philae.
Next, head for Aswan’s granite quarry, located near the unfinished obelisk.
Dinner and overnight aboard the boat.
DAY 10:
Breakfast aboard the boat.
End of the cruise.
Lunch in a local restaurant.
Transfer in motorcoach towards Aswan train station for the return to Cairo.
Dinner and overnight on board the train.
DAY 11:
Breakfast on board the train.
Arrival in Cairo.
Transfer to your hotel.
Lunch included.
Rest of the day free for
some souvenir shopping.
Dinner and overnight in Cairo.
DAY 12:
Breakfast.
Transfer to the airport in Cairo.
Return flight.