Wonders of Egypt (2014) from Insight Vacations

Highlights:

Incredibly, after gazing upon the illustrious Pyramids, this tour only gets better! Further up the Nile, your cruise ship is poised to take you to royal tombs and breathtaking temples.
Tour Pace - Leisurely: A perfect balance of touring, cruising and Cairo sightseeing. A two-night stay in Cairo at the beginning of the tour allows you time to adjust to your new surroundings. Then four fabulous nights relaxing on your Nile cruise, before disembarking for two more nights back in Cairo to complete your sightseeing.

SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES AND DINING

- The full-faced funeral mask, gold coffin, gilded throne, precious jewelry; gaze upon the most recognizable symbols of ancient Egypt - Tutankhamun’s treasure!
- If only these walls could talk! Oh, but they do at the audio visual Sound & Light Show at the great Pyramids.
- Stand amid a vast forest of columns in the largest temple complex known to man - Karnak.
- Embark on a West Bank excursion to visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut then into the Valley of the Kings for a subterranean look at some of the Pharaonic tombs.
- Board a motorboat to the Philae Island temple complex.
- Like Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie before you, enjoy the sunset and high tea in colonial English style at Aswan’s famous Old Cataract hotel.
- Come face to face with the inscrutable Sphinx and venture deep inside one of the Pyramids, where the pharaohs went to meet their Gods in the afterlife.
- Join the fun at an Egyptian dinner and galabeya party.

ADDITIONAL INCLUDED HIGHLIGHTS

- Memphis: See the statue of Rameses II & Alabaster Sphinx.
- Sakkara: See the Step Pyramid of Zozer, oldest in the world.
- Luxor: Visit the awe-inspiring Temple of Luxor. See the two seated figures known as the Colossi of Memnon.
- Kom Ombo & Edfu: Visit the riverside temples.
- Aswan: Sail on a traditional ‘felucca’ around the Botanical gardens. Visit the Aswan High Dam and the unfinished obelisk in the granite quarries.

PREMIUM HOTELS AND LOCATIONS

- Cruise the Nile in style aboard your traditional Nile cruiser with its spacious cabins, bars, shops, lounge, restaurant and swimming pool.
- Among the premier hotels in Cairo, the deluxe Marriott is built around a 19th century palace on an island in the Nile River - an oasis of peace in the heart of the city!

INCLUDED QUALITY DINING

- 8 Buffet Breakfasts (BB), 1 Highlight Dinner (HD), 4 lunches (L) 3 dinners (D) plus bottled water, tea or coffee while cruising
- Departures on tour for New Year’s Eve, enjoy a festive celebration dinner

INCLUDED FIRST CLASS SERVICES

- Professional multi-lingual Tour Director/Egyptologist escorts you
- Headsets for all guided visits and walking tours
- Sightseeing by air-conditioned coach
- Deluxe hotel with all service charges, taxes and porterage
- 4 night Nile cruise on MS Medea or MS Sapphire or La Boheme (or similar) with all cruise boat gratuities included
- Scheduled flights between Cairo/Luxor and Aswan/Cairo
- Services of Insight’s Representative in Egypt
- Arrival and departure transfers between Cairo airport and your Insight tour hotel.

Wonders of Egypt (2014)

From $2565 USD

Cairo and the Great Pyramids

Welcome to a country rich in wonders and mysteries - many are revealed on this tour. You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. In the morning gain a deeper understanding of the last remaining Wonder of the Ancient World during a guided tour of Giza! Meet the enigmatic Sphinx crouching at the foot of Chephren’s causeway and venture inside one the magnificent Pyramids. Nearby lies Memphis, capital of the Old Kingdom, see the colossal statue of Rameses II and great alabaster sphinx. Continue to Sakkara, view the Step Pyramid of Zoser I; dating from 2686BC, it’s the oldest in the world. Then free time to enjoy as you wish. This evening, get to know your Tour Director and fellow guests over a welcome drink at the hotel. Later, take your seats at the magical Sound & Light Show at the Great Pyramids which literally illuminates the history of Giza - an unforgettable introduction to the world of ancient Egypt!

Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Hotel: Marriott

Cairo and the Great Pyramids

Continue activity of Day 1.

Luxor and Cruising the Nile

Fly to Luxor and transfer to your cruise ship. After lunch on board, visit Luxor Temple unearthed by Mariette in the 1860’s. Continue to the huge temple complex of Karnak. Walk through the avenue of Ram-headed sphinxes to stand among the columns of the Hypostyle Hall. The next morning relax as you gently cruise along the Nile, past palm fringed villages and irrigated fields, to exotic Aswan. But before leaving Luxor, there is an excursion by coach to the west bank, which includes a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon and visits to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut as well as some of the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. As you drift up-stream stops are made at ancient sites along the way. These include the well preserved temple of Horus, dedicated to the Falcon God at Edfu as well as the Kom Ombo Temple. On arrival in Aswan, an included sightseeing tour shows you the High Dam and unfinished obelisk in the granite quarries. It also includes a motorboat ride to the Philae Island Temple complex and sailing in a traditional wooden Nile felucca. As the sun starts to fade, enjoy high tea in English colonial style on the terrace at the historic Old Cataract Hotel, a favourite haunt of Agatha Christie, who is said to have penned “Death on the Nile” over the café’s signature drink. While cruising breakfast, lunch and dinner (BB,L,D) are served daily and you also get to celebrate Egyptian style at a galabeya party and dinner

Meals: Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner / Highlight Dinner

Hotel: Ship: MS Medea/MS Sapphire/MS La Boheme

Luxor and Cruising the Nile

Continue activity of Day 3.

Luxor and Cruising the Nile

Continue activity of Day 3.

Luxor and Cruising the Nile

Continue activity of Day 3.

Aswan at leisure and back to Cairo

Why not join an optional excursion by air to the magnificent Temples of Rameses II at Abu Simbel? Otherwise, spend the morning as you wish. There is lots to enjoy; the Botanic Gardens, Elephantine Island, the Aga Khan Mausoleum or soak up the African atmosphere in the Nubian bazaar. Later, transfer to the airport for your return flight to Cairo for over night.

Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Hotel: Marriott

Cairo Sightseeing

Begin your city sightseeing at Tahrir Square - the sprawling urban space that became famous over 18 historic days of protests. Now on to the world-famous Egyptian Museum. Star among its attractions is the amazing treasure recovered from Tutankhamun’s tomb. Sightseeing continues at the Citadel where you enjoy breathtaking views over the whole city. Salah El Din started the Citadel in the 12th Century, but it owes its present outline to Mohammed Ali whose great alabaster mosque you visit next. Then free time to enjoy as you wish!

Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Hotel: Marriott

Depart Cairo

The tour ends after breakfast with transfers to the airport.

Meals: Buffet Breakfast

Agency: Insight Vacations

Wonders of Egypt (2014)

From $2565 USD

Agency: Insight Vacations

Wonders of Egypt (2014)

From $2565 USD

Agency: Insight Vacations