EGYPT, Gift of the Nile

14 days

 

Experience a lifetime trip in Lower and Upper Egypt, including four days cruising the legendary Nile (CAIRO, ASWAN, KOM OMBO, EDFU & LUXOR) and the great Roman city of Alexandria.

Contact HLO Tours at hamdy@hlotours.com or call 800-736-4456 to reserve your space.

 

​14 Days (land only)
Price available upon request
 

Day 1:

CAIRO 

Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your Pyramids hotel for the next two nights in Giza.  

Cairo has been the largest city in Africa for centuries. Modern Cairo encompasses many former towns & their monuments. Five thousand years of culture are concentrated here in a city that is a living index to ancient civilization.   

Overnight: Steigenberger Pyramids Hotel or similar

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Day 2: 

GIZA  (Memphis, Sakkara)

You will start your tour in the late morning and proceed to Sakkara, where you will see the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, history's first stone building.  

After lunch in a countryside restaurant, you will proceed to Sakkara, where you will see the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, history's first stone building. You will continue to Memphis, the ancient capital city of Egypt. 

Overnight: Steigenberger Pyramids Hotel or similar. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

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Day 3: GIZA (Pyramids)

After breakfast, you will meet your tour guide in the hotel lobby to start your Egyptian adventure. The first stop is in Giza, where you will tour one of the seven and only remaining wonders of the ancient world, the famous Great Pyramids of Giza. You will also visit the legendary Sphinx, a sacred symbol of the union of the strongest physical with the highest intellectual power on earth.  

Optional 20 minutes camel ride at the Giza Plateau. $20.00 per camel
per person.

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Day 4: CAIRO / EGYPTIAN VILLAGE
This day will be a full-day excursion to visit an authentic Egyptian village family for lunch and a walk around the fields of vegetables and fruits. Have an authentic Egyptian lunch with Hamdy's family.
Overnight: Steigenberger Pyramids Hotel or similar. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

 

Day 5: 

CAIRO / LUXOR – MS LILY or similar NILE CRUISE.
We will transport you to Cairo Airport for your short flight to Luxor. Arrive at Luxor International Airport, where you will be met & transferred by private car/bus to the deluxe MS LILY or similar NILE CRUISE SHIP to spend the next four nights onboard cruising from Luxor to Aswan.

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NILE CRUISE PROGRAM – (Subject to change) - will be as follows:
1:00 PM: Lunch upon Check-in for lunch.

2:30 PM: visit the Eastern bank of the Nile, which includes:  The Temple of Luxor with its massive papyrus columns, which are dedicated to the God Amon, and the Karnak Temple, which consists of several temples of great beauty.

5:30 PM: Afternoon tea.

8:00 PM: Dinner. Belly dancer.

Overnight in Luxor on board.   Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Luxor: is the world's most incredible open-air museum, filled with awe-inspiring monuments of an ancient civilization. As Weset, it was the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, as Thebes. It was described as "The Hundred–gate city."  Later, it was named Al Oksor, meaning "City of the Palaces."  Testaments to a desire for immortality, built for eternity in sandstone and granite, the temples, tombs, and palaces still stand, surrounded by souks. 

 

Day 6: 

NILE CRUISE / LUXOR / EDFU

7:00 AM: You will cross to the western bank of the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. (If it's open) and the Tomb of the Nobles, where the fabulous treasure of Tutankhamun, which fascinated the world, was discovered.   Also, visit the Ramesuem at Medinet Habu, where Ramses 111's mortuary temple. It said that Ramses 111 found himself alone in the Afterlife. Using the correct "Passwords" from the Book of the Dead, he can proceed through the underworld's gates and join OSIRIS in paradise. Finally, he is reborn and becomes one of the "imperishable stars."

Return to the cruise boat.

12:30 PM: Sail to Esna.

1:00 PM: Lunch on board. Free time.  

5:30 PM: Afternoon tea.  

7:30 PM: Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party.

8:00 PM: Dinner on board. Overnight in Esna.   Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Day 7: 

NILE CRUISE / EDFU/ KOM OMBO / ASWAN

Visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu by Caleche or bus. 

10:30 AM: Sail to Kom Ombo. 

1:00 PM: Lunch on board.

5:00 PM: Afternoon tea.

5:30 PM: Visit the Temple shared by two gods in Kom Ombo.

Dinner during sailing to Aswan.

8:00 PM: Dinner on board.

9:30 PM: Costume and Galabya Party on board.

Overnight in Kom Ombo.   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Day 8:  

NILE CRUISE / ASWAN

Arrive in Aswan.

Visit the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk at the Granite Quarries, then board your motorboat to visit Philae Temple.

1:00 PM: Lunch on board.

3:30 PM: Sail on the Nile by Felucca (small sailing boat) around Kitchener's Island.  

5:30 PM: Afternoon tea.

8:00 PM: Dinner on board.  

9:30 PM: Nubian Folkloric Show.

Overnight on board in Aswan. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Aswan is small enough to walk around during your free time or even relax around the pool. During your free day, you may explore the souk, the spice market full of scents and colors, and buy perfume oils, scarves, and baskets.

 

Day 9:

ASWAN / CAIRO (Optional tour to Abu Simbel)

Disembark, and then you will be transferred to Aswan International Airport (Domestic Terminal) for your Egypt Air short flight to Cairo. 

Arrive in Cairo, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Overnight in La Passage Airport Hotel or similar. Meals: Breakfast

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Day 10: 

CAIRO / ALEXANDRIA - Roman Theater, Catacombs of Kom El-Shoqfa, Citadel of Qaitbay

After breakfast, you will be transferred by a private air-conditioned vehicle for a nearly two and half hour drive to Alexandria from Cairo. Alexandria is on the Mediterranean Sea and was founded by the Macedonian origin commander Alexander the Great during the Greco-Roman Era. Alexandria used to be the most beautiful city in the whole world at that time. You will visit the Greco-Roman sites as follows:
The Catacombs of Kom El-Shoqafa: 
One of the most important Egyptian archaeological sites, including pieces and tombs that combine the Pharaonic and Roman eras, was an ancient Egyptian burial site for the nobles when it was Romanized. Later, most of the high elites buried their family members there. It is three floors below the ground, catacombs with highly skilled inscriptions and artwork. We will then stop at the Ancient Roman Theatre, an archaeological site featuring the remains of an ancient Roman Theater, baths & a villa with mosaics. We will then proceed to Pompey's pillar, which was set up to memorialize Emperor Augustus Diocletian from the 3rd century A.D and is the last surviving monument from the Temple of the Serapeum dedicated by Postumus, Prefect of Egypt, to Emperor Diocletian. You will see some exciting statues and sphinxes in the ruined temple that once was the center of the cult in old Alexandria.
The Citadel of Qaitbay: Sultan Qaitbay started building this castle in 882 AD, where the great lighthouse Pharos (one of the world's seven man-made wonders of the world) was once standing. Lunch will be at a local restaurant. 
Overnight in Alexandria, Sheraton Hotel. Meals: Breakfast

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Day 11:  

ALEXANDRIA / CAIRO - The Bibliotheca of Alexandria:
After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the new Library of Alexandria, a revival of the old library that burned down in the early centuries. The library was the most extensive library of its time and was a massive project Egypt undertook jointly with the United Nations. Lunch is on our own. After lunch, we will return to Cairo overnight.

Overnight: Kempinski Hotel  Meals: Breakfast, lunch

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Day 12:

CAIRO – Egyptian Museum – Old Cairo, The Citadel, Mohammed Khalili Mosque

After breakfast, we will meet our guide in the lobby and proceed with a guided tour of the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, one of the world's most famous museums.  

After you visit the Egyptian Museum, you will stop for lunch at a local restaurant before proceeding to OLD CAIRO: This location is in a Fortress named the Fortress of Babylon. Its foundation is on the site where we stand today. Within the fortress are a lot of churches and other buildings: Abu Serga, the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Church of Saint Barbara the Martyr, Mar Girgis (Coptic), The Hanging Church, The Church of the Monk Mar Girgis, the Fortress of Babylon, The Greek Orthodox Church Mar Girgis, the Coptic Museum, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. We will end the day with a tour of Saladin's Citadel Fortress, the magnificent Mohammed Ali Mosque site, and other Islamic architecture.  

Overnight: Kempinski Hotel  Meals: Breakfast, lunch

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Day 13:  

CAIRO: Civilization Museum, & Khan El Khalili
After breakfast, you will meet your tour guide in the hotel lobby to continue your Egyptian adventure with a guided tour of the Civilization Museum, which is now home to the magnificent collections of antiquities, including 27 Mummies, Sarcophagi, and many objects of art, that date as far back as 5,000 years. We will finish the day by shopping at the famous Khan El Khalili Bazaars, where there are many opportunities for unique photographs.
Overnight: Kempinski Hotel  Meals: Breakfast

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Day 14:

CAIRO/ USA

Departure transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight back home.

 

Welcome home with a lifetime of memories from Egypt!