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ITINERARY ( 11 days Cairo to Cairo, including Giza, Memphis, Alexandria then fly to Aswan for Nile cruise )
Day 1: ARRIVAL IN CAIRO, EGYPT.
A welcome drink awaits you at your hotel; settle in and start soaking up the atmosphere of this exciting city.
Day 2: CAIRO. THE PYRAMIDS.
Meet your Egyptologist and travelling companions at 8 a.m. Then a leisurely day of sightseeing in and around Africa's largest metropolis starts at the EGYPTIAN MUSEUM with Tutankhamon's fabulous treasures, an exciting first encounter with the splendour of three millennia of Egyptian civilisation. On to GIZA for a close-up look at the enigmatic SPHINX and the daunting GREAT PYRAMIDS. Cheops', with an original height of 151 metres (496 feet), is the most colossal ever built. A suggestion for tonight, return to Giza to enjoy the optional sound and light show. (BB)
Day 3: CAIRO. ALEXANDRIA EXCURSION.
A pleasant drive through the fertile Nile Delta to the seaport of Alexandria. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C., this Mediterranean port city soon became one of the major centres of commerce and science of the Hellenistic world. Your sightseeing features the GRECO-ROMAN MUSEUM, Pompey's massive red granite pillar, and the intriguingly decorated CATACOMBS. Before making your way back to Cairo, stroll through the narrow lanes of the ancient city. (BB,L)
Day 4: CAIRO-LUXOR.
This morning leave Cairo for ancient MEMPHIS to admire the 12-metre (40-foot) statue of Ramses II and the Alabaster Sphinx. On to SAKKARA'S "stairway to the sky", the oldest of all pyramids. Later transfer to the airport for your 482-kilometre (300-mile) flight up the Nile Valley to Luxor. (BB,D)
Day 5: LUXOR. (EMBARKATION)
After a morning at leisure, board your elegant river cruise vessel in time for lunch. This afternoon look forward to a grand start to sightseeing in the Nile Valley. See the stunning monuments of LUXOR and KARNAK, the greatest cities of ancient Egypt with, in their heyday, a combined population of more than one million. To walk among the pillars of the colossal TEMPLE OF AMON RA and along the AVENUE OF THE SPHINXES is an experience which you will treasure for the rest of your life. After dinner tonight you may want to take in the optional sound and light show at Karnak. (BB,L,D)
Day 6: LUXOR, EDFU.
Focus on the VALLEY OF KINGS and VALLEY OF QUEENS on the west bank of the Nile, where generations of pharaohs and nobles were buried in great splendour in crypts cut into the cliffs. Sixty-two royal tombs have been uncovered so far, of which one, the tomb of Tutankhamon, was nearly inviolate when discovered in 1922. Visit DEIR EL-BAHARI, Queen Hatshepsut's monumental rock temple. Also stop for pictures at the two COLOSSI OF MEMNON guarding the valleys. In the afternoon start your leisurely cruise up Egypt's river of destiny. During the hottest part of the day sip a drink on the sun deck of your cruise boat and savour the panorama. See white-clad farmers with their donkeys, camels, and water buffaloes work lush green fields; and ever present on the horizon beyond the palm trees, the desert. (FB,L,D)
Day 7: EDFU, KOM OMBO.
Board a horse-drawn carriage for the drive through Edfu to the TEMPLE OF HORUS with its menacing black stone statue of the falcon god. Built in the time of Cleopatra about 2,000 years ago, it is recent by Old Egyptian standards and beautifully preserved. After lunch dock at KOM OMBO for a short walk to its bluff-top temple dedicated to the crocodile and falcon gods. Time to haggle for bargains in the local market before returning to the boat and sailing towards Aswan. (FB,L,D)
Day 8: ASWAN. (DISEMBARKATION)
After breakfast on board disembark and check into your hotel in Aswan. Then an included excursion to the turn-of-the-century OLD DAM, to this day the widest dam in the world, and the gigantic Aswan HIGH DAM completed in 1970. Board a motor launch to the island of Agilka between the two dams and visit the TEMPLE OF ISIS transplanted from the submerged island of Philae. Also stop at the ancient GRANITE QUARRIES to see the famous, unfinished obelisk. Balance of the day at leisure to enjoy the lovely resort town at your own pace. (FB,D)
Day 9: ASWAN.
Morning free to catch up on postcard writing and shopping, or to join an optional flight (weather permitting; approximately US$200) to the huge sandstone temples of Abu Simbel. A special treat this afternoon: board a felucca and sail right across the blue waters of the river. En route see the ancient "nilometer" on Elephantine Island, Kitchener Island's lush BOTANICAL GARDENS, and the splendid Aga Khan Mausoleum on the left bank. (BB,D)
Day 10: ASWAN-CAIRO.
Today fly from Aswan back to Cairo. Time this afternoon for independent activities or to join an optional excursion to walled Old Cairo, with Saladin's 12th-century Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, and the labyrinthine bazaar. And how about our optional dinner cruise on the Nile River tonight to celebrate the success of your Egyptian touring adventure? (BB)
Day 11: CAIRO
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (BB)
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An 11-day vacation exploring in greater detail all the impressive sights of Egypt. In and around Cairo visit Memphis, Sakkara, Giza and Alexandria founded by Alexander the Great and noted for the Greco-Roman Museum and Catacombs. Fly to Luxor and embark on a 3-night cruise exploring Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan. Along the way visit the Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens, Avenue of the Sphinxes, Temple of Isis and many other ancient sights.
