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Itinerary

Day-By-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Depart U.S. for Cairo, Egypt

Day 2: Arrive Cairo We arrive in the Egyptian capital late this afternoon and transfer to our hotel in Giza. Tonight we meet our fellow travelers and tour director at a welcome dinner. D

Day 3: Giza Poised between Cairo’s suburbs and the vast Sahara stand the three Pyramids at Giza, enduring symbols of antiquity.  Today we visit this UNESCO World Heritage site, built as tombs some 5,000 years ago for Egypt’s royalty. One of the three, the Great Pyramid (Cheops), survives as the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Here we also see the enigmatic Sphinx, whose leonine body and human face apparently were carved from a single piece of limestone then buried by desert sands for more than a thousand years. Capping our Giza experience: a dramatic Sound & Light show at the Pyramids. B,L

Day 4: Giza/Aswan We fly this morning to Aswan, where we board our privately chartered Dahabiya and prepare for our intimate Nile experience: touring and cruising by day; moored by quiet islands and secluded channels by night. Then we visit the acclaimed Nubia Museum, dedicated to the art and culture of this indigenous people who lost their homeland with the construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1965. B,L,D

Day 5: Nile Cruise – Abu Simbel/Aswan Early this morning we fly south to Abu Simbel. We see the temples and colossal statues of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari that were dismantled stone by stone and moved to higher ground during the construction of the Aswan Dam. The site is awe-inspiring; four statues of Ramses each stand 65 feet high, and the temples’ well-preserved pictographs tell some remarkable ancient ­stories.  Mid-day we fly back to Aswan to tour the sites of both the old (low) and new (high) Aswan dams, as well as the important Philae Temple. Returning to our Dahabiya late afternoon, we set sail then moor for the night by a quiet island. B,L,D

Day 6: Nile Cruise – Kom Ombo Today we sail for Kom Ombo, whose unusual double temple honors two sets of gods. We tour the temple this afternoon, exploring the perfectly symmetrical rooms, halls, and sanctuaries. B,L,D

Day 7: Nile Cruise – Edfu Sails rise early as we cruise toward Edfu, stopping along the way for lunch on the island of Silsila, where we see the sandstone quarries that were worked during the time of Ramses II. In Edfu we tour the Temple of Horus, considered the best preserved of all Egypt’s ancient temples. We travel to and from the temple by horse-drawn carriage. B,L,D

Day 8: Nile Cruise – Esna/Luxor After passing through the Aswan locks early today we reach the merchant and farming town of Esna, where we visit the ancient Temple of Khnum, the ram-headed god said to have created man on his potter’s wheel from the mud of the Nile. Next we sail on to Luxor. B,L,D

Day 9: Nile Cruise – Luxor Today we begin a two-day exploration of Luxor – ancient Thebes – the vast temple complexes, tombs, and statues dating from 2755 BC that represent the pinnacle of Egyptian architecture. Constructed as the capital of Egypt during the period of the New Kingdom (16th to 11th centuries BC), ancient Luxor now stands within today's  contemporary city of Luxor and is known as "the world's greatest open-air museum.  We start on the East Bank at Karnak, the greatest temple complex of them all.  Karnak stretches for more than a mile to connect with Luxor. We tour Luxor Temple, whose builders over the centuries in­clud­ed both Tutankhamun and Alexander the Great; and Karnak Temple, constructed over 1,500 years. B,L,D

Day 10: Nile Cruise – Luxor This morning we visit the haunting Valley of the Kings to see the magnificent paintings in several of the 64 royal tombs; Valley of the Queens, where the dramatic Temple of Hatshepsut honors one of the few female pharaohs; and the imposing 3,400-year-old Colossi of Memnon statues, each standing 60 feet high and weighing 70 tons. B,L,D

Day 11: Luxor/Cairo We disembark our Dahabiya this morning and fly to Cairo. This afternoon we encounter Egypt’s Islamic heritage in Old Cairo: 5th-century St. Sergius Church, the district’s oldest; el-Mauallaqa, the “hanging church” built over the bastions of a Rom­an gate; and Ben Ezra Synagogue, built in 882. B

Day 12: Cairo This morning we visit the renowned Egyptian Museum, the world’s greatest repository of ancient relics; and the 12th-century Citadel of Saladin. After lunch at a local restaurant we navigate the bustling, maze-like Khan el Khalili bazaar, one of the most popular souks in the Middle East. B,L

Day 13: Cairo We tour the open-air museum at Memphis this morning, with ruins of temples, dwell­ings, and statues dating to the early 4th century BC. We also visit nearby Sakkara, a necropolis used for more than 3,000 years. This afternoon is at leisure; tonight we celebrate at a farewell dinner. B,D

Day 14: Depart Cairo for U.S We leave this morning on our return flight to the U.S. B

Included

Tour Price Includes

• Round-trip air transportation from listed cities
• 12 nights’ accommodations: 5 nights in Deluxe hotels; 7 nights aboard privately chartered Deluxe Dahabiya
  
• 30 meals: 12 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 9 dinners
  
• Extensive sightseeing as described, including all entrance fees
• Services of a professional Egyptologist as your Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director
• Private motorcoach transportation throughout your trip
• Luggage handling for one bag per person
• Gratuities for local guides, dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers
• $100 frequent traveler credit towards your next Odysseys Unlimited tour ($200 after three tours)

Dates and Prices

2010/2011 Tour Dates & Prices

	2011 Jan 12 Jan 19 Mar 23	2010 Oct 27 2011 Mar 2 Mar 9	2010 Nov 17 2011 Jan 26 Feb 2 Feb 9 Feb 16
New York	$4,595	$4,695	$4,795
Baltimore, Boston, Washington, DC	$4,895	$4,995	$5,095
Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Orlando, Tampa	$4,995	$5,095	$5,195
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis	$5,095	$5,195	$5,295
Phoenix, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle	$5,195	$5,295	$5,395

 

Please call if your city is not listed; land only not avail­able. Prices are per person based on double occu­pancy in an outside cabin. Single travelers please add $1,995. Your $375 deposit is fully refundable up to 125 days before departure. All 2010/2011 tour prices above are guaranteed.

Business Class upgrade on round-trip Trans-Atlantic flight: $2,695 per person. Airline taxes and departure fees of $293 per person are subject to change and will be listed separately on your invoice.

Hotels

Hotels & Ratings

Day Itinerary Hotel Rating 1 Depart U.S. for Cairo 2-3 Giza Mena House Oberoi Deluxe 4-10 Nile Cruise Dahabiya Deluxe 11-13 Cairo Conrad Cairo Deluxe 14 Depart Cairo for U.S.

Ratings are based on the Hotel & Travel Index, the travel industry standard reference.