Mystical EGYPT: A Unique New Perspective

13 days

​Experience a trip of a lifetime in both Lower and Upper Egypt, including four days cruising the legendry Nile (CAIRO, ASWAN, KOM OMBO, EDFU & LUXOR)

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

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13-day land only. The price per person in double occupancy is forthcoming.

Single supplement available

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The price is subject to change. It does not include a single supplement, tips, taxes, or fuel charge.

 

Day 01:

USA / CAIRO, EGYPT

Depart the USA for your flight to Cairo, Egypt. Overnight on board. 

 

Day 02:

CAIRO 

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

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 in Cairo

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Day 03: 

GIZA  (Pyramids, Memphis, Sakkara)

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 ancient world's seven wonders, the famous Great Pyramids of Giza. You will also visit the legendary Sphinx, a sacred symbol of the union of the most powerful entity with the highest intellectual power on earth.  

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

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

Overnight in Cairo - Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

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Day 4: 

CAIRO: The Grand Museum – The Civilization Museum, Old Cairo, The Citadel & Khan El Khalili Bazaars
Your day begins with a tour of the Grand Museum, one of the world's newest and most famous museums. After you visit the Grand Museum, you will proceed to the Civilization Museum, which houses the magnificent collections of 27 Mummies and sarcophagi. You will then proceed to OLD CAIRO: This location is in a Fortress named the Fortress of Babylon. 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 and Ben Ezra Synagogue.

Overnight in Cairo - Meals: Breakfast,

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Day 5:

CAIRO / LUXOR – SONESTA NILE OR MOON GODESS or similar.
You will be transferred to Cairo Airport for your short flight to Luxor. Arrive at Luxor International Airport, where you will be met and transferred by private car/bus to the deluxe SONESTA NILE OR MOON GODESSNILE CRUISE SHIP or similar deluxe Nile cruise to spend the next four nights onboard cruising from Luxor to Aswan.

                                                      

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 were dedicated to the God Amon, and the Karnak Temple, which consists of several temples of great beauty.

4:30 PM: Afternoon tea.

8:00 PM: Dinner.

9:00 P.M.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. 

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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 the Valley of the Queens, and the Tomb of the Nobles. This was where the fabulous treasure of Tutankhamun, which fascinated the world, was discovered. Also, visit the Ramesuem at Medinet Habu, where Ramses II's mortuary temple is. It is said that Ramses II 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.  

4:30 PM: Afternoon tea.  

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

8:00 PM: Dinner on board.  

Overnight in Esna.   Meals:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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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.

4:30 PM: Afternoon tea.

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

Afternoon tea during sailing to Aswan.

8:00 PM: Dinner on board.

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

Overnight sailing to Aswan.   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Day 8:  

NILE CRUISE / ASWAN/ABU SIMBEL

Aswan.

You will be transferred to Aswan Airport for half an hour on an Egypt Air flight to Abu Simbel, where you will be met by your guide and driver to take you for two hours to visit both Ramses II and his beloved wife Nefertari’s Temples. After your Abu Simbel tours, you will be driven back to Abu Simbel Airport for your Egypt Air back to Aswan.

Visit the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk at the Granite Quarries, then board your motor launch 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. 

4:30 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.

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Day 9:

ASWAN / CAIRO

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

AM: Arrive in Cairo, where you will be met and transferred to the INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL or a similar 5-star hotel​

Overnight in Cairo - Meals: Breakfast

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Day 10:  

CAIRO / ALEXANDRIA (The Pearl of the Mediterranean Sea)

Our day starts with a 3 hours journey north to the City of Alexandria. Arrive in Alexandria, where we will proceed to The ROYAL HELNAN Hotel or similar to spend the next night.

1:00 PM: Meet in the hotel lobby with our guide, who will take us to discover the beauty and the Greco-Roman civilization within a day tour, starting with visiting the catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, which are considered one of the
wonders of the Middle Ages. It's the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt, with three tiers of tombs that could accommodate up to 300 corpses. The cemetery was initially dug to be a private cemetery for one family; then, it was converted to a public cemetery. Then, you will get a photo stop at (Qaitbey's Citadel), considered one of Egypt's most important defensive strongholds along the Mediterranean Sea coast. The Citadel is situated at the entrance of the eastern harbor on the eastern point of Pharos Island. It was erected on the site of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Late Afternoon: After our tour, we will return to our hotel for overnight
(Lunch and dinner on your own)

Overnight: in Alexandria. Meals: Breakfast

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Day 11: 

ALEXANDRIA / CAIRO

Check out from the hotel, and before we return to Cairo, we will stop to visit the Modern Alexandria Library (open court + free museums). The Old Library was famous worldwide for its vast book capacity of different sciences and literature. It was damaged several times during the Greco-Roman period until it vanished. The beginning of the reconstruction of the
library started in the late 80s of the last century. The design of the modern library of Alexandria consisted of four underground stores and six upper stores. The unique shape of the modern library of Alexandria is considered a particular architectural germ.
The library is the history of the library and the city of Alexandria and the Egyptian history as a whole, The cultures of the Arab world, Africa, and the Mediterranean countries, and The culture, ideas, and civilization of the whole world. 

Overnight in Cairo. Meals: Breakfast

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Day 12:

CAIRO – Day at leisure OR Please accept my invitation to visit my village and have lunch at my house North of Cairo.
8:00 AM: Buffet Breakfast at the hotel.
9:00 AM: Full-day excursion to visit an authentic Egyptian village family for lunch and a walk around the fields of vegetables and fruits. Excellent opportunity for photography. Have an authentic Egyptian lunch with Hamdy’s family. After you visit the village, we will return to our hotel for an overnight in Cairo. The village is located north of Cairo, about one hour and a half drive. After our visit and local lunch in the village, we board our bus or minivan to return to our hotel in Cairo overnight.
Overnight in Cairo. Meals: Breakfast

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Day 13:

CAIRO / (USA)
11:30 Eve: Luggage outside your room door 
12:15 AM: Meet in the hotel lobby for your transfer to Cairo International Airport for your flight to the USA.

Welcome home with a lifetime of memories from Egypt!