A journey along the Nile is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Do it right on one of these exclusive journeys, tailor-made for MLS. To book your adventure, or for further details, contact our Travel Advisor, Ana Maria Pickens.
top12 days (7-night Nile Cruise, Luxor to Aswan)
After preparing for your adventure with a tour of Cairo and a visit to the famed Great Pyramids at Giza, you’ll fly to Luxor and embark on your luxury cruise aboard the five-star Sanctuary Sun Boat III. Your Egyptologist guide will unravel the mysteries of ancient Egypt as you tour the Valley of the King and Queens, the Temple of Horus, Luxor Temple, Philae Temple and many other wonders of the Nile Valley. Relaxing aboard your ship between explorations, you’ll enjoy gourmet meals and traditional entertainment.
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to hotel.
Overnight at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel in Cairo.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your hotel.
Full-Day Tour of Cairo
Egyptian Museum: You'll tour 7,000 years of history at this museum, which houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian art in the world. Don't miss the treasures of the boy-king Tutankhamen, including his gold mask, the solid gold sarcophagus that held his mummy, and his beautiful throne.
Citadel: Perched high on limestone hills above Cairo, the Citadel is a medieval fortress built by Salah El Din (Saladin) in 1176 to protect the city from Crusaders. The Citadel has always had a military use, and was expanded over the centuries by Egypt's rulers who often resided there. Today, the Citadel complex has mosques and museums, including the National Military Museum.
Mosque of Sultan Hassan: With its grand, soaring architecture and rich decoration, the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, completed in 1363, is one of the finest in Egypt. In recesses around its open courtyard, each of the four schools of Sunni Islam was taught to students, and in its mausoleum, Sultan Hassan's sons are buried.
Refaie Mosque: Next to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, you'll view the much newer Refaie Mosque, completed in 1912 with well-preserved, colorful decoration. Buried in tombs here are a Muslim saint, a companion of the Prophet Mohamed, Egypt's last royal family and the last Shah of Iran.
Lunch: Set-menu lunch at the "Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant"
Overnight at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your hotel.
Full-Day Tour of Memphis, Sakkara and Pyramids
Memphis: The legendary city of Memphis was founded in 3100 BC by Menes, the Pharaoh who united Upper and Lower Egypt. It became the capital of the Old Kingdom, a center for religion with a huge temple to the god Ptah, and the heart of Egypt's busy import-export activity, with traders from around the world giving it a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Sakkara: Sakkara was the necropolis (cemetery) for the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and the place where the very first pyramids were built as tombs for kings, not with smooth sides, but with six steps on the outside representing the pharaoh's stepladder to heaven. Here you'll see the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first pyramid ever built and the world's oldest freestanding stone structure. You will also admire the beautiful tomb art at Sakkara, which gives great insight into the lives of the ancient Egyptians.
Pyramids and Sphinx: The Great Pyramids of Giza are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built about 4500 years ago as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were a father, son and grandson. (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus are the Greek forms of their names.) In the ancient Egyptian religion, the sides of the pyramids were likened to sun rays on which the Pharaoh ascended to heaven. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest, Khufu's, made of over 2 million blocks. The pyramids were not built by slaves but by Egyptian peasants who paid their taxes to the Pharaoh through this labor, and were fed, clothed and housed by him.
Nearby sits the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. About a thousand years after the Sphinx was built it was covered in sand until a young prince had a dream in which the Sphinx told him that if he cleared the sand away, he would become Pharaoh. This story is told on the "Dream Stela" that was placed between the Sphinx's paws by King Tuthmose IV. You can gain special entry to the Sphinx's foot on this tour.
Lunch: Sakkara Palm Club Restaurant
Overnight at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your hotel, and checkout.
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Cairo airport.
Arrival: At Luxor Airport, where your Tour Coordinator will meet you, and transfer to your Nile cruise.
Check-in at noon: Arrive on board the 5-star deluxe Nile cruise boat the Sanctuary Sun Boat III, moored in a private dock in Luxor. On board, you will be welcomed by the reception staff, who will offer you chilled fruit juice and assist you with your check-in.
Entertainment: Exact entertainment schedules during your cruise are adjusted according to the needs of each group and the exact sailing schedule of the boat is subject to change. However, every cruise on the Sanctuary Sun Boat III will include:
• A colorful “galabeyya party” which gives each guest the opportunity to dress up in traditional Egyptian dress and dance to Arabic music.
• A belly dancer, accompanied by a whirling dervish show in Luxor.
• A lecture held by your Egyptologist guide.
Food & Beverage: Menus are changed on a seasonal basis to enable the Chef to use the freshest ingredients.
• Most meals are served in the restaurant. However, at least one barbecue lunch (while sailing) will be served on deck (weather permitting).
• Afternoon tea includes a range of teas and herbal infusions, fresh coffee and a selection of freshly baked, homemade cake, cookies and finger food.
• Mineral water, tea and American coffee are included on a complimentary basis during meals.
Lunch: Served on board
Valley of the Kings & Queens: Morning visit to the West Bank of Luxor to explore the Valley of the Kings, a vast City of the Dead where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, decorated richly, and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of Pharaohs. You will also have the chance to visit at least one tomb in the Valley of the Queens.
Hatshepsut Temple: Rising out of the desert plain in a series of terraces, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (Ancient Egypt’s only female Pharaoh) merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it, as if nature herself had built this extraordinary monument.
Photo stop at Colossi of Memnon: On the way back to the river Nile, your road passes by the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn.
Afternoon Tea: Served on board.
Captain’s Cocktail Party: Tonight you will be greeted by your Boat Manager, who will introduce you to the boat staff and review on-board facilities and your cruise program for the next few days. Complimentary cocktail and a selection of canapés will be served.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: On board in Luxor.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board while you cruise northwards to Nagaa Hammadi passing by Qena.
This part of your cruise is very much off the beaten track, and passes through some of the most beautiful scenery along the Nile, far away from the crowds or other cruise boats.
Lunch: Served on board.
Abydos: Afternoon visit to Abydos. Abydos stands apart from other sites in Egypt, as it was in fact the center of a holy city dedicated to Osiris, Lord of the Netherworld. It was also the burial-place for pre-dynastic kings & pharaohs dating back to the fourth millennium BC.
Afternoon at leisure: Enjoy the facilities on board your cruise.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: On board in Qena.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Denderah: Visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Goddess Hathor in Denderah. This wonderfully preserved temple complex is a rare sight to behold, complete with a massive stone roof, dark chambers, underground passages and towering columns inscribed with hieroglyphs. The main Temple of Hathor is almost intact. Hathor was the goddess or pleasure and of love, usually represented as a cow, or a woman with a cow’s head. She was the beneficent deity of maternal and family love, of beauty and light; the Greeks associated her with Aphrodite.
Lunch on board: While you cruise to Luxor.
Luxor Temple: This afternoon your Egyptologist will guide you on a tour of the East Bank of Luxor, to visit the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor dedicated to the god Amun.
Afternoon tea: Served in the lounge.
Dinner: Gourmet dinner on board.
Overnight: On board in Luxor.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Karnak Temple: Morning visit to the Temple of Karnak, built over more than a thousand years by generations of Pharaohs. The great Hypostyle Hall is an incredible forest of giant pillars, covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Lunch: On board.
Esna Temple: Your Egyptologist will guide you round the Greco-Roman Temple of Khnum at Esna. The beautifully preserved Great Hypostyle Hall was built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius; it was excavated from the silt that had accumulated through centuries of annual Nile floods and is about nine meters below present-day street level.
Afternoon tea: Served in the lounge.
Cooking lesson: Egyptian cooking lesson will be presented on board.
Dinner: Tonight’s dinner on board will be an “Egyptian Night” costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian “galabeyyas”. Dinner will be a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialities, followed by oriental music and dancing for everyone.
Overnight: On board in Esna.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board while sailing to Edfu.
Edfu Temple: This morning, explore the largest and most completely preserved Pharaonic – albeit Greek-built – temple in Egypt, the extraordinary Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Lunch: Buffet lunch on board, while you cruise Kom Ombo.
Afternoon Tea: Served in the lounge.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: On board in Kom Ombo.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Kom Ombo Temple: Morning visit to the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.
Lunch: On board while sailing to Aswan.
Felucca Ride: In the afternoon (weather permitting) take a ride on a felucca, a typical Egyptian sail boat, around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Gardens, and the Agha Khan Mausoleum
Afternoon tea: Served on board.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: On board in Aswan.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
High Dam: This morning, your Egyptologist guide will escort you to visit the Aswan High Dam, Egypt’s contemporary example of building on a monumental scale.
Philae Temple: Take a short motorboat ride to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika.
Unfinished Obelisk: Next proceed to the Granite Quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples, and still hold a huge unfinished obelisk.
Lunch: On board.
Afternoon tea: Served in the lounge.
Dinner: Tonight’s farewell dinner will be a gala dinner (jacket required), with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine.
Overnight: On board in Aswan.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle from Nile cruise to Luxor Airport
Arrival: At Cairo International Airport, where your Tour Coordinator will meet you.
Overnight: At the Fairmont Towers hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast.
Transfer: Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo International Airport by air-conditioned vehicle.
Meals: Breakfast
Pricing
From Jan 5-Mar 25, 2013:
2/3 pax - $3,675 4/7 pax - $3,540 Single Supplement - $1,995
From Mar 26-Apr 9, 2013:
2/3 pax - $4,390 4/7 pax - $4,250 Single Supplement - $2,315
From Apr 10-Apr 30, 2013:
2/3 pax - $3,035 4/7 pax - $3,035 Single Supplement - $1,940
From May 1-Sep 30, 2013:
2/3 pax - $2,985 4/7 pax - $2,850 Single Supplement - $1,465
From Oct 1-Dec 21, 2013:
2/3 pax - $3,685 4/7 pax - $3,545 Single Supplement - $1,940
Domestic flights Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo per person: $340
Above rates are per person and in US dollars. For full details about trip inclusions and exclusions, please contact our Travel Advisor.
top15 days (10-night Nile Cruise, Cairo to Aswan)
This tour includes all the sites and experiences listed above, but sails from Cairo rather than Luxor. Your extra 3 nights of cruising allows visits to Tel El Amarna, the rock tombs of Beni Hassan, and the Red and White monasteries. An optional extension to Abu Simbel Temple is available on the last day of your journey.
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel.
Overnight: At your hotel in Cairo.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your hotel
Full-Day Tour of Cairo
Egyptian Museum: You'll tour 7,000 years of history at this museum, which houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian art in the world. Don't miss the treasures of the boy-king Tutankhamen, including his gold mask, the solid gold sarcophagus that held his mummy, and his beautiful throne.
Citadel: Perched high on limestone hills above Cairo, the Citadel is a medieval fortress built by Salah El Din (Saladin) in 1176 to protect the city from Crusaders. The Citadel has always had a military use, and was expanded over the centuries by Egypt's rulers who often resided there. Today, the Citadel complex has mosques and museums, including the National Military Museum.
Mosque of Sultan Hassan: With its grand, soaring architecture and rich decoration, the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, completed in 1363, is one of the finest in Egypt. In recesses around its open courtyard, each of the four schools of Sunni Islam was taught to students, and in its mausoleum, Sultan Hassan's sons are buried.
Refaie Mosque: Next to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, you'll view the much newer Refaie Mosque, completed in 1912 with well-preserved, colorful decoration. Buried in tombs here are a Muslim saint, a companion of the Prophet Mohamed, Egypt's last royal family and the last Shah of Iran.
Khan El-Khalili Bazaar
Lunch: Set-menu lunch at the "Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant"
Overnight at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your hotel
Full-Day Tour of Memphis, Sakkara and Pyramids
Memphis: The legendary city of Memphis was founded in 3100 BC by Menes, the Pharaoh who united Upper and Lower Egypt. It became the capital of the Old Kingdom, a center for religion with a huge temple to the god Ptah, and the heart of Egypt's busy import-export activity, with traders from around the world giving it a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Sakkara: Sakkara was the necropolis (cemetery) for the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and the place where the very first pyramids were built as tombs for kings, not with smooth sides, but with six steps on the outside representing the pharaoh's stepladder to heaven. Here you'll see the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first pyramid ever built and the world's oldest freestanding stone structure. You will also admire the beautiful tomb art at Sakkara, which gives great insight into the lives of the ancient Egyptians.
Pyramids and Sphinx: The Great Pyramids of Giza are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built about 4500 years ago as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were a father, son and grandson. (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus are the Greek forms of their names.) In the ancient Egyptian religion, the sides of the pyramids were likened to sun rays on which the Pharaoh ascended to heaven. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest, Khufu's, made of over 2 million blocks. The pyramids were not built by slaves but by Egyptian peasants who paid their taxes to the Pharaoh through this labor, and were fed, clothed and housed by him.
Nearby sits the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. About a thousand years after the Sphinx was built it was covered in sand until a young prince had a dream in which the Sphinx told him that if he cleared the sand away, he would become Pharaoh. This story is told on the "Dream Stela" that was placed between the Sphinx's paws by King Tuthmose IV. You can gain special entry to the Sphinx's foot on this tour.
Lunch: Set lunch menu at the Sakkara Palm Club Restaurant
Overnight at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast
Your Tour Coordinator will escort you by air-conditioned vehicle to Sanctuary Nile Cruise docked in Cairo to board your Sanctuary Nile Cruise for 10 nights from Cairo to Aswan.
Early check-in (08:00AM): Arrive on board the 5-star deluxe Nile cruise boat, the Sanctuary Nile Cruise. On board, you will be welcomed by reception staff who will assist with your check-in.
Sights visited during this cruise:
- Rock-tombs of Beni Hassan
- Red and White Monasteries
- Denderah
- Valley of the Kings
- Hatshepsut Temple
- Karnak Temple
- Kom Ombo Temple
- Unfinished Obelisk
- Tel el Armana
- Abydos
- Luxor Temple
- Colossi Memnon
- Edfu Temple
- Philae Temple
- Aswan High Dam
Entertainment: Exact entertainment schedules during your cruise are adjusted according to the needs of each group and the exact sailing schedules (including daily sightseeing and activities) are subject to change. However, this cruise will include:
• A colorful “galabeyya party” which gives each guest the opportunity to dress up in traditional Egyptian dress and dance to Arabic music.
• A belly dancer, accompanied by a whirling dervish show in Luxor
• A lecture accompanied held by your Egyptologist guide (additional lectures will be announced on board)
• Arabic class
• Egyptian cooking class on board
• Hieroglyphics class
Food & Beverage: Menus are changed on a seasonal basis to enable the Chef to use the freshest ingredients at all times. The following is applicable to every cruise:
• Most meals are served in the restaurant. However, at least one barbecue lunch (while sailing) will be served on deck (weather permitting).
• Afternoon tea includes a range of teas and herbal infusions, fresh coffee and a selection of freshly baked, homemade cake, cookies and finger food.
• Mineral water, tea and American coffee are included on a complimentary basis during meals.
Sail to: Beni Suef
Lunch: Served on board.
Afternoon tea: Enjoy beautiful scenery as tea is served.
Cocktail Reception: Tonight you will be greeted by your Boat Manager who will introduce you to the boat staff and review on board facilities and your cruise program for the next few days. Complimentary Egyptian wine and local beer will be served together with a selection of canapés.
Dinner: Gourmet dinner on board.
Overnight: Beni Suef
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board, with the day at leisure.
Sail to: El Minya.
Lunch: On board whilst sailing.
Afternoon tea: Served on board.
Dinner: Gourmet dinner on board.
Overnight: El Minya.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Early morning visit to Tel El Amarna: Once the ‘city of Akhetaten’, Tel El Amarna was built by Egypt's heretic king, Akhenaten, for his revolutionary religion that worshiped Aten during the Amarna Period. The vast city was shortly abandoned after the death of its creator.
Lunch: Served on board.
Afternoon tea: Served on board.
Dinner: Gourmet dinner on board.
Overnight: El Minya.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Early morning visit to the Rock-tombs of Beni Hassan: These rock-cut tombs are carved into the high limestone cliffs of the east bank of the Nile. Dating to the Middle Kingdom, they were built for the provincial rulers of the state. Thirty-nine tombs were found in the upper part of the cliff and four are currently open to visitors. Painted scenes inside the tombs depict the daily lives of the rulers and their families in the provincial community, including scenes of desert hunting, weaving and spinning, fishing, country living, gathering crops and catching birds. The most interesting scenes are those of battles and wrestlers.
Sail to: Assuit.
Lunch: Served on board.
Afternoon tea: Served on board.
Dinner: Gourmet dinner on board.
Overnight: Assuit
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Sail to: Sohag.
Lunch: Served on board.
Afternoon tea: Served on board.
Cooking lesson: Egyptian cooking lesson will be presented on board.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: Sohag
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Morning crossing of the Sohag Bridge.
Morning visit to the Red and White Monasteries: Two of the best preserved monasteries from late antique Egypt, the Red and White Monasteries are a rare and exquisite sight. Formally known as the Monastery of St. Bishoi and the Monastery of St. Shenoute, these churches get their names from the materials used to build them. The White Monastery is primarily made of white limestone and its smaller version, the Red Monastery, now faded in colour, was built using a reddish brick. These monasteries hold important sculptures and paintings dating throughout the fifth and fourteenth centuries.
Lunch: Lunch boxes will be provided.
Abydos: Standing apart from other sites in Egypt, it was in fact the center of a holy city dedicated to Osiris, Lord of the Netherworld. It was also the burial place forPre-dynastic kings and pharaohs dating back to the fourth millennium BC.
Afternoon tea: Served on board.
Sail to: Qena.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: Qena.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Denderah: The Ptolemaic Temple of Goddess Hathor in Denderah is a wonderfully preserved temple complex and a rare sight complete with a massive stone roof, dark chambers, underground passages and towering columns inscribed with hieroglyphs. Hathor, the goddess of pleasure and love, usually depicted as a cow or a woman with a cow’s head, was the beneficent deity of maternal and family love, of beauty and light. She was often associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Sail to: Luxor.
Lunch: Served whilst sailing.
Afternoon tea: Served on board.
Luxor Temple: Your Egyptologist will guide you on a tour of the East Bank of Luxor to the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor, dedicated to the God Amun.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: Luxor.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Valley of the Kings: Morning visit to the West Bank of Luxor to explore the Valley of the Kings, a vast City of the Dead where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, decorated richly and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of pharaohs.
Hatshepsut Temple: Rising out of the desert plain in a series of terraces, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (ancient Egypt’s only female pharaoh) merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it as if nature herself had built this extraordinary temple.
Photo stop at Colossi of Memnon: On the way back to the river Nile, you will stop at the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn.
Lunch: Return to your boat for lunch.
Karnak Temple: Built over more than a thousand years by generations of pharaohs, this spectacular temple has a great “Hypostyle Hall” with an incredible forest of giant pillars covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Sail to: Edfu.
Afternoon Tea: Served while you cruise.
Dinner: Gourmet dinner on board.
Overnight: On board in Edfu.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Edfu Temple: Explore the largest and most completely preserved Pharaonic – albeit Greek-bult – temple in Egypt, the extraordinary Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Sail to: Kom Ombo.
Lunch: Served on board while you cruise.
Afternoon Tea: Served in the lounge while you cruise.
Kom Ombo Temple: Visit the Temple of Kom Ombo dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: Kom Ombo.
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
Sail to: Aswan.
Philae Temple: Take a short motorboat ride to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika.
Unfinished Obelisk: Next proceed to the Granite Quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramid and temple construction. It still holds a huge unfinished obelisk.
Aswan High Dam: Egypt’s contemporary example of building on a monumental scale.
Lunch: Served on board while you cruise.
Afternoon Tea: Served in the lounge while you cruise.
Dinner: Tonight’s farewell dinner will be a gala dinner (jacket required) with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine.
Overnight: Aswan.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast on board followed by check-out.
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle from Aswan.
Optional Excursion to Abu Simbel Temple
Flight: Board your flight to Abu Simbel.
Our guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to the world-renowned site where Ramses II ordered two sun temples carved from the limestone mountains at Abu Simbel, between 1290 -1124 BC. At the Great Temple of Ra-Harakhte, the four famous colossal statues of Ramses II sit majestically over 20 meters high, staring out across the desert. Six massive standing statues front the Temple of Hathor, dedicated to the cow goddess of love and built in honor of Ramses’ favorite wife, Queen Nefertari, each 10 meters high.
In modern times the waters that would rise with the completion of the High Dam threatened the two temples of Abu Simbel. A campaign to save them was organized by UNESCO, with the temples being cut into blocks, raised piece-by-piece, and reassembled in a new position higher up the hillside. The massive job took two years to complete, 1966-1968.
Flight: Board your flight back to Aswan.
Rate will be US$ 330.00 per person
Fly to Cairo. Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Fairmont Towers Hotel.
Overnight: At your hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast.
Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo International Airport by air-conditioned vehicle.
Meals: Breakfast
2013 Cruise Departures:
Cairo to Aswan – April 20, July 2, September 10
Aswan to Cairo – April 6, May 10, May 24
Pricing (Cairo/Aswan):
Rate based on Sanctuary Sun Boat III. Cruise departs Cairo April 20.
2/3 Pax - $4,740 4/7 Pax - $4,610 Single Supplement - $2,540
Rate based on Sanctuary Sun Boat IV. Cruise departs Cairo July 2.
2/3 Pax - $3,775 4/7 Pax - $3,640 Single Supplement - $1,885
Rate based on Sanctuary Nile Adventurer. Cruise departs Cairo September 10.
2/3 Pax - $3,455 4/7 Pax - $3,320 Single Supplement - $1,675
Rates for Aswan/Cairo vary depending on the season, boat and number of passengers. Please inquire.
Domestic flight from Aswan to Cairo: $205
Above rates are per person and in US dollars. For full details about trip inclusions and exclusions, please contact our Travel Advisor.
topAlexandria and Siwa Extension
Known as “The Pearl of the Mediterranean, ” Alexandria was built by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. The city was once home to one of the original Seven Wonders of the World (the Lighthouse at Alexandria) and the world's largest library. Cleopatra ruled from here – the ruins of her palace complex were found beneath the waters of the port in the 1990s. Now Egypt's second-largest city, Alexandria is worth visiting for its fascinating blend of Greek, Roman, Mediterranean and Egyptian cultures.
On this tour, you’ll visit the famous library as well as Alexandria National Museum, the catacombs of Kom El Shugafa, and the Roman Amphitheater. You’ll continue on to the Oasis at Siwa, a stopping point for travelers for thousands of years. More than 300 freshwater springs feed this scenic oasis, and Alexander the Great made the trip here just to consult its famous oracle. You’ll visit the springs, tombs and temples, and enjoy the scenery on a desert safari.
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at hotel in Cairo.
Check-out: Your Tour Coordinator will be on hand to assist you with all check-out procedures.
Drive to Alexandria by private air-conditioned vehicle (approximately 3 hours),
Half-Day Alexandria Tour: Your visit in this lovely city begins at the Alexandria National Museum where you may browse among thousands of items on display, then visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shugafa, the largest Roman burial site discovered in Egypt to date, and Egypt’s only Roman Amphitheatre.
Lunch: Set menu lunch at “Fish Market” restaurant.
After lunch visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, an integrated cultural complex, built on the believed site of the old Library of Alexandria, the largest of all antiquity.
Check-in: Your Alexandria Tour Coordinator will assist you with check-in at your hotel.
Overnight: Four Seasons San Stefano Hotel Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Breakfast and hotel check-out.
Drive from Alexandria to Siwa in a private air-conditioned vehicle.
Lunch: Lunch boxes will be provided.
Check-in: Upon arrival, check-in at Adrere Amellal Eco Lodge.
Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: Adrere Amellal Eco Lodge Siwa.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Breakfast: At hotel.
Siwa Tour: Visit the Cleopatra baths, one of the many oasis springs, and the tombs of Gebel el Mawta that honeycomb the conical hill. These tombs date to the late Pharaonic times and were reused for Roman burials.
We continue our explorations, visiting the rock of Aghurmi, where the remains of the Temple of Jupiter-Amon sit. (It is here that Alexander the Great came with hopes of elevating himself as a deity.)
Return to hotel for lunch.
Afternoon: Desert Safari
At sunset, visit the old city of Shali with its mud ruins and spectacular views of the oasis.
Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: At your hotel in Siwa.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Breakfast and hotel check-out.
Drive back to Cairo by private vehicle.
Check-in: Upon arriva,l check-in at Fairmont Towers Hotel.
Overnight: At your hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast
Transfer: Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo International Airport by air-conditioned vehicle.
Meals: Breakfast
Pricing
From Jan 5-Apr 30, 2013:
2/3 pax - $2,240 4/7 pax - $1,835 Single Supplement - $610
From May 1-Jul 8, 2013:
2/3 pax - $2,375 4/7 pax - $1,970 Single Supplement - $750
From Jul 9-Aug 7, 2013:
2/3 pax - $2,235 4/7 pax - $1,825 Single Supplement - $605
From Aug 8-Oct 31, 2013:
2/3 pax - $2,390 4/7 pax - $1,985 Single Supplement - $760
From Nov 1-Dec 21, 2013:
2/3 pax - $2,245 4/7 pax - $1,840 Single Supplement - $615
Above rates are per person and in US dollars. Includes domestic airfare. For full details about trip inclusions and exclusions, please contact our Travel Advisor.
topSharm El-Sheikh Extension
Located on the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm el-Sheikh is a popular beach destination. Sights in the surrounding region include Mt. Moses (where it is said Moses was given the Ten Commandments) and St. Catherine’s Monastery, thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited monastery in the world. On this unique adventure, you’ll visit the historic sights of the monastery and have the option of a hike to the top of Mt. Moses, where you can watch the dawn breaking over the Sinai Mountains. You’ll also have ample time to relax at your seaside resort and enjoy the beach and crystal-clear waters.
Breakfast at your hotel, and check-out.
Transfer to Cairo International Airport to board your flight to Sharm El-Sheikh.
Arrival at Sharm Airport: Meet & assist at Sharm airport by your professional English-speaking representative.
Transfer: Your representative will escort you to the Four Seasons Hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh.
Rest of day at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Mount Moses stands at a height of 2,285 meters and it is believed this is where Moses spent his 40 days in the wilderness and where he received the 10 Commandments.
At the foot of Mount Moses is St. Catherine’s Monastery, which stands on the site where tradition has it, Moses saw the burning bush, and dates back to the 6th century AD. Till today, it is still occupied by monks following the Greek Orthodox Church liturgy and monastic existence.
Today, you will visit the monastery, and have the option of a pre-dawn hike to the top of Mount Moses. If you choose to do the hike, you will depart Sharm El-Sheikh around 11pm the previous night to begin your 3-hour drive through the Sinai desert and mountains to the heart of the peninsula. You will start the ascent of Mount Moses either on foot or on a camel for part of the way. The ascent takes between 2-3 hours. As you reach the summit, you can enjoy the incomparable sight of dawn over the Sinai Mountains. At the summit stands the Holy Trinity Chapel, built in 1934 on the remains of a little church dating back to the 5th century. You will then descend the mountain and there, nestled at the foot of Mount Moses, is the monastery of St. Catherine’s.
If you choose not to do the hike, you will leave for the monastery early this morning.
The monastery was named after a young Christian from Alexandria, who died as a martyr in the 4th century. Legend has it that her body was miraculously discovered on a peak of a mountain near Mount Moses. That mountain, now commonly known as Mount Katherina, is the highest point in Sinai at 2,637 metres.
On your visit to the monastery, you will see Moses’ Well, the ornately decorated basilica, the Chapel of the Burning Bush, and the museum, which houses an impressive collection of icons and manuscripts.
The monastery closes at 12 noon to allow for prayers and for the monks to resume their monastic lifestyle, at which time you will depart for the drive back to Sharm El-Sheikh.
Overnight at hotel.
Enjoy your day at leisure.
Overnight at hotel.
Breakfast at your hotel, and check-out.
Transfer to Sharm El-Sheikh Airport for departure flight.
Board your flight to Cairo in order to connect your International flight and return home.
Pricing
Winter (April Departures)
2/3 pax - $1,445 4/7 pax - $1,355 Single Supplement - $705
Summer (May-Sep Departures)
2/3 pax - $1,310 4/7 pax - $1,220 Single Supplement - $575
Above rates are per person and in US dollars. Includes domestic airfare Cairo/Sharm – Sharm/Cairo. For full details about trip inclusions and exclusions, please contact our Travel Advisor.
