View the magical Pyramids in Cairo, the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, and the verdant valley of the Nile River. Egypt is the land of wonders and Pharaohs history, explore the Highlights of Egypt.
Day-by-day itinerary
Fri Day 1 Depart on British Airways from your gateway city.
Sat Day 2 Cairo: The Mena House Oberoi – Hotel & Casino
Arrive into London in the morning and connect with your flight to Cairo. Arrive into Cairo, where you are met by an AfricaTours representative and escorted to the hotel. At the edge of Cairo, under the shadow of the Great Pyramid itself, lies a unique hotel – The Mena House Oberoi In its 40 acres of jasmine scented gardens with the Great Pyramid towering above and barely 20 minutes by car from the center of Cairo, this hotel is a positive oasis of quiet good taste and luxurious living. The magnificent Churchill and Montgomery suites provide separate living and dining areas and two or, if necessary, three adjoining bedrooms. Every one of the 18 suites located at the Mena House is fully air-conditioned, with color and closed circuit TV, a well stocked mini-bar, direct-dial telephone and refrigerator, beautifully marbled bathroom en-suite complete with a full range of personal toiletry, bathrobes, and king-size tubs with most rooms having their own balconies. In addition, room service operates around the clock. The dining experience can be savored at The Al Rubayat, The Moghul Room, or the Khan El Khalili, which offers Egyptian and continental specialties 24-hrs-a-day. For breakfast, snacks and lights refreshments, however, the ideal spot is the bright and cheerful Greenery. Soak up the sunshine by the largest pool in Cairo, complete with its own poolside coffee shop, golfing on a magnificent 18-hole course, camel or horseback riding, tennis courts which are available at any time, lively nightlife, cocktails enhanced by the panoramic view of the pyramids, a night of gaming at the casino, or a romantic stroll through gardens surrounded by the scents of the flowers, The Mena House Oberoi is really everything a hotel should be – and a little more!
Sun Day 3 Cairo: The Mena House Oberoi – Hotel & Casino (BL)
Full day excursion to Pyramids of Giza (including the Sphinx), Memphis and Sakara (including the Alabastar Sphinx and the Step Pyramid). The ancient Greeks considered the Great Pyramids to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. For centuries the great Pyramids of Giza have intrigued and puzzled visitors. For 4 ½ millennia they have shared the desert plateau of Giza with other monuments: smaller attendant pyramids, some of royal wives; rows of mastabas, the tombs of the 4th and 5th dynasty princes and nobles; and the imposing figure of the Sphinx. You will visit the Pyramids of Giza in the morning and then after lunch continue onto Memphis & Sakkara. Memphis, once the glorious Old Kingdom Capital of Egypt, has almost completely vanished. It is believed the city was founded around 3100 BC. Centuries of annual floods have inundated this city with Nile mud, while the ancient buildings monuments have long since been ploughed over and cultivated by the Fellahin. Today there are few signs of the grandeur of Memphis. There is now only a small museum and some statues in a garden. The partly open-air museum contains a colossal limestone statue of Ramses II, an eight-tonne alabaster sphinx, the sarcophagus of Amenhotep and the alabaster beds on which sacred Apis bulls were mummified before being placed in the Serapeum at Sakkara. When Memphis was the capital of Egypt, Sakkara was its necrolis. Deceased Pharaohs; family members and sacred animals were ceremoniously transported from Memphis to be permanently enshrined in one of the myriad temples, pyramids and tombs at Sakkara. The main places of interest at Sakkara are: The Step Pyramid believed to be the first pyramid constructed in Egypt, The Pyramid of Unasthe Persian Tombs, the Monastery of Jeremiah, the Pyramid of Sekhemket, the Tomb of Akhti-Hotep & Ptah-Hotep, the Philosophers Circle, Serapeum, the Tombs of Mastaba of Ti, Tei, and Mereruka & Ankham-Hor.
Mon Day 4 Cairo: The Mena House Oberoi – Hotel & Casino (BL)
In the morning visit the Egyptian Museum. This museum is in a huge building and should not be missed. More than 100,000 relics and antiquities from almost every period of ancient Egyptian history are housed in the museum. The exhibits are arranged chronologically from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Empire. After lunch, visit Old Cairo, the Mosque and Khalili Bazaar. Old Cairo incorporates the whole area south of Garden City and Sayyida Zeinab and down to the quarter known by visitors at Coptic Cairo. This is a very traditional part of Cairo and appropriate dress is essential Visitors wearing shorts or who have bare shoulders will not be allowed in churches or mosques. Optional Sound & light show.
Tue Day 5 Aswan: Movenpick Radamis (BLD)
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight to Aswan or for optional excursion to Abu Simbel ($295 per person). Arrive into Aswan, where you will be met by an AfricaTours representative and escorted to your floating hotel for the next 4 nights. Enjoy lunch and an afternoon sail by felucca (traditional canvas – sailed boats of the Nile) around Kitchner Island and the Agha Kahn Mausoleum. Over the centuries Aswan, Egypt’s southern most city, has been a garrison town and frontier city, the gateway to Africa. Kitchner Island is one of the most delightful places in Aswan. Lord Horatio Kitchner who was given the island in the 1890’s turned the entire island into a botanic garden importing flowers from the Far East, India and other parts of Africa. Aswan was the favorite wintering place of Mohammed Shah Aga Kahn, when he died in 1957 his wife; the Begum oversaw the construction of his domed granite and sandstone mausoleum. Now in her 90’s, the Begum still lives, for part of the year in the white villa at the base of the mausoleum. Each day she places a red rose on his sarcophagus; a ritual that is carried on in the summer by her gardener.
Wed Day 6 Cruise: Aswan – Kom Ombo – Edfu (BLD)
After breakfast, visit the Philae Temple, High Dam and unfinished Obelisk. Sail to Kom Ombo and in the afternoon visit the Temple of Sobek and Horoeies, continue on the cruise to Edfu. The romantic and majestic aura surrounding the temple complex of Isis on the island of Philae has been luring pilgrims for thousands of years. The Temple was rescued in 1972 when it was threatened to be submerged by the completion of the high dam. It was moved stone by stone and relocated on Agilika Island. The water contained in the controversial High Dam has backed up nearly 500 kilometers, taking it well into Sudan and creating Lake Nasser, the world’s largest artificial lake. Kom Ombo supports not only the original community of Fellahin but also a large population of Nubians displaced from their own land by the encroaching waters of Lake Nasser. The Temple of Kom Ombo or, more precisely, the dual Temple of Sobek and Haroeris is unusual in that, architecturally, everything is double and perfectly symmetrical running along the main axis of the temple. The left side of the temple was dedicated to Haroeris, or Horus the Elder, the falcon-headed sky-god; the right was dedicated to Sobek, the local crocodile-headed god.
Thu Day 7 Cruise: Edfu – Luxor (BLD)
After breakfast, visit the Edfu Temple of Horus and Esna Temple. Edfu is the largest and most completely preserved Pharaonic, albeit Greek-built, temple in Egypt. One of the largest Egyptian attempts at monument building on a grand scale, the structure dominates this West Bank riverside town. After lunch sail to Luxor. The sheer grandeur of Luxor’s monumental architecture, and its excellent state of preservation, has made this village-city one of Egypt’s greatest tourist attractions. Built on and around 4000 year old site of ancient Thebes, Luxor is an extraordinary mixture of exotic history and modern commercialism.
Fri Day 8 Cruise: Luxor – West Bank (BLD)
After breakfast, visit the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch, visit Karnak Temple and the Luxor Temples on the East Bank. The West Bank of Luxor was the necropolis of ancient Thebes, a vast City of the Dead where magnificent temples where raised to honor the cults of Pharaohs entombed in the nearby cliffs, where Queens, royal children, nobles, priests, artisans and even workers built tombs which ranged, in the quality of their design and decor, from the spectacular to the ordinary. Built by the New Kingdom Pharaoh, on the site of an older sanctuary, Luxor temple is a strikingly graceful piece of architecture on the banks of the Nile. The enormous Karnak complex was the main place of worship of the Theban triad.
Sat Day 9 Cairo: Heliopolis Hotel (B)
After breakfast, disembark from the cruise and transfer to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Arrive into Cairo, where you are met by an AfricaTours representative and escorted to the hotel. Located in Heliopolis, the most elegant business and residential district of Cairo, 5 minutes from Cairo international Airport and 10 minutes from Cairo International Convention Center and Fair Grounds, the Heliopolis Hotel offers an idyllic location for business or leisure. Surrounded by lush landscaped gardens, the hotel boasts 7 restaurants and bars, children’s playground, tennis courts and swimming pools. 412 rooms and suites with air-conditioning, TV/radio, direct-dial phone/ voicemail, Public Wireless LAN, hairdryer, minibar, 24-h room service. Executive Club. Hairdresser, 24-h ATM, shops, business centre, shuttle bus to airport and city centre, free parking, car rental, travel agent. Azure restaurant (Swiss & International), El Dawar restaurant (oriental), Il Giardino (Italian), Orangerie, Mei Shi Chinese restaurant, Movie bar, pool bar.
Sun Day 10 Departure (B)
After breakfast transfer to the airport for you British Airways flight to London and connect with your flight to the USA
Rates for the Egyptian Horizons - Scheduled Departure
Land, per person double occupancy
| 01 Jan '07 - 29 Mar '07 | $2,005 |
|---|---|
| 30 Mar '07 - 19 Apr '07 | $2,250 |
| 20 Apr '07 - 03 May '07 | $2,005 |
| 04 May '07 - 28 Sep '07 | $1,860 |
| 29 Sep '07 - 20 Dec '07 | $2,145 |
| Single Supplement | $510 - $565 |
| Abu Simbel Optional Extension | $250 per Person |
Land and Air from New York, per person double occupancy
| 01 Jan '07 - 29 Mar '07 | $2,725 |
|---|---|
| 30 Mar '07 - 19 Apr '07 | $3,025 |
| 20 Apr '07 - 03 May '07 | $2,775 |
| 05 May '07 - 31 May '07 | $2,635 |
| 01 Jun '07 - 06 Sep '07 | $2,935 |
| 07 Sep '07 - 27 Sep '07 | $2,635 |
| 28 Sep '07 - 25 Oct '07 | $2,920 |
| 26 Oct '07 - 20 Dec '07 | $2,870 |
Price Includes:
- Accommodation for 8 nights
- Meals as indicated
- All portage and entrance fees
- Transport & Transfers
- Flights: Cairo - Aswan; Luxor - Cairo
- Travel Protection Plan ($25,000 Emergency Assistance, $50,000 Accidental death & dismemberment; $5,000 Medical Expenses; $1,000 Baggage & travel documents; $400 Baggage delay; $500 Travel delay - $100 per day maximum; TRAVEL GUARD Assistance)
Price Excludes:
- Beverages & Gratuities
- Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance
- Laundry
- Items of a personal nature
- Airline Taxes
- Egypt Visa
- Egypt departure taxes $20 per person, to be paid locally in US$