October 26 - November 12, 2010
(Not shown on map: Fly to St. Catherine's (Mt. Sinai) and drive back to Cairo.)
Tentative Egypt Itinerary (To Be Modified as Desired)16 Days/15 Nights Cairo + Abu Simbel + 3 Nights Nile Cruise + Luxor + St. Catherine
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Egypt Travel Experts / Enjaz tours Tel # Egypt: +20123121551 /Tel # USA: +1-617-9339330 Fax # Egypt: +202.26394288
E-mail: info@ask-aladdin.com
Address: 40 Ahmed Fakhry, Nasr City, Cairo Egypt
Egyptian Ministry of Tourism License N#: 1503
Wednesday October 27: Day 00: Arrival (part 1)Welcome to Cairo! 3 travellers arrive early and their service begins when they are greeted by our representative at Cairo airport (1915, Lufthansa flight 1956 330 from Frankfurt) who will assist them through immigration and customs formalities. After they have collected their luggage he will then take them, in our deluxe vehicle, to the Grand Hyatt hotel.
Thursday October 28: Day 01: Arrival (part 2)Welcome to Cairo! The fourth traveler arrives and service begins when you are greeted by our representative at Cairo airport (1800, Air France flight 508 from Paris) who will assist you through immigration and customs formalities. After you have collected your luggage he will then take you, in our deluxe vehicle, to the Grand Hyatt hotel.
For the three travelers arriving on Wednesday, breakfast at the hotel is followed by a full day tour with has a religious feel to it. From the hotel you will be taken on a tour of Cairo famous Churches, including: The Hanging Church and the Church of Abu Serga (St. Sergius), where, it is said, the Holy Family took shelter in a cave, with the church being erected her to commemorate this. This whole area is a world famous destination for Pilgrims.
After lunch you will be taken to see the Coptic Museum, which holds artefacts dating back to the Persian era and the later Roman period, and have been collected from all over Egypt. It has 2 major sections; the old section established by Smeka Pasha and the new section that was opened by President Mubarak in 2006. Altogether there are 3 floors devoted to the history of Coptic Christianity in Egypt, giving what is considered to be a complete illustration of this religion.
At the end of these visits you will be driven back to the Grand Hyatt hotel.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)
Friday October 29: Day 02: CairoBreakfast at the hotel is followed by a full day tour. In the forenoon you will be taken to the Egyptian Museum: gaze at the wonders of King Tutankhamen, including his golden death mask. Lose yourself in the many rooms and galleries, where thousands of artefacts are awaiting your visit.
After lunch, at a local restaurant, you will be taken to the Citadel of Saladin, the fortress built between 1176 and 1183 AD, to protect Cairo from the Crusaders and rebuilt by Muhammad Ali Pasha, whose mosque here is a “must see”.
At the end of this exciting day you will be driven back to the Grand Hyatt hotel.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)
Saturday October 30: Day 03: Cairoand
Sunday October 31: Day 04: CairoTwo full days with an Islamic theme. The Sultan Hassan Madrassa and Mosque is one of the extraordinarily wonderful Islamic Monuments in the Islamic World. If Ancient Egypt is proud of the Pyramids of Giza, Islamic Egypt has to be proud of the Sultan Hassan Madrassa. The Sahn, or the court, of the Mosque is almost square, about 34m long and 32m wide, with a large ablution fountain in the centre, which is covered with a wooden dome, carried on 8 marble columns around its capital decorated with a band of inscriptions of The Qur’an (the verse of Al-Kursi). 4 minarets were intended to be built in the original plan but only 3 were erected with the one over the entrance falling in the year 1361A.D leaving now only 2 minarets.
Another one of the various mosques you will visit is the mosque of Al Refaie', which is considered to be one of the remarkable Islamic structures in Cairo. The mosque is located in the Qala'a square in front of the citadel just facing the great Mosque of Al Sultan Hassan. The Shah of Iran, Mohamed Reda Bahlawy, is buried here, as are King Foaud and King Farouk. Walking tour including the Khan-al-Kahili bazaar.
Once these tours are completed you will be driven back to the Grand Hyatt hotel.
(Meals: breakfast)
Monday November 01: Day 05: Abu Simbel/AswanYou will to fly to Abu Simbel to see these marvellous temples, which were originally carved out of a rocky mountainside by Ramses II.
Upon arrival back from Abu Simbel you will check in to the Basma Hotel in Aswan.
(Meals: breakfast)
Tuesday November 02: Day 06: AswanAfter breakfast start your day by taking a felucca around the botanical garden of Aswan. This is followed by a motor boat visit to the Nubian village.
Lunch at the Nubian restaurant of El Dokka
The rest of the day will be for relaxation and doing whatever you wish.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)
Wednesday November 03: Day 07: M/S Jamila Nile Cruise: AswanAfter breakfast you will check out and our representative will escort you to your cruise boat: your floating hotel for your next 4 days.
After lunch you will be driven to see the High Dam, the worlds largest rock filled dam, and then a short sail to the Temple of Philae, moved to the island of Agilika after the waters of Lake Nasser flooded its original location. It is then back to Aswan to rejoin your cruise and as the Nile laps gently underneath you, dinner will be served.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Thursday November 04: Day 08: M/S Jamila Nile Cruise: Kom Ombo And EdfuA new day and your first breakfast on board as the boat sails majestically towards Kom Ombo, where you will visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the gods Horus and Sobek. After the visit you will be taken back to the boat for your lunch while it sails onward to Edfu, home of the best preserved temple in Egypt: the Temple of Horus. After your visit to this superb temple you will be taken back to the boat in plenty of time before it departs Edfu and sets sail for Esna.
Once you reach Esna you can watch as the boat negotiates it way through the Esna locks. Once through the boat continues on its course towards Luxor, which it will reach after you have had dinner.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Friday November 05: Day 09: M/S Jamila Nile Cruise: LuxorAn early breakfast and then it is time to visit the West Bank of Luxor: the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings; the magnificent temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahri finishing with the immense Colossi of Memnon.
After lunch, which you will have on board the cruise boat, you will visit the magnificent Karnak and Luxor Temples. Once your visit to these ancient Theban Temples is completed you return to the boat where your last dinner, upon this floating hotel, will be served.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Saturday November 06: Day 10: LuxorYou will have your final breakfast on the boat before you have to check out and then are transferred to the Moudira Hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is yours to do as you wish; relax or explore.
(Meals: breakfast)
Sunday November 07: Day 11: LuxorYou can either spend the day relaxing and enjoying Luxor’s many souks and restaurants, or you could return to the West Bank to visit the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III (Medinet Habu) and the Tombs of the Nobles.
(Meals: breakfast)
Monday November 08: Day 12: St CatherineAfter breakfast you will check out and then you will be transferred to Luxor airport for your flight to Cairo (about 50 minutes). Upon arrival at Cairo you will be met by our representative who will transfer you to our air-conditioned vehicle for the drive to St. Catherine, and the monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai. Though it is a 390KM, 5 hour drive, you will delight at driving underneath the Suez Canal, and viewing sites along the way; including Moses Springs.
Upon arrival at St. Catherine it will be time to check-in to the Bedouin Camp Hotel before settling down for your dinner. (Meals: breakfast, dinner)
Tuesday November 09: Day 13: CairoThe day begins, pre-breakfast, with an optional early morning climb up Mount Sinai to watch the phenomenal sunrise. Please note: this trip is for volunteers only! After breakfast it is time to check-out and then visit St. Catherine’s Monastery before being driven back to Cairo, where you will be booked into the Mena House Oberoi Hotel for a well-deserved rest.
(Meals: breakfast)
Wednesday November 10: Day 14: CairoBreakfast at the hotel is followed by a full day tour. In the morning you will be driven to see the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx: the most famous monuments of not only ancient Egypt, but of the entire ancient world! These massive stone structures were built around 4,500 years ago on a rocky desert plateau close to the Nile.
After lunch, at a local restaurant, you will be taken to Sakkara to see the very first pyramid ever built; the Step Pyramid of Djoser. You will also get the chance to see some fantastic mastabas, including the mastaba of Mereruka, the largest one built in ancient.
After this amazing trip through Egypt’s pharaonic past you will be driven back to the Mena House Oberoi Hotel.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)
Thursday November 11: Day 15 CairoToday is not so much a tour, rather an experience! The Pharaonic Village was founded by Dr. Hassan Ragab Ph.D., who was the person who rediscovered the ancient Egyptian art of papermaking; better known as papyrus.
The Pharaonic Village is Egypt's historic park. It is a unique place where Egypt's entire history is explained in 2 to 3 hours including our ancient and modern history. It is located on an island in the River Nile: just 3 miles south of the centre of Cairo. Here you will find yourself being transported by floating amphitheatres, and a hundred actors and actresses demonstrate scenes from ancient Egypt (papyrus making, brewing, sculpting, home building….etc)
The village also boasts a complete replica of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, with all its treasures. In addition to this there are 12 new museums, 4 related to ancient Egypt (mummification and medicine, pyramids building, arts and beliefs, ancient Egyptian boats.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)
Friday November 12: Day 16: Final DepartureYour final day starts with breakfast at the hotel followed by check-out. You will then be transferred to the airport for your final departure.
(Meals: breakfast)
End Of Program
