Cairo & Nile Cruise - 11 Days Round Trip

---

Arrive in the Land of the Pharaohs at Cairo International airport. After luggage pick up and customs clearance, an Alfa Omega Tours representative will welcome and escort you to your hotel. Overnight: Hotel Conrad el Nil, Cairo

We dedicate this day to visit the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx. The pyramids of Cheops, Khafre, and Menkaure are commonly called the Giza Pyramids. They were built approx. 2700-2400 BCE. It is a breathtaking scenery. We will enter one of the pyramids before stopping at the view plateau for photos.  The tour of the Pyramids ends with the mysterious "Sphinx", which gives a beautiful view of the three pyramids in the background. You have the choice to do a camel-ride. There will not be a more fascinating area for a camel-ride than by the Great Pyramids of Giza.

​Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Hotel Conrad el Nil, Cairo

The Egyptian Museum to explore more ancient artifacts. The oldest dates back to 3000 BC. Our tour guide will inform us about the most famous pieces.

We will continue to the Citadel of Salah el Din from 1198, and visit the mosque of Mohamed Ali. The mosque was built on the site of old Mamluk buildings in Cairo's Citadel between 1830 and 1848, although not completed until the reign of Said Pasha in 1857. The architect was Yusuf Bushnak from Istanbul and its model was the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in that city.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Overnight: Hotel Conrad el Nil, Cairo

Transfer to Cairo Airport for flight to Luxor. Upon arrival to Luxor, transfer to the Sonesta hotel. Afternoon visit to the majestic Temple of Karnak - the largest temple complex in Egypt, built over a period of 2,000 years.  Around thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings.  Walking through the Hypostyle Hall is breathtaking.  The 134 columns are 70 feet high and formed as papyrus stalks.

The tour continues to the much smaller Luxor Temple, built by Pharaoh Amenophis 3rd.  This beautiful temple will definitely amaze you with beautiful architecture, engineering, and masonry designs.    Pharaoh Ramses the 2nd added rooms and walls to the temple with a quite different relief carving than his ancestor.

Ancient Thebes was a center of festivals, and the Temple of Luxor was the setting for the most important festival of Opet, designed to merge the ruler's human and divine aspects. 

Meals: Breakfast, lunch

Overnight: Sonesta St. George hotel, Luxor

After breakfast, checking out of hotel.

This morning we drive to the "City of the dead" - situated on the west side of the Nile and contains numerous tombs.  We will visit The Valley of the Kings, the burial ground of the pharaohs, which sure is one of the highlights of the tour.

The guide will lecture us about the history of each tomb from outside before we enter the impressive splendor of ancient architecture you can imagine.  The long corridors have impressive reliefs and beautiful natural colors that have remained for over 3,500 years. We have three tombs included in the general entrance ticket, and we have included the entrance to the tomb of Tut Ankh Amon. King Tut died at age 18, and his tomb was found in 1922 by the British Archeologist Howard Carter. It is the only tomb that was found intact.

There will be a brief stop at a local stonemason making souvenirs such as small statues, vases, and several other items that may be of interest to you.  Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is another impressive architectural carved structure.  In this temple, the world's first documentary is depicted on the walls, picturing the expedition to the other side of the Red Sea.  This is also considered the world's first foreign relationship between two countries. We will also make a stop by the Colossi of Memnon and learn about the mythology and history of these two iconic statues. 

Morning free at leisure. The boat will sail at lunch time. Enjoy the Nile and the breeze on sundeck. The boat will pass the Esna Lock.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Nile Cruise

Visit to the temple of Horus in Edfu.  The Edfu Temple is the best preserved of Egypt's temples and the second-largest, right after Karnak.  We have a great deal of information about its construction since Edfu is very young – "only" 2200 years!  It was believed that the temple was built on the site of the great battle between Horus and Seth.  Here we can see the battle between Horus and Seth on temple walls, as well as fantastic festivals.  The world's first library was found here.

After approx. three hours sailing to the town of Kom Ombo, known for sugar production.  Within a few meters walking from the docking, we find the only remaining double temple dedicated to the two gods, Sobek & Haroeries.  The temple is small but lovely and has a story to tell.  This temple served as a hospital in ancient Egypt and is famous for using medical instruments and calendars.  The actual temple was started by Ptolemy VI, Philometor, in the early second century BC, and Augustus built the outer enclosure walls sometime after 30 BC. 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Nile Cruise

Excursion to maybe the most incredible temples. Situated by Lake Nasser, the sight of the temples of Pharaoh Ramses 2nd and his wife Queen Nefertari is an unimaginable experience. The temples are carved right out of the mountains and were moved by UNESCO to save them from flooding. Inside we find colors in unimaginably good condition of Ramses showing all his achievements. Giant statues of the Pharaoh are guarding the entrance.

We will enjoy a lovely afternoon in Aswan.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Nile Cruise 

Check out the cruise. Today we will see the Aswan High Dam, which produces electricity for all of Egypt as well as for export.  It opened in 1972 and held back the artificial Lake Nasser, which used to flood hundreds of temples and forced over 100,000 Nubians to move from their homes.  The unfinished obelisk shows us how the ancient Egyptians cut massive pillars out of the mountain.

A motorboat will take us on a short, but a lovely ride to the Temple of Goddess Isis. This temple is perhaps the most beautiful in Egypt because of its incredible location between two dams.  The island of Agilika is reached by motorboat, a nice experience.  The temple represents three great civilizations: Egyptian, Greek, and Roman.  When Aswan High Dam was constructed in the 1960s, the temple was dismantled and reassembled on a neighbor island. We will also visit the unfinished obelisk. This is the only place we can see how the ancient Egyptians carved the huge obelisks out of the quarry. This one was left due to a crack.
Afternoon flight to Cairo.

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight: Hotel Conrad el Nil, Cairo

Today we will visit Old Cairo, where the first capital Al Fustat was founded in 641. Here we can find the Hanging Church. The Hanging Church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and contains sanctuaries to her and Saints John the Baptist. It is also referred to as the Suspended Church or Al-Moallaqa. It is called the Hanging Church because it was built on the southern gate of the Roman Fortress. Logs of palm trees and layers of stones were constructed above the ruins of the Roman fortress to be used as a fundament. 

The Hanging Church is a unique church and has a wooden roof in the shape of Noah’s ark. From the 7th century to the 13th century, the Hanging Church served as the residence of the Coptic Patriarch. Al-Moallaqa has witnessed important elections and religious ceremonies. The Church as we see it today was probably built during the patriarchate of Isaac (690–692).

In the church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Abu Serga), we can find the cave where the Holy Family was living for three months.

Close by (1,5 mile) we find the NMEC museum. In the Royal Mummy Hall we will find 28 royal mummies from the necropolis of Luxor. Lunch at a local restaurant.

We end our day visiting the famous bazaars of Khan el Khalili. This is the largest old market in the Middle East, lasting from the 1600th century. In the tiny alleyways, there are hundreds of shops and booths where you can watch blacksmiths work precious metals. Also be on the lookout for leather goods and woodwork inlaid with camel bone and mother-of-pearl. Bargaining is the norm here and a “must do”. 

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Overnight: Hotel Conrad el Nil, Cairo

Transfer service to Cairo Airport according to your flight schedule.