Tour Details - EGYPT & THE NILE IN DEPTH - UPPER FIRST DECK
EGYPT & THE NILE IN DEPTH - UPPER FIRST DECK
DISCOUNTS ON EVERY TOUR, UP TO 10% !!!
Tour Duration: 13 days Tour Code: WAUA-UF2012 Tour Type: Prices From: A$3467 [Tour Dates]
Tour Itinerary
Day
Description
1
CAIRO, EGYPT A welcome drink awaits you at your hotel; settle in and start soaking up the atmosphere of this exciting city.
2
CAIRO Meet your Egyptologist and travelling companions at 8 am. Sightseeing in and around Africa's largest metropolis starts at the ancient Egyptian capital of MEMPHIS, where you can admire the 12-metre (40-foot) statue of RAMSES II and the ALABASTER SPHINX. On to Sakkara, a vast desert necropolis built for kings and nobles, and its "STAIRWAY TO THE SKY," the oldest of all pyramids. In the afternoon, drive south to the now-famous Tahrir Square and visit the EGYPTIAN MUSEUM with Tutankhamun's fabulous treasures and many other masterpieces of ancient Egypt. Tonight, enjoy a SOUND & LIGHT SHOW at the pyramids that will put these wonders of the ancient world into an easily understandable historic context. (B)
3
CAIRO Today, visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Take a close-up look at the daunting GREAT PYRAMIDS of Giza. Cheops, with an original height of 151 metres (496 feet), is the most colossal pyramid ever built. A little farther away you find the mystic guardian of the pyramids, the enigmatic SPHINX. Drive back to Cairo to Saladin's 12th-century citadel, whose robust walls and towers were constructed with stones stripped from the pyramids at Giza. Visit the ALABASTER MOSQUE OF MOHAMMED ALI, built completely in Turkish style and making no attempt to incorporate the Egyptian architecture of the time. In Coptic Cairo, see the Hanging Church where the Virgin Mary and Jesus stayed while in Egypt, then walk to see the oldest synagogue in Cairo, founded in the 9th century. There is still time for a visit to the labyrinthine Khan el Khalili SOUK. How about an optional Nile River dinner cruise tonight? (B)
4
CAIRO-ALEXANDRIA This morning, a pleasant drive through the fertile Nile Delta takes you to the seaport of Alexandria. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, this Mediterranean port city soon became one of the major commerce and science centres of the Hellenistic world. Your sightseeing features the NATIONAL MUSEUM, Pompey's massive red granite pillar, and the intriguingly decorated CATACOMBS, the Library of Alexandria, and the Pharoah's lighthouse, built to aid ships navigating the featureless coastline of Mediterranean Egypt. (B)
5
ALEXANDRIA-ASWAN (EMBARKATION) Today, return to Cairo for your flight up the Nile Valley to Aswan, where you board your Nile cruiser in time for lunch. This afternoon, visit the SOUK of Aswan before meeting your friendly crew over a welcome cocktail on board. (B,L,D)
6
ASWAN-KOM OMBO-EDFU This morning, consider an optional flight (weather permitting) to the huge sandstone temples of Abu Simbel. Return to your ship in time for lunch. Later, dock at KOM OMBO for a short walk to its bluff-top twin temples. The right side is dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek-Re, while the left side is dedicated to the falcon god, Horus. This is where you will also find man's first calendar. After dinner tonight, it's time for some fun and an onboard GALABYA PARTY. (B,L,D)
7
EDFU-LUXOR This morning visit the TEMPLE OF HORUS with its menacing black stone statue of the falcon god. Built in the time of Cleopatra about 2,000 years ago, it is recent by Egyptian standards and beautifully preserved. Sail on to Luxor and visit the TEMPLE. Later, visit the LUXOR MUSEUM, containing one of the best displays of antiquities in Egypt. (B,L,D)
8
LUXOR After breakfast, disembark and visit the VALLEY OF KINGS and VALLEY OF QUEENS on the west bank of the Nile, where generations of pharaohs and nobles were buried in great splendour in crypts cut into the cliffs. Sixty-two royal tombs have been uncovered so far, of which only the tomb of Tutankhamun was nearly inviolate when discovered in 1922. Visit DEIR EL-BAHRI, Queen Hatshepsut's monumental rock temple. Stop for pictures at the two COLOSSI OF MEMNON guarding the valleys. Later, visit KARNAK, which, together with Luxor, were the greatest cities of ancient Egypt that had a combined population of more than one million. To walk among the pillars of the colossal TEMPLE OF AMUN-RA and along the AVENUE OF THE SPHINXES, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an experience you will treasure the rest of your life. This afternoon, learn more about this ancient civilisation during an exclusive lecture by your Egyptologist. (B,L,D)
9
LUXOR. EXCURSION TO DENDERA-EDFU Today, drive northward to Dendera to visit the TEMPLE OF HATHOR, one of the very few temples that remains almost completely intact. (B,L,D)
10
EDFU-KOM OMBO-ASWAN A leisurely day today lets you relax on the comfortable sun deck of your ship to catch up on postcard writing or to simply muse over the marvelous sights and sounds you have experienced in recent days. The more active may wish to return to the temples for another look and more photos. (B,L,D)
11
ASWAN Sightseeing today starts at the GRANITE QUARRIES that supplied ancient Egypt with its hard stones for the pyramids in Giza. Also see the famous unfinished obelisk, still in the quarry. Next, visit the gigantic Aswan HIGH DAM, completed in 1970. Board a motorlaunch to the island of AGILIKA, situated between the two dams, and visit the TEMPLE OF ISIS, transplanted from the submerged island of Philae. This afternoon, board a FELUCCA and sail across the blue waters of the river. En route, see the ancient "nilometer" on Elephantine Island, Kitchener Island's lush BOTANICAL GARDENS, and the splendid Aga Khan Mausoleum on the left bank. (B,L,D)
12
ASWAN (DISEMBARKATION)-CAIRO A last chance to catch up on postcard writing. Fly back to Cairo and enjoy a special FAREWELL DINNER tonight. (B,D)
13
CAIRO Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
CRUISE: Deluxe 7-night Nile River cruise from Aswan to Aswan in an outside stateroom with private facilities. UPPER FIRST DECK CAIRO: Guided sightseeing, visit Ramses II and Alabaster Sphinx in Memphis, the "Stairway to the Sky" at Sakkara; visit Tutankhamun's Tomb in the Egyptian Museum; Sound & Light show at the Pyramids; visit the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza; see Saladin's citadel and visit the Alabaster Mosque in Old Cairo; see the Hanging Church and Cairo's oldest synagogue in Coptic Cairo; visit the Khan el-Khalili souk; farewell dinner ALEXANDRIA: Guided sightseeing, visit the National Museum and the Catacombs; see Pompey's pillar, the Library of Alexandria, and the Pharaoh's Lighthouse ASWAN: Welcome cocktail; visit the souk; sail by felucca to Kitchener Island; visit the Botanical Gardens; excursion to High Dam; cruise to Agilika; visit the Temple of Isis and the ancient granite quarries with the unfinished obelisk; see the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan KOM OMBO: Visit the twin temples; see man's first calendar; galabya party EDFU: Visit the Temple of Horus LUXOR: Visit Luxor temple, the Avenue of the Sphinxes, monuments of Karnak, Temple of Amun-Ra, Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens, Deir el-Bahri, and the Colossi of Memnon; lecture on board; visit the Luxor Museum; excursion to Dendera MEALS: Welcome drink; 5 buffet breakfasts, 7 full breakfasts (B), 7 lunches (L), 8 dinners (D), including farewell dinner in Cairo ALL INTRA-TOUR FLIGHTS Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the cruise description
Meals Breakfast - 12 Lunch - 7 Dinner - 8
Optional Excursions
To help plan your leisure time, as well as your pre-tour budgeting, here is a list of optional excursions that may be offered on this tour.
Availability is subject to sufficient participation, weather conditions, seasonal suitability, group interests, and general feasibility for your tour. Please note prices may be based on the previous year and are subject to change. Full terms and conditions are contained in the important travel documents.
Cost
Description
63
USD
Name:DINNER ON THE NILE Location:CAIRO Details:Enjoy a gourmet dinner with entertainment provided by a band and belly dancers during your two-hour cruise on one of the Nile Crystal Boats.
315
USD
Name:EXCURSION TO THE TEMPLES OF ABU SIMBEL (BY AIR) Location:ASWAN Details:Fly to ABU SIMBEL with a local guide to see the two magnificent 3.200-year old temples, which were saved from the floods of Lake Nasser in 1966 when the Aswan High Dam was built.
Optional Excursions
