Preliminary Day by Day Itinerary
Sunday November 22nd, 2009
Depart U.S.A.
Day 01: Monday November 23rd, 2009
Arrival: Arrive at Cairo international airport where you will be meet by Akorn Tour Coordinator who will assist you will all customs and visa formalities.
Transfer: Transfer in modern Air-conditioned vehicle to your Hotel in Cairo
Overnight at Grand Hyatt Hotel – Nile view room
Day 02: Tuesday November 24th, 2009
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your Hotel
Introduction to your Egyptologist
Memphis: Founded around 3,100 BC during the Old Kingdom, Memphis is the legendary city of Menes, the King who united Upper and Lower Egypt. According to tradition, he first created dikes to protect the area from Nile floods and then started building. Much of what we know of Memphis comes from its necropolis, texts and papyrus from other parts of Egypt, and Herodotus, who visited the city. Early on, Memphis was probably a fortress from which Menes controlled the land and water routes between Upper Egypt and the Delta. Later, this great city became the administrative and religious center of Egypt, was home to a cosmopolitan community and most likely one of the largest and most important cities in the ancient world.
Sakkara: Across the Great Court of the Pyramid Complex of Zoser in Sakkara, stands the Step Pyramid, the oldest known of Egypt’s 107 pyramids, which was built by Imhotep, one of the world’s most famous historical figures. This architect of the world’s first freestanding stone structure, which you will visit today with your Egyptologist, is often also recognized as the world's first doctor, as well as a priest, sage, poet, and astrologer. Although the original structure was a burial chamber 28 meters underground, Imhotep enlarged it several times to eventually reach a six tiered rectangle 60 meters high. Sakkara seems to have been the first area where limestone was employed, not only for the outer casing of the pyramid but also to cover interior walls.
Lunch: Today lunch will be Saqqara restaurant
Pyramids of Giza: After lunch visit the Great Pyramids of Giza built for the Pharaohs Cheops, Chefren and Mycerinus. They were constructed about 2500 BC with blocks of limestone from the plateau and from the Turah hills on the outskirts of Cairo The Great Pyramid of Cheops alone, the only present-day survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, required over 2,300,000 blocks of stone, each weighing about 2.5 tons. At its base, it covers 13 acres of land. Millions of visitors come each year to ponder the fascinating mystery of their existence and explore the ancient burial chambers within.
Sphinx: Visit the Valley Temple, housing the mysterious Sphinx, located in what was once a quarry to the east of Chephren’s pyramid. One theory suggests this Pharaoh’s workers shaped the body into a lion and gave it their king’s face, as a guardian of the necropolis. Almost a thousand years after its construction, King Thutmose IV placed a stela between the front paws. It describes how the Sphinx had spoken to the then prince in a dream.
Day 03: Wednesday November 25th, 2009
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your Hotel
Museum: This morning your Egyptologist will take you on a fascinating tour of 7,000 years of Egyptian history with a visit to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, open since 1902. The Museum exhibits over 120,000 objects in its 107 halls, comprising the world’s greatest collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts. Two grand halls containing countless artifacts and one room reserved for the golden treasures, all from the world-famous tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamun astound and delight visitors. More than 2 million people flock to this magnificent site each year.
Lunch: Today lunch at El-Azhar park
Islamic Cairo: Take a fascinating tour of Islamic Cairo, including the beautiful and graceful Mohamed Ali Mosque and the ancient Citadel, a spectacular medieval fortress perched on a hill above the city. Originally built by Salah El-Din in 1176 to fortify the city against the Crusaders, the Citadel was modified and enlarged over the centuries by subsequent rulers and today is a complex of three mosques and four museums.
Khan El-Khalili Bazaar: Proceed to the fascinating Khan El-Khalili Bazaar – reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Originally founded as a watering stop for caravanserai in the 14th century, the bazaar has now grown to vast proportions. As you wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets you will find workshops and stalls selling all manner of things from woodwork, glassware and leather goods to perfumes, fabrics and Pharaonic curiosities. Remember to bargain hard!
Return to your Hotel and overnight
Day 04: Thursday November 26th, 2009
Breakfast: Early buffet breakfast at Hotel
Drive to Al Minya: Morning drive to Al Minya in modern air-Conditioned private bus. After about 04 hours arrive at Al Minya visit Bani Hassan tombs.
Rock-tombs of Beni Hassan: Reached with a steep climb up a cliff on the East Bank of the Nile, the Rock Tombs of Beni Hassan are incredibly well preserved, and their walls display scenes of daily life in Ancient Egypt in dazzlingly vivid colors. The tombs are mostly those of local feudal lords and noblemen, dating back to the 11th Dynasty, and some of the paintings are totally unique, showing subjects not seen in any other tomb in Egypt.
Transfer to “Mercure Al Minya hotel”, 04**** at time for lunch
Dinner: Dinner will be provided at the Hotel
Overnight at your Hotel Mercure Al Minya
Day 05: Friday November 27th, 2009
Breakfast: Early Buffet breakfast at the Hotel and check out
Tel El-Amarna: This rich archaeological site was originally known as Akhetaten, and was built as a new city in around 1348 BC by the Pharaoh Akhenaton. Akhenaton moved there with his beautiful wife Nefertiti to escape the wrath of the priests of Thebes, which he incurred for rejecting the cult of Amun-Ra and destroying its idols, instead promoting a monotheistic cult dedicated to the worship of the One God, Aton. The city was abandoned four years after Akhenaton’s death, when his son-in-law Tutankhamun set up court once again in Thebes. The site of the ruined city lies on an incredibly peaceful plateau, which is reached by a steep climb up a cliff. 400 cuneiform tablets discovered here in 1887 provide a detailed record of Ancient Egypt and its relations with the rest of the Middle East, in the form of letters between Akhenaton and the governors of cities in Syria and Palestine. At the base of the cliff are more than 25 tombs, many with intricate complexes of tunnels and chambers, and spectacular wall paintings and inscriptions.
Lunch: Lunch box will be provided
Ashmonein: You will then drive on to take a tour of El-Ashmonein, a town that also marks another brief stop on the journey of the Holy Family. El-Ashmonein boasts the relics of temples and shrines from the 19th Dynasty right through to the Christian Era, including columns of a basilica similar to the Acropolis in Greece.
Tuna El-Gabal: Drive through the lush green countryside lining the Nile Valley, and out into the surrounding desert, to visit the necropolis of Tuna El-Gabal on the West Bank, where hundreds of mummified ibis and baboons – held sacred by the god of writing, Thoth – were found in an underground cemetery. The paintings on the tombs are notable for their integration of Egyptian and Greek cultures – for example, an Egyptian farming scene with people wearing Greek fashions.
Return to Cairo, and overnight at “Fairmount Heliopolis Hotel”
Day 06: Saturday November 28th, 2009
Breakfast: buffet at Hotel and check out
Transfer: Transfer to Cairo Domestic Airport to board MS flight to Luxor
Arrival: Arrive at Luxor Airport and transfer to your cruise Sun Boat III
Check-in: (Before 9:00 AM) Arrive on your 5-star deluxe Nile cruise boat, the “Sun Boat III”, moored in Akorn’s private dock in Luxor. On board, you will be welcomed by the reception staff, who will offer you chilled fruit juice while assisting 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, and, therefore, the day of each feature is subject to change. However, every cruise on the 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 trio of authentic Egyptian musicians in Aswan during afternoon tea.
· A lecture accompanied by a slide show, by your Egyptologist guide.
Food & Beverage: Menus are changed on a seasonal basis to enable the Chef to use the freshest ingredients at all times. However, the following is applicable to every cruise:
§ Most meals are served in the restaurant. However, at least one barbecue lunch (while sailing) and breakfast 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 coffee are included on a complimentary basis during meals.
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: to be served on board
Valley of the Kings & Queens: Afternoon 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.
Photostop 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: Afternoon tea will be served in the lounge.
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.
Day 07: Sunday November 29th, 2009
Very early sailing to Nagaa Hammadi
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: Lunch on board.
Abydos: 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.
Day 08: Monday November 30th, 2009
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.
Afternoon tea: Afternoon tea will be served in the lounge.
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, with the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor dedicated to the god Amun.
Dinner: Gourmet dinner on board.
Overnight: On board in Luxor.
Day 09: Tuesday December 01st, 2009
Early sailing to Esna
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board while sailing to Esna.
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.
Lunch: Lunch on board.
Afternoon tea: Afternoon tea will be served in the lounge while you sail to Edfu.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: On board in Edfu.
Day 10: Wednesday December 02nd, 2009
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board.
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.
Kom Ombo Temple: Afternoon 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.
Afternoon Tea: Afternoon tea will be served in the lounge.
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 Kom Ombou.
Day 11: Thursday December 03rd, 2009
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board while you cruise to Aswan.
Lunch: Lunch on board during 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: Afternoon tea on board.
Dinner: Gourmet menu on board.
Overnight: On board in Aswan.
Day 12: Friday December 04th, 2009
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 Agilka.
Unfinished Obelisk: Next we 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: Lunch on board.
Afternoon at leisure
Afternoon tea: Afternoon tea will be served in the lounge.
Dinner: Dinner: Tonight’s farewell dinner will be a formal gala dinner, with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine.
Overnight: On board in Aswan.
Day 13: Saturday December 05th, 2009
Breakfast: Breakfast buffet on board, and check out.
Transfer to Aswan airport to board your flight to Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel excursion: Board your flight to Abu Simbel Arrival in Abu Simbel, our Akorn Tour Coordinator will meet you at 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-headed 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.
Board your return flight from Abu Simbel to Cairo via Aswan
Arrival: Arrive at Cairo Airport where you will be meet by your Cairo Akorn Tour Coordinator
Transfer: Transfer in modern air-conditioned bus to your Hotel in Cairo Grand Hyatt
Dinner: Today farewell dinner will be at the famous historic Hotel Mena House at Rubbayat Restaurant where your will enjoy an authentic folkloric show.
Overnight at your Hotel in Cairo – Nile view room
Day 14: Sunday December 06th, 2009
Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at your Hotel
Transfer: Transfer to Cairo Airport to board you international flight back home or you domestic flight to Sharm El-Sheikh
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