Day 01 Arrive
Cairo, meet and assist by our rep , transfer to the hotel. O/N Cairo.
Day 02 Enjoy visiting the Pyramids at Giza, the inscrutable
Sphinx plus the Egyptian museum and Khan El Khalili Bazaar before you
board your first class sleeper train to Aswan.
Day 03 (Monday) Arrive Aswan and staff will transfer you to
the Hotel. Free day to enjoy Aswan. An optional tour to the Nubian Museum can
be arranged. O/N Aswan.
Day 04 Board your Felucca and sail to the west bank of the Nile
where you will climb aboard a "ship of the desert" (camel) for a ride
to St. Simeons monastery. This early Christian monastery/fortress presents a
great story of early Christianity and the photo opportunities are excellent.
Return to the river, raise the sail, turn the bow downstream and you are
off. You will spend the night on board at El Hardeyat Island (about 12
miles upriver of Kom Ombo). The Felucca's deck is nicely covered with
large mattresses and comfortable cushions, serving as your bedroom, living room
and dining room most of the time. The Felucca is equipped with a simple kitchen
sufficient for providing you with your tasty meals, as well as hot and cold
drinks. Sailing on the Nile starts in the early morning till sun set in normal
conditions but can be interrupted due to reasons like wind or river currents or perhaps after
spotting a nice area for swimming or lunch.
In the evening you might want to build a small
fire on shore and visit with your Nubian crew where they can teach you songs
show you their native dances and share stories. O/N Felucca.
Day 05 Sail on to Kom Ombo visit the temple and then sail to
Hammam Island (about 18 miles upriver of Edfu) where you will dock for the
evening. O/N Felucca (B, L, D)
Day 06 Sail on to Edfu, visit the temple and overnight. O/N
Felucca.
Day 07 Disembark
your Felucca and transfer by private air-conditioned bus to Luxor. At
Luxor enjoy visiting the antiquity sites of both banks of the river including
the Necropolis of Thebes with the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens,
Queen Hatshepsut's Temple, Colossi of Memnon plus the temples of Luxor and
Karnak. Board the sleeper train about 10PM for your overnight trip to
Cairo.
Day 08 Arrive Cairo; staff will transfer you to the
hotel. Free day to enjoy Cairo. O/N Cairo.
Day 09 We depart Cairo early in the morning crossing the
Eastern desert to the Suez Canal. Taking the tunnel under the Suez into
Sinai, the land bridge between Africa and Asia, we will proceed along the coast
to Abu Zeneima, stopping along the way to visit Moses Springs where the
Israelites rested after crossing the Red Sea during Exodus. From here it
is on to Serabit El Khadem and our overnight camp.
Day 10 We visit the ancient Egyptian temple dedicated to the
Goddess Hathor high on the sandstone plateau above a Bedouin village.
Then a visit to the ancestral shrine of Sheikh Habus on the way to the Forest
of Pillars, a rare geological phenomena, set under the great Limestone plateau
of El Tih. Drive through Wadi Seih to Wadi Maghara where we camp
overnight.
Day 11 We visit the Ancient Egyptian Turquoise mines which are
set above an acacia lined valley. Above the entrances are Old Kingdom
inscriptions. We depart for Wadi Mukkattab, the Nabatean trade passage,
with inscriptions marking the route, which brings us to Wadi Fieran. It was
here that Moses struck the rock of Horeb and water flowed forth. Here in the
midst of the beauty of South Sinai's largest oasis is the Convent of
Moses. A small church is built from the remains of the old
Archbishops palace. We overnight at St. Catherine's Plaza, at the foot of
Mountain Sinai.
Day 12 We leave early for a climb to see the sunrise
from the summit of Mt. Sinai then visit the magnificent St. Catherine's
Monastery, founded by the Emperor Justinian. It houses one of the world's
most famous collections of early Christian art. From here we drive along Wadi
Safra with an opportunity to climb sand dunes surrounded by great sandstone lattice
work. We camp overnight.
Day 13 We pass the great pilgrimage landmark, Gebel El
Makhroom, before visiting the Nawamis. These extremely well preserved
burial chambers are from the early Bronze Age. From here we visit the
crusader pilgrimage route which brings us to the Rock of Inscriptions where
Nabatean and early Christian inscriptions survive side by side. A short
walk brings us to the Date Palm gardens of Ein Khudra. This oasis is
traditionally Hazerot, a resting place for the children of Israel.
Leaving we drive through Wadi Gazala to Wadi Nakhal to walk through the colored
canyon. We camp overnight.
Day 14 We drive to the
Gulf of Aqaba and enjoy swimming and snorkeling in the beautiful clear
waters. From here we drive back to Cairo, overnight in Cairo
Day 15
Transfer to Cairo airport for final departure
Program Including
* Visa
support before passport control up on arrival
* Assistance in all airports, bus or train station by VET Rep
* Mentioned
sightseeing with group language guide
* All
sightseeing & transfers by modern A/C coaches
* 03 nights Cairo on BB Basis, 01 night Aswan on BB Basis, 03
nights Felucca on FB Basis, 02 nights Sleeping train on H.B Basis, 04
nights Desert on FB Basis & 01 night Saint Catherine on HB Basis
Program Excluding
* Egypt
entry visa cost
* Extra
food & beverage not mentioned
* Any sightseeing
not mentioned above
* Tipping