Wonders of Egypt 9 Day tour from $1770   an Insight Vacations luxury tour

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Tour Highlights

Hotels

Besides staying on a luxury Nile cruiser, the Cairo Marriott is a modern, deluxe,  landmark, river-front hotel, housed in a former palace. In Aswan, overlooking the  Nile River, the New Cataract is part of a complex encompassing the famous Victorian style Old Cataract Hotel.

Fellow Passengers

Being the perfect blend of touring, cruising and city stay, this tour really appeals to a broad cross section of people. However, like all visitors to Egypt,  your fellow passengers are lured by the mystery of this ancient land, it's abundance  of ancient buildings and also share a keen interest in history.

Highlights

All who come to Egypt yearn for their first glimpse of the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. However, many are surprised by the awesome temple complex of Karnak which is equally impressive. Watching the sun set while enjoying high tea from the terrace of the Aswan hotel is also truly memorable.

Insight's Five Star Cruising

• Insight's professional multi-lingual Egyptologist/Tour Director  accompanies you
• Tour by luxury air-conditioned coach First Class hotels with all service charges, taxes and porterage
• 4 night 5 Star Nile cruise on M.S. Miriam or M.S. Sapphire (or similar) with all cruise boat gratuities included
• Scheduled air travel Cairo/Luxor and Aswan/Cairo
• Services of Insight's Resident Manager in Egypt

Excursions & Sights

• Visit Mohammed Ali Mosque and enjoy views over Cairo from  the Citadel
• See the colossal statue of Rameses II & great alabaster sphinx in  Memphis
• View the Step Pyramid of King Zoser in Sakkara, the oldest in the world
• See the Great Pyramids of Giza & their guardian Sphinx
• Tour the Luxor and Karnak temple complexes
• Photo opportunity at the towering Colossi of Memnon
• Visit Queen Hatshepsut's amazing reconstructed temple and the Valley of the Kings
• Visit the Temple of Sobek at Kom Ombo
• Cruise by motorboat to the Island of Philae to visit the Temple of Isis
• Sail by traditional 'felucca' around the Botanical Gardens in Aswan
• Visit the unfinished obelisk in the granite quarries and see the Aswan High Dam
• See Tutankhamun's treasure in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Guided City Tours

In depth sightseeing tour in Cairo.

Orientation tour in Luxor & Aswan

Complimentary Transfers

Complimentary arrival and departure transfers between Cairo  airport and your Insight tour hotel

Quality Dining & Entertainment

Egyptian dinner and Galabea Party with entertainment

8 buffet breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 special-menu dinners, or buffets, plus bottled water or tea or coffee

Tour Itinerary

Tour Pace

A perfect balance of touring, cruising and Cairo sightseeing. A two night stay in Cairo at the beginning of the tour allows you to adjust to your exciting new  surroundings. The majority of the time, however, is spent relaxing on a 4 night Nile cruise, before disembarking for a night in exotic Aswan.

DAY 1 THU - CAIRO AT LEISURE

When arriving in Cairo, we are entering a land that abounds in wonders and mysteries,  many of which are revealed on this tour. We are met at the airport and transferred  to our hotel. Hotel: Marriott.

DAY 2 FRI - CAIRO SIGHTSEEING

This morning our Tour Director welcomes us with coffee at a detailed pre-tour  briefing. Then we visit the Citadel, from which we get a breathtaking view of the whole city. Salah El Din started the Citadel in the 12th century, but it owes its  present outline to Mohammed Ali, whose great Mosque we visit next. We continue to Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom, where a colossal statue of Rameses II and a great alabaster sphinx await us. Nearby at Sakkara we view the Step Pyramid of Zoser I, dating from 2686BC and the oldest in the world. Now it's on to Giza for  a camel ride to the Great Pyramid of Cheops, and a guided tour of these magnificent  monuments and enigmatic Sphinx. (BB)

DAY 3 SAT - CAIRO - LUXOR - CRUISING

This morning we fly to Luxor, the former capital of the New Kingdom. In private  moorings, near the edge of town, our 5 star cruise boat awaits! We board in time for lunch and then enjoy an unforgettable introduction to the world of ancient Egypt as we visit Luxor Temple. We also tour the awe inspiring temple complex of Karnak, with its vast Hypostyle Hall. We return this evening for a fabulous Sound and Light show. There, among the avenues of sphinxes and halls of colossal columns, we hear  tales of ancient Thebes. (BB,L,D)

DAY 4 SUN - CRUISING - EDFU

After breakfast this morning we cross to the west bank of the Nile and stop for  a photo of the towering Colossi of Memnon. These two giant seated figures are all that is left of Amon-Ofis III mortuary temple. We visit the amazing Temple of Queen  Hatshepsut, blending into the cliff face above. Then continue to the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of many of the New Kingdom Pharaohs. This afternoon we cruise south to Esna, (see Esna Lock closure right) and Edfu. (BB,L,D)

DAY 5 MON - CRUISING - KOM OMBO

This morning we enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride to visit the beautifully preserved Temple of Horus, (the Falcon God) possibly the most complete in Egypt. Then we continue to Kom Ombo to visit the Temple of Sobek the crocodile god, conveniently situated on the river bank. Tonight we celebrate in true Egyptian style at a Oriental Dinner  and Galabea Party. (BB,L,HD)

DAY 6 TUE - CRUISING - ASWAN

We cruise to exotic Aswan in the cool of early morning. We take a motorboat to the Temple of Isis, rising from the waters of the Nile on the Island of Philae. Later, we return to Aswan where we sail in a traditional Nile felucca around Aswan's Botanical Gardens. (BB,L,D)

DAY 7 WED - ASWAN

This morning perhaps join the optional excursion to the temples of Abu Simbel, carved out of the rock by Rameses II and later rescued from the rising waters of  Lake Nasser? (See right.) Later we visit the Aswan High Dam and also the ancient  Granite Quarries, where we see the enormous unfinished obelisk. We disembark and check in to our Aswan hotel. This evening, we are treated to high tea on the terrace of our hotel while enjoying the sunset! Hotel: New Cataract. (BB)

DAY 8 THU - ASWAN - CAIRO SIGHTSEEING

We transfer to the airport this morning for our return flight to Cairo. Back in the capital we enjoy a tour highlight as we visit the famous Egyptian Museum.  Here, among the many thousands of artifacts on display, we will view Tutankhamun's  splendid treasures. Do you believe in the curse of King Tut? Hotel: Marriott. (BB)

DAY 9 FRI - CAIRO

Our tour ends today after breakfast with a transfer to the airport. (BB)

Abu Simbel Optional Tour (available with Egypt tours)

This immensely popular excursion, visiting the awe-inspiring Temples of Rameses II at Abu Simbel, should be booked at the same time as your tour to avoid possible disappointment.

Abu Simbel is the most beautiful and imaginative construction of the greatest and most whimsical Pharaoh in Egyptian history – Rameses II. The facade consists of four colossal statues of the Pharaoh seated on his throne. Each statue is twenty metres high, measures four metres from ear to ear and one metre along the line of the lips.

To the Pharaohs architects, the temple represented a tremendous challenge which, two thousand years later, was to be taken up again by the engineers of the world community in order to save it from the waters of the Nile.

Itinerary Variations: Certain Nile cruises operate in reverse, from Aswan to Luxor. Due to the unreliability of domestic air scheduling, religious festivals and other unforeseen circumstances, the order of this itinerary may need to change at short notice. On occasions an alternative cruise boat of equal standard may be used.

Esna Lock Closure: The Esna Lock will be closed from 01-30 Jun & 01-16 Dec  2005, and cruise boats will not be permitted to travel between Luxor and Esna at this time. On tours spanning these dates, Luxor sightseeing as featured in the itinerary will be operated by coach from Esna instead of by boat.