The mysteries of the Sphinx await on this off-season vacation in Egypt! Enjoy an escorted vacation in Cairo and Alexandria. Visit the incredible Egyptian Museum and marvel at the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza—the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Visit Alexandria’s 4th-century Mediterranean harbor city founded by Alexander the Great. Guided sightseeing includes the Catacombs of Kom El Shogafa, Pompey’s Pillar, and the lush Montazah Gardens. Travel through the El Beheira desert en route to Wadi el Natrun to visit the Coptic Monastery. Return to Cairo and fly to Aswan to begin your 3-night cruise on the Nile—considered the longest river in the world. As you sail down the Nile, stop to visit fascinating temples and shrines dating back to the 2nd century. Your Nile River cruise concludes in Luxor with an overnight stay and free time to explore before returning to Cairo. This 11-day guided vacation in Egypt with Nile River cruise is even better with fewer crowds and more savings during off-season travel. A wondrous escape fit for a king!
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt contains many of the tombs of pharaohs from the New Kingdom, including Tutankhamun and Ramesses the Great.
The Valley of the Kings actually has two components - the East Valley and the West Valley. It is the East Valley which most tourists visit and in which most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs can be found. (The West Valley has only one remote tomb open to the public, that of Ay who was Tutankhamun's successor.)
|
|
|
Nile River Cruising
|
|
Kom Ombo
Kom Ombo
In Kom Ombo tourists can visit the roofless Temple of Kom Ombo which was built for the falcon and crocodile gods. The Temple of Sobek is another attraction in Kom Ombo where a mummified crocodile can be seen!
|
|
Esna (Isna)
Esna (Isna)
Isna is located about 33 miles south of Luxor. The town's Greek name was Latopolis and here fish (lates) where thought to embody the goddess Neith, who was sacred to the area. Isna was increasingly important during the 18th dynasty due to Egypt's developing relationship with the Sudan. There was a route established between Isna and Derr. Later, the city slowly declined until it received renewed interest during the 26th Dynasty. Later, under the Greeks and Romans, it became the capital of the Third Nome of Upper Egypt.
|
|
Aswan
Aswan
Aswan is Egypt's sunniest southern city and has a distinctively African atmosphere. The pace of life here in the most beautiful setting on the Nile is slow and relaxing. It is a favorite winter resort spot for Europeans, Middle Easterns and Africans alike - it's a perfect place to get away from it all. Strolling up and down the Corniche, one can watch sailboats glide by. Savor the flavor of locally caught fish while listening to Nubian music or wander in the bazaar and get lost in the sights and sounds of this mystical place. Visit the Aga Khan Mausoleum, the Monastery at Qubbat al-Hawa, the Unfinished Obelisk, The Tombs of the Nobles, Qubbat al-Hawa, the Monastery at Aswan , or the St. Simeon monastery (Anba Hatre), uninhabited and just outside of Aswan.
|
Destination Guide
|
Cairo (Alexandria)
Cairo (Alexandria)
This Mediterranean city, blessed with a mild, pleasant climate and white beaches, is a popular playground and the country's summer capital. Nightclubs, sidewalk cafes and restaurants lining the Corniche add to Alexandria's attractions. There are museums, Roman theater, and catacombs to explore. Alexandria also serves as gateway for excursions to Cairo and the famous El Alamein battlefield. Visitors will find plenty of interest in this "Pearl of the Mediterranean." Good shopping buys include gold and silver jewelry, especially the gold cartouche with your name inscribed in hieroglyphs, cotton goods, carpets, leather articles, copper- and brassware, basketware and papyrus prints. The city boasts a reputation of having the country's best food. Other sights include: Ras at-Tin Palace, with its surrounding gardens; Hussein Sobhy Museum of Fine Arts; and Hotel Cecil, a grand and elegant hotel with romantic and intriguing history. There is a War Museum and Commonwealth War Cemetery.
|
Destination Guide
|
Giza
Giza
Giza is located only a few kilometers south of Cairo, several hundred meters from the last houses in the southernmost part of the city proper, where a limestone cliff rises abruptly from the other side of a sandy desert plateau. The ancient Egyptians called this place imentet, "The West" or kher neter, "the necropolis".
Though the three Great Pyramids are the most famous and prominent monuments at Giza, the site has actually been a Necropolis almost since the beginning of Pharaonic Egypt.
|
|
Edfu
Edfu
Edfu(Idfu) was the Greek city of Apollinopolis Magna located about 33 miles south of Isna and 65 miles north of Aswan. The city is a religious and commercial center that produces sugar and pottery. The Temple of Horus, a preserved cult temple, is located in Edfu.
|
|
Luxor
Luxor
Aside from visiting the pyramids near Cairo, Luxor and Al Karnak are places not to be missed when in search of ancient Egyptian monuments and artifacts. Luxor is on the southern part of ancient Thebes, Al Karnak on the north. Between the two, visitors can lose themselves for days in the hundreds of temples, chapels, tombs and gardens in the area. Too extensive to list all of them, a few of the tombs not to be missed are the tombs of Nefertari, Amenhotep II & III, several Ramesses and Tutankhamen.
|
Destination Guide
|
Cairo
Cairo
Cairo and the ancient monuments of the Egyptian empire have fascinated visitors throughout the centuries. The mystifying Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza, over four thousand years old, stand majestically on the outskirts of the city at the edge of the desert. Cairo's Museum of Antiquities holds one of the finest collections of artifacts in the world, including the astounding treasures of King Tutankhamen's tomb.
|
Destination Guide
|
