Egypt Face to Face

Tour Highlights:

Visit to the Great Giza Pyramids & Sphinx
City Tours of Luxor, Memphis & Aswan
7 night Nile Cruise
...Plus much, much more!

From Cairo's vast & wide presence to the small Nubian village nestled between the mighty Nile River and the massive Sahara Desert... This is one destination that will never be tamed!

After the success of last year's program, I'm delighted to again present this adventure in February 2009! Come with me & witness Egypt's cultures and history! I know you won't be disappointed!

ITINERARY: 4 Nights Cairo ~ 7 Night Cruise ~ 5 Nights Cairo

February 12th: Welcome to Egypt!

After your long flight from Canada, you'll be met at the airport by myself & our transfer to the hotel. Brace yourself because the drive to the Shephard Hotel in downtown Cairo will be something that you have never experienced before! Having approximately 20 million living in the city of Cairo & neighboring Giza, the traffic is fast moving, cramped & noisy. If you have the strength to quit looking out where the next car is going to veer from, the Cairo skyline & atmosphere is something to enjoy!

Overnight: 4 nights

February 13th: Today is a day to explore Cairo! Just a short walk from the hotel is a shopping district, where you can start to explore what Egypt has to offer the shopaholic! Also in the area, is a large government building & a quite large traffic circle, where you can sit and be astounded at how Egyptians merge and drive! If you weren't a shopper before coming to Egypt, you certainly be one when you leave! Case in point, the Khan el Khalili, the 850 year old market, where fine Egyptian linen, perfume, spices & even your tacky souvenirs can be bartered for! A favourite of mine, this is one thing you MUST experience when in Egypt!

February 14th: Our third day in Cairo, we'll be met by our Cairo Egyptologist, with the knowledge of everything Egyptian. To take from a quote of Nagla, our Cairo escort in 2008, "What you know about Egypt, I've probably forgotten!" This morning we will visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, considered as one of the most renowned in the world. You will see some... SOME of Egypt's treasures! The Mummy Room, the discoveries of King Tutankhamun tomb along with his death mask & remarkable items from every dynasty is wondrous!

After lunch, we will drive out to see the monuments that the world thinks of when Egypt is mentioned... the Great Pyramids!

Up close to the panoramic view or from the back of Charlie Brown the camel of these monstrous "tombs", the Great Pyramids will take your breath away!

And for what represents Egypt for me, we'll travel down the plateau where to Pyramids sit & visit the great man himself, the Sphinx. A backdrop of the pyramids in the back round only makes him more magnificent! Cordoned off now from the public, he is ever ready to welcome the morning sun in the East.

February 15th: Today is a day of leisure to explore again!

February 16th: We are off! Our early morning flight to Luxor gives us a wonderful view of Cairo. You'll think that you are looking at the stars! After our short flight, we will be met and escorted to our cruise vessel for the next seven nights.

Docked side by side, the cruise ships aren't too pleasing to the eyes, looking like large house boats you'll soon discover walking through the lobbies of some to get to ours, the inside is quite a different appearance!

After settling, we will be taking a tour of Luxor, Luxor Temple and the Temples of Karnak, a temple built over the dynasties, each area built by a different pharaoh, it is said that the high priests of these kings made sacrifices to the God Amon-Ra.

We'll return to the ship for our first dinner aboard & enjoy a leisurely evening.

February 17th: Spend a leisurely day, cruising up the Nile. From atop the cruise ship you can watch other cruise vessels race to the locks to "get their number" to pass through the locks of Esna. The yelling and whistling outside will draw you to overlook the railing & the shopping will begin! Small boats, sometimes filled with up to 6 men, throw items to the top of the ship in hopes of making a sale! All day this continues on and they ARE persistent! But what fun to watch!

Spend the evening relaxing on board the ship at Edfu.

February 18th: After breakfast, enjoy a short carriage ride through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, the Falcon God. When looking at the hieroglyphics on the towering walls, you'll notice that the majority of the figurines are defaced with bullet holes, thanks to Napoleon! It's an amazing story to hear!

Return to your ship and sail to Kom Ombo to visit the Graeco-Roman style Temple of Sobek, the Crocodile God. This tranquil site overlooks the Nile, offering wonderful scenic views up and down the river.

Then continue on to Aswan where you will be docked for the next 2 nights.

February 19th: Start a full day of sightseeing with a tour of Aswan's High Dam, followed by a stop at the Ancient Granite Quarries, and then on to the Temple of Philae, situated on an island near the Dam. Time permitting take a ride on a felucca, a traditional boat that is used on the Nile and sail around Elephantine Island to the Botanical Gardens.

February 20th: Today is a free day for all! Relax around the swimming pool or shop for the best spices in the vibrant souks of this exciting city. We may also consider an excursion to Abu Simbel to visit the breathtaking Temples of Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertiti. The place is awe-inspiring; four statues of Ramses each stand 65 feet high, and the temple's well-preserved pictographs tell some remarkable ancient stories.

February 21st & 22nd: Seeing the Nile Valley from our cruise vessel in the Egyptian sun is a wonderful way to spend the next two days!

February 23rd: After breakfast, we'll cross the Nile for a tour of the city of "Thebes". In the Valley of the Kings Queens & Workers. See such tombs as Ramses the IV & the world's most famous mummified king, Tutankhamun. Seeing a person that lived so long ago is flabbergasting! Under a blue light & glass enclosure, Tutankhamun lays shrowed from shoulders to ankles in a white sheet. Only seeing his head and long skinny toes is still a story to tell folks back home!

Also stop to see the two huge seated statues of Amenhotep III, known as the Colossi of Memnon. Before the restoration began, these figures were said to have "sung" every morning at dawn with a light moaning or whistling sound.

After our journey, we will be flying back to Cairo where we will return to our Shephard Hotel.

*entrance to Tut & Ramses IV is an additional cost*

February 24th: This morning, we will travel to Memphis, the first capital of Egypt. Though most of the city has been destroyed by time, the Alabaster Sphinx & mammoth statue of Ramses II remain, along with many other statues and marvels. We will then visit the Necropolis of Sakkara, City of the Dead and see the step pyramid of King Zoser and the Wall of Cobras.

February 25th: After breakfast, we will drive to Old Cairo where we will visit the ancient Ben Ezra Synagogue, the place where it's believed the Pharaoh's daughter found Moses. Onward we travel to the Al Moalaka Church, better known as the "Hanging Church" & the Abu Sergah Church dating back to the beginning of the 5th Century & where Mary and a six year old Jesus hid for quite sometime in the cellar. From here we will travel to Islamic Cairo where we will tour the Citadel, where a breathtaking view Cairo can been seen from the Mokattam Hills. Built in 1183 AD, it houses many important monuments including the Mohamed Ali Mosque.

February 26th: Today we will visit the lush greenery of Al Fayyum Oases. An hour's drive from Cairo & along the shores of Lake Quaroon, this ecological city is a breathtaking sight! The water arrogation systems throughout this area are mind boggling! The massive water wheel in the city's centre will attest to this fact!

Afterwards, we will journey on to visit the Pyramid of Amenhet III and Senusert II. Upon arriving & witnessing the crocodile graveyard and still to be excavated hills with digs going on as we arrive is something.

February 27th: Today is another leisurely day in Cairo.

February 28th: Be sure that all your treasures are packed & stories written down because today we return home!

Complete Land Program - $3289.00 CAD Including ALL Taxes

~ Per person sharing twin/double accommodation ~

Single supplement: $857.00

Nonrefundable deposit required: $750.00 per person

Final Payment due: December 1st, 2008

INCLUSIONS IN ABOVE LAND ONLY PRICES:

9 nights accommodation at the Cairo Shephard Hotel
7 nights accommodation on board Nile cruise ship
All transfers as listed in the itinerary, including flights within Egypt.
Fully escorted by Gail Matier of Rhapsodie Tours
Entrances fees to sites and monuments listed in the itinerary.
Services of a professional English speaking Egyptologists during all guided sightseeing and excursions as described in the itinerary
Baggage handling at airport & hotels
Meals as described by: B (Buffet Breakfast), L (Lunch), D (Dinner)
Travel bags and neck pillows
All land taxes

EXCLUSIONS IN ABOVE LAND ONLY PRICES:

All International airfares and departure taxes(I would be happy to assist in arranging flights from your home town to join us!)
Personal items
Meals unless listed in itinerary
Tips & Gratuities
Early check-in & late check out of rooms (standard check-in time is 2pm and check out 10am)
Personal Insurance
Visa/passport handling fee

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