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"Wonders
of Egypt - Family Tour"
.
February
16 - 22, 2009 --- Or begin Feb 14, 2009 with 2 days at the Red Sea
Begins
in Luxor, Egypt (departures one day earlier if leaving from the USA).
Open to people ages 8 - 80 years. Those under 18 must be
accompanied by an adult.
Day-by-Day Itinerary Land
Only Prices*
Adults & children ages
12+: $2,495 USD per person in double occupancy.
Single Supplement: $360 USD
Children (ages 8-11 years old): $2,195 USD sharing a room with an adult.
Beginning with time at the Red Sea: Contact Us for Hurghada rates Including
Airfare from New York, USA: add $1,150 USD to prices above
Depart from NY one
day before beginning in Egypt.
* Prices above
include: Two 5-star
hotels, 2 meals per day (a large buffet breakfast & lunch), bottled water at all times, sightseeing with
entrance fees as described below. Additional fees may be required
for activities listed as Optional.
Complete list of what is included. |
Day-by-Day
Itinerary
|
"Wonders
of Egypt - Family Tour"
7-day Egypt Tour - Mon evening, Feb 16, 2009 (in Luxor) - Sun, Feb 22
(in Cairo)
Optional: Arrive early and spend a
few days by the sea in Hurghada
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| With
Airfare from USA
Friday,
Feb 13
2009
or
Sunday,
Feb 15
2009
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Land Only with Hurghada option:
You can arrive any day you choose and
spend additional days at the Red Sea. Travel from Hurghada to
Luxor on Tuesday morning, February 17, with others from the tour.
With Hurghada Option
& Air from NY:
Those who chose the option to spend 2 days in Hurghada beside the Red
Sea leave NY on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 6:30 PM.. Midday arrival in
Cairo Sat, February 14, 2009, followed by a flight to Hurghada.
Travel from Hurghada to Luxor on Tuesday morning, February 17, with others
from the tour.
Egypt tour only with
Air from NY:
For those departing from NY, USA, Sunday, February 15, 2009, your plane leaves NY City,
at 6:30 PM. You fly direct non-stop from New York city to Cairo,
Egypt. Arrival in Cairo the next day. Other departure cities in
the USA are available as add-on's. Contact
Us for pricing.
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Day 1
Monday,
Feb 16
2009
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Land Only Travelers:
Plan to arrive in Luxor, Egypt, in the afternoon or evening of Monday,
February 16.
For those arriving from New
York, you arrive about midday in Cairo (7 hours ahead of New York time, 2
hours ahead of Greenwich). Continue on to Luxor with a short
one-hour flight. Evening arrival in Luxor.
Overnight: Luxor 5- star
Hotel - Sofitel Karnak Resort or similar.
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Day 2
Tues,
Feb 17

Luxor Temple

Luxor Museum
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We begin our tour today with a Welcome Meeting and
lunch. Having the morning free will give everyone a chance to catch
up on some sleep after all the traveling.
Those who began with some days in Hurghada at the Red Sea will
arrive in Luxor during the morning.
Our sightseeing for today is here on the East Bank of the
Luxor. The Luxor Temple is a good place to start. It
has many interesting parts, but it is not too large, so you can begin to see
how the temples of the New Kingdom were laid out. It was the "Bride of Karnak"
during the annual Apet festival and has an impressive processional way
called the "Avenue of the Sphinxes."
In the late afternoon we
make
a visit to the Luxor Museum. This is a modern museum opened fairly
recently. It is much smaller than the Cairo Museum and is well laid
out, so it is easy to get around in to see
everything. There is a special exhibit room
for a cache of statues found in near-perfect condition. They were buried
under a courtyard at the Luxor Temple and found only recently during
renovations. There is also a new wing, just opened recently, with an
excellent mummy exhibit and a number of splendid artifacts - a chariot,
the tools the Ancient Egyptians used, bows & arrows, and the coveted
gold "flies of honor."
In
the evening, those who would like can visit one of the gold shops.
-Gold Shop (jewelry). Get a cartouche with your name in
hieroglyphs.
Overnight: Luxor 5- star
Hotel - Sofitel Karnak Resort or similar.
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Day
3
Wed,
Feb 18

Hatshepsut's Temple

Workers' Village

Villager


Valley of the Kings
"Colossi of Memnon"
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Today we go to the West Bank, one of the
most famous archeological sites in the world.
The first site that we
visit is also one of the earliest New Kingdom temples. Called
"The Most Splendid of All" by the ancient Egyptians, Queen
Hatshepsut’s Temple, the famous Deir El Bahari has inspired
many, including the founders of modern architecture. One of the
outstanding features is the picturesque Hathor columns in the Hathor
Chapel on the second Level. We are also privileged to be admitted to the
third level which was only recently opened to the public. More
photos of Hatshepsut's Temple.
The west represented the
hereafter and is where the dead were buried. Today we visit perhaps
the most colorful tombs presently available for viewing in Luxor.
The Workman's Village, Deir El Medina, gives us a look at some of
the tombs most often represented in books about Ancient Egypt.
Whereas at Saqqara we will see the scenes of daily life during the Old Kingdom,
today we see the daily life represented during the New Kingdom (about
1,000 years later).
Just nearby are some villagers that
are long-time friends of Ruth. One of the highlights for many of our
travelers is to meet some of the local people and see their lifestyle.
Hopefully we will be invited to their house for lunch. The food is
delicious!
In the afternoon we visit the Valley of
the Kings, where King Tut's tomb was found. There
are many tombs here, and excavations are still going on, as well as
renovations to tombs that have been uncovered a long time. One never knows
which tombs will be open that day, but there will be a variety to choose
from.
A recent highlight was the
opening of the Ramesses I tomb, restored with modern techniques pioneered
during the restoration of the tomb of Nefertari (Nefertari's tomb is no
longer open to the public). See optional extra tickets listed
below.
By visiting in the
afternoon we should avoid the large crowds that come with the cruise boats
in the mornings.
As we leave the West Bank
of Luxor we see the "Colossi of Memnon," the two large
statues of Amenhotep III that still stand, even though their temple is
long ago destroyed. The Greeks believed
they were statues of Memnon, the son of Eros.
Optional Sound &
Light Show at Karnak in the evening.
Optionals:
-
Extra tickets for:
1) King Tut's tomb
(about $15 USD) if it is still open. It is scheduled to close to the
public on May 1, 2008.
2) The newly opened and renovated tomb of Ramses VI
(about $13 USD).
- Sound & Light Show at Karnak in the evening. Cost:
$25 pp.
Overnight: Luxor 5- star
Hotel - Sofitel Karnak Resort or similar.
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Day
4

Balloon Ride

Karnak

Open Air Museum

Felucca
Sailboat
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Morning option: Early morning Balloon Ride over
the West Bank of Luxor. See the temples from a very different
perspective!
Today we visit the largest temple in
Ancient Egypt, Karnak. Karnak was the
center of government during the New Kingdom and each Pharaoh wanted to
leave something impressive at Karnak. The largest temple complex in Egypt,
we see multiple temples, obelisks, great gates and the famous hypostyle
hall - unequalled to this day. We also see the Sacred Lake, the
Festival Hall and Botanical Garden of Tutmosis III (a precursor of
Napoleon's later record of the fauna and flora found in Egypt).
Also at Karnak, we visit
the fascinating Open Air Museum where we view the Red Chapel
of Hatshepsut and Tutmosis III (Karnak's original Holy of Holies) and Senwosret's
White Chapel with its finely-carved Middle Kingdom hieroglyphs.
These are in raised relief - some of the best to be found anywhere.
There is something new each time we visit, as reconstruction of new pieces
is ongoing.
Visit a papyrus
institute and see how the ancient papyrus was made. Includes a
shop where you can buy your own as well.
Sailboat ride on the
Nile in the afternoon, they call them "feluccas."
Have you ever had your own
sleeping compartment on an overnight train? Here is your chance to have an
adventure that may feel like you are in a movie. We will have
sleeping compartments with 2 beds each (you can get a cabin that is
connected to the one next door, if you have a family) for the overnight
train from Luxor to Cairo.
Optionals:
- Sunrise Balloon Ride, cost: about $140 pp.
Overnight:
Overnight sleeper train (in private sleeping cabin) from Luxor to Cairo.
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Day
5
Friday,
Feb 19
2009

Saqqara

Imhotep
Museum

Local Farmers

Khan El
Khalili
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Here in the Cairo area we begin with a visit to the oldest
pyramid of all, King Djoser's Step Pyramid. It
was built more than
4,500 years ago!
It is also here at the Saqqara complex
that we get to see the
early versions of the Book of the Dead (Teti Pyramid) and
some tombs
with scenes of the daily life in the Old Kingdom. See what
the life on the Nile looked like more than 4,000 years ago - people,
animals, food, farming, making glass & jewelry, kids playing games and
lots more.
Here at Saqqara we also have the pleasure of seeing the newly opened Imhotep Museum - a
beautifully laid out modern museum with a number of wooden statues from
the Old Kingdom that are particularly memorable. It is a small
museum, so will be a short visit. All the items on exhibit were
found here at Saqqara and have not been on public display before.
Ruth has some friends in
the Saqqara area who have a guesthouse in the Black Land, the farming
area. Hopefully they will be home and able to welcome us for
lunch. It's also a chance to see some the nearby farmers and their animals
up close. See Blue
Lotus of Saqqara Guesthouse.
Next we drive to Giza, where the pyramids are. Our hotel is right near them.
Some free time to take a nap or relax by the pool this afternoon.
In the evening we visit the
historic Kahn El Khalili bazaar. There are narrow cobble stone alleys, a profusion of
colorful goods, medieval architecture and outdoor cafes. A wide
variety of goods are sold and we get a flavor of the local life in
downtown Cairo. Time to buy those souvenirs to take home.
Overnight:
5-star hotel near the pyramids. Le Meridien Pyramids or similar.
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Day
6

Giza
Plateau

Solar Boat

Camels

Cairo Museum
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Today is pyramids
day! We start with the Giza Plateau. We visit and
go inside whichever pyramid is open. Of the three pyramids,
two will be open and one closed for renovations - dates are not announced
in advance. There is an additional ticket of 100 LE (about $17 USD)
for the Great Pyramid. On that day, you will decide if you want to
take this option and go inside. The ticket for the other pyramid that will
be open is included in your tour price.
In the Solar Boat Museum
we see a boat that is almost 5,000 years old and was found 50 years ago,
here beside the pyramid. The trees that were used to build it most
have been huge, because the boards run the whole length of the boat!
We will also see the Great Sphinx &
Valley Temple. The stones that make up the walls of the Valley
Temple are HUGE, too large for us to move and place so precisely
today. How did they do it? What do you think?
Camel rides for the
adventurous. Here's your chance to ride across the desert with the
pyramids there nearby (and, of course, have your picture taken as well).
In the afternoon we drive
into Cairo, the biggest center of culture
and learning in the Middle East, and one of the largest, most crowded
cities in the entire world. Right
in the center of the city is the famous Cairo Egyptian Museum.
Your guides point out the most famous pieces and then there is free time
to look at whatever interests you the most. The treasures of King
Tut, the Mummy Room, statues from all time
periods.
Back at our hotel it is time to pack your bags to get ready for leaving
tomorrow.
Optionals:
- Go inside the Great Pyramid, cost: about $17 USD pp.
- Sound & Light Show at the Giza pyramids in the evening. Cost:
$25 pp.
Overnight:
5-star hotel near the pyramids. Le Meridien Pyramids or similar.
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Day
7
Sunday,
Feb 22
2009
Tour is finished.
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Return flights home.
For those leaving for the USA, your flight leaves at 10 AM and arrives in
New York at 3:15 PM - the same day but with an increase of 7 hours for the
time difference between Cairo and New York. For those traveling to
the UK the time difference is 2 hours.
Or you can extend your stay
in Egypt with extra hotel nights. Contact Us
for rates.
There may be changes to
this itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control.
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Photo credits this page: all
photos by Ruth Shilling. |