Siva Baba's Birthday Trip -- Day-by-Day Itinerary
Wed, 27 January - Wed, 3 February 2010

What is INCLUDED   --   What is NOT INCLUDED   --   Extra Hotel Nights & Add-on Tours

 
Giza Pyramids 
from the air

Arrivals. Each traveler will be met inside the Cairo airport by an English-speaking representative who will assist with visas, baggage retrieval and customs. You will then be brought to the hotel and assisted with check-in.  You can also arrive the day before, so as to have some time to rest up.  We are happy to arrange for your extra hotel nights.

For those who have arrived the day before, you may enjoy taking the free shuttle service offered by the hotel that goes to/from downtown Cairo.  Cairo City Tour is available on Tuesday, 25th January, for those who arrive a number of days early.

18:30: Evening Welcome Meeting/Orientation at our hotel. Lord Shiva absorbs negative karma before beginning our transformational Egypt tour.

Afterwards we have a Welcome Dinner to reconnect with old friends and meet some new ones.
D. Pyramids Park Hotel, Giza-Cairo.

Bent Pyramid

Red Pyramid

Dashur Desert Walk

Saqqara

Step Pyramid

Imhotep Museum

Leaving our hotel this morning, we begin with a drive through the "Black Land" of Egypt, the rich, fertile farmland that was called "the bread basket of the Roman Empire" and has sustained many generations.

We begin with a visit to the Dashur pyramids where we see the Red Pyramid and Bent Pyramid. Because this site was only opened to the public in 1996, it is not visited by many tour groups. This gives us a chance to see some pyramids as they would have been before the modern life closed in around them (as they have at Giza).

A desert walk between the two pyramids gives us a chance to make personal contact with the desert and this vast magical land of Egypt. One or both of these pyramids will be open for visitors, so people can also go inside, if they choose.

Seminar #1 is in the Saqqara area, within the energy vortex of the Ancient Egyptian pyramid field.  This is a perfect setting in which to begin to feel and absorb the energies of these power vortexes.

Afterwards we will have lunch at a restaurant here in the heart of the Black Land.  

In the afternoon we visit one on the most popular sites, Saqqara (or Sakkara), home of the Ancient Egyptian mystery schools. Here we see what Egyptologists believe is the oldest pyramid – the one that inspired all the others – known to us as the Step Pyramid. It was built for the Old Kingdom king Djoser (Zoser) by the sage/saint/god Imhotep, who was later deified by the Greeks.

We also see here at Saqqara some tombs with raised relief showing the daily life in Ancient Egypt more than 4,000 years ago (no camels or horses yet, but the donkeys are eternal!). You can also go inside the Teti Pyramid to see the oldest versions of the Ancient Egyptian "Book of the Dead," also called the "Coming Forth of Day."

The Imhotep Museum is a small on-site museum with some of the artifacts found here.  There are some wooden statues from the Old Kingdom that give us the feeling that we are looking into the eyes of people who lived more than 4,000 years ago!

Dinner and early to bed as we will leave in the early morning hours for Aswan and the Temple of the Goddess Isis. 
BB, L, D. Pyramids Park Hotel, Giza-Cairo.

Sofitel Karnak

Early flight from Cairo to Aswan. Leaving our hotel while it is still dark outside, we begin our journey to Upper Egypt, and what was the source of the Nile for the Ancient Egyptians. Strange though it may seem to some of us, the south is the higher land in Egypt and the north lower, so the Nile runs from south to north. So, though we are flying in a direction that looks like it is "down" on the map, we are flying UP to the higher land of Upper Egypt.

Upon arrival in Aswan, we go directly to the Philae Isis Temple. It is located on an island so we will be taking a motor boat to get there. Isis is the most popular goddess from Ancient Egypt and the worship of Isis continues to this day. Here at the Philae Temple was the last place that the Ancient Egyptian religion was practiced. Isis is the Greek name. Her Ancient Egyptian name is "Aset" meaning "the throne" or "great lap." This temple has an unforgettable beauty which suits this beautiful, feminine goddess perfectly.

Afterwards, we will have lunch in the town of Aswan before driving from there to Luxor where we will be staying for the next 2 nights. Our hotel in Luxor is directly on the East Bank of the Nile.

Seminar #2 at the hotel this evening, followed by dinner at our hotel.

B box, L, D. Sofitel Karnak Hotel, Luxor East Bank.

Valley of the Kings

Colossi of Memnon
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Felucca Sailboat

We begin this morning by "crossing over to the other side," from the East Bank of the Nile to the West Bank. The west represented the hereafter, the next life after this one, so the tombs and mortuary temples are on the West Bank. What we see on the tomb walls here is all about making the transition from the physical life to the life beyond.

We begin with a temple rarely visited by other groups. Called the Ramesseum Temple, it is the mortuary temple of the famous Ramesses II, or "Ramesses the Great."  This temple has a wonderful, clear energy to it, and is a good introduction to the Ancient Egyptian temples of the New Kingdom (1,000 years earlier than the Greek-era Isis Temple at Philae and about 1,000 years later than the pyramids).

Next we visit the famous Valley of the Kings, a must on every tourist itinerary. There are 3 tombs included in the normal ticket. A tomb with a special ticket is also included for you - the Tomb of Ramesses VI. It has been beautifully restored and was opened only recently. It is by far the best tomb available for viewing in the Valley.

Before leaving the West Bank we stop to see the two giant statues that are all that is left of what was once a magnificent temple for Amenhotep III, built when Egypt was at the height of its opulence.  Now called the "Colossi of Memnon" they still hold a place of prominence on the West Bank.

In the late afternoon there will be a sunset/moonrise felucca sailboat ride. Hopefully we will see both the sunset and moonrise from our sailboat on the Nile. Cameras ready, and hearts wide open to absorb the beauty here!

Seminar #3 in the evening at our hotel followed by dinner.

BB, L, D. Sofitel Karnak Hotel, Luxor East Bank.

Luxor Temple

Karnak

Getting up early this morning will bring its rewards! Luxor Temple is at its most sacred in the morning – unlike when it is filled with mobs of tourists later in the day. This temple was the "bride of Karnak" during the annual Apet (or Opet) festival. It was built by a number of different kings and includes an Avenue of Sphinxes with human heads. It is the only temple in Egypt which has been used continually as a place of connecting to the Divine. It was first an Ancient Egyptian Temple, then used by the Greeks, then as a Christian church and then a mosque was built over one section of it. That mosque is still active. People who are too tired can sleep in and meet us at breakfast.

Seminar #4 in the morning at our hotel. In the afternoon we visit the largest temple complex of Ancient Egypt, the Karnak Temple. There are multiple temples, chapels, obelisks and a glorious Hypostyle Hall that supercedes all the others. Karnak is unforgettable and is one of the top 3 most-visited sights in Egypt (along with the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings).

Dinner in the town of Luxor and an evening flight back to Cairo where we return to same hotel in Giza. 
BB, L, D. Pyramids Park Hotel, Giza-Cairo.

Hieroglyphic representation of the Sun God Re (or Ra)

The Alabaster Altar at the Niuserre Sun Temple

We begin this very special day with Seminar #5 at the hotel.  Afterwards we will have a very special opportunity, a visit to a site which is not open to tourists. 

It is by special permission from Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities that we will visit the Niuserre Sun Temple. This temple was built by King Niuserre, one of the Sun Kings.  Each of these kings had the name of Re (also spelled Ra) as part of his name because Re was their supreme deity. 

At the base of the pyramid/obelisk is an alabaster altar with four hotep hieroglyphs, each pointing to one of the directions - north, south, east & west. Hotep is both a blessing and an offering, and means the deity is pleased. So the altar represents the central sun sending blessing out in all 4 directions, and each of those directions making offerings to the sun in return.  It is here that Baba will do a special blessing for all those in attendance.

Lunch at a nearby restaurant.  Free time at the hotel in the afternoon. There is a Wellness Center at the hotel that offers massages and other types of bodywork.  There is also exercise equipment and a large outdoor swimming pool.

Seminar #6 in the early evening will be at the hotel followed by a Birthday Celebration Dinner. 
BB, L, D. Pyramids Park Hotel, Giza-Cairo.

Giza Pyramids
and Sphinx

Pyramid Shaft

Touching the Sphinx

On our last day together we begin with an early visit inside the Great Pyramid, specially arranged for just our group. Words cannot describe the power and potential of a visit inside the Great Pyramid. We will let each person find out for themselves what this will be.

Afterwards there is an optional opportunity for those who would also like to go inside the 2nd or 3rd pyramid (whichever is open).  We also visit one of the mortuary temples near the pyramids.

Photos from the Panorama of the pyramids with camel rides and a visit to the Sphinx and Valley Temple.

We have also applied for another special permit to be allowed entrance to the area INSIDE the Sphinx enclosure.  This means you will be able to touch the Sphinx and go in between the paws. We have every reason to believe that we will receive these permissions, as we have on our previous tours.  However, we cannot guarantee this because government policies can change unexpectedly.

Lunch at a restaurant near the pyramids and free time in the afternoon at the hotel to absorb these wonderful experiences.

We finish with one last Seminar (#7) at the hotel followed by a Farewell dinner.

B Box, L, D. Pyramids Park Hotel, Giza-Cairo.

Departures home or begin one of the optional add-on excursions.

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