Zoom Vacations® EGYPT ITINERARY
Day One and Two: Cairo
Depart home country and arrival in Cairo. Our local representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel in air conditioned comfort.
Evening: Tonight, join us for a welcome cocktail reception and dinner.
Accommodations: Four Seasons Hotel, First Residence, 5 Stars
Meals Included: Welcome cocktail reception and dinner
Day Three: Cairo
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Our Egyptologist will escort us today on a fascinating tour of 7,000 years of Egyptian history with a visit to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, including a special visit to the Mummies Room. The Museum houses the world’s greatest collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, including 12 rooms filled with golden treasures from the world-famous tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamen.
Late Morning: Take a fascinating tour of Islamic Cairo, including the beautiful and graceful Mohamed Ali Mosque and the ancient Citadel, a spectacular medieval fortress perched on a hill above the city. Originally built by Salah El-Din in 1176 to fortify the city against the Crusaders, the Citadel was modified and enlarged over the centuries by subsequent rulers and today is a complex of three mosques and four museums.
Afternoon: After a fortifying lunch we proceed to the fascinating Khan El-Khalilli Bazaar – reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Originally founded as a watering stop for caravanserai in the 14th century, the bazaar has now grown to vast proportions. As you wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets you will find workshops and stalls selling all manner of things from woodwork, glassware and leather goods to perfumes, fabrics and Pharaonic curiosities. Remember to bargain hard!
Accommodations: Four Seasons Hotel, First Residence, 5 Stars
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast and lunch
DAY Four: Aswan
Buffet breakfast at the hotel and hotel check out.
Morning: Our Egyptian journey continues with a flight to Aswan. Those wishing to visit Abu Simbel will have an opportunity to do so before boarding our ultra luxurious 5 Star vessel, the M.S. Nile Adventurer, at a private dock in Aswan. It was completely renovated in October 2009. On board, you will be welcomed by the reception staff, who will offer you chilled fruit juice while assisting with your check-in.
Every cruise on the M.S. Nile Adventurer includes:
• A colorful “galabeyya party” which gives each guest the opportunity to dress up in traditional Egyptian dress and dance to Arabic music.
• A belly dancer, accompanied by a whirling dervish show in Luxor.
• A trio of authentic Egyptian musicians in Aswan during afternoon tea.
• A lecture accompanied by a slide show, by an Egyptologist guide.
Food & Beverage: Menus are changed on a seasonal basis to enable the Chef to use the freshest ingredients at all times. However, the following is applicable to every cruise:
• Most meals are served in the restaurant. However, at least one barbecue lunch (while sailing) will be served on deck (weather permitting).
• Afternoon tea includes a range of teas and herbal infusions, fresh coffee and a selection of freshly baked, homemade cake, cookies and finger food
• Mineral water, tea and coffee are included with every meal.
Afternoon: After lunch onboard we take a short motorboat ride to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilka. Next we proceed to the Granite Quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples, and still hold a hugeunfinished obelisk.
Enjoy your afternoon tea served in the M.S. Nile Adventurer lounge with a trio of authentic Egyptian musicians.
Evening: Tonight you will be greeted by your Boat Manager, who will introduce you to the boat staff and review on-board facilities and your cruise program for the next few days. Complimentary wine and local beer will be served, together with a selection of canapés, followed by a gourmet menu on board.
Accommodations: M.S. Nile Adventurer, 5 STARS
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail, canapes and gourmet dinner
Day Five: Aswan
Buffet breakfast onboard, while you cruise to Kom Ombo Temple.
Morning: Kom Ombo temple, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.
Back onboard we learn about Egyptian culture through a cooking lesson using local produce.
Afternoon: Lunch onboard, while you cruise to Edfu, where we visit the extraordinary Temple of Horus at Edfu, the largest and most completely preserved Pharaonic – albeit Greek-built – temple in Egypt.
Afternoon tea will be served while you cruise to Esna.
Evening: Tonight’s dinner onboard will be an “Egyptian Night” costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian “galabeyya”. Dinner will be a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by oriental music and dancing for everyone.
We overnight in Luxor.
Accommodations: M.S. Nile Adventurer, 5 STARS
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail, canapes and gourmet dinner
Day Six: Luxor
Breakfast buffet onboard.
Morning: We begin our day with a visit to the West Bank of Luxor to explore the Valley of the Kings, a vast City of the Dead where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, decorated richly, and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of Pharaohs. You will also have the chance to visit at least one tomb in the Valley of the Queens. On another corner of the valley, rising out of the desert plain in a series of terraces, theTemple of Queen Hatshepsut (Ancient Egypt’s only female Pharaoh) merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it, as if nature herself had built this extraordinary monument. On the way back to the river Nile, the road passes by the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn. This will be yet another amazing photo opportunity.
Afternoon: Following lunch onboard, this afternoon our Egyptologist will guide us on a tour of the East Bank of Luxor, starting with the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor dedicated to the god Amun. We proceed to the Temple of Karnak, built over more than a thousand years by generations of Pharaohs. The great “Hypostyle Hall” is an incredible forest of giant pillars, covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral. We return to the M.S. Nile Adventurer for afternoon tea onboard.
Evening: Tonight’s farewell dinner will be a gala dinner (jacket suggested), where white-gloved waiters serve gourmet cuisine and we are entertained by a belly dancer, and a whirling dervish show.
We overnight in Luxor.
Accommodations: M.S. Nile Adventurer, 5 STARS
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, cocktail, canapes and gourmet dinner
Day Seven: Giza
Breakfast buffet onboard and check out for transfer to the Luxor airport in a modern air conditioned vehicle.
Afternoon: We fly to Cairo where we are greeted on arrival and transferred in comfort to the magical Mena Oberoi Hotel at the feet of the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Accommodations: Mena Oberoi Hotel, 5 Stars
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast
Day Eight: Giza
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Today, our Egyptologist will guide us back in time on an unforgettable tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza. The only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, they are among the world’s greatest tourist attractions and never lose their ability to inspire and overwhelm visitors. Your tour today includes an opportunity to enter inside one of these fabulous monuments and explore the mysteries of its ancient past for yourself. Enter the temple of the mysterious Sphinx, an ancient figure shrouded in legend and mystery. Your Egyptologist will enthrall you with the tales told of this fascinating figure.
Afternoon: Following lunch at an excellent local restaurant, we experience Egypt’s long and rich history in our exciting visit to the city of Memphis and the necropolis of Sakkara. At vast Sakkara, you will see the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first freestanding stone structure in the world. Our Egyptologist will guide you to some tombs belonging to the nobles of the past. They show the beauty and excellence of Ancient Egyptian art on their walls and give an insight in the daily life of Ancient Egypt. At the site of Memphis, you will see the ancient capital that once stood as a flourishing metropolis during the time of the Pharaohs. The place is thickly surrounded by lush palm groves and bushes, isolating the site of the old city from modern civilization.
Return to hotel and rest of the day at your own leisure.
Accommodations: Mena Oberoi Hotel, 5 Stars
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast and lunch
Day Nine: Giza and Home
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Morning: Check out and private departure transfer to the Cairo International airport for your departure flight back home
Meals Included: Buffet breakfast |
