Day 1, September 14th

Plan your flight to depart the USA for an overnight flight to Cairo, Egypt. Please plan your flights to arrive on September 15th, 2012.

Day 2, September 15th

Arrive in Cairo. After passing customs and passport control, you will be personally met and transferred to your 5-Star luxury hotel, the Oberoi Mena House at Giza with Pyramid View. Your room is reserved for the night of September 15th. If you arrive in Cairo before 3 p.m. on September 14th and wish to have access to your room before that time, you should to reserve a room for the night of September 14th. Please ask your Cruise Center agent for details and rates.

Today, you will have time to relax and enjoy an easy-going day after your long flight. All guests will enjoy a welcome dinner tonight at our lovely hotel and an opportunity to meet your host, Tom Baker and your Egyptologist/guide. (D)

Day 3, September 16th

After a buffet breakfast in hotel meet your Egyptologists/guide for a re-cap of your tour and then head off to tour the historic Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza where we will have an extensive tour and an option for you to enjoy a camel ride before we head off to ancient Saqqara (The step pyramid of Zozer). Lunch at a local restaurant before returning to our hotel.

Tonight you will enjoy an elegant dinner at the Oberoi Mena House. (B,L,D)

Day 4, September 17th

Buffet breakfast in Hotel. Transfer from hotel to airport for flight to Luxor. Upon arrival in Luxor, transfer to your deluxe cabin onboard your deluxe 5-Star Nile Cruiser, ms St. George. After embarkation enjoy lunch on board. This afternoon visit the temples of Karnak & Luxor. In the afternoon we will have an exclusive visit to the Luxor Museum.

Karnak Temple. : Built over a period of two millennia by generations of Pharaohs, the 62 acre Temple of Karnak was dedicated to the God Amun. It could take days to explore all of the numerous pylons, obelisks and smaller temples within.

Luxor Temple. : Proceed to the Temple of Luxor, once connected to Karnak via the Avenue of Human-headed Sphinxes, almost 3 kilometers in length.

Luxor Museum. : Luxor Museum is located in the Egyptian city of Luxor (ancient Thebes). It stands on the corniche, overlooking the River Nile, in the central part of the city. Inaugurated in 1975, the museum is housed in a small, purpose-built building.

The range of artifacts on display is far more restricted than the country's main collections in the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo; this was, however, deliberate, since the museum prides itself on the quality of the pieces it has, the uncluttered way in which they are displayed, and the clear multilingual labeling used.

Welcome Aboard Cocktail Party. Buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner served on board. Overnight on board. (B,L,D).

Day 5, September 18th

Breakfast on board. Drive to the West Bank. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes, Valley of Kings, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut & Colossi of Memnon in addition to King Tuts tomb.

Valley of the Kings: Begin your 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. On the way back to the river Nile, your road passes by the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn and then we will visit the Temple of Hatshepsut. Sail to Edfu via Esna and the famed Esna Locks.

Cocktail Party at the lounge bar, buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner served on board. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 6, September 19th

Breakfast on board. Edfu Temple: This morning, explore the largest and most completely preserved Pharaonic - albeit Greek-built temple in Egypt, the extraordinary Temple of Horus at Edfu. Sail to Kom Ombo. Buffet lunch onboard. Free afternoon at leisure. Sail to Aswan and enjoy Afternoon Tea.

Buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner served on board. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 7, September 20th

Breakfast on board. Transfer to Abu Simbel by bus on a 3.5 hour tour each way across the Great Sahara Desert.
Abu Simbel: The two temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel are each fronted by colossal statues up to 20 meters high and are famed as the most impressive monuments remaining of Ancient Egypt in modern times. Recently the temples were threatened by the waters of Lake Nasser, and with the help of a UNESCO campaign they were cut into blocks, raised piece-by-piece, and reassembled in a new position higher up the hillside. Back to Aswan. (Abu Simbel by air is available at $250 per person additional-ask us for details).

Agha Khan Mausoleum: Sail by felucca around Kitchener's Island and the Agha Khan Mausoleum.

Buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner served on board. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 8, September 21st

Breakfast on board. High Dam: This morning, your Egyptologist guide will escort you to visit the Aswan High Dam, Egypt's contemporary example of building on a monumental scale.

High Dam: This morning, your Egyptologist guide will escort you to visit the Aswan High Dam, Egypt's contemporary example of building on a monumental scale that forever changed the face of Upper Egypt and Nubia by creating the massive Lake Nasser.

The Nubian Museum: In Aswan,this is deemed to be one of the most important Egyptian museums. It is filled with ancient Nubian and Egyptian artifacts masterfully displayed.

Buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner served on board. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 9, September 22nd

Breakfast on board. Sail to Kom Ombo. Kom Ombo Temple: Visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.

Buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner served on board. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 10, September 23rd

Breakfast on board. Sail to Luxor. Visit the magnificent and less visited Denderah Temple.

Free afternoon at leisure.

Buffet lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner served on board. Overnight on board. (B,L,D)

Day 11, September 24th

Breakfast on board and disembarkation. Meet your tour coordinator and transfer to Luxor airport from where we will fly back to Cairo. Upon arrival, we will head to the famous Cairo Museum, including a visit to the exclusive Mummy Room. After lunch at an Arabesque Restaurant, we will go to see the Citadel of Mohammed Ali, have a shopping stop at the fabled Khan Al' Khali Bazaar, and check into our luxurious Fairmont Towers Hotel in Heliopolis.

Tonight we toast our fellow travelers and bid our hosts goodbye with a farewell dinner at the Fairmont Towers Hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 12, September 25th

Today the tour ends. Transfer to the Cairo International Airport for your international flight home. (B) NOTE: Itinerary and features subject to modification without prior notice.

Day 12, September 26th

Fly from Cairo to Amman where you will be met upon arrival at Queen Alia International Airport. Drive to the Dead Sea for an overnight stay at the Kempinski Dead Sea Resort while enjoying the culture of ancient Arabia. (B)

Day 13, September 27th

Today visit the Holy Land with a full day tour to Jerusalem. We return in the evening to the Kempinski Dead Sea Resort. (B)

Day 14, September 28th

After breakfast, we head off to Madaba and Mt. Nebo before heading along the King's Highway to Petra where we arrive in the afternoon

Day 15, September 29th

After breakfast today you will have an incredible visit to ancient Petra for an escorted a private tour into the "rose-red" city (by horseback and foot), which begins at the "Siq", a winding canyon road. At the end of the passage you will see Petra's most beautiful monument, the Treasury, carved out of solid rock from the side of a mountain. This is considered one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Then discover soaring temples, royal tombs, a theatre, and more. We then transfer back to bustling Amman for a flight to Cairo and overnight stay at the Fairmont Towers Hotel (B).

Day 16, September 30th

Transfer to the Cairo International Airport for your international flight home.