Cairo

Day 1 - Cairo
Day 2 Cairo
Day 3 Memphis, Saqqara and Giza - sleeping train to Luxor

Cairo is best explored on foot so that you can have direct contact with the city and its residents.. To get an impression of the size of the metropolis, the first day you can walk to the Cairo Tower, where the lift takes you to the top floor and offers a great view. With a little luck, you'll see in the distance, the pyramids of Giza. On the return walk, you can stop at the Egyptian museum where one can easily spend hours wandering around. After you see the mummies and treasures of Tutankhamen you can have lunch or purchase a sandwich in the neighborhood.  The price of a day excursion to Memphis, Saqqara and Giza is included. We start early in the morning to Memphis, once the capital of ancient Egypt, which is located 15 miles south of Cairo.

After a short visit we drive to the tombs of Saqqara complex where the pyramid of Djoser and tombs of nobles can be seen (the source of our company name!).  Our own guide will tell you about the secrets of the burial culture of the pharaohs. On the northern pyramids of Giza you will have an opportunity to have lunch. The three pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx are impressive and at your convenience can be viewed from all angles, possibly from the back of a camel. At the end of the afternoon, the bus takes you to the station for the journey from Cairo to Luxor, we sleep in a comfortable sleeper trains with double couchettes.

Luxor

Day 4 Luxor
Day 5 Luxor
Day 6 Luxor, west bank

The New Kingdom, was developedaround 2000 B.C., by Weset rulers, and Luxor became a thriving city.  LThe city was decorated with numerous temples. In the center of this charming and bustling town is the great temple of Luxor. From this temple, an avenue flanked by sphinxes is located a few miles north of the Karnak temple complex. The remains of this alley can be seen when leave this temple. Sometimes, for a small fee, one can bike to the temples of Luxor and Karnak to explore. The bike is a nice way to explore the outskirts of Luxor. You cantake the  bike on the local ferry and cycle to a few temples and tombs on the West Nile Bank which lie between cane plantations and small villages. The modern museum of Luxor is small but has some beautiful objects and images that have been found in the surrounding tombs and temples. It is a fun contrast to the Egyptian Musuem in Cairo.

On one of these days transportation is available to visit the temples on the west and the rock tombs in the Valley of the Kings. The rulers of the new government had their tombs in the rock sculpture and are equipped with beautiful paintings and relics. Impressive and beautifully located against the rock wall of Deir el-Bahari, is the sacred temple of Queen Hatshepsut. On the way back you pass the temples of Ramses II and Medinet Habu and can visit the village of the craftsmen. During the visits to all these places you will be accompanied by a guide, who will highlight the special aspects of the famous Egyptian antiquities.

From Luxor, you can also take an optional visit to the temples at Dendera and Abydos. The Hathor Temple at Dendera, the temple of Seti I in Abydos as well as the trip across the countryside, are very worthwhile.

Aswan

Day 7 Luxor - Aswan
Day 8 Aswan, Philae
Day 9 Aswan - Sailing
Day 10 Sailing to Kom Ombo - Quseir

We leave Luxor and drive by bus towards Aswan. Before we arrive in Aswan,
we stop at Edfu. During your stay in Aswan, there is ample opportunity for fun, especially while strolling at the bazaar with its typical Nubian atmosphere.

From Aswan, some interesting optional excursions will be offered. On a Felucca you can visit islands in the Nile. We make a visit to Elefantine Island, where there is a small museum and one of the oldest Nilometers in all of Egypt, which is how the water levels of the river were measured. Then take your boat to the other Nile Bank. Later in the desert, stop at the ruins of the Simeon Monastery where you can go by foot or by camel. On this side of the Nile there are several Nubian villages. During this excursion, we will visit an island village in order to look around and to make lunch on the boat’s deck.

Three hundred miles south of Aswan is Abu Simbel, where the rock temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari are located on the banks of Lake Nasser. The tour guide can organize an optional excursion, which with our own bus and at our own own pace, we can visit the unique temples. The journey through the desert is long, but very worthwhile. The bus leaves very early, so the temples can be easily seen in the morning. Included in the package is a trip to the High Dam, the dam of the Nasser, and on the return we board a boat for the transfer to the island where the famous temples of Philae were rebuilt.

From Aswan, we take a cruise in a felucca on the Nile. During this felucca trip, all meals and drinks are included. The first day we sail north to Kom Ombo, where before we arrive, be prepared to spend the night on the boat. Upon arrival at Kom Ombo, our bus brings us to the Red Sea for the end of the journey.

Quseir

Day 11 Quseir
Day 12 Quseir
Day 13 Cuseir - Cairo
Day 14 Cairo
Day 15 Cairo

This resort on the Red Sea has white beaches and beautiful coral reefs which are known to be a snorkeling paradise. The tour guide informs you about a day trip where you can take a boat out to a coral reef. Snorkeling equipment and lunch is provided during this optional excursion. You can sunbathe, relax and of course snorkel.

For the return from Quseir to Cairo, we take the bus. In the morning we leave Quseir and early in the evening we arrive in Cairo. The next day you still have ample time to wander around and buy your last souvenirs. During your stay in Cairo, you can certainly pay a visit to the old Islamic quarter of Cairo, where the Ibn Tulun, the al Rifai and Sultan Hassan Mosque are each worthwhile. Then also to the nearby citadel, where you can see the entire city. Through a maze of streets and alleys, you can then proceed to the Khan el Khalili, the largest gold, spices, trinkets and souvenir market in Cairo. Pubs are to be negotiated around the square and in front of the nearby mosque of Hussein. One can also acquire sweet or savory pancake to try. About the Muski Street district, which is dominated by this lively street, you can then return to the hotel by walking or by one of the many cheap taxis.

Also very interesting is the oldest part of town, Coptic Cairo. The subway takes you to this neighborhood, where you can visit The Coptic Museum, a synagogue and a number of old churches on Roman foundations. Our trip ends in Cairo.