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Enjoy Our Premium Highlights Plus These Extra Tour Features
Insight's Five Star Cruising
* 3 night 5 Star Nile cruise on the top rated M.S. Tower Prestige with cruise boat gratuities included
* Deluxe hotels with all service charges, taxes and porterage
* Scheduled air travel between Cairo/Aswan & Luxor/Cairo
* Sightseeing by luxury air-conditioned coach
* Insight's professional multi-lingual Egyptologist/Tour Director accompanies you
* Services of Insight's Resident Manager in Egypt
* Travel bag, document wallet, map book journal and information pack
Excursions & Sights
* Motorboat cruise to visit the Temple of Isis on Philae Island
* Visit the unfinished obelisk in the granite quarries & see Aswan High Dam
* Sail on a 'felucca' around Aswan's Botanical gardens
* Tour the temple at Kom Ombo dedicated to Sobek & Horus
* Tour Luxor Temple and the awesome Karnak Temple
* Visit the Valleys of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut & see the Colossi of Memnon
* Tour the Egyptian Museum to see treasure from the tomb of Tutankhamun
* See the Sakkara Step Pyramid - oldest in the world
* See the Great Pyramids of Giza & their guardian Sphinx
Guided City Tours
* In depth sightseeing tour in Cairo.
* Orientation tours in Luxor & Aswan
Complimentary Transfers
* Complimentary arrival & departure transfers between Cairo airport and your tour hotel
Quality Dining & Entertainment
* Egyptian dinner and Galabea Party with entertainment while cruising
* All local wines, beers and soft drinks included while cruising
* 8 buffet breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 special-menu dinners, or buffets, plus bottled water or tea or coffee
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ITINERARY
Tour Pace
Relaxed and leisurely as you would expect with our most upmarket Nile cruise. With three nights in central Cairo, and overnight stops in Aswan and Luxor, you have the opportunity to fully appreciate all the ancient tombs, museums, temples and monuments!
DAY 1 – WED – ARRIVE CAIRO
Welcome to Egypt - part of the Holyland, furnished with ancient temples and tombs, and lavish backdrop for many of history's most enthralling tales! On arrival in Cairo we are met and transferred to one of the best hotels in Cairo. Our rooms overlook the River Nile, so we can be sure of a memorable stay! Hotel: Conrad Hotel.
DAY 2 – THU – CAIRO – ASWAN
Our morning flight across the Egyptian desert brings us to the historic town of Aswan. There is time to join an optional excursion by air to Abu Simbel to view the fabulous temples carved out of the cliff side by Rameses II and later transported, in an amazing feat of modern engineering, out of the rising waters of Lake Nasser. (See page 130 for details.) Later this afternoon we take a ride in a local sailing boat, a 'felucca', around Kitchener Island, where we see Aswan's famous Botanical Gardens. Tonight, we stay on the banks of the Nile in one of Egypt's most elegant hotels, built in the 19C by Thomas Cook. This evening, we are treated to high tea on the terrace of our hotel while enjoying the glowing sunset! Hotel: Old Cataract. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 3 – FRI – ASWAN – CRUISING
This morning we visit the Aswan High Dam and the granite quarries where many of ancient Egypt's obelisks were made. We see the unfinished obelisk still attached to the granite bedrock, commissioned by Hatshepsut, but abandoned due to a large fault line. Now we take a motorboat across the Nile to the extraordinarily preserved temple complex of Isis on the island of Philae. This afternoon we board one of the most stylish and spacious boats in Egypt for our all-inclusive cruise. We set sail for Kom Ombo where our sightseeing shows us the riverside temple, uniquely dedicated to both the crocodile god, Sobek, and the falcon-headed Horus. We dock overnight at Edfu. Ship: Tower Prestige. (Buffet breakfast, Lunch, Three or four course table d’hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 4 – SAT – CRUISING
We take a horse drawn carriage ride this morning to the well preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu, dedicated to the Falcon God. Now time to sit back and relax with a cold soft drink, local beer, glass of wine or bottle of water - all included throughout our cruise! We enjoy the ever changing scenery as we float downstream to Luxor. On arrival we visit the beautiful Temple of Luxor, discovered beneath the shifting desert sands! (Buffet breakfast, Lunch, Three or four course table d’hote or buffet style dinner)
DAY 5 – SUN – CRUISING
We cross the Nile by air-conditioned coach to the West Bank to see the huge Colossi of Memnon, and visit the Temple of Hatshepsut, blending into the cliff face above. Now we visit the Valley of the Kings, where the archeologist Carter unearthed Tutankhamen's secret tomb. This afternoon we return to Luxor to visit the immense Karnak temple, dedicated to the Sun-God Amom. For our last night on board we don traditional Egyptian attire, for a fun-filled Egyptian Dinner and Galabea Party. (Buffet breakfast, Lunch, Speciality Highlight Dinner)
DAY 6 – MON – LUXOR SIGHTSEEING
After breakfast we disembark and check into our famous hotel, originally built for European royalty and home to Howard Carter and other great Egyptologists. Now we are at leisure. Maybe visit Luxor Museum? Tonight we return to the Temple of Karnak for a magnificent Sound and Light Show, set amidst avenues of sphinxes and halls of gigantic columns – an unforgettable journey into the world of ancient Egypt. Hotel: Old Winter Palace Hotel. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 7 – TUE – LUXOR – CAIRO
After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our flight back to Cairo. Perhaps haggle in the bazaars or take an optional excursion to visit the Coptic Museums and hanging church? Hotel: Conrad Hotel. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 8 – WED – CAIRO SIGHTSEEING
Our tour comes to an exciting climax today as we tour the riches of Cairo. We visit the Egyptian Museum, with its exhibits from all periods of Egyptian history and treasures from the Tomb of Tutankhamun. We then drive to Sakkara to see the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the oldest Pyramid in the world, dating back from 2700 BC. This afternoon we visit the Pyramids at Giza, where a camel ride takes us to the Great Pyramid of Cheops for a guided tour of these magnificent monuments. Finally, we come face to face with the inscrutable Sphinx. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 9 – THU – DEPART CAIRO
Our tour comes to an end today with a transfer to Cairo airport. (Buffet breakfast)
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