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10 days from $2,395  Visiting
 Fly to Cairo via London. Day 2 Sat Arrive Cairo Welcome to the Land of the Pharaohs! Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel, where the remainder of the day is at leisure. Day 3 Sun Cairo (BL) Today's full day tour begins at the Egyptian Museum. The Museum was built in 1902 and contains one of the most impressive and comprehensive collections of artifacts in the world. Of the more than 120,000 objects, at least 44,000 are on display at any one time. It could take months to see each exhibit on display in the museum -- we'll spend a few hours visiting some of the most well known. We continue to Giza with to visit the Great Pyramid of Cheop, one of the seven wonders of the world. This is the oldest and largest of the pyramids found in Giza. Day 4 Mon Cairo-Luxor Embark (BLD) Fly to Luxor and embark on your Nile Cruise vessel. After lunch, visit the Temple of Luxor, built under Amenophis III and Ramses II, primarily to celebrate the Festival of Opet. Then on to the massive temples of Karnak, built over a period of 1300 years. Day 5 Tue Luxor-Esna-Edfu (BLD) Begin the day on the West Bank and the Valley of the Kings. So far, 62 tombs have been discovered in the Valley of the Kings - most famous perhaps being that of King Tutankhamun. Continue to the Valley of Queens where more than 70 tombs have been discovered. One that stands out is that of Nefertari, the wife of Ramses II. On to the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri. Sail on past Esna and on to Edfu for the night. Day 6 Wed Edfu-Kom Ombo-Aswan (BLD) Start today with a visit to the Temple of Horus, second largest of Egypt's temples (after Karnak). The Temple was built on the site of the massive struggle between Horus, son of Isis and Seth, brother of Osiris. On to Kom Ombo, where you visit the Temple of Sobek and Haroeris. This twin temple has its left side dedicated to falcon-headed Haroeris and the right dedicated to the crocodile-god, Sobek. Continue to Aswan for the night. Day 7 Thu Aswan (BLD) After breakfast, disembark and visit the High Dam. Construction was completed in 1971. The stone and metal used could have built 17 pyramids the size of Cheops Pyramid and 15 Eiffel Towers! You'll also visit the unfinished obelisk. If it had been finished, the obelisk would have weighed 2.3 million pounds -- the largest piece of stone ever handled! On to Philae and the Temple of Isis. Isis was the sister and wife to Osiris, son of Re. After Osiris was killed and dismembered by his brother Seth, Isis found all of the parts and miraculously put them together. Enjoy lunch on board and then later enjoy a relaxing felucca ride around Kitchener's Island (Botanical Island). General Kitchener was the Consul General for England. He indulged his love of plants and flowers and designed a lovely garden filled with plants from India, the Middle East and the Far East. Although not kept to Col. Kitchener's standards, the gardens attract a wide variety of birds and the cruise is a delightful way to enjoy the sights and sounds of both the plants and the birdlife. Return to the ship for dinner and overnight. Day 8 Fri Aswan Disembark-Abu Simbel-Cairo (B) Disembark after breakfast when a short flight takes you to Abu Simbel. Judging from the position of the temples, the imposing colossi of Ramses II would have greeted travelers as they tried to enter Egypt and sent a message of Egypt's strength. Ramses II chief queen, Nefertari is celebrated in the Temple of Hathor, which Ramses II dedicated to her "Nefertari for whose sake the very sun does shine." Return to Cairo this evening, where the remainder of the day is at leisure. Day 9 Sat Cairo (BL) We start the day in Memphis, first capital of ancient Egypt. We continue to Sakkara to visit the Pyramid of Unas – the only one with inscribed texts – and the Step Pyramid of King Djoser. Then it's on to Old Cairo, with a stop at the Coptic Museum, which includes exhibits that feature Egypt's Christian era from AD300-AD1000. After lunch it's off to the bazaars. No trip to Egypt is complete without bargaining, and the bazaars are the best place to bargain. Good luck! Day 10 Sun Cairo-New York Bid farewell to Egypt and return to New York today. Or, why not extend your tour and visit Petra? Click here to see a 3-night extension to Petra.
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