Trips

Day 1 - Thursday, April 18: International departure from home city. Overnight in the air.

Day 2 - Friday, April 19: *D International flights arrive in Cairo. You will be met by our Egyptian hospitality personnel. Transfer in air conditioned vehicle to Le Meridien: Pyramidsour 5-Star hotel in the shadow of the Great Pyramid where we will spend 1 night. Dinner at the hotel. Sweet dreams in the shadow of the pyramids.

Day 3 - Saturday, April 20: B-L-D *OPTION*: We have been granted special permission from the Supreme Councile of Antiquities for a Private Visit at Sunrise between the paws of The Sphinx. Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Check out of hotel. Lunch at a local restaurant. Shopping at bazaar. Transfer to the Airport to board our flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, we will be met by local hospitality personnel and transferred to the Sonesta St George Hotel on the Nile where we will spend 2 nights. Late dinner at the hotel. Pleasant dreams on the shores of the Nile.

Day 4 - Sunday, April 21: B-L-D Buffet breakfast. Early departure for our excursion by coach across lush farm land to the fantastic Temple of Seti I at Abydos. We'll visit the temple where images of curious flying objects are found. We'll examine rooms of exquisite frescos with gorgeous original color telling a story of a revived spirituality from the 19th Dynasty. Here we'll see the infamous Kings List. We’ll also visit the ancient and mysterious Osirion where several Flowers of Life are etched into the pillars. Hot lunch prepared for us by the restaurant at the House of Life Abydos Hotel. We'll continue by coach to the Temple of Hathor at Dendera. Here, we'll see the ceiling of the enormous First Hypostyle Hall that has been recently cleaned revealing curious star maps and strange half-animal, half-human beings. Beneath the main temple, there is an even more ancient temple. In the crypts, we’ll see ancient technological devices. Return to Luxor by coach. Dinner at Sonesta St George Hotel. Overnight on the shores of the Nile.

Day 5 - Monday, April 22: B-L-D *OPTION*: Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride. Buffet breakfast at the hotel overlooking the Nile. Check-out of hotel. Transfer by coach to Check-in to 5-Star Deluxe Nile Cruise Ship. Lunch on board. Afternoon visit to the vast Karnak Temple which each Pharaoh added to in the New Kingdom. After a rest, we'll visit the Temple of Luxor. Schwaller de Lubiz called it the Temple of Man since the Hypostyle Halls in the temple correspond to the cavities in the human body. We'll go into the Holy of Holies at the back of the temple which corresponds to the pineal gland in the human body. We'll see part of the Avenue of the Sphinxes which spans 3 kilometres all the way from the Karnak Temple to the Luxor Temple with 2000 sphinxes currently being restored. Dinner on board. Overnight on board docked in Luxor.

Day 6 - Tuesday, April 23: B-L-D Buffet breakfast on board. Morning visit to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut with its shrines to Hathor and Anubis and colorful frescos depicting Hatshepsut's infamous expedition to the Land of Punt where exotic treasures and myrrh trees were traded and brought to this site. We'll continue on to the Valley of the Kings and go inside 3 tombs. Return by coach to the cruise ship. Lunch on board. Set sail. Clear the locks at Esna. Relaxing afternoon by the pool on the upper deck as we cruise the Nile observing the peaceful life of rural farmers and fishermen. Watch the sunset and the glistening waters of the Nile. Captain's Welcome Cocktail Party. Dinner on board. Overnight on board as we sail to Edfu.

Day 7 - Wednesday, April 24: B-L-D Breakfast on board docked in Edfu. We will ride in charming horse-drawn carriages called Kalleshes to visit the Temple of Horus. This is where aromatherapy recipes were archived and healing potions were made. We'll see the standing sarcohagus where ancient rituals were performed by high-level Initiates in pairs. Lunch on board. Leisurely afternoon sailing down the Nile. Afternoon tea on the upper deck. As the sun sets, we’ll see the spectacular Kom Ombo Temple appear majestically on the horizon. We'll disembark and visit the temple where priests and priestesses did initiations to conquer their fears. Don't miss the museum with mummified crocodiles and various artifacts to Sobek, the crocodile god. Traditional Egyptian dinner on board. Come as You Were Egyptian dress-up party after dinner. Overnight on board as we sail to Aswan.

Day 8 - Thursday, April 25: B-L-D Breakfast on board. We'll take a short drive by the Old Dam where we'll take a small boat to the Island of Philae. Visit the pristine Temple of Isis nestled in a garden surrounded by Nile waters. Here the goddesses Isis and Hathor each have their own temples. Next, we'll go by coach to the other side of the High Dam and take another small ferry to the Temple of Kalabsha built for Amenhotep II, grandfather of Akhenaten. A series of frescoes at the Temple help us understand the 18th Dynasty resurgence of spirituality from the distant past. Return to the cruise ship by coach. Lunch on Board. Afternoon sailboat ride on traditional feluccas in view of the Agha Khan Mausoleum and Elephantine Island. Elegant dinner on board. Evening Nubian Folk Dance Show. Overnight docked in Aswan.

Day 9 - Friday, April 26: B-D Breakfast on board. Disembarkation from the Nile Cruise. Transfer to Aswan Airport for an early flight back to Cairo. Transfer to Le Meridien: Pyramids for 4 nights. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 10 - Saturday, April 27: B-L-D Breakfast at the hotel. Morning visit to the vast site of Saqqara with the Step Pyramid and deep passageways. View the pyramids of Dashour in the distance. Visit the Serapeum, a large undergound chamber with evidence of extreme high technology with 20-ton sarcophagi with 10-ton lids carved to perfection. Lunch at a local restaurant. Back to the hotel for dinner. Overnight in the shadow of the pyramids.

Day 11 - Sunday, April 28: B-L-D Buffet breakfast at the hotel. We'll go into Cairo for a guided tour of the spectacular Egyptian Museum, home to countless ancient artifacts including the King Tut Exhibit from the Amarna Period of the 18th Dynasty. On the way back from the Museum, we'll stop at a local restaurant for lunch. Then, we will go to a local bazaar for shopping. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 12 - Monday, April 29: B-L-D Buffet breakfast at the hotel. We'll take a drive along the Band of Peace to the ancient pyramid site of Dashour where there are 3 pyramids: red, white, and black. Next, we'll walk around the Bent Pyramid examining its unique construction using 2 angles. View the Black Pyramid in the distance across the riverbed of the ancient Nile and see Saqqara off in the distance. Next, we'll have time to enter the Red Pyramid with its corbelled ceilings and astonishing acoustic chambers. Lunch at a local restaurant. Free afternoon to sit by the pool or go to the spa. Dinner and overnight in the shadow of the pyramids.

Day 13 - Tuesday, April 30: B-L-D Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Today we will explore the Giza Plateau. We will walk on the Plateau with its 9 pyramids and see evidence of high-level technology with its ingenius sky-ground correlations. We will drive to a panoramic viewpoint and take photos with the pyramids in the background. We can walk on a platform by The Sphinx and go inside the Valley Temple. Next, we'll have lunch at a local restaurant. We'll return to the hotel for a rest. *OPTION*: We've been granted special permission from the Supreme Council of Antquities for a 2-hour Private time inside The Great Pyramid. Farewell dinner at the hotel. We'll count our Blessings and close the energy of the group. Sweet dreams in the shadow of the Great Pyramid.

Day 14 - Wednesday, May 1: B Buffet breakfast at the hotel. Transfers to the Cairo International Airport will be scheduled in time to meet your individual flights for international departures. The journey ends, the integration begins...