Culture, history, and the destination’s natural beauty entice travelers to discover — or return to — Egypt with award-winning travel specialist and tour-operator, Extraordinary Journeys. Now that Egypt’s political system has stabilized and the country is being re-discovered by travelers, the 11-day Pyramids and Pharaohs itinerary offers guests an opportunity to come face to face with the ancient city’s legendary pyramids and temples – including the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Sphinx, and the Temple of Karnak in Luxor. Other highlights include a cruise down the Nile in a dahabiya boat, modeled after the traditional small wooden sailing boats used by sophisticated travelers in the 1920s. In the company of a top Egyptologist, travelers have access to rarely visited sites as well as Egypt’s iconic landmarks, breathtaking landscapes and warm hospitality.
Giza, part of the sprawling city of Cairo, is most famous for being the location of the Giza Plateau, home to some of the most impressive ancient monuments in the world, including the Giza Pyramids. During the Greek and Roman eras, the Great Pyramid at Giza was revered as the first of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and to this day, exerts a powerful fascination, both as an extraordinary technical achievement and as a demonstration of the might, power, and ambition of Egypt’s pharaonic rulers. On track to be completed in 2022, this area is also the site of the magnificent Great Egyptian Museum which will be one of the world’s largest museums dedicated to a single civilization once finished.
While in Giza…
- Enjoy a walking tour of the pyramids and the Great Sphinx, a camel ride, and a visit to the Egyptian Antiquities Museum.
- Explore Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, take a stroll through the Khan el Khalili bazaar and medieval Cairo, and see the magnificent 13th-century Mosque of Sultan Hassan.
- Enjoy a stay at the opulent Marriott Mena House.
Part II: Aswan and Abu Simbel
After a short flight from Cairo to Aswan, travelers jump on another quick flight transfer to the storied Abu Simbel rock temple complex. Upon landing in Abu Simbel, travelers explore the architectural wonders, including two massive rock temples, originally carved into solid rock. The entire monument was cut into 2,000 pieces and moved to its present site when the Aswan High Dam was constructed, a feat almost as amazing as its original construction.
While in Aswan and Abu Simbel…
- Discover the massive temples dedicated to Ramses II and his legendary wife Nefertari, standing at over 100 feet high and guarded by colossal stone figures of Ramses II.
Later, travelers fly back to Aswan for an overnight stay at the Hotel Sofitel Legend Old Cataract, the setting for part of Agatha Christie’s novel Death on the Nile.
Part III: Nile Cruise
Explore a Nubian village before spending four nights leisurely exploring the Nile on a small, traditionally-designed sailing boat, or dahabiya, en-route to Luxor as the aristocracy once did in the heyday of the colonial period. Unlike the crowded cruises, this more exclusive, intimate option with only seven cabins is the best way to slow down and take in the sites too small for the big cruise boats including visits to small islands, local villages and Pharaonic sites. Stops en-route include the Aswan High Dam, the Philae Temple Complex, Kom Ombo Temple, and the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of Ancient Egypt’s best-preserved temples.
While Cruising the Nile…
Sail to Edfu and visit the wonderfully preserved temple of Edfu.
Journey to Kom Ombo, famous for its beautiful, well-preserved temples, to see the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus, god of the morning sun.
Visit the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1971) and the Old Dam (completed in 1902), in addition to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, a structure that was rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam’s construction.
Part IV: Luxor
Disembark at Luxor, resting on the east bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt, and renowned for its many well-preserved monuments. The city is informally divided into three different areas: the city of Luxor on the east side of the Nile, the town of Karnak further north, and Thebes, the necropolis of kings and queens, on the west side of the Nile, across from Luxor. Described as the world’s greatest open-air museum, Luxor is a fascinating city filled with jaw-dropping temples and tombs to explore.
While in Luxor…
You’ll stay overnight at the Sofitel Winter Palace, where Howard Carter announced the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.
Explore Karnak, a 60-acre archeological treasure built by generations of pharaohs and is the largest religious structure in the world. The sheer magnitude of this colossal structure is staggering. The complex is made up of enormous temples, obelisks, pylons, courts, colonnades, halls, reliefs and sanctuaries that once connected to Luxor Temple by a two-mile avenue lined with sphinxes.
Explore the Luxor Temple which was built mainly by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, Luxor Temple was the center of the most important festival of ancient Egypt, the festival of Opet.
Visit the Necropolis of Thebes on the West Bank of the Nile. Your visit will take you to the Colossi of Memnon, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari, and the Valley of the Kings, where you can step inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
Rates for this itinerary start at $6,919 per person sharing in 2022. Price varies based on date and availability.
For more information on Extraordinary Journeys’ destinations and itineraries visit, www.extraordinaryjourneys.com
While Cruising the Nile…
Sail to Edfu and visit the wonderfully preserved temple of Edfu.
Journey to Kom Ombo, famous for its beautiful, well-preserved temples, to see the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus, god of the morning sun.
Visit the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1971) and the Old Dam (completed in 1902), in addition to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, a structure that was rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam’s construction.
Part IV: Luxor
Disembark at Luxor, resting on the east bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt, and renowned for its many well-preserved monuments. The city is informally divided into three different areas: the city of Luxor on the east side of the Nile, the town of Karnak further north, and Thebes, the necropolis of kings and queens, on the west side of the Nile, across from Luxor. Described as the world’s greatest open-air museum, Luxor is a fascinating city filled with jaw-dropping temples and tombs to explore.
While in Luxor…
You’ll stay overnight at the Sofitel Winter Palace, where Howard Carter announced the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922.
Explore Karnak, a 60-acre archeological treasure built by generations of pharaohs and is the largest religious structure in the world. The sheer magnitude of this colossal structure is staggering. The complex is made up of enormous temples, obelisks, pylons, courts, colonnades, halls, reliefs and sanctuaries that once connected to Luxor Temple by a two-mile avenue lined with sphinxes.
Explore the Luxor Temple which was built mainly by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, Luxor Temple was the center of the most important festival of ancient Egypt, the festival of Opet.
Visit the Necropolis of Thebes on the West Bank of the Nile. Your visit will take you to the Colossi of Memnon, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari, and the Valley of the Kings, where you can step inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
Rates for this itinerary start at $6,919 per person sharing in 2022. Price varies based on date and availability.
For more information on Extraordinary Journeys’ destinations and itineraries visit, www.extraordinaryjourneys.com
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