THE BEST of EGYPT TOUR (12 Days)

Great Sphinx, Chephren Pyramid, Giza, Egypt.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.

Duration: 12 Days / 11 Nights
Sites: Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, West Bank, East Bank, Nile Cruise, Esna, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan, Abu Simbel
Run: Everyday

DAY 01 – Arrive in Cairo
Upon arrival to Cairo International Airport, Veni Vidi Travel representative will be waiting for you at the airport holding a sign with your name, he will help and assist you through visa & immigration formalities, baggage claim & customs. Then transfer to your hotel with the remainder of day at leisure regarding to your arrival time. Overnight in Cairo.

DAY 02 – Pyramids and Sphinx, Egyptian Musuem, Khan El Khalili
After breakfast, we drive through the scenic streets on our way to the great pyramids of Giza, where we get to see the 3 gigantic pyramids and the Sphinx and also the whole of the Giza Plateau with the royal, private tombs and the village of the workers who built the pyramids dating back to 3000 years B.C. We also see the sphinx and the valley temple and if we want we can visit the amazing Solar Boat that is discovered and dug out from the side of the pyramid and was used for the burial of the King about 5000 years ago. After lunch we drive through the streets of Cairo on our way to downtown Cairo to visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and get an amazing detailed guided tour, with it's amazing collection of artifacts from Ancient Egypt dating back to 5000 years before the birth of Christ, especially all the golden items of the tomb of the young king Tut-Ankh-Amen including his golden Mask and his pure solid 220Lbs gold coffin, have some free time at the museum for photos, the mummies room with at least 12 mummies that are very well preserved and that are 4 thousand years old. In the evening, visit Khan El Khalili Bazar , which is an Oriental Bazaar that go back to the 10 th Century just like the one heard of in (A thousand and one nights) and a neighborhood of the draughts men who spend their life crafting art-work on jewelry, metals and furniture, and we stroll through the streets of the Bazaar and set at it's nice Oriental Cafés to drink exotic traditional drinks and enjoy the traditional Hookas (water-Pipe) with apple-flavored tobacco. Overnight in Cairo.

DAY 03 – Alexandria
Depart your Cairo hotel for the 2.5 - 3 hour drive to Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great in 312BC which was the capital of Graeco-Roman Egypt. Your first stop is the Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, a Roman burial site which has a family tomb that shows the merging of Egyptian and Roman art and architecture. Descend below ground to visit the tomb as well as Caracalla Hall, which you will learn was incorrectly named as such. Back above ground, continue to Pompey's Pillar, a 82 foot (25 meter) granite column built to honor Emperor Diocletain who freed the besieged city and brought food to the starving people. Maintaining the Roman theme, the next site your guide will show you is the Roman Amphitheater, possibly the best preserved Roman site in Egypt. As well as the original amphitheater, the site also has the remains of a Roman street and homes. After lunch you will visit the famous Alexandria Library. After centuries of neglect the library has been rebuilt and the great books of the world returned. In contrast to the ancient architecture found throughout Egypt, the Norwegian designed building is a striking piece of modern design. Inside, more than 4.2 million books can be found from throughout the ages with the number continually growing. A copy of every book published is kept at the library making it one of the great literary sites in the world. Alexandria Library also houses several exhibitions relating to the history of Egypt and a display of rare antique books. Overnight in Cairo.

DAY 04 – West Bank, Valley of The Kings, Qeen’s Temple, Colossi of Memnon
After breakfast at hotel check-out and transfer to Cairo Airport for the flight to Luxor. On your arrival to Luxor Airport you will be met and transferred to Nile Cruise. Cross to the West Bank of the Nile and visit the wondrous Valley of the Kings, a vast city of the dead, where the magnificent tombs of 62 pharaohs have been discovered. The tombs were carved deep into the desert mountains, richly decorated and filled with treasures for the afterlife of the pharaohs. Visit several of the tombs. Next, visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This beautiful monument to the reign of the only female pharaoh rises out of the desert plain in a series of terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. On the way back to your Nile cruise, stop at the famed Colossi of Memnon, two 66ft, 1 thousand ton statues of Amenhotep III. These colossal statues were known by the ancient Greeks to emit haunting voices at dawn. Though damaged by nature and ancient tourists, the statues are still impressive. (Optional Sound & Light Show at Karnak Temple). Overnight on board Cruise.

DAY 05 – Esna, Edfu, Gallabeya Party
Eailing through the Esna Lock and towards Edfu. Tonight a very special costume party, Egyptian and Pharaonic style “gallabeya party”. Overnight on board Cruise.

DAY 06 – Kom Ombo, Aswan
After breakfast, visit Edfu Temple. Set out by horse-drawn carriage to visit the Temple of Horus, the most perfectly preserved of all the Nile temples. Horus, also known as Haroeris, was the falcon-headed solar war god,back to the cruise, Then sail to Kom Ombo, and after lunch visit the Temple of Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility and creator of the world. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank. Then sail to Aswan. Overnight on board Cruise.

DAY 07 – High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Temple of Philae, Felluca, Agha
After breakfast, take a tour of Aswan High Dam, Egypt's contemporary example of building on a monumental scale. Next, Proceed to the granite quarries which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples. The quarries still hold the Unfinished Obelisk, possibly intended as a companion to the Lateran Obelisk, originally at Karnak but now in Rome. It would have weighed over 1,100 tons and would have been the world's largest piece of stone ever handled. Continue by a short motor-boat ride to the Temple of Philae on the island of Agilka. The temple was dedicated to Isis, sister/wife of Osiris and patroness of the Ptolemaic rule. Sail around Elephantine Island on a felucca, the traditional Egyptian sail boat. Elephantine Island is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and is the site of some of the most ancient remains in Egypt, with artifacts dating to pre-dynastic periods. Elephantine is Greek for Elephant. In ancient times, the island was called Abu or Yabu, which also means elephant. The name may indicate that the island was once a center for the trade of ivory. In the afternoon sailing in a felucca on the Nile to Kitchner Island (also known as Lord Kitchner's Botanical Garden, Plant Island, Gizirat al-Nabatat, Plantation Island, or Gizirat al-Bustan). Lord Kitchner moved there after being given the island for his campaigns in the Sudan. He imported plants from around the world to create his famous garden. From the river you have a nice view of the Aga Khan Mausoleum, an elegant pink granite structure built in the late 1950's. (Optional Sound & Light Show at the Philae Temple). Overnight onboard Cruise.

DAY 08  – Abu Simbel Sightseeing
After breakfast, drive to Abu Simbel, Visit the awesome and gigantic twin temples of Ramesses II and his queen Nefertari with their facades of colossal statues. In the early 1960's, by a prodigious feat of engineering and international cooperation, the entire temple complex was dismantled stone by stone and reassembled 90 feet above its original site in order to save it from the rising waters caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The sanctuary of the Temple is built in such an angel to allow the sun to reach into the room and dawn on the statue of the king twice a year, on the day of his birth and on the day of his coronation. After the tour, drive back to cruise. In the afternoon sail to Kom Ombo, then to Edfu. Overnight on board Cruise

DAY 09 – Dandarah, Abydos
Overday excursion to the great Temples of Dendarah and Abydos. The city of Abydos (ancient name: "Abdjw" ) flourished from the predynastic period (4000 BCE) of Egypt's history down through Christian times (about 641 CE). The site of many tombs of predynastic rulers of ancient Egypt, the area soon grew in religious importance as a cult center for Osiris, first during the Middle Kingdom, when such a tomb of a First Dynasty king, Djer, was identified as the "burial site of Osiris", the mythological god-king of the predynastic Egyptians (referred to as "Osirieon"). This emphasis upon Osiris caused the city to become a pilgrimage site, as well as a desired place for either direct burial or for the erection of cenotaphs (monument erected in honor of a dead person whose remains lie elsewhere). Festivals and the passion plays of Osiris' life and death were performed here from about the 12th Dynasty (1985-1795 BCE) until the Christian era. One of the most significant monuments on the area is that of the Temple of Seti I,which is built to honor Osiris. It is believed that Seti's architects had planned a classic Egyptian temple of straight proportions, but had to change directions when foundation work accidentally uncovered the site of the earlier King Djer tomb, and its Middle Kingdom references as the site of Osiris' burial.* Possibly out of piety, The house of Seti I and Rameses II expanded and enhanced the Osirieon site, and the passion plays of the Osiris cult were tied into the Seti I temple thereafter. Then drive to Qena and visit the Temple of Hathor at Denderah (The visit takes approx. 2 hours). The temple was buried in sand up until mid 1800's. Two Roman fountains flank the path leading to the temple's massive entry gate. The mud-brick enclosure walls also date to the Roman era. Structures within the walls include the temple, a Coptic Basilica, and a temple to Isis. After the tour, back to cruise and sail to Luxor.
Overnight on board Cruise.

DAY 10 – Luxor and Karnak Temples
After Breakfast , transfer to luxor and visit the graceful Temple of Luxor built by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II for ritual and festivals and dedicated to the god Amun and see it's gigantic statues and obelisks. After lunch,visit the Karnak temple in the north of Luxor, called by some "the Temple of Temples" It is the largest place of worship ever built. Its ancient name Ipet-isut means "the most sacred of places." The temple, or, more correctly, the complex of temples, was built over more than two thousand years by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, the great Hypostyle Hall is an incredible forest of giant pillars covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral. Overnight on board Cruise.

DAY 11 – Flight to Cairo
After breakfast check-out from cruise and transfer to Luxor airport for your flight to Cairo. On your arrival to Cairo airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. Remainder of day will be at leisure. (Possibility for optional tour to Memphis & Sakkara). Overnight in Cairo.

DAY 12 – Departure transfer
Decide on your activities with the assistance of your guide. Transfer to Cairo international airport for your onward flight.

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Please take note of the following:
* Please use the ''Travel Enquiry/Reservation Form'' to receive a quote on the above travel itinerary as per your preferred travel dates/month and preferred class of hotel/cruise.

What's Included: 
* Hotel accommodations in choice of preferred class
* Nile Cruise in choice of preferred class on fullboard basis with belly dancing, entertainment shows, all shore excursions and horse carriage rides.
* Qualified Egyptologist tour guide licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism
* All noted sightseeing tours on regular group or private guided basis
* All main entrance fees to sights visited in the itinerary
* Sleeper train ticket between Menyia to Aswan
* Domestic flight ticket between Luxor/Cairo and Luxor/Cairo
* Required land transport with A/C minivan including roundtrip airport transfers
* Local taxes and handling services

What's NOT Included:
* International flights to/from Egypt and personal travel insurance, any other expenses not noted in the above included section or airport tax, visa for Egypt (if required), any tips to guide, driver or staff at hotels and cruise, items of a personal nature, Hotel/Cruise extras (minibar, telephone/internet usage, laundry, etc), drinks with meals (except the drinks served with breakfast) and medical services.