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DAY 01: THE BEGINNING OF OUR EXPLORING TOUR Leave New York via EgyptAir jet service to Cairo. Meals will be served on board.
DAY 02: INTO THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS Arrival in Cairo. You will be met and transferred to your hotel.
DAY 03: MEMPHIS / SAKKARA / GIZA Morning tour to Memphis and Sakkara. Located 20 miles southwest of Cairo, Memphis was one of the most important cities through the history of ancient Kemet and was once the capital of Kemet. Sakkara's Step Pyramids are the oldest in existence and are the world's first stone tombs. Proceed to Giza. Visit one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Kufu, Kafre, and Menkara Pyramids and Hor-em-Aket (commonly called the Sphinx). See the magnificent 140-foot long ship of Pharaoh Kufu, the oldest surviving ship in the world. Return to your hotel.
DAY 04: THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM / OLD CAIRO This morning visit the Egyptian Museum with its renowned collection of well-preserved pharaonic antiquities. The Museum contains the world's most important collection of Egyptian antiquities, dating from the earliest times to about 6th century AD. The collection includes some of the artistic masterpieces of the world, including the treasures of Tut-Ankh-Amon. This afternoon, tour Old Cairo. Continue to the Mosques of Sultan Hassan built in the 14th century, the Citadel of Salah-El Din and the Alabaster Mosque. Return to your hotel.
DAY 05: CAIRO TO WASET (LUXOR OR THEBES) / IPET ISUT (KARNAK) & SOUTHERN IPET (LUXOR) TEMPLES Early morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Luxor. Upon your arrival you will be met and transferred to your cruise ship. Afternoon visit the Avenue of the Sphinxes at Ipet Isut (Karnak) Temple. View the gorgeous Hypostyle Hall, the Tekenu (obelisks) of Queen Hatshepsut and the Sacred Lake. Continue to the Temple of Southern Ipet (Luxor). Visit the Temple of Khonsu and Mout, the Temple of Amon. Overnight in Luxor.
DAY 06: WASET (THEBES) / VALLEY OF THE KINGS, QUEENS, AND NOBLES / MEDINET HABU / COLOSSI OF MEMNON / ESNA / EDFU Morning visit the Necropolis of Thebes on the West Bank. Drive to the Valley of the Kings, visit the Valley of the Kings, visit the tombs of Tut-Ankh-Amon, Seti I, and Ramses VI. Visit the Tomb of Nefertari. Continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and continue to Medinet Habu and return to the ship via the Colossi of Memnon. Sail to Esna and pass the lock. Disembark the ship for sightseeing of the Temple of Khnum, the Ram- headed god. Ptolemies and Roman emperors added to the building and enriched it with reliefs and inscriptions. On the ceiling are astronomical signs, on the walls, pictures of Khnum accepting the sacrifice of the Emperor. Return to your ship and sail to Edfu.
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DAY 07: EDFU (The Temple of Heru [Horus]) / KOM OMBO (THE TEMPLE OF SOBEK) Visit the Temple of Heru (Horus). This temple was excavated by Mariette and is one of the best preserved in Egypt. After visiting Edfu, sail to Kom Ombo. Visit the Temple of Sobek at Kom Ombo. This unique temple is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-god and Haroeris, the sun god. The temple is unique in that it is a twin temple, divided into two halves, each identical to the other so that neither god would be angered. Overnight in Kom Ombo.
DAY 08: ASWAN Sail to Aswan. Morning departure for sightseeing of the High Dam. Some 4 ½ miles south of the earlier dam, the High Dam rises up on a colossal scale. The crown of the dam is over three miles long, 164 feet thick, and towers more than 360 ft. above the riverbed. The inland lake created by the Dam is more than 375 miles long, penetrating 155 miles into the territory of the Sudan. When the Aswan dam was opened from July to November, the resulting drop in water level was such that the Isis Temple on the Island of Philae rose up out of the waters. During the remaining months of the year, only pylons and the upper sections of the building could be seen. Visit the Island of Agikia where the monuments from Philae have been rebuilt. Visit the ancient granite quarries where the ancients obtained the reddish Aswan granite for their temples and monuments. See the unfinished obelisk, had it been completed, it would have been the largest ever hewn from a single stone. It was left unfinished after a flaw was found in the stone. Return to the ship for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Rock Tombs of the Nobles that date back to the Middle Kingdom. Return to your ship.
DAY 09: ASWAN / ABU SIMBEL Breakfast on board and check out of the ship. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel is situated on the west bank of the Nile 180 miles south of Aswan. There lies the great Temple, hewn in the rock, with the four colossal seated statues of the King in front of the entrance. It was dedicated to Amun-Ra, the Horakhti, and Ramses II. The figures are 65 ½ feet high, and wear the double crown. Nearby to the north, is a second temple, also built by Ramses II, and dedicated to the Goddess Het Heru (Hathor) and to Nefertari, the King's wife. The temples that were threatened by the waters on the completion of the Aswan High Dam, have been preserved by international action organized by UNESCO. The most important part of the temples (statues, inscribed slabs, etc.) have been rebuilt on a plateau above the former site. You will fly back Abu Simbel to Cairo, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for overnight.
DAY 10: CAIRO / NEW YORK Transfer to the airport for your flight to New York. Arrive in New York in the afternoon local time.
NOTE: Cruise may be operated in reverse.
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