DAY 1 – DEPART USA
Board your overnight flight (not included). 

DAY 2 – CAIRO AT LEISURE
Welcome to Egypt, the timeless land of the Pharaohs and a treasure house of ancient history. On arrival in Cairo you are met and transferred to your sophisticated tour hotel, built around a stunning landscaped atrium. 

DAY 3 – CAIRO – ST CATHERINE
After driving through the tunnel under the Suez Canal, look out for the huge cargo ships as they negotiate this famous waterway. Cross the Sinai Peninsula to St. Catherine’s village in the shadow of Mt Sinai. You are also invited for tea with the local Bedouins. Later there is time to relax before dinner. Hotel: Morgenland St Catherine (B,D) 

DAY 4 – ST CATHERINE – GULF OF SUEZ
Passengers who choose to ascend Mt. Sinai will see the cave where Moses hid and the sunrise from the summit. Later, one of the priests guides you through St. Catherine’s Monastery (if open). Drive on to your seaside resort. (B,D) 

DAY 5 – GULF OF SUEZ – ALEXANDRIA
Drive through the desert to Alexandria, Egypt’s major port, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. (B,D) 

DAY 6 – ALEXANDRIA SIGHTSEEING
Your full day city tour includes the National Museum, Roman Amphitheater and Roman Catacombs. After a visit to the 15C Quayet-Bey Fortress, your final stop is at the Montazah Gardens. Tonight, your Highlight Dinner is at a local restaurant. (B,D) 

DAY 7 – ALEXANDRIA – CAIRO
Drive into the Western Desert to El-Alamein. Time here to pay your respects at the War Cemeteries and visit the Military Museum. En route to Cairo make a stop at the Coptic Monasteries at Wadi El Natrun (if open). (B) 

DAY 8 – CAIRO SIGHTSEEING
Drive out to Memphis, to view the colossal statue of Rameses II and great alabaster sphinx. Nearby at Sakkara, view the Step Pyramid of Zoser; dating from 2686BC, it’s the oldest in the world. Now the moment you’ve been waiting for - a guided tour of Giza where you see the enigmatic Sphinx and venture inside one of the magnificent Pyramids! (B) 

DAY 9 – CAIRO SIGHTSEEING
Start the day with breathtaking views over the city from the Citadel, and visit the alabaster mosque. Then test your bargaining skills in the Khan El Khalili bazaars. Continue to Tahrir Square, focal point of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. Next is the Egyptian Museum, an unrivaled warehouse of Pharaonic treasure, housing the golden treasure recovered from the tomb of King Tutankhamun. (B) 

DAY 10 – CAIRO – ABU SIMBEL – JOIN CRUISE
Transfer to the airport for your flight via Aswan to the ancient Nubian lands near Egypt’s southern border. On arrival, board your comfortable cruise boat on Lake Nasser. Get your camera ready for your visit to the Great Temple of Abu Simbel. You are confronted by four towering statues of Rameses himself, carved out of a single slab of rock. The smaller Temple of Hathor, is also guarded by six 10 metre statues. Spend some time exploring inside the 3,200 year old walls, depicting scenes of Rameses and the Gods. Tonight, experience the monuments lit in all their glory at the sound and light show. (B,L,D) 

DAY 11 – ON BOARD SHIP
Enjoy the ever changing scenery as you cruise to the ancient ruined citadel of Kasr Ibrim, still occupying its original strategic high ground. Cruise on to Amada, noted for having the oldest surviving structure on Lake Nasser. Also, it has some of the finest carvings of any Nubian temple. Explore the temple dedicated to
Amun-Re and Re-Harrakte and also visit the Tomb of Penniut, deputy of Nubia. (B,L,D) 

DAY 12 – ON BOARD SHIP
This morning you visit Wadi El Sebou, – the ‘Valley of the Lions’, named after the great Avenue of Sphinxes which led to the Temple of Rameses II. Now time to relax and enjoy your superb cruise facilities as you continue on to exotic Aswan - where the Middle East overlaps with Africa! (B,L,D) 

DAY 13 – ASWAN – ON BOARD SHIP
Visit the Temple of Kalabsha, built by the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus and dedicated to the local fertility god Mandulis. Disembark now and cross over the Aswan High Dam. Take a motorboat to the Temples of Philae, rising from the waters of the Nile. Aswan granite was used by many of the Pharaohs to build
their temples and tombs and you visit one of the quarries on your way to your second cruise ship which will transport you up the Nile. This afternoon, enjoy the sunset and high tea in colonial English style at Agatha Christie’s Old Cataract hotel. (B,L,D) 

DAY 14 – ON BOARD SHIP
For a change of mood, embark on a traditional Nile sailing boat (felucca,) around Aswan’s Botanical Gardens. Cruise on to Kom Ombo to visit the only temple in Egypt dedicated to two gods - Horus the Elder and the crocodile headed Sobek. In fact, crocodiles were kept in the temple and some mummified remains are still on show. Set sail again for Edfu. Tonight celebrate in Egyptian style at an oriental dinner and galabeya party. (B,L,D) 

DAY 15 – ON BOARD SHIP
In Edfu this morning, two black granite falcons guard the entrance to the Temple of Horus, the Falcon God. After exploring the well preserved wall reliefs, continue your Nile cruise to Luxor. On arrival, visit the fabulous Luxor Temple which lay buried beneath the streets of the town for thousands of years. (B,L,D) 

DAY 16 – DISEMBARK LUXOR – CAIRO
Drive over to the west bank of the Nile for a photo stop at the towering Colossi of Memnon. Next, visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, blending into the cliff face above. Continue to the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of many of the New Kingdom Pharaohs. Return to Luxor to the Temple complex of Karnak. Among its splendors is the Hypostyle Hall, the largest of any temple in the world. Later, transfer to the airport to board your flight back to Cairo. (B) 

DAY 17 – RETURN TO USA
Your tour comes to a close with a transfer to the airport. (B)

This tour is BIG - from Mount Sinai in the East to the Western Desert battleground that turned the fortunes of war, plus titanic temples such as Abu Simbel and the prodigious Pyramids.

• Egyptian dinner and Galabea Party (HD)
• Highlight Dinner at a local restaurant in Alexandria (HD)
• 15 Buffet Breakfasts (BB), 6 Lunches (L) and 8 Dinners (D), plus bottled water, tea or coffee with included lunches and dinners while cruising
• Insight’s professional multilingual Egyptologist/Tour Director accompanies you
• Headsets for all guided visits and walking tours
• Sightseeing by air-conditioned coach
• Deluxe hotels in Cairo and Alexandria, best available in St Catherines, with all service charges, taxes and porterage
• 3 night Lake Nasser cruise on MS Prince Abbas (or similar) and 3 night Nile cruise on MS Giselle or MS Sapphire or MS La Boheme (or similar) including all cruise boat gratuities
• Scheduled air travel Cairo/Aswan/Abu Simbel and Luxor/Cairo
• Services of Insight’s Representative in Egypt
• Insight Traveller Welcome pack
• Arrival & departure transfers between the airport and your Insight tour hotel.

• St Catherine: Join the local Bedouin’s for tea. Enjoy a guided visit to the Monastery (when open).
• Alexandria: Visit the Roman Amphitheatre, Catacombs, Quayet–Bey fortress and Montazah Gardens.
• El-Alamein: Visit the War Cemeteries & Military Museum.
• Wadi El Natrun: Visit the great Coptic Monasteries (if open).
• Cairo: See Tutankhamun’s treasure in the Egyptian Museum. Visit Tahrir Square, the ‘beating heart’ of the 2011 Revolution. Visit Mohammed Ali Mosque and view Cairo from the Citadel. Visit the famous Khan El Khalili bazaars.
• Memphis: See the statue of Rameses II & Alabaster Sphinx.
• Sakkara: See the Step Pyramid of Zozer, oldest in the world.
• Giza: Venture inside one of the Pyramids and see the Sphinx.
• Abu Simbel: Visit the awe-inspiring Temples of Rameses II. Experience the sound and light show
• Kasr Ibrim: View the ancient ruined citadel.
• Amada, Wadi El Sebou & Kalabsha: Visit the temples.
• Aswan: Enjoy the sunset and high tea in colonial English style. Sail on a traditional ‘felucca’ around the Botanical gardens Visit the Aswan High Dam and the unfinished obelisk. Board a motorboat to the Philae Island temple complex.
• Kom Ombo & Edfu: Visit the riverside temples.
• Luxor: Visit the awe-inspiring Temples of Luxor and Karnak. See the Colossi of Memnon, visit the Temple of Hatshepsut and some of the Pharaoh’s tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

Cairo: Fairmont Heliopolis
St. Catherine: Morgenland St. Catherine
Gulf of Suez: Palmera Beach Resort Ain Sokhna
Alexandria: Helnan Palestine/Sheraton Montazah
Cairo: Marriott
Lake Nasser Cruise: standard cabin onboard the MS Prince Abbas
Nile River Cruising: standard cabin onboard the MS Giselle, MS Nile Sapphire or MS La Boheme
 

* The prices shown are U.S. dollars per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability. Prices quoted for land/cruise arrangements are subject to increase without notice. Once we have received your deposit, land/cruise prices are guaranteed. Air prices quoted via phone or email are subject to increase and are guaranteed only from the time that full payment is received. Also, air prices or air promotions mentioned on this site or on the phone do not include baggage fees imposed by airlines.