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ITINERARY
SAT: LUXOR – ESNA - EL HEGEZ
(Cost of flight not included) Arrive Luxor Airport, meet and assist and transfer to Esna in time to embark on your Dahabiya. The Dahabiya has two large sails, but if there is no wind, we will be pulled by a small tug. The main deck is spacious with shaded awnings, providing great of opportunity for relaxation with plenty of pillows and comfy seats from which to watch river life drift by. Enjoy lunch onboard. Sail for approx 4-5 hours to El Hegez Island located in the north of Edfu.
Overnight: Dahabiya Queen Farida (LD)
SUN: EL KAB – EDFU – EL FUZA
Early morning sailing to El Kab which can only be visited by small vessels. Sail past feluccas, fishing vessels and cargo boats loading their freshly cut sugar cane. Breakfast on board. Visit on foot (20 mins walk) the tombs of El Kab, an ancient site of veneration of the vulture goddess Nekhbet, the lady who protects Upper Egypt. It is also the home of the famous tomb of Ahmose, son of Ibana, a professional soldier who served during one of the most turbulent times in Egyptian history. Return to your Dahabiya and sail (approx 3 hours) to Edfu. Take a horse-drawn carriage through Edfu to the famous and best preserved ancient Greek-built temple. Horus Temple dedicated to the falcon God was built on a rise to escape the annual flooding of the Nile. One of the advantages of visiting it by Dahabiya is that we can avoid the push of the crowds that are disgorged every day by large Nile Cruisers. By sunset, we will have reached the island of El Fuza, where we will tie up for the night. You will have the opportunity to see the everyday life of the villagers.
Overnight: Dahabiya Queen Farida (BLD)
MON: EL-RAMADYA – BESAW ISLAND – GEBEL EL SILSILA
After breakfast, we sail for approx 3 hours to El Ramadya Nubian Village. We will learn about Nubian culture and how most of their customs and traditions were adopted by the ancient Egyptians. Continue to Besaw Island (approx 2 hours) and visit the island. Later, relax onboard as we sail to Gebel el Silsila (Mountain of the Necklace), another destination that can only be visited by smaller vessels. We tie up alongside the Temple of Horemheb and if possible dinner will be served on the upper deck, as we gaze at the illuminated temple.
Overnight: Dahabiya Queen Farida (BLD)
TUE: MENEHA ISLAND
After breakfast, visit the Temple of Horemheb, a sanctuary dug into the rock dedicated to the seven divinities of the south by Pharaoh Horemheb. Explore an ancient rock quarry where sandstone was cut for temples. Later, sail to Meneha Island (approx 4-5 hours) where we dock for the night.
Overnight: Dahabiya Queen Farida (BLD)
WED: KOM OMBO - KOPANIA
After breakfast, sail into Kom Ombo. Gaze upon the water buffalo as they wade in the shallow water besides the banks of the Nile, the donkeys as they go about their day to day business and the varied bird life of the river. Visit the temple at Kom Ombo. This dual temple, dedicated to both the falcon-headed god Haroeris (Horus the Elder) and the crocodile god Sobek is unique; it is totally symmetrical with two entrances, two halls, and two sanctuaries. The view from the temple heights is impressive, and it shows how this strategic spot served its purpose on the route of the gold caravans from Nubia, just as El Kab did. Sail to the village of Daraw and travel by public transportation to the camel market where traders bring spices, perfumes and crafts from across the desert and from the heart of Africa. Enjoy the opportunity to gaze at and bargain for traditional wares and appreciate a way of life that seems untouched by modernity. Later, we sail to Kopania (approx 5 hours). Farewell dinner onboard.
Overnight: Dahabiya Queen Farida (BLD)
THU: ASWAN
Early morning sailing to Aswan (approx 3 hours), again enjoying the beautiful scenery of the ever-changing and yet ever-constant Nile along the way. Disembark after breakfast. Transfer to your hotel in Aswan or Aswan Airport for departure (cost of flight not included). (B)
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Pre – Cruise package: CAIRO STOP-OVER or CLASSICAL CAIRO
Pre – Cruise package: LUXOR STOP-OVER
Departs daily.
Package includes:
• Arrival transfer in Luxor
• 2 nights accommodation Luxor on bed and breakfast basis
• 1 full-day sightseeing of the West and East Bank in Luxor
ITINERARY:
DAY 1: LUXOR
Arrive Luxor, transfer to hotel.
Overnight: Luxor
DAY 2: LUXOR
Breakfast in your hotel. Travel to the West Bank and visit Thebes Necropolis and the Valley of Kings, a vast City of the Dead for generations of Pharaohs, where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, richly decorated and filled with treasures for the afterlife. Very few of the rock-cut tombs escaped grave robbers during ancient times. The most famous of the sixty-two tombs is the tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amun unearthed by Howard Carter. At Deir al-Bahri, the Temple of Hatshepsut was built for the only woman who ruled Egypt. See the Colossi of Memnon; it is all that remains of the Temple of Amenophis, destroyed by the annual flooding of the Nile.
Afternoon visit to the Karnak Temple, a complex dedicated to Amun Ra. Its impressive features are probably the most overwhelming of all the Egyptian monuments. Visit the Luxor Temple discovered beneath the shifting desert sands. It was originally joined to the Karnak Temple by an avenue of Sphinxes. Return to your hotel.
Overnight: Luxor (B)
DAY 3: LUXOR
Departure. (B)
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Post – Cruise package: ASWAN STOP-OVER
Departs daily.
Package includes:
• 2 nights accommodation Aswan on bed and breakfast basis
• 1 full-day sightseeing in Aswan visiting the Philae Temple, High Dam including a Felucca ride
• Transfer to Aswan Airport
ITINERARY:
DAY 1: ASWAN
Overnight: Aswan
DAY 2: ASWAN
Breakfast in your hotel. Visit the High Dam, a huge rock-fill dam, which captures the world’s longest river. Travel by motorboat to Agilika Island and visit the reassembled Philae Temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. The temple has a majestic aura, particularly at sunset when it turns to gold.
In the afternoon, a Felucca ride to view the lush Botanic Gardens on Kitchener’s Island, Elephantine Island and Aga Khan’s Mausoleum on the west bank (view only, no visit). Return to your hotel.
Overnight: Aswan (B)
DAY 3: ASWAN
Departure transfer to Aswan Airport. (B)
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