11-Nights Splendors of Egypt - Classic Group

11 nights from: $4,876

Splendors Of Egypt - Classic Group
Explore the splendors of Egypt on this 12-day tour. Cruise down the Nile and follow in the footsteps of Sir Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie for high tea at the Old Cataract Hotel. Continue down the Nile to Luxor, where you will see the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs — including the famous Tutankhamun — are buried. Later, break bread with a family in Geziret Bahirat, who will welcome you with stories of local life. In Cairo, marvel at the oldest pyramid, the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, before traveling to see one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Pyramids of Giza. Stand face-to-face with the towering Sphinx and as night falls, watch a spectacular sound and light show dance across the ancient stones.

Dining Summary

• 11 Breakfast (B)
• 7 Lunch (L)
• 7 Dinner (D)
• 1 Afternoon Tea (AT)

• Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
• Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

• Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
• Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
• We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
• From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
• Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
• If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.

• "Koshari is our national dish, and it never disappoints. Believed to have originated in the 19th century, this vegetarian street food staple is made of rice, pasta, lentils, and chickpeas, topped with delicious fried onions and a spicy tomato-based garlic sauce."
• "I love to share our Ancient Egyptian civilization and history with our guests and to explain all the details and stories related to Egyptian mythology so our guests can enjoy a very special guided vacation."
• "The Abu Simbel Temples are utterly unique in scale, architecture, art and history. From one of the most prominent eras of Ancient Egyptian history, these magnificent structures emphasise how persistent and clever ancient Egyptian architects were to carve a mountain to make such incredible tributes for Egyptian deities."

• Cairo: Take a short scenic flight to Luxor where you will begin your Nile Cruise.
• Karnak: Stand amid a vast forest of columns in the largest temple complex known to man, as your Egyptologist explains the significance behind it. Walk the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, see the of Rameses II and the Hypostyle Hall.
• Luxor: Visit the Luxor Museum and discover ancient artifacts. 
• Dendera: At the Temple of Hathor, see a rare depiction of Cleopatra and Caesarian.
• Aswan: Visit Aswan's High Dam and Granite Quarries to ponder why the unfinished Obelisk has been left in mid-creation for thousands of years.
• Philae Island: Travel by motorboat to Philae Island and witness the majestic Temple of Isis rising from the waters.
• Take a short boat ride to Philae Island, where the temple of Isis was carefully reassembled after the original site was submerged by the rising Nile. Enjoy a guided visit before the temple facade becomes a canvas for light and sound, recounting the myth of Isis and Hathor and the Nile’s sacred floods in a vivid display.
• Kom Ombo: Visit the unique temple as it is the only double temple in Egypt.
• Luxor: Visit Luxor Temple, constructed approximately 1400 BC. Look to the top of the remaining Pylon of Ramses II and step into the ancient monument.   
• Colossi of Memnon: See the massive stone statues of the Colossi of Memnon.
• Valley of the Kings: Embark on an experience with an Egyptologist to visit the mortuary Temple Hatshepsut.
• Valley of the Kings: Explore the Valley of the Kings, home to the magnificent tombs of Egypt's Pharaohs, with an Egyptologist.
• Luxor: Enjoy your short flight returning to Cairo.
• Cairo: Uncover Cairo’s rich heritage at the UNESCO-listed Citadel, a commanding fortress that shaped Egypt’s history for centuries. With your Egyptologist, step inside the Great Alabaster Mosque, where soaring domes, intricate stained glass and the tomb of Sultan Muhammad Ali create a moment of quiet reflection. From its hilltop setting, take in sweeping views over the city below.
• Cairo: At the Grand Egyptian Museum, discover the complete collection from Tutankhamun’s tomb — displayed together for the first time — from ceremonial beds to his golden funerary mask. With your Egyptologist, explore the reconstructed solar barque once buried beside the Great Pyramid of Giza, stand before the 11-meter statue of Ramses II, and wander through one of the largest collections of ancient artifacts spanning the Predynastic to the Greco-Roman eras. 
• Memphis: Visit this famous capital of the ancient world to see the statue of R
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The temples were cut from the rock and shifted to higher ground in the 1960s as the waters of Lake Nasser began to rise following completion of the Aswan High Dam.

Abu Simbel Travel Agents

The Great Temple is dedicated to Ramesses II and a statue of him is seated with three other gods within the innermost part of the rock-cut temple (the sanctuary). The temple's facade is dominated by four enormous seated statues of the Pharaoh (each over 20 metres or 67 feet high), although one has been damaged since ancient times.

The Small Temple was probably completed ahead of the Great Temple and is dedicated to Ramesses' favourite wife, Nefertari. At the entrance stand six 10-metre-high (33 feet) rock-cut statues - two of Ramesses and one of Nefertari on either side of the doorway.