Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Africa. the continent where human beings first came into existence, Customs, traditions & ancient rites tie Africans to generations & ancestors past and to the collective memory of myriad people. There are time-honored ceremonies, music that dates back to the days of Africa's golden empires & masks that tell stories of spirit worlds never lost. In many rural areas, it can feel as though the modern world might never have happened and there is nowhere like it on the planet for wildlife, wild lands & rich traditions that endure. Welcome to Old Africa & prepare to fall in love.

And Middle East is a grand epic, a cradle of civilisations & a beautiful, complicated land that is home to some of the planet's most hospitable people. History Writ Large – it is a story written on the stones that litter the region, from the flagstones of old Roman roads to the building blocks of ancient Egypt & the delicately carved Tombs & Temples from Petra to Persepolis. This is where humankind first built cities & learned to write and it was from here that Judaism, Christianity & Islam all arose. Wherever you find yourself, the past is always the ‘present’ because here, perhaps more than anywhere else on earth, history is the heart & soul of the land.

Welcome to   mystical   Egypt - with its mighty Nile & magnificent monuments, the beguiling desert & lush delta, with its long past & welcoming, story-loving people. With sand-covered Tombs, austere Pyramids & towering Pharaonic Temples, Egypt brings out the ‘student’ in all guests as they explore the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, where Tutankhamun’s Tomb was unearthed & see the glittering finds in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. And you never know - your donkey might stumble across yet another find, for that is the way many previous discoveries were made.

Arrive in the ‘eternal’ city of Cairo set on the Nile River. Romantically known as the City of a Thousand Minarets, the Egyptian capital is a place of extremes, filled with ancient landmarks, snarling traffic, ornate mosques, & glittering modern skyscrapers.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Cairo International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative (holding a placard with your Name), who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in and provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next few days.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Balance of the day free to relax or for optional activities (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make the arrangements).

Monumental History| Artistic Treasures| Living Life

Cairo has been the largest city in Africa & the Middle East ever since the Mongols wasted imperial Baghdad in 1258.

Filled with sights, sounds & smells, many visitors find Cairo's frenetic energy overwhelming; but for those with a sense of humor & a certain amount of patience, it harbors a treasure trove of experiences that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Cairo’s treasures abound, from ancient wonders such as the world’s oldest Pyramid to the earliest Coptic Christian monuments in the Old Town, to bustling Islamic Cairo.

From above, the distorted roar of the Muezzins' call echoes out from duelling minarets. Below, car horns bellow tuneless symphonies amid avenues of faded 19^th century grandeur while donkey carts rattle down dusty lanes lined with colossal Fatimid & Mamluk monuments.

As Egypt has been a prize for conquerors from Alexander the Great to Rommel, so Cairo has been a fulcrum of power in the Arab world from the Crusades unto the present day. Although a relatively modern capital (by Egyptian standards, at least), the city's history is linked to that of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt's Old Kingdom, dating back more than 2,000 years.

Cairo itself was founded in 969 AD to serve as the new capital of the Fatimid dynasty, eventually incorporating the older capitals of Fustat, al-Askar, & al-Qatta'i. During the 12^th century, the Fatimid dynasty fell to Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt.

Over the following centuries, Cairo's rulership passed from the Sultans to the Mamluks, followed by the Ottomans, the French & the British. Following a period of massive expansion in the first half of the 19^th century, Cairo's residents revolted against the British in 1952 & successfully regained the city's independence.

Cairo is a vast city whose boundaries are difficult to define. More than 22 million people call the chaotic, exotic, smelly, dusty & also beautiful city, home. Many of its neighborhoods (including satellite Nasr City with its shiny shopping malls & embassy enclave Maadi) are technically outside the city limits.

The main tourist neighborhoods include Downtown, Islamic Cairo & Coptic Cairo, while affluent Heliopolis & the island of Zamalek are both known for their restaurants, nightlife & upmarket hotels.

At the heart of the chaotic Downtown designed in the mid-19^th century by a team of European architects, is the modern political landmark like Tahrir Square & the vast Egyptian Museum, a trove of antiquities including royal Mummies & gilded King Tutankhamun artifacts. Nearby, Giza is the site of the iconic Pyramids & Great Sphinx, dating to the 26^th century BC. In Gezira Island’s leafy Zamalek district, 187 metre Cairo Tower affords panoramic city views.

Dating back to the 6^th century BC, the oldest neighborhood is Coptic Cairo, the site of the Roman settlement of Babylon, famous for its historic Christian monuments. Coptic Churches, huge medieval Gates & Bazaars selling everything from motorbike parts to perfumes.

Perhaps the most interesting section is medieval (Islamic) Cairo, a warren of streets just bustling with life. Islamic Cairo represents the part of the city built by its Fatimid founders. It is a labyrinthine maze of Mosques, Souks & breathtakingly beautiful Islamic monuments, all of which echo to the sound of countless Muezzins calling the faithful to prayer. The Ulema of its 1000year old Al-Azhar Mosque (for centuries the foremost centre of Islamic intellectual life) remains the ultimate religious authority for millions of Sunni Muslims, from Jakarta to Birmingham.

Wherever Arabic is spoken, Cairo's cultural magnetism is felt. Your nerves will jangle, your snot will run black from the smog & touts will hound you at every turn. Every strand of Egyptian society knits & unravels in this febrile megalopolis, acknowledged as Umm Dunya or "Mother of the World" by medieval Arabs, & as Great Cairo by 19^th century Europeans.

Overnight.   

Morning, meet the Egyptologist Tour-guide at 08:00 am & proceed for a 8 hour excursion to visit the Pyramids.

Drive to Giza - best known as that part of Cairo closest to the world-famous Pyramids, situated high on the desert plateau immediately to the west of the urban district.

The 3 main Pyramids at Giza - Cheops, Chephren & Mykerinos. are the focal point of the Giza necropolis, or cemetery, that served the elite of the Old Kingdom capital of Egypt at nearby Memphis during the mid to late 4^th Dynasty (around 3^rd  millennium BCE). Three pharaohs were buried here in turn - Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure - their astounding burials attracted a number of surrounding, associated, burials of their queens, family members & nobility.

One of the premier attractions of Egypt, if not the world, the Pyramids of Giza represent the archetypal pyramid structures of ancient Egyptian civilisation, some of the most famous manmade objects in the world, & together with the Great Sphinx - the legendary guardian that stands by the huge funeral complex with its lion body & the head of king Chephren, at the base of the Giza plateau - are the iconic image of Egypt & whose grandeur remains unsurpassed more than 4,000 years after they were erected.

After marvelling at the famous Pyramids & getting lots of photos as the Tour-guide explains how these monumental Tombs were built in around 2,500 BC for the three pharaohs.

You have some free time to explore inside one of the Pyramids independently (optional - additional cost & the Tour-guide is not permitted inside). You can also enjoy a camel ride here (optional - additional cost) & absorb the sweeping views over central Cairo. 

Visit the Valley Temple. where the Priests mummified the dead body of King Chephren, owner of the second pyramid at Giza Plateau.

If time (& Tour-guide) permits, you might want to take the opportunity for an Optional (direct payment) visit to the Solar Boat Museum, home to the reconstructed funeral barge of Khufu, the Pharaoh for whom the largest Giza pyramid was built. Gaze in awe at the wooden boat, and learn how its remnants were discovered & reassembled by archaeologists.


Although most people associate Egypt with the Pyramids of Giza, there are known to be at least 118 ancient pyramids scattered around the country, with more being discovered every few years or so. The majority of these monuments are spread out along the desert between the Giza Plateau & the semi-oasis of Al-Fayoum (two belonging to kings & six to queens).

In between, break for lunch & if you want, briefly visit a papyrus institute to see the ancient craft of papyrus painting in action. Watch the artisans at work & perhaps, buy some of the delicate artworks & contribute to local well-being.

After spending time walking around different Pyramids, each with their own history, continue to Memphis, Egypt’s ancient capital & administrative center until around 2,200 BC. 

Memphis is the English name for the present-day site of one of the great ancient capital cities of Egypt, located in & around several villages near the modern capital of Cairo & first established towards the end of the 4^th millennium BCE by the Pharaoh Narmer, at the time of his Unification of Upper Egypt & Lower Egypt.

It remained the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom period, at the time when the great Pyramids were being built. Central power returned to the city when the New Kingdom pharaohs made it once again Egypt's northern & main administrative capital, alongside the religious & ceremonial capital at Luxor in the south.

Memphis was the chief cult city of the Egyptian god of wisdom & craftsmanship, Ptah. Although little remains of their achievements today, having been ravaged by the depredations of time, the flood plain environment & the cannibalising of its stone for the building of medieval Cairo, the pharaohs & priests of Ptah once endowed the city with vast temple complexes & built their cemeteries on the desert hills adjoining it to the east and (especially!) to the west. A center of power for over 3,000 years, this aeons-old city is believed to have been purpose-built & was characterized by majestic temples & palaces.

Although very little remains to be seen on the surface, Memphis features a great sculpture museum & allows an evocative insight into both ancient greatness (its transitory nature!) and modern Egyptian rural life. Also, the main ancient necropolis of the city, located nearby on the desert plateau at Saqqara, is worth a visit.

Explore the city’s last remaining vestiges around the villages of Dahshur & Sakkara, and visit the UNESCO-listed outdoor open-air museum that houses broken statues, carvings & columns found at the site. Get fascinating insights into ancient Egypt from your knowledgeable Tour-guide & learn about its heyday in the 3^rd & 2^nd centuries BC, as you immerse yourself in ancient Egypt at this fascinating yet crowd-free site (Memphis attracts fewer visitors than those in Giza, so you can admire in quiet surroundings).

Marvel at the prize exhibit – a spectacularly huge, fallen statue of Ramses II that once stood in the city. See the Alabaster Sphinx which still remains.

A short distance away lies UNESCO listed Saqqara - a vast, ancient burial ground which served as the necropolis for the inhabitants of Memphis.

Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step Pyramid of Djoser - the world's oldest free standing stone structure, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of mastabas (Arabic word meaning 'bench'), built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser by his vizier, Imhotep. Constructed in around 2,650 BC, it is considered an important part in the process of the pyramid evolution.

Another 16 Egyptian kings built pyramids at Saqqara, which are now in various states of preservation or dilapidation. High officials added private funeral monuments to this necropolis during the entire pharaonic period & it remained an important complex for non-royal burials & cult ceremonies for more than 3,000 years, well into Ptolemaic & Roman times.

Admire the incredible, Step Pyramid of Djoser as you learn about the main features of this flat-topped, 4,600-year-old pyramid & how it was built. For example, it is an extremely important as the first Pyramid built in Egypt, though it is not a true, smooth sided one. There are also a number of other pyramids in & around Dashur that are important because they show the evolution, including the failures & the first success of the pyramid builders, as they tried to build the first true, smooth sided pyramid.

Other later Pyramids are less spectacular, sometimes made of mudbrick & therefore not as well preserved today, but still important, because they are the first to be decorated with inscriptions & various scenes. For example, the ruined Pyramids of Unas at Sakkara was the first one that we know of to be inscribed with the 128 magical spells of the Pyramid text.

Finally, drive back to the hotel in Cairo.

Balance of the evening is at leisure to relax or for optional exploration (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Overnight.  B L  

Morning, meet the Tour-guide at 08:30 am, proceed to the internationally renowned Museum of Egyptian Antiquities which features artifacts from the Pharaonic period for a 3 hour experience.

Although the entire museum is filled with artifacts from as far back as the prehistoric period, the most renowned exhibit is, without a doubt, the collection of treasures once belonging to the reign of the boy pharaoh - King Tutankhamun - gold & jewelry which was enclosed in his tomb for over 3,500 years before it was discovered in the 1920s when the tomb was discovered. Don't miss the astonishing solid gold death mask & six gilded coffins.

The museum displays a rare collection of 5000 years of art which is considered the largest most precious collection of Egyptian art in the world.

Other highlights include the Amarna Room, devoted to Akhenaten; the Greco-Roman mummies; and the larger-than-life statue of Khafre, considered by many to be the museum's masterpiece.

From the Royal Mummy Room to a number of glittering galleries showcasing finery extracted from various ancient tombs, there is a ton to see. The Mummy Room, contains 27 royal mummies from pharaonic times, now displays 9 Mummies of the New Kingdom kings & queens. One of them is the latest to be discovered - Mummy of Queen Hatsheput.

The extensive collection of over 165,000 items of ancient Egyptian antiquities, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms. Treasures include everyday objects, tombs, jewelry & mummies from the prehistoric Egyptian period through to the Roman era.

Getting around to all 107 halls in one trip is tough, so you will want to choose a few subjects or exhibits that are most important to you.  With thousands of artifacts on show, the Museum can be overwhelming without guidance.

Knowing where to start can be daunting so step back in time as the Egyptologist Tour-guide helps you navigate & introduce you to the highlights of the Egyptian & Roman collections (if there’s anything you want to see more or less of, let your Tour-guide know).

View the star attraction - the Tutankhamun exhibits - admire his spectacular, solid gold death mask, coffins, chariots & other funerary riches.

See other pharaonic furnishings & items such as pharaonic sarcophagi & everyday objects, Roman-era funerary paintings & more, as your Tour-guide recounts their history.

If you wish, visit the Royal Mummies Room (optional - additional cost), another showpiece. Enter this climate-controlled room to view the mummies of Egyptian rulers such as Ramses II - builder of Luxor’s Karnak Temple.

After introducing you to the main attractions, your Tour-guide will give you free time to explore further on your own & meet him / her at the predetermined time / place.

Return to the hotel

Later in the afternoon, meet the Tour-guide again at 02.00 pm & proceed for a 4 hour ‘walking’ tour of the city.

A ‘walking’ tour of Islamic Cairo takes you from one of the remaining gates of the city to Khan el-Khalili Bazaar for a few hours of browsing & bargaining among its bustling stalls. The 2 monumental gateways, Bab el-Futuh (Gate of Conquests) & Bab el-Nasr (Gate of Victory) mark the northern edge of Fatimid Cairo. Between the two lie the remains of the fortified wall which once encircled the city and which still gives the impression of invulnerability. Beside the Gate of Victory stands the El-Hakim Mosque, built during the first years following 1,000 AD. A place of worship for a mainly Indian Shiite sect, it was extensively restored with concrete and marble in 1980 losing much of its restrained beauty in the process.

Discover Cairo's Islamic heritage, as you visit to the medieval Citadel of Salah el-Din, containing within its walls the Ottoman-style alabaster mosque of Mohammed Ali. Cairo, “City of a thousand minarets”, is not considered by Muslims to be as holy a city as Mecca, Medina or Jerusalem. Its streets and alleyways do however conceal treasures of Islamic art, many of which, although crumbling, offer a dazzling sight to anyone who knows how and where to look.

The Khan - el - Khalili Bazaar is the domain of shopkeepers & tourists. Jewellery, items made from copper, marquetry boxes, imitations of pharaonic objects, semi-precious stones, rugs, blown-glass dishes & other souvenirs are bought & sold in the shops grouped by trades along the narrow streets. It is a place to meander, bargain & lose one’s way…but not miss out on a cup of tea or karkade at the bazaar’s famous Cafe Fishawy.

You would also visit the most famous Coptic Christian church in Cairo, as well as possibly the first built in Basilican style.

The Hanging (The Suspended) Church derives its name from its location above a gatehouse of the Roman fortress in the Old or Coptic Cairo area with its nave suspended above the passage. It was probably built during the patriarchate of Isaac (690-92), though an earlier church building may have existed elsewhere dating as earlier as the 3^rd or 4^th century.  The church is approached by 29 steps; early travelers to Cairo dubbed it "the Staircase Church." The entrance from the street is through iron gates under a pointed stone arch. The 19^th century facade with twin bell towers is then seen beyond a narrow courtyard decorated with modern art biblical designs.

Walk next door to what may be the oldest existing synagogue in Cairo, the Ben Ezra Synagogue or El-Geniza.

The Synagogue is located right behind the Hanging Church & was originally a Church, which the Coptic Christians of Cairo had to sell to the Jews in 882 AD in order to pay the annual taxes imposed by the Muslim rulers of the time. The Church was purchased by Abraham Ben Ezra, who came from Jerusalem during the reign of Ahmed Ibn Tulun, for 20,000 dinars & converted. The Synagogue was a place of pilgrimage for North African Jews & the site of major festival celebrations.  Numerous restorations & renovations were made over the centuries, and the present building dates from 1892. It is a faithful reconstruction of the original, which had collapsed. During the reconstruction, a medieval Geniza (a hiding place for sacred books and worn-out Torah scrolls) was discovered, revealing thousands of original documents from the Middle Ages. Today, Ben Ezra Synagogue is a historical monument & the most-visited Jewish site in Cairo. Be prepared to pass through security in order to enter the synagogue.

The sightseeing concludes.

Return to the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure to relax or for optional exploration (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make arrangements).

Overnight.  B L

Morning, you will be met by a Journeys Rep & transferred to the Cairo International Airport, for your flight to Aswan.

Arrive in Aswan, Egypt’s most southern city that has always been the country's main gate to the rest of Africa.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? – Aswan Daraw International Airport, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the Pier where you will board the Cruise Ship which will be your floating hotel on the Nile for the next 3 nights. He / she will discuss the Program, answer any questions you might have, help you settle in & also provide you with some useful tips for the Cruise & the area you would be visiting.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the Boat & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. We will request the Boat for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’. In case ‘early’ Check-in not possible, we will amend the Program slightly to ensure that you make the best use of the available time.

The picturesque Aswan located in the ancient Nubian lands, seems to close the doors on the Middle East and to open those on Africa. No ivory or precious woods can be found on its narrow streets today but the 3^rd largest city in Egypt is full of the scent of spices straight from the south.

In addition to rich history & stunning scenery, the city of Aswan offers opportunities to experience true African culture in the surrounding Nubian villages. The Nubian people, recognisable from their shiny black skin, possess a dignity & easy grace.

Sudanese people are present in fairly large numbers in Aswan enjoying life at a slow pace. The bustling souk adopts the colours of typical Sudanese markets smelling of incense & herbs and one can see Sudanese women vendors, wearing their traditional long, brightly coloured veils wrapped around the bodies, walking around.

Sitting in the shadow of more popular Luxor (due to its more famous sites), Aswan is unique in its own right, illustrating traces of wonderful Nubian culture & history, along with contemporary modern structures such as the Aswan high Dam which mixes with the old Pharaonic history such as Philae Temple, the Unfinished Obelisk & more.

There are plenty of things to see, but it is not a place to hurry. Aswan is a very special city which combines the beauty of the Nile Valley & the mysteries of ancient Egyptian Temples. Colourful Nubian villages run down to the water & their colourful houses stand out against the backdrop of the West Bank’s desert escarpment.

On the northern end of the First Cataract, marking ancient Egypt's southern frontier, Aswan has always been of great strategic importance. In ancient times, it was a garrison town for the military campaigns against Nubia; its quarries provided the granite used for so many sculptures & obelisks.

The Nile is wide, languorous & beautiful here, flowing gently down from Lake Nasser around dramatic black-granite boulders & palm-studded islands. The large island of Seheyl & the village of Gharb Seheyl, situated just north of the old Aswan Dam, have various laid-back guesthouses & offer an opportunity to swim in the river.

Shortly thereafter, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby who will accompany you on a 6 hour sightseeing of the area.

Proceed to Aswan High Dam to learn more about this architectural, technological & engineering modern marvel. Egypt's accomplishment & a contemporary example of building on a monumental scale, the High Dam took 11 years to build. It has a towering height of 111m, a base width of 980m & measures 12,562 feet across.

The Dam led to the creation of Lake Nasser & it now generates electricity for most of Egypt & is also a prime source of drinking water. Consisting of twelve generators each rated at 175 megawatts, it generates a whopping 2.1 gigawatts. The Project is commemorated by a lotus-shaped monument at the western end of the Dam.

Frequent flooding of the Nile sometimes led to the destruction of whole crops & widespread drought. Over the years the Aswan Dam has protected Egypt from several drought periods between 1972 to 1973 & 1983 to 1987 that would have been utterly devastating.

The Aswan Dam has also proved to be culturally beneficial as over 22 monuments & archaeological excavations were spared the threat of being flooded.

Continuing on, walk to the Pier to board a motorboat or a Felucca for a short ride to the captivating island of Agilika located in the low dam reservoir downstream of Lake Nasser & Aswan Dam, to see one of the most amazing places here - the Philae Temple, one of the last strongholds of ancient Egyptian religion & dedicated to goddess Isis. It is believed to have been built during the reign of Nectanebo I in between 362-389 BC.

The boat to the temple leaves you at the base of the Kiosk of Nectanebo, the oldest part of the Philae complex. 

However, the aforementioned location is not the original position of the Temple. Originally located near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt, the complex was constantly susceptible to flooding since the initial construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902 & even before.

The Government in conjunction with the UNESCO Nubia Campaign Project, to protect this & other monuments before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam, decided to dismantle the Temple, stone by stone & meticulously reassemble it on Agilika Island. There are other principal structures situated at the south end on the smaller islands, with the other ruins mostly sharing a more Roman influence.

The Temple was dedicated to goddess Isis & was one of the last strongholds of ancient Egyptian religion and one of the things that separate the Philae Temple is the unparalleled archaeological & architectural wealth, most of it in near-mint condition. And since Philae was said to be one of the burying-places of Osiris, it was held in high reverence both by the Egyptians to the north & the Nubians (often referred to as "Ethiopians" in Greek) to the south.

In the central court of the Temple of Isis, the mammisi is dedicated to Horus, son of Isis & Osiris. Successive Pharaohs reinstated their legitimacy as the mortal descendants of Horus by taking part in rituals celebrating the Isis legend & the birth of her son Horus in the marshes.

The second Pylon leads to a hypostyle hall, with superb column capitals & beyond lie 3 vestibules, leading into the Inner Sanctuary of Isis. Two granite shrines stood here, one containing a gold statue of Isis & another containing the barque in which the statue travelled, but these were long ago moved to Florence & Paris & only the stone pedestal for the barque remains, inscribed with the names of Ptolemy III & his wife, Berenice.

Take a side door west out of the hypostyle hall to the Gate of Hadrian where there is an image of the god Hapi, sitting in a cave at the First Cataract, representing the source of the river Nile.

East of the second pylon is the delightful Temple of Hathor, decorated with reliefs of musicians (including an ape playing the lute) & Bes, the god of childbirth. South of this is the elegant, unfinished pavilion by the water’s edge, known as the Kiosk of Trajan (Pharaoh’s Bed), perhaps the most famous of Philae’s monuments & one that was frequently painted by Victorian artists, whose boats were moored beneath it.

Heading north, you walk down the outer temple court, which has colonnades running along both sides; the western one is the most complete, with windows that originally overlooked the island of Bigga. At the end is the entrance of the Temple of Isis, marked by the 18m high towers of the first pylon with reliefs of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos smiting enemies.

Continue your explorations with a visit to the granite quarries, site of the famed Unfinished Obelisk.

The ancient Egyptian Obelisk’s were of significant importance as they stood in front of Temples generally in pairs as an indication to the Grand entrances. Mostly constructed of red granite which was hewn from the granite rock at points along the River Nile then, sailed to their destination points as far as Cairo & Alexandria.

This massive stone column nicknamed the Unfinished Obelisk was cut out from the bedrock, but was abandoned after a flaw in the stone was discovered. Had it been finished, the Obelisk would have weighed 1168 tons & stood nearly 42m high.  It is assumed that this was the intended mate for the so-called Lateran Obelisk in Rome, which originally stood before the Temple of Tuthmosis III at Karnak & is still credited as being the largest Obelisk in the world.

From chisel marks & discarded tools, Archeologists have been able to deduce the extraordinary skill with which Egyptian masons worked on the native granite & the Pharaonic quarrying techniques, such as soaking wooden wedges to split fissures & using quartz sand slurry as an abrasive. When its hieroglyphs were compared with those of the Rosetta Stone, it threw great light upon the Egyptian consonantal alphabet.

There are more Obelisks worldwide now that left Egypt, having been bought by various Governments & shipped overseas to be placed in prominent positions in major cities such as Rome (11 in Italy in total), Paris, London (4 in the UK), Istanbul, Israel, Poland & New York City along with many still in place at Temples & locations in Egypt (8 in total left in Egypt as of now).

Walk through the quarries past some ancient pictographs of dolphins & ostriches, painted by quarry workers centuries back.

Hop on to the Felucca & move to another island, also significant in Awan’s history – the Elephantine Island with wonderful gardens & some significant artifacts.

Elephantine Island's southern end comprises the site of ancient Abu. Its name meant both 'elephant' & 'ivory' in ancient Egyptian, a reminder of the important role the island once played in the ivory trade. The island's Nubian villages of Siou & Koti make a surprising counterpoint to the bustle of the city across the water.

At the beginning of the 1st dynasty (about 3000 BC) a fortress was built on the island to establish Egypt’s southern frontier. Abu soon became an important Customs point & Trading Centre. It remained strategically significant throughout the Pharaonic period as a departure point for the military & commercial expeditions into Nubia & the south. During the 6^th dynasty (2345–2181 BC) Abu gained its strength as a political & economic centre and, despite occasional ups & downs, the island retained its importance until the Graeco-Roman period.

As well as being a thriving settlement, Elephantine Island was the main cult centre of the ram-headed god Khnum (at first the god of the inundation & from the 18^th Dynasty worshipped as the creator of humankind on his potter’s wheel), Satet (Khnum’s wife & guardian of the southern frontier) & their daughter Anket.

Each year the rushing of the waters of the flood were first heard here on Elephantine Island. Over time religious complexes took over more & more of the Island, so residential areas moved either further north on the Island or to the east bank.

The Temple town of Abu received its coup de grace in the 4^th century AD, when Christianity was established as the imperial Roman religion. From then on, worship of the ancient gods was gradually abandoned & defensive fortifications were moved to the east bank, today’s city of Aswan.

A north - south path crosses the middle of the island and links the 2 Nubian villages Siou & Koti. There is also a charming Nubian Museum in one of the colourful villages.

Wander among the colourful houses of the Nubian villages.

Hop on the boat again & sail to the adjacent Kitchener's Island is also known as the Island of Plants (Geziret an-Nabatat).

Kitchener’s Island, to the west of Elephantine Island, was given to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s when he was commander of the Egyptian army. Indulging his passion for beautiful palms & plants.

Presented with the island in gratitude for his military exploits in Sudan, Consul-General Kitchener indulged his passion for exotic flora, importing shrubs & seeds from as far afield as India & Malaysia & parts of Africa. Kitchener turned the entire island into the stunning Aswan Botanical Gardens, importing plants from the Far East, India

Covering 6.8 hectares, the Gardens are filled with birds as well as hundreds of species of flora. While it may have lost some of its former glory, its majestic trees are still a stunning sight, particularly just before sunset when the light is softer & the scent of sandalwood floats on the breeze. Today this Island-wide Botanical Garden is a lovely place to spend a quiet with lots of birdlife.

And now it is time to go back to the Boat.

Come back to the hotel by evening.

Evening, if conditions permit, you can sail some more around the Aswan islands in a felucca (sailboat) (Optional - direct payment).

Later, enjoy a Welcome Reception - Cocktail & Dinner.

Overnight on board.  B L D

After breakfast, set sail for Edfu enroute stopping at Kom Ombo.

Kom Ombo famous for the Temple of Sobek & Haroeris (also known as Temple of Kom Ombo) stands on a promontory at a bend in the Nile, at the north end of the largest area of agricultural land south of Gebel el-Silsila, between Aswan & Edfu. Situated on a plateau cut by two long dry streams which isolated the site, it provides one of the most spectacular settings of any of Egypt's river temples. Originally, the city was called Nubt, meaning City of Gold & it became a Greek settlement during the Greco-Roman Period.

In later times, Kom Ombo was situated at the terminus of 2 Caravan routes, one running westward through the Kurkur Oasis to Tomas in Nubia, while the other ran from Daraw through the Eastern Desert, regaining the Nile at Berber. Those routes were regularly used during early modern times, although how old they are is uncertain.

On the opposite side of the Nile was a suburb of Ombos, called Contra-Ombos. The city was a bishopric before the Muslim conquest, and under the name Ombi is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees. Karol Wojtyła (the future Pope John Paul II) was titular bishop of Ombi from 1958 until 1963, when he was appointed Archbishop of Kraków.

Since this bend in the Nile was a favored spot for crocodiles to bask in the sun & threaten locals, it is natural that the temple would be dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god. The crocodile was held in especial honor by the people of Ombos & in the adjacent catacombs are occasionally found mummies of the sacred animal. The Roman coins of the Ombite nome exhibit the crocodile & effigy of the crocodile-headed god Sobek.

Lunch on board.

After High Tea, accompanied by the Tour-guide, proceed for a visit to the Temple of Sobek & Haroeris, built on a high dune overlooking the Nile, by Ptolemy VI Philometor in the early 2^nd century BC & it evolved under successive rulers. There are also tombs from the Old Kingdom in the vicinity of Kom-Ombo village which you will visit, time permitting.

The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple. The building is unique because its 'double' design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries & rooms duplicated for two sets of gods. The Temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis.

The structure is built of local sandstone from Gebel el-Silsila. Apparently, troops stationed at Kom Ombo (it was a training ground for African elephants used by the army during the Ptolemaic Period) built much of the Temple. The use of elephants was actually a Ptolemaic innovation, as was the use of camels in Egypt.

The southern half was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility & creator of the world with Hathor & Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the Temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris, also known as Horus the Elder, along with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister) & this was why the temple was called both "House of the Crocodile" & "Castle of the Falcon".

The Temple had a specific theology and the texts & reliefs found there refer to cultic liturgies which were similar to those from that time period. The characters invoked the gods of Ombos & their legend.

Overall, the relief sculpture is typical of the Ptolemaic & Roman periods, with very deeply carved sunken reliefs on the exterior walls & columns, and fine quality bas-relief on the interior walls. Much of the relief is covered with a very thin layer of plaster & the original color survives in many places. The decorations of the inner rooms depict Ptolemy VI & Cleopatra II, and Ptolemy VII with Cleopatra II & Cleopatra III.

The scene on the inner face of the rear wall of the Temple is of particular interest as there is a rare engraved image of what is thought to be the first representation of medical instruments for performing surgery, including scalpels, curettes, forceps, dilator, scissors & prescription medicine bottles dating from the days of Roman Egypt and two goddesses sitting on birthing chairs. Archeologists found an image which they named Nilometer used to measure the level of the river waters & helped predict the coming harvest.

Little remains of the New Kingdom temple. Much of the temple has been destroyed by the Nile, earthquakes & later builders who used its stones for other projects. Some of the reliefs inside were defaced by Copts who once used the temple as a church. All the temple buildings in the southern part of the plateau were cleared of debris & restored by French archeologist Jacques de Morgan in 1893,

A few of the almost 300 crocodile mummies discovered in the vicinity are displayed in The Crocodile Museum.

Return to the Boat & sail for Edfu, where it will dock for the night.

Evening, dinner on board and enjoy an oriental show named “Gallabia Party”.

Overnight on board.   B L D 

Get up very early today & around 06.00 am, proceed for a visit to explore the largest and most completely preserved pharaonic temple, the Temple of Horus. 

Edfu is a small town located on the west bank of the Nile River between Esna & Aswan, & is the site of the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus & an ancient settlement & cemetery site from around 3000 BC onward. Just outside town, there are some ancient Pyramids. It was the 'home' & cult centre of the falcon god Horus of Behdet (ancient name for Edfu), although the Temple of Horus as it exists today is Ptolemaic.

The Temple of Horus (also known as the Temple of Edfu) is considered the best-preserved cult temple in Egypt. This partly because it was built later than most: in the Ptolemaic era from 237 to 57 BC.  Yet despite its later date, it exactly reflects traditional pharaonic architecture & provides an excellent idea of how all the temples once looked.

This Temple is also very large: the second largest in Egypt after the Karnak Temple in Luxor. The god Horus was worshipped at Edfu. It is an ancient cult site & believed by the Egyptians to be the site of a famous battle between Set the God of Chaos & Horus.

Preserved by desert sand, which filled the place after the pagan cult was banned, the Temple is dedicated to Horus, the avenging son of Isis & Osiris. It is very similar in style to the Temple of Hathor in Dendera. With its roof intact, it is also one of the most atmospheric of ancient buildings.

Two hundred years ago the temple was buried by sand, rubble and part of the village of Edfu, which had spread over the roof.  Excavation was begun by archeologist Auguste Mariette in the mid-19^th century.

Today, the temple is entered via a long row of shops selling tourist stuff & a new Visitor Centre with a room for showing a 15 minute film on the history of the temple in English.

Started by Ptolemy III (246–221 BC) in 237 BC, on the site of an earlier & smaller New Kingdom structure, the sandstone temple was completed some 180 years later by Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos, Cleopatra VII’s father.

In conception & design it follows the general plan, scale, ornamentation & traditions of Pharaonic architecture, right down to the Egyptian attire worn by Greek pharaohs depicted in the temple’s reliefs.

Although it is much newer than cult temples at Luxor or Abydos, its excellent state of preservation helps to fill in many historical gaps; it is, in effect, a 2000-year-old example of an architectural style that was already archaic during Ptolemaic times.

The short tour concludes & you return to the Ship, in time for breakfast.

Rest of the morning at leisure.

Shortly after, sail to Luxor, briefly stopping enroute, at Esna.

The city of Esna is located on the west bank of the Nile about 55km south of Luxor. It was an important region during the 18^th dynasty due to the developing relations with Sudan. Today, Esna is a somewhat sleepy yet busy merchant & farming town known for its weaving industry. The market of Esna is an ideal place to shop for fabric but an interesting experience is to see the animal market held every Saturday.

Temple of Khnum is the main attraction of Esna, located in the middle of modern Esna town at a level about nine meters below the current street level. Near the temple of Khnum lie the carved cartouches of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Another place to visit is the Temple of Chnum. Chnum was regarded as the God of life and fertility and looks like a man with the head of a ram.  This temple was not as old as the other monuments in the area but was a perfect example of Egyptian architecture.

Spend on hour, walking around & exploring the Temple.

Get back to the Ship.

Depart & after sailing for 3 hours, arrive in Luxor & & relax.

Luxor is one of Egypt's great attractions. A city on the east bank of the Nile River in southern Egypt. It is on the site of ancient Thebes, the Pharaohs’ capital at the height of their power, during the 11^th - 16^th centuries B.C.

Visitors have been coming here since the Greco-Roman times. Today, you can walk through history: past statues with the heads of gods & animals, beneath carved lotus buds & papyrus .(Optional : on direct payment - ride in a horse-drawn caleche or sail in a felucca or take a sunset cruise or see the city from a hot-air balloon). Thebes’ wealth & power, legendary in antiquity, began to lure Western travellers from the end of the 18^th century.

Scattered across the landscape is an embarrassment of riches. Today's city surrounds 2 huge, surviving ancient monuments. It is also commonly known as the world's largest open air museum, filled with awe inspiring monuments of ancient civilization as well as some of the best preserved. Luxor is built on & around the ancient site of Thebes.

Nothing in the world compares to the scale & grandeur of the monuments that have survived from ancient Thebes. Testaments to a desire for immortality, built for eternity in sandstone & granite, the temples, tombs & palaces still stand, surrounded by souks & luxury hotels.

On the east bank of the Nile, in the City of the Living, the graceful Luxor Temple & Karnak Temple, a mile north greets the sunrise. The setting is breathtakingly beautiful, the Nile flowing between the modern city & west-bank necropolis, backed by the enigmatic Theban escarpment.

The sunset on the west bank throws shadows through the City of the Dead where in the Valley of the Kings, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun, Tombs of the Nobles & hundreds of other, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut & Ramses Temple.  

Just after High tea on board, you will proceed to visit the incredible Temple of Karnak, the construction & development of which spanned the Middle Kingdom to Ptolemaic times.

Situated next to the small Karnak Village along the Corniche on the East Bank, a short walk from Luxor Temple, the Temple complex had many function. It was an important intellectual center, a spectacular complex of Temples, Chapels, Pylons, Obelisks & Sanctuaries covering more than 900 acres - enough space for 10 Cathedrals.

Every Pharaoh of note built, destroyed, enlarged, embellished or restored part of the complex to express his devotion to Amun (the God was often represented as a human with ram horns) & the Temple grew from the contributions of nearly 30 Pharaohs, making this magnificent structure the largest ancient religious site in the world.

The most accessible part of Karnak is the Precinct of Amun, which seems like an endless succession of massive pylons (Temple gateways), monumental statues & grand hypostyle walls.

The approach, connected with the temple of Luxor, lined with ram-headed sphinxes, leads to the First Pylon which, at 43m high & 130m wide is the largest in Egypt, even though it was never finished. In the forecourt, you will find Seti II’s shrine, which housed the sacred boats of the Triad & in the south corner, the superb Temple of Ramses III (20^th Dynasty).

Walk through the 13^th century BC Great Hypostyle Hall, an amazing forest” of more than 140 tall papyrus pillars expertly aligned over an area of 50,000 square feet, built by Seti I & his son Ramses II.

Beyond the Hypostyle Hall lies a rather larger & more confusing section of the Temple, built during the 18^th Dynasty (1550-1295 BC). In the courtyards beyond the Third & Fourth Pylons, are the finely carved obelisks of Tuthmosis II & farther on, of the female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut (1473-58 BC). The tip of her fallen obelisk lies on the way to the Sacred Lake.

Past the Sixth Pylon stand 2 elegant pillars carved with lotus & papyrus flowers, symbolic of Upper & Lower Egypt and the granite Sanctuary of Amun, built by Philip Arrhidaeus, the half-brother of Alexander the Great. This is where Amun’s effigy was kept & where, as the images on the walls show, daily offerings were made in his honor.

Beyond lies a large Central Court & the Jubilee Temple of Tuthmosis, where the king’s vitality & authority were symbolically renewed during the jubilee.

Interestingly, this huge temple complex was only allowed to be entered by the powerful priesthood; lay Egyptians were excluded & used intermediary deities, whose shrines they built against the Temple’s enclosure wall. One such series of chapels, known as the Chapels of the Hearing Ear, lies at the back of the Jubilee Temple.

Between the Third & Fourth Pylons, the Temple spreads southwards along the side of the Sacred Lake. In 1903, in the Cachette Court in front of the lake, some 17,000 bronze and 800 stone statues were uncovered. The finest of them are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The tour ends & you return to the Boat.

Evening, enjoy Dinner & a Belly Dance Show on board.

Overnight on board.   B L D  

The Cruise comes to an end & after breakfast on board, Check-out & disembark.

But the experience continues.

Accompanied by the Tour-guide, proceed to visit the West Bank to see the Valley of the Kings & Queens where you will see the Necropolis of Thebes, the burial grounds of the great pharaohs of the New Kingdom.

The magnificent monuments of Ancient Thebes stand proudly near the banks of the Nile around the modern city of Luxor.

This is where the pharaoh's were buried & hoped to meet their Gods in the afterlife. Tutenkhamun’s Tomb, discovered in the 1920's & almost untouched, is perhaps the best known. But he was a minor king in the scheme of things & had it not been for centuries of looting, the larger more impressive tombs would have yielded riches unsurpassed to the impressive haul found in King Tuts burial ground.

Today, Thebes has some of the finest monuments & most precious relics of ancient Egypt, including the extraordinary collections of art & artefacts in the tombs of the kings & queens, notably that of the young pharaoh Tutankhamun.

They include the Temples of Luxor & Karnak within the city (which you saw yesterday), the Colossi of Memnon, the temples of Deir al-Bahri & Medinat Habu and the concealed tombs of the Valleys of the Kings & Queens on the west bank.

Visit the Valley of the Queens which lies at the southern end of the necropolis. This is where the queens & their children were interred. See one of the most characteristic of Egyptian temples, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt's first female pharaoh at El-Deir El Bahari situated in a dramatic setting with a limestone backdrop.

Continue on to see the Colossi of Memnon, two large statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

When it comes to the task of reflecting the magnificence of the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, Colossi of Memnon does just that. Known to the locals as es-Salamat or el-Colossat, the site holds 2 colossal stone figures of the Pharaoh seated on his throne with his hands on his knees & a straight gaze eastwards - 20 metres high with 2 metres long & 1 metre thick feet cut out of single blocks of quartzite sandstone from el Gabal el-Ahmar - erected in 1350 BC, to act as guards to a Theban necropolis along the Nile River, when he was considered as a living god on earth.

One of the figures aptly called the Northern statue has a smaller figure on the side resembling the Pharaoh’s mother Mutemwia. The Southern statue has smaller figures of Tiy, Pharaoh’s wife & one of his daughters. On the sides of the sculpture are depictions of Nile gods representing Upper & Lower Egypt.

Aside from the huge statues, the site also has remaining artifacts. There are 2 headless lion bodied sphinxes and a crocodile tailed sphinx. With the efforts to preserve the remaining artifacts, may the pieces be available to tourists of the future generations.

The full day tour comes to an end.

You are transferred to Luxor International Airport for the short flight back to Cairo.

On arrival at Cairo International Airport, you would be welcomed by a Journeys Rep who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel.

Check-in at the hotel.

Balance of the evening is at leisure for independent exploration (we would be happy to offer suggestions).

Overnight.  B 

Alas, like all good things, the wonderful experience comes to an end. Time to say good-bye to mystical Egypt & go home. But, we sure hope that you may want to discover a little bit more of this enchanting country on your next visit.

Check-out of the hotel by 11:00 am (if the departure time is later in the evening, we will request the hotel to allow the usage of the facilities & to leave the luggage at the Bell Desk). 

Your nerves will jangle, your snot will run black from the smog & touts will hound you at every turn, but it is a small price to pay to tap into the energy of the place Egyptians call Umm Ad Dunya - the Mother of the World. Blow your nose, crack a joke & look through the dirt to see the city's true colours. If you love Cairo, it will definitely love you back & welcome you back.

 “Travel is like knowledge. The more you see the more you know you have not seen” - Mark Hertsgaard

In time, you will be met by a Journeys Rep, who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to Terminal? - Cairo International Airport for your onward journey.  B

 .

  ***      End of Services      ***