2009
TREASURES OF
EGYPT
Depart:
February 14, 2009
Return:
February 28, 2009
Tour No: TOE-214-9
Tour Price (per person): $XXXX Twin, $XXXX Triple, $XXXX Single
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Day 1 – Saturday, February 14
HONOLULU
/ MAINLAND
U.S.A.
Leave
Honolulu
via air on an overnight flight to the mainland.
Day 2 – Sunday, Febrary 15 MAINLAND
U.S.A.
Upon arriving on the Mainland, we transfer to an airport hotel for accommodations.
Day 3 – Monday, February 16 MAINLAND
U.S.A.
/
CAIRO
We depart for our flight to
Rome
. This is the time to check out the Duty Free store.
Day 4 – Tuesday, February 17
CAIRO
,
EGYPT
Upon arrival in
Cairo
, time to rest or start soaking up the atmosphere of this exciting city. Awelcome drink awaits you at your hotel.
Day 5 – Wednesday, February 18
CAIRO
. THE PYRAMIDS
Meet your Egyptologist and traveling companions at
8 a.m.
Then a leisurely day of sightseeing in and around
Africa
’s largest metropolis starts at the
EGYPTIAN
MUSEUM
with Tutankhamon’s fabulous treasures, an exciting first encounter with the splendor of three millennia of Egyptian civilization . On to
GIZA
for a close-up look at the enigmatic SPHNIX and the daunting GREAT PYRAMIDS. Cheops’, with an original height of 496 feet, in the most colossal ever built. A suggestion for tonight: returnto
Giza
to enjoy the optional sound and light show. (BB)
Day 6 – Thursday, February 19
CAIRO
.
ALEXANDRIA
EXCURSION
A pleasant drive through the fertile Nile Delta to the seaport of
Alexandria
. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C., this Mediterranean port city soon became one of the major centers of commerce and science of the Hellanisticworld. Your sightseeing features the GRECO-ROMAN MUSEUM, Pompey’s massive red granite pillar, and the intriguingly decorated CATACOMBS. Before making your way back to
Cairo
, stroll through the narrow lanes of the ancient city. (BB, L)
Day 7 – Friday, February 20
CAIRO
/
LUXOR
This morning leave
Cairo
for ancient
MEMPHIS
to admire the 40-foot statue of Ramses II and the Alabaster Sphinx. On to
SAKKARA
’S “stairway to the sky,” the oldest of all pyramids. Later, transfer to the airport for your 300-mile flight up the
Nile
Valley
to
Luxor
(BB, D)
Day 8 – Saturday, February 21
LUXOR
/ EMBARCATION
After a morning at leisure, board your elegant river cruise vessel in time for lunch. The afternoon look forward to a grand start to sightseeing in the
Nile
Valley
. See the stunning monuments of
LUXOR
and
KARNAK
, the greatest cities of ancient
Egypt
, with, in their heyday, a combined population of more than one million. To walk among the pillars of the colossal
TEMPLE
OF
AMON RA
and along the AVENUE OF THE SPHINXES in an experience which you will treasure for the rest of your life. After dinner tonight you may want to take in the optional sound and light show at
Karnak
. (BB, L, D)
Day 9 – Sunday, February 22
LUXOR
/ EDFU
Focus on the
VALLEY
OF
THE KINGS
and
VALLEY
OF
THE QUEENS
on the west bank of the
Nile
, where generations of pharaohs and nobles were buried in great splendor in crypts cut into the cliffs. Sixty-two royal tombs have been uncovered so far, of which one, the tomb of Tutankhamon, was nearly inviolate when discovered in 1922. Visit DEIR EL-BAHARI, queen Hatshepsut’s monumental rock temple. Also stop for pictures at the two COLOSSI OF MEMNON guarding the valleys. In the afternoon start your leisurely cruise up
Egypt
’s river of destiny. During the hottest part of the day sip a drink on the sun deck of your cruise boat and savor the panorama. See white-clad farmers with their donkeys, camels, and water buffaloes work lush green fields and ever present on the horizon beyond the palm trees, the desert.
(FB, L, D)
Day 10 – Monday, February 23 EDFU / KOM OMBO
Board a horse-drawn carriage for the drive through Edfu to the
TEMPLE
OF
HORUS
with its menacing black stone statue of the falcon god. Built in the time of Cleopatra about 2,000 years ago, it is recent by Old Egyptian standards and beautifully preserved. After lunch, dock at KOM OMBO for a short walk to its bluff-top temple dedicated to the crocodile and falcon gods. Time to haggle for bargins in the local market before returning to the boat and sailing towards
Aswan
. (FB, L, D)
Day 11 – Tuesday, February 24
ASWAN
/ DISEMBARKATION
After breakfast on board disembark and check into your hotel in
Aswan
. Then, an included excursion to the turn-of- the-century OLD DAM, to this day the widest dam in the world, and the gigantic Aswan HIGH DAM completed in 1970. Board a motor launch to the island of AGILIKA between the two dams and visit the TEMPLE OF ISIS, transplanted from the submerged os;amd pf {o;ac/ A;sp stp[ at the ancient GRANITE QUARRIES to see the famous, unfinished obelisk. Balance of the day is at leisure to enjoy the lovely resort town at your own pace (FB, D)
Day 12 – Wednesday, February 25
ASWAN
Morning free to catch up on postcard writing and shopping, or to join an optional flight (weather permitting, approximately US$200) to the huge sandstone temples of
Abu Simbel
. A special treat this afternoon: board a felucca and sail right across the blue waters of the river. En route see the ancient “nilometer” on Elephantine Island, Kitcherner Island’s lush BOTANICAL GARDENS, and the splendid Aga Khan Mausoleum on the left bank. (BB, D)
Day 13 – Thursday, February 26
ASWAN
/
CAIRO
Today fly from
Aswan
back to
Cairo
. Time this afternoon for independent activities or to join an optional excursion to walled Old Cairo, with Saladin’s 12th-century Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, and the labyrinthine bazaar. And how about our optional dinner cruise on the
Nile
River
tonight to celebrate the success of your Egyptian touring adventure? (BB)
Day 14 – Friday, February 27
CAIRO
/ MAINLAND
U.S.A.
After a buffet breakfast, we leave
Cairo
via air to the continental
U.S.A.
and overnight on the West Coast.
Day 15 – Saturday, February 28 MAINLAND
U.S.A.
/
HONOLULU
After a leisurely breakfast, then transfer back to the airport and continue home to
Honolulu
.
Please retain your ticket copy and boarding passes in the event you need them later for proof of your flights (to accumulate frequent flyer miles, for example). We are unable to supply ticket copies after you return.
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Every effort has been made to produce this itinerary without error.
Should any occur, we reserve the right to correct.
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