Day One – Europe: Today we depart on our trans-Atlantic flight.

Day Two – Europe / Cairo: Arrive Cairo, Egypt. After clearing Passport Controls we will be greeted by our professional Egyptian tour manager and transferred to our hotel in Cairo.

Day Three – Cairo / Luxor: Our morning sightseeing program includes the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, with its superb collection of relics dating back to 4000 B.C. The highlight of the museum are the dazzling contents of the tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamen. Here you’ll see the splendors of King Tut, including his intricate gold mask, jewelry and ceremonial burial furnishings. Later, we visit the plateau of Giza where the Sahara borders the Nile Valley. Here we’ll visit one of the most famous constructions in human history, the Pyramid of King Khufu, built in the middle of the third millennium B.C. Also, we’ll visit the Sphinx and the Solar Boat Museum, which contains Cheops’ 142-foot- long funerary boat, the three small Queens’ Pyramids, and the Eastern Cemetery with the mastabas of the Royal Family. This evening, we’ll be transferred to the Cairo train station for our journey to Luxor ... overnight train.

Day Four – Luxor / Karnak: Following our arrival in Luxor, we will then visit Karnak, a giant archaeological site from the Middle Kingdom to Ptolemaic times where the great Pharaohs of Egyptian history built their monuments, temples, and chapels. Later we’ll visit the temple of Luxor before boarding our cruise boat.

Day Five – Valley of Kings and Queens: Luxor lies on the site of Thebes, the capital of Egypt at its height. Our tour of the Valley of the Kings which includes the Tomb of Tuthankhamun, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and the Valley of the Queens. Later, we visit Egypt’s greatest holy place, the temple city of the King of the Gods Amun-Re. We’ll have lunch on our cruise boat and set sail to Esna, passing through the lock and on to Edfu. Overnight cruise Boat.

Day Six – Edfu / Kom Ombo / Aswan: This morning we visit the temple of the falcon-headed Horus, one of the finest examples of Ptolemaic art in Egypt, by horse carriage. Later, we sail to Kom Ombo to view the temple which is dedicated to the hawk-headed god, Harwar, and the crocodile god, Sobek. Then continue sailing to Aswan. Overnight Aswan on cruise boat.

Day Seven – Aswan: Today we visit, the New High Aswan Dam & the Philae Temple which represents a fusion of three great civilizations - Egyptian, Greek and Roman. Following lunch we visit the Granite Quarries where an immense, unfinished 1170-ton obelisk illustrates the magnitude of ancient Egyptian skill. Our day ends with a traditional Felucca cruise on the Nile River. Overnight cruise boat in Aswan.

Day Eight – Aswan / Cairo: After breakfast we transfer to the Aswan airport for our short flight to Cairo. Today’s sightseeing in Cairo includes the walls of the Roman fortress that surround Cairo’s oldest quarter, the Coptic Quarter. Our morning tour will include the Coptic Museum which houses a unique collection of Coptic art treasures. Other stops will include the Earthware manufacturers; Church of St. Serfius; the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary (Al-Mu’allaqah - the hanging one); the Abu Serga Church; the Ben-Ezra synagogue, built on the site of a 7th-century Christian church; and the Church of St. Barbara which dates back in its present form to the 10th/11th centuries. Tonight we’ll see the thrilling “Sound and Light” Show where the history of the pharaohs magically comes alive. Overnight Cairo.

Day Nine – Dahshur / Abusir / Saqqara / Memphis: Today we visit the pyramids of Dahshur ... the 3 km long field of pyramids at Dahshur are closed for military reasons, but many of the monuments from the Old and Middle Kingdom can be seen from the road including the first real pyramid of ancient Egypt, the Red Pyramid of King Snefru and see the Royal necropolis of the Fifth Dynasty. Continue to Saqqara to visit the huge Necropolis of Saqqara. We will see the Step Pyramid of King Djoser which dominates the necropolis; the Pyramid of Unas; the Mastabas of Aknti-Hotep and Ptah-Hotep, Serapeum, the Mastaba of Ti; and the Tombs of the Brothers and Noblemen. En route to Cairo, we’ll visit Memphis, the Royal City, one of the most important cities in Egypt. Our visits will include the Open Air Museum and the Colossus of Ramesses II. Overnight in Cairo.

Day Ten – Goshen: Our full day excursion to the Land of Goshen, a place in Egypt given to the Hebrews by the pharaoh (Genesis), and the land from which they later left at the time of the Exodus. Highlights of the day will include: Tell el-Yahudeya (Leontopolis), Tell Basta, possibly view Tell el-Dab’a (Avaris/Ra’amses)”, Wadi Tumilat (ancient canal), Tell el Rataba (Pithom), and Lake Timsah (Reed Sea). Overnight in Cairo.

Day Eleven – Alexandria: The most prominent feature of Alexandria was the Lighthouse of Pharos, 93 feet high and one of the seven wonders of the world, erected during the time of Emperor Diocletian by his troops. Following our city tour we’ll visit the National Museum of Alexandria. Return to Cairo in the early evening for our overnight.

Day Thirteen – Cairo / This morning we bid farewell to our tour manager and begin our return journey home via Europe.