14 Days – Backroads Journey – Cairo / Luxor

Start your day with a customized tour which includes a private vehicle with a licensed driver and, a trained Egyptologist guide. You will view the highlight of the Saqqara monuments, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is the first pyramid built in Egypt. This pyramid dates to 2700 BC and was built for the 3rd Dynasty Old Kingdom pharaoh Djoser who ruled about 2691 -2625 BC. Djoser Step Pyramid was built a full one hundred years before the Great Pyramids’ work even begun. For a structure of 4,600 years old and 200 feet tall, the Step Pyramid of Djoser was the perfect introduction to Egyptian pyramids. They only got better after that, giving us the most amazing architecture in ancient history.

Lunch will be provided at a local restaurant where you can enjoy the wonderful aromas and flavors of an Egyptian cuisine. Travel back to Giza plateau and explore the Great Pyramids and the famous Sphinx on the Giza Necropolis plateau.

Learn about the Great Pyramids of Giza and how they were covered with casing stones which were made of highly polished limestone. The sun's reflected light upon the casing stones made the pyramids shine and look like a jewel.

The Great Pyramids’ original look with its shining casing stones would act like huge mirrors and reflect light so powerful that it would be very visible from the moon as a shining star on the earth. No wonder why the ancient Egyptians called the Great Pyramid “Ihket”, which means the glorious light. This wonderful tour includes entry to the Pyramid of Khufu, also known as Cheops Pyramid. You tour will include a visit to a fascinating papyrus institute. You'll end your 2nd exciting day in Egypt by enjoying a wonderful dinner meal at a great local restaurant.

.

Travel back to Giza plateau and explore the Great Pyramids and the famous Sphinx on the Giza Necropolis plateau.

Learn about the Great Pyramids of Giza and how they were covered with casing stones. The casing stones were made of highly polished limestone. The ancient Egyptians covered the Great Pyramids with casing stones so it can reflect the sun’s light. The reflected sun’s light with the casing stone made the pyramid shine and look like a jewel.

The Great Pyramids’ original look with its shining casing stones would act like huge mirrors and reflect light so powerful that it would be very visible from the moon as a shining star on the earth. No wonder why the ancient Egyptians called the Great Pyramid “Ihket”, which means the glorious light.

This wonderful tour includes entry to the Pyramid of Khufu, also known as Cheops Pyramid. You will visit a fascinating papyrus institute and enjoy a wonderful dinner meal at a great local restaurant to end your 3rd exciting day in Egypt. *Optional camel ride along the Giza plateau.

Take an early flight to Luxor. Upon arrival at the Luxor airport, you will be met by your airport liaison and a private vehicle is provided to the Sonesta St. George or Old Winter Palace Hotel.

Enjoy a private custom tour of Luxor’s fascinating and historic East Bank with a qualified Egyptologist guide. Your guide has the education, experience, and knowledge of Egyptian history to give you a fascinating insight into the historic sights you will be seeing.

You will start by visiting the Karnak temple. Walk along the Avenue of Sphinx to enter the complex, as your guide explains how the massive façade was constructed and how they used the Avenue of Sphinx for the Opet Festival.

Karnak Temple is more than just a temple; it is an open museum and the largest ancient religious site globally. It was built for the sacred Theban triad, God Amun Ra, his wife Goddess Mut, and their son, God Khonsu.

Continue to Luxor Temple which was once joined to the Temple of Karnak by the Sphinx Avenue. Luxor Temple was built by the king Amenhotep III, who dies before he finished it. King Ramses II then completed it and built his massive statues by the entrance of the temple. Return to your hotel and have dinner as you enjoy a wonderful sunset.

Join your private Egyptologist guide and explore some of the most incredible sites of the country. Your custom private tour will take you to the Queen Hatshepsut temple and the Tomb of King Tutankhamun.

Queen Hatshepsut was the most famous, intelligent, and powerful woman in ancient Egypt. She ruled Egypt for 20 years during the New Kingdom time (15th Century B.C.) She was considered one of the most successful pharaohs in Egyptian history. Hatshepsut was the daughter of King Thutmose I and Thutmose II’s wife (he was also her half-brother). Hatshepsut married her half-brother Thutmose II, whose mother was a lesser wife, in a common practice meant to ensure the purity of the royal bloodline. Thutmose II dies after a 15-year reign when Hatshepsut was 30 years old.

Head to the Valley of the Kings, where you will have the chance to explore three tombs. These tombs were constructed here for the kings, including King Tut, and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt).

In the Valley of the Kings, you will be able to learn about the reign of King Tut. His tomb is the only one that was not robbed because it is located underneath another tomb, the tomb of King Ramses VI. The tomb robbers didn’t look there because they never expected to be a tomb underneath another tomb. That’s why King Tutankhamun’s tomb was untouched until Carter found it in 1922.

Valley of the Queens includes a visit to the most beautiful Tomb of Nefertari. Wife of the legendary Pharaoh Ramses II. The beauty of the tomb has the most vivid colorful mural scenes.

Gaze at the splendid Colossi of Memnon, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Luxor, gained its popularity due to its majestic appearance and for the mysterious sounds emitted by the northern colossus statue at every sunrise. Prior to returning to your hotel on the Nile River, enjoy a visit to an alabaster factory with the most amazing treasures. In the late afternoon relax as you enjoy sunset while riding on a horse draw carriage along the corniche.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before checkout. Your private driver and tour guide will drive you to Dendera to visit the Temple of Hathor. The temple is one of the most well-preserved sites in Egypt today and is an excellent example of traditional Pharaonic architecture. It was built during the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which was a period of Greek rule in Egypt.

Continue your drive to Abydos where you’ll check into the House of Life Hotel and enjoy a wonderful diner.

Enjoy breakfast at House of Life prior to seeing Abydos Temple. The necropolis was used by Egypt’s earliest kings and later became a pilgrimage center for the worship of the god Osiris. It is also where the cults of the deified kings of ancient Egypt were celebrated. Known for the Pharaonic era’s artistry, the vibrantly colored wall and ceiling paintings, as well as the sculpted column work of the Temple of Seti I, are a highlight of a Nile journey. Built of limestone and laid out on three levels, the temple is unusual in many respects from other Egyptian temples, honoring Osiris, Isis, Horus, Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun and the deified Pharaoh Seti I.

Return to the hotel for an afternoon lunch prior to driving to Minya where you’ll enjoy your evening meal at the Pioneer Floating Hotel.

Visit Tuna el-Gebel was the necropolis of Khmun. It is the largest known Greco-Roman necropolis in Egypt, dating from the New Kingdom to the Roman Period and used in the Ptolemaic Period. It’s located in Al Minya Governorate in Middle Egypt.

The Tomb of Petosiris in Dakhla Oasis is the only free-standing tomb that takes the shape of the façade of the Egyptian temple that dates to the early Greco-Roman Period, to the reign of Ptolemy I. It’s famous for its mixed iconography which only appeared in the pronaos where the daily life scenes are represented.

The Ibis Catacombs are the most remarkable places in Tune el-Gebel for enclosing the mummified bodies of Ibis and the Baboon. These birds were considered the live image of the god Thuth, God of wisdom, and therefore worshipped in their life and then mummified and buried in catacombs. The rooms of the animals’ necropolis were about 15m height encompassing some stone niches where the mummified birds were kept. There are also stone ibis sarcophagi and pottery jars that contained the mummified bodies dating to Darious I.

Tomb of Isadora – Isadora was a wealthy woman who drowned in the Nile River during the rule of Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161) while running away with her lover. Her body was mummified, and at some time after her death, a cult would be developed around her tomb. Her tomb has few decorations, but it does contain the unfortunate woman’s mummy, and displayed in a glass case. It remains in excellent condition. Her teeth, hair and fingernails clearly visible.

Visit Beni Hasan, an Ancient Egyptian cemetery site. The most important are the tombs of Kheti, Baqet, Khnumhotep and Amenemhet. These tombs have great reliefs that depict fishing, hunting, weaving, bird trapping, travel and warfare. You’ll also see rare full frontal face illustrations that are outstanding.

Drive to Tel El-Amarna located midway between Thebes and Memphis on the Nile River. This is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site containing the remains of what was the capital city of the late Eighteenth Dynasty.

Ahmose Tomb – Ahmose I, was the founder of the 18th Dynasty and the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt.

Huya Tomb – Huya was an Egyptian noble living around 1350 BC. He was the “superintendent of the Royal Harem” “Superintendent of the Treasury” and “Superintendent of the House”, all titles that are associated with Queen Tiye. He was the steward of Akhenaten’s mother, Queen Tiye, and the relief scenes to the right and left of the entrance of his tomb show Tiye dining with her son and his family.

Check into the Helnan Auberge Fayoum Hotel and enjoy a leisure afternoon before diner.

After breakfast, enjoy a fun safari thru the desert sands. Visit the Valley of the Whales with fossils of whales dating back to 40 -200 million years ago. All transport is by 4WD Jeep or WD Quad. Enjoy lunch in the desert before heading back to your hotel for some leisure time.

In the evening you’ll enjoy a sunset sail on Lake Qarun, Fayoum, which is considered the oldest natural lake in the world, the third largest lake in Egypt. Lake Qarun is also an internationally designated important bird area where thousands of migratory bird’s rests during their winter migration pattern south. Flamingos, grey herons, spoonbills and many duck species flock to the lake during the fall. The lake provides food, shelter and breeding grounds for a wide variety of resident and migrating birds, including several endangered species.

Time to explore Tunis Village, which is famous for its pottery and handicrafts. It’s located in the oasis of Fayoum, on a hill facing a large saltwater lake. The village overlooks a stunning view of the edge of the desert on the other side of the lake. It is one of the most beautiful places in Egypt.

You’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and then the afternoon is leisure time for you to explore.

Spend the morning and early afternoon exploring this fascinating Tunis Village. You can visit explore the various hand-crafted pottery artisans, horseback ride along the lake and enjoy bird watching. For the adventurous travelers, you can ride a bike in and around Tunis Village.

After lunch at the hotel, you will fly back to Cairo and check into the Steigenberger Tahir Square Hotel.

Visit the best display of Egyptian history at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities in Tahir Square. Enjoy a trip to Khan El-Khalili, the famous bazaar and souk in the historic center of Cairo. The bazaar is loud, crowded, colorful, and exciting. It’s filled with all kinds of food and shiny baubles. Amongst the typical tourist trinkets, there is some genuinely fine shopping to be found at the market. Even if you are not looking to buy, taking a walk through the winding alleys of this labyrinthine district, you are sure to find something that will catch your eye.

Walk along Moezz Street, which is adjacent to the bazaar. It’s a 1 km long pedestrian street and has the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world. It’s known as Historic Cairo, but locals refer to it as “Old Cairo”.

Your airport liaison will meet you at your hotel and assist with your departure to the Cairo International Airport, and your final check-in process.