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Home , Aswan, Edfu, Esna, Giza

EGYPTIAN KINGDOM EGYPTIAN KINGDOM

10 OR 13 DAYS

PROGRAM FEE INCLUDES: ■ Round-trip airfare ■ 3 overnight stays in hotels with private bathrooms (plus 3 nights with extension) ■ 4 nights cabin accommodations ■ 1 night couchette accommodations ■ Breakfast and dinner daily ■ 3 meals daily during cruise ■ Full-time EF Tour Director ■ Select guides and entrances to special attractions as per itinerary

TemTTeemmplep essw wereere a vitviv ala parpartto of the ecoc nomomic strructu ureur off ana cieieentn EgyEgygypt,pt,t emmployyinininggt thouousansasandsds toto buibubuiuildd thehheesese greg ata strsst uctuucctc ureururees.s. OPTIONAL: ■ Experience Egypt like the of old—from a cruise along the River . Marvel at the treasures of Egypt’s Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, as you stare up at the Great of Cheops, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and look into the eyes of the beguiling . From the Temple of to the , step back into a time when kings and queens were considered gods and goddesses.

Day 1 Flight Zoser during the 3rd Dynasty (c. 2980–2900 Overnight flight to Egypt • Relax as you fly B.C.). Continue on to to view the Great across the Atlantic. Pyramid of Cheops, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Narrow passageways lead Day 2 to the king’s chamber, deep in the heart of the Arrival in Cairo • Touch down in Cairo, Afri- 6-million-ton mausoleum—which still remains ca’s largest . After clearing customs, you are one of the world’s largest architectural structures. greeted by your EF Tour Director, who will re- Depending on restoration work in progress, you main with you throughout your stay. A private will visit either the second or third pyramid of motorcoach then takes you to your comfortable Giza. You’ll also see the beguiling 4,500-year- hotel for check-in. old limestone Sphinx. Some believe that the man-headed lion portrays the face of Day 3 Cairo Cheops himself. Guided excursion to Memphis, Sakkara and Giza • Your full-day guided excursion begins Day 4 Cairo • Nile Cruise where Egyptian history begins: in the ancient Morning flight • Board your morning flight city of Memphis, dating back to 3100 B.C. bound for . Memphis was the fi rst capital of a united Egypt. Board your Nile cruise • Arrive in Luxor, Next stop is Sakkara, site of the oldest Egyptian where you’ll embark on an unforgettable four- , including the Step Pyramid built by night cruise along Egypt’s legendary Nile River. Alexandriaxaxand (2)

Cairoairairo (3 or 4) Giza

Train (1)1)

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Visit to the Valley of the Kings • Visit the ne- Day 5 Nile Cruise Day 7 Nile Cruise cropolis of Th ebes, located on the western bank Sail to Edfu • Pass the Esna locks as you sail Optional visit to Abu Simbel • Pay tribute to of the Nile. Then journey along an ancient to Edfu, located on the banks of the Nile the ancient Pharoahs, immortalized in stone out- road to the famed Valley of the Kings, the spec- River, between Esna and . The Tem- side the entrance of the temples of Abu Simbel. tacular burial site used by Egyptian rulers of ple of Horus, located here, is one of the best- On this optional excursion, you’ll learn how, the New Kingdom period (1570–1070 B.C.). preserved examples of a Ptolemaic temple. in 1965, this majestic sanctuary was carefully Sixty-four Egyptian tombs have been discovered Near the temple, see the remains of the ancient relocated from its original position along the at this site, beginning with that of , found settlement, Tell Edfu. banks of the Nile to save it from rising fl oods. by Italian explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni in Temple of Horus • See the Greek-built Temple Inside the Great Temple of Ramses II, the walls 1817. Most of the tombs were carved deep into of Horus in Edfu, situated on the western banks highlight the lives of Ramses, the Pharoah who solid bedrock and were intended to preserve of the Nile. Dedicated to the Sky god and Pro- reigned over Egypt from 1290 to 1224 B.C., the royal mummies for eternity. They con- tector god, Horus, the 2,000-year-old temple and his wife, Nefertari, telling vivid stories of tain numerous rooms with carved and painted is the second-largest in Egypt and certainly the battles won and lost in 1300 B.C. hieroglyphic texts and scenes. Th e last tomb best-preserved. The fact that the temple is so discovered (1922), that of Tutankhamen of intact has helped researchers fi ll in many gaps in Day 8 Aswan • Night Train the 18th Dynasty, contained more than 5,000 knowledge about the Pharaonic it Aswan High Dam and granite quarries • items buried with the young king. To help pro- imitates. Marvel at its majestic statue, wall paint- See the 3,800-meter-long Aswan High Dam, tect the tombs from the eff ects of tourism, only ings, sacrifi cial scenes and historical inscriptions. built to tame the Nile. Th is is one of the great- a small number of tombs are ever open at any est engineering feats of the 20th century. You’ll one time. You’ll also view the Colossi of Mem- Day 6 Nile Cruise also see the granite quarries and unfinished non and Queen ’s uniquely terraced Sail to • Th en sail to Kom Ombo, of Aswan, from which ancient tombs at Deir el-Bahari. noted for its twin sandstone temple dedicated obtained the materials needed for their temples Visit to the Temple of Luxor • Th e mysterious to both the crocodile-headed god and and sarcophagi. mile-and-a-half-long Avenue of the the falcon-headed god Haroeris. VI be- Overnight train to Cairo • Board an overnight connects the Temple of with the awe- gan building the temple around 180 B.C., but train bound for Cairo. inspiring and sun-soaked Temple of Luxor. Lo- most of the work was completed under Neos cated on the eastern bank of the Nile in the heart Dionysos (80–51 B.C.). Day 9 Cairo of the city, Luxor was built as a mere chapel to Sail to Aswan • Th en sail to Aswan. Experience Arrival in Cairo • Return to Cairo. complement the Great Temple of Karnak but sailing on board the traditional Egyptian sailing Guided sightseeing of Cairo • Your guid- comprises royal courts, ram-headed sphinxes, boat known as the felluca. View ed tour of Cairo takes you to the spectacular pillared gates and porticoes. You’ll also see the fa- Island, the oldest inhabited area in Aswan. Th e mosques, monuments and minarets of Sultan mous pink granite obelisk, whose mate was taken island takes its name from the dark granite Hassan, Rifai and Mohammed Ali as you jour- to Paris in Napoleonic times. In 1799, French rocks that resemble a herd of elephants bathing ney to the 12th-century Citadel (entrance fee soldiers were so awed by the sight of the temple in a river. You will see the Botanical gardens to Mohammed Ali mosque is included). On a that they immediately—and spontaneously—fell and the Aga Khan Mausoleum. Aga Khan III clear day, you’ll have a panoramic view of the into rank and saluted it! (1877-1957) was the spiritual leader of the Is- Nile and the Pyramids. Visit to the Temple of Karnak • Experience mailis Shi’ite sect from India. Visit to the • You’ll also unparalleled grandeur as you visit Karnak, a visit the Egyptian Museum, containing the larg- vast and monumental city of temples. The est and most comprehensive collection of Phara- sacred barks of the divinities were once brought onic art in the world. Here, you can view the up the Nile to be delivered here during religious extraordinary treasures discovered in King Tut- ceremonies. The enormous complex consists ankhamen’s tomb—including his gold mask. of royal courts, papyrus columns, gigantic pylons, pillared sanctuaries, festival halls, tem- ples, chapels and colossal statues of kings. Try to decipher a hieroglyph or two! Day 10 Home Day 11 Day 13 Home Return home • Your tour director assists with Tour director-led sightseeing of Alexandria • Return home • Your tour director assists with the transfer to the airport, where you’ll check in Your tour director, also a professional Egyptolo- your early morning transfer to the airport, where for your return fl ight home. gist, introduces you to Alexandria, which served you’ll check in for your return fl ight home. as Egypt’s capital for over a millennium. You’ll EXTENSION visit the white-marble Greco-Roman theater, the Day 10 Cairo • Alexandria only one of its kind ever found in Egypt. Your For complete fi nancial and registration details, Transfer to Alexandria • Alternatively, your next stops are the royal Montaza Gardens and please refer to the Booking Conditions. group can extend its stay for three days. Transfer Pompey’s Pillar, a marble monument brought to the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria. to Alexandria from Aswan. Alexandria has borne Egypt’s second-largest metropolis was founded a strong Roman infl uence ever since Rome de- by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. feated Egypt in 31 B.C.

Day 12 Alexandria • Cairo Transfer to Cairo • Return to Cairo for one more night.

YOUR CURRICULUM To enroll go to efcollegestudytours.com ON A GLOBAL SCALE or call 1.877.485.4184

Cert no. SW-COC-002508

ITN0108EGYA Itinerary subject to change. 2010/Fall