Egypt - May 2009

 10 day tour - 3 credits  

 For more information, please contact:

Mary Jo Westlake, 218-322-2358 or mwestlake@itascacc.edu

 Approximate departure date: 

Sunday, May 17, 2008

(Dates below are subject to change. Required date flexibility of four (4) days on either side of requested departure date)  

Day 1 Sunday, May 17, 2009

Board your overnight flight to Egypt.  Relax as you fly across the Atlantic

Day 2 Monday, May 18, 2009

Arrival in Cairo

Touch down in Cairo, Africa's largest city.  After clearing customs, you are greeted by your EF Tour Director, who will remain with you throughout your stay.  A private motorcoach then takes you to your comfortable hotel for check-in.

Day 3 Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Guided Excursion to Memphis, Sakkara and Giza

Your full-day guided excursion begins where Egyptian history begins:  in the ancient city of Memphis, dating back to 3100 B.C.  Memphis was the first capital of a united Egypt.  Next stop is Sakkara, site of the oldest Egyptian pyramids, including the Step Pyramid built by Zoser during the 3rd Dynasty (c. 2980-2900 B.C.).  Continue on to Giza to view the Great Pyramid of Cheops, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.  Narrow passageways, lead to the king's chamber, deep in the heart of the 6-million-ton mausoleum - which still remains one of the world's largest architectural structures.  Depending on restoration work in progress, you will visit either the second or third pyramid of Giza.  You'll also see the beguiling 4,500-year-old limestone Sphinx.  Some believe that the man-headed lion portrays the face of Pharaoh Cheops himself.

Day 4 Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Morning Flight

Board your morning flight bound for Aswan or Luxor..

Board your Nile Cruise

Arrive in Aswan or Luxor, where you'll embark on an unforgettable four-night cruise along Egypt's legendary Nile River.  (Please note:  Depending on when and where you board your cruise - Aswan or Luxor - the order of sites is subject to change.  Also, your boat's passage through the lock of Esna may affect the timing of your visits.)

Aswan High Dam and Granite Quarries

See the 3,800-meter-long Aswan High Dam, built to tame the Nile.  This is one of the greatest engineering feats of the 20th century.  You'll also see the granite quarries of Aswan, from which ancient Egyptians obtained the materials needed for their temples and sarophagi.

Day 5 - 7 Thursday, May 21, to Saturday, May 23, 2009

Sail the Aswan Islands

On a day excursion, experience sailing onboard the traditional Egyptian sailing boat known as the felluca.  View Elephantine Island, the oldest inhabited area in Aswan.  The island takes its name from the dark granite rocks that resemble a herd of elephants bathing in a river.  You will see the botanical gardens and the Aga Khan Mausoleum.  Aga Khan III (1877-1957) was the spiritual leader of the Ismails Shi'ite sect from India. 

Sail to Kom Ombo and Edfu

Then sail to Kom Ombo, noted for its twin sandstone temple dedicated to both the crocodile-headed god Sobek and the falcon-headed god Haroeris.  Ptolemy VI began building the temple around 180 B.C., but most of the work was completed under Neos Dionysos (80-51 B.C.).  Continue on to Edfu, where you'll dock for the night.

Temple of Horus

See the Greek-built Temple of Horus in Edfu, situated on the western banks of the Nile.  Dedicated to the Sky god and Protector god, Horus, the 2,000-year-old temple is the second-largest in Egypt and certainly the best-preserved.  The fact that the temple is so intact has helped researchers fill in many gaps in knowledge about the Pharaonic architecture it imitates.  Marvel at its majestic statue, wall paintings, sacrificial scenes and historical inscriptions.

Sail to Luxor

Then sail to Luxor.  Nowhere else in the world have monuments from ancient civilization remained so intact.  The age-old city was first known as Thebes of the Hundred Gates, an appropriate name as the town drew visitors from all over the world.  The city's current name dates back to the Arab conquest; the Arabs were so impressed by the grandeur of the temples that they dubbed the town Aloskor (City of Palaces).

Visit to the Valley of the Kings

Visit the necropolis of Thebes, located on the western bank of the Nile.  Then journey along an ancient road to the famed Valley of the Kings, the spectacular burial site used by Egyptian rulers of the New Kingdom period (1570-1070 B.C.).  Sixty-four Egyptian tombs have been discovered at this site, beginning with that of Seti I, found by Italian explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni in 1817.  Most of the tombs were carved deep into solid bedrock and were intended to preserve the royal mummies for eternity.  They contain numerous rooms with carved and painted hieroglyphic texts and scenes.  The last tomb discovered (1922), that of Tutankhamen of the 18th Dynasty, contained more than 5,000 items buried with the young king.  To help protect the tombs from the effects of tourism, only a small number of tombs are even open at any one time.  You'll also view the Colossi of Memnon and Queen Hatshepsut's uniquely terraced tombs at Deir el-Bahari.

Day 8 Sunday, May 24, 2009

Arrive in Luxor or Aswan

Disembark from your cruise in Luxor or Aswan, where you will meet your bus.

Visit to the Temple of Luxor

The mysterious mile-and-a-half long Avenue of the Sphinxes connects the Temple of Karnak with the awe-inspiring and sun-soaked Temple of Luxor.  Located on the eastern bank of the Nile in the heart of the city, Luxor was built as a mere chapel to complement the Great Temple of Karnak but compromises royal courts, ram-headed sphinxes, pillared gates and porticoes.  You'll also see the famous pink granite obelisk, whose mate was taken to Paris in Napoleonic times.  In 1799, French soldiers were so awed by the sight of the temple that they immediately - and spontaneously - fell into rank and saluted it!

Visit to the Temple of Karnak

Experience unparalleled grandeur as you visit Karnak, a vast and monumental city of temples.  The sacred barks of the divinities were once brought up the Nile to be delivered here during religious ceremonies.  The enormous complex consists of royal courts, papyrus columns, gigantic pylons, pillared sanctuaries, festival halls, temples, chapels and colossal statues of kings.  Try to decipher a hieroglyph or two!

Optional Visit to Abu Simbel

Pay tribute to the ancient Pharoahs, immortalized in stone outside the entrance of the temples of Abu Simbel.  On this optional excursion, you'll learn how in 1965, this majestic sanctuary was carefully relocated from its original position along the banks of the Nile to save it from rising floods.  Inside the Great Temple of Ramses II, the walls highlight the lives of Ramses, the Pharoah who reigned over Egypt from 1290 to 1224 B.C. and his wife, Nefertari, telling vivid stories of battles won and lost in 1300 B.C.

Overnight Train to Cairo

Board an overnight train bound for Cairo.

Day 9 Monday, May 25, 2009

Arrival in Cairo

Return to Cairo

Guided Sightseeing of Cairo

Your guided tour of Cairo takes you to the spectacular mosques monuments and minarets of Sultan Hassan, Rifai and Mohammed Ali as you journey to the 12th century Citadel (entrance fee to Mohammed Ali mosque is included).  On a clear day, you'll have a panoramic view of the Nile and the Pyramids.  Join your tour director for a treasure hunt at Khalili market.

Visit to the Egyptian Museum

You'll also visit the Egyptian Museum, containing the largest and most comprehensive collection of Pharonic art in the world.  Here, you can view the extraordinary treasures discovered in King Tutankhamen's tomb - including his gold mask.

Day 10 Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Return flight

Your Tour Director will assist with the transfer to the airport, where you'll check in for your return flight home.

All Program Details and Costs are Subject to Change.

Tour Highlights and Details

 Included in the Program Fee:

• Round trip airfare
• Overnight stays in first-class, superior tourist class or tourist class hotels
  
• Breakfast and dinner daily; 3 meals during cruise
  
• Full-time services of an EF Tour Director

 Not included in the Program Fee:

• Customary gratuities for your tour director, local guide and driver
• Baggage carrying tips
• Personal insurance
• Beverages
• Public transportation to free time activities
• Optional excursions
  
  
  

Tour Fee Details for Egypt

 Program Fees                                

Basic tour price (before 9/30/08)          $2345

Air departure fees*                                 $ 662

Weekend supplement                              $  35

EF lifetime membership fee                     $  95

                                    Total                  $3137

 Additional Fees

Adult supplement**                                  $495

Passport                                                  $110

Visa & processing                                      $ 25

All inclusive insurance plan                        $115

Non-ICC Student fee                                $100

Tour Guide gratuities                                  $60

Your free time expenses                               ??

* Departure fees are subject to change

** Applicable to all participants aged 23 and over when on tour.

 For complete financial and registration details, please refer to the Booking Conditions at:  www.eftours.com/bc