Date
March 8 – 17 (or 21), 2020
About This Tour
No country in the world has so many impressive antiquities as does Egypt. Few civilizations can compete with Egypt’s magnificent structures, its legendary history, or its long centuries of peace. For tens of thousands of years, the River Nile has been the focal point of life, and ancient Egyptians believed the river’s waters came from a “mysterious heaven of plenty.” The availability of this unlimited supply of water allowed the creation of a society which produced the wonders of ancient Egypt.
The ancient Greeks saw Egypt as a source of all wisdom. Roman emperors traveled here to marvel at the pyramids. As a result, Egypt is probably one of the world’s oldest vacation spots. During our exciting 30th anniversary year-long celebration, Toto Tours invites you on a cultural odyssey to Egypt to cruise on the Nile and step back into history. In addition to the main tour, Toto Tours offers a pre-tour extension to Alexandria, Egypt, and a post-tour extension to Jordan.
Tour Highlights
- Alexandria Pre-Tour Extension
- The Great Pyramids and Sphinx *
- Egyptian Museum
- Karnak Temple
- Luxor *
- Valley of the Kings *
- Valley of the Queens *
- Entrance to Nefertari’s Tomb
- Colossi of Memnon
- Luxurious Nile River Cruise
- Temple of Horus at Edfu
- Kom Ombo Temple
- Aswan
- Sail aboard a classic felucca boat
- Philae Temple *
- Abu Simbel *
- Jordan Post-Tour Extension
- Dead Sea
- Petra *
- Wadi Rum * * UNESCO World Heritage Sites
OPTIONAL PRE-TOUR EXTENSION TO ALEXANDRIA
Arrive in Cairo / Transfer to Alexandria
Arrange for your international flights to arrive in Cairo, Egypt by mid-day today. Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, a Tour Coordinator will be waiting to escort you by air-conditioned vehicle from Cairo to Alexandria. Our hotel is located on the waterfront, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, providing a great base of operations to explore ancient Alexandria. Once you have checked into your room, the rest of the day is free to relax, unwind, and enjoy the amenities of our hotel. Dinner is included tonight at our luxury hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. (Lunch and Dinner included)
Alexandria Sightseeing
Known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", Alexandria has been a destination for travelers since its foundation by Alexander the Great in 331 BC. After declining into little more than a sleepy fishing village, Alexandria was revived in the 19th century as an important port, and immigrants from Europe and the Middle East came to settle here, bringing a cosmopolitan flair and a heyday captured in Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet. We begin our full-day sightseeing tour with a visit to the modern, disk-shaped Alexandria Library and Museum, which comprises more than 1,800 archaeological pieces that narrate the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, Coptic, Islamic and modern history of Egypt.
We see Qait Bay Fort, set on the site of the famous Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria and one of the most important defensive strongholds on the Mediterranean coast in its day. Next, visit Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque, one of Alexandria's largest and most famous religious monuments. After feasting for lunch at a popular fish market restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean, we continue to the Roman Amphitheater, the only one of its kind in Egypt. Finally, we visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shugafa, the largest Roman burial site in Egypt and the final resting place for 300 individuals, whose tombs are cut into the bedrock in massive tiers, descending 35 meters (115 feet) into the ground. (Breakfast / Lunch)
Return to Cairo
Enjoy a free morning to sleep in late, take a late breakfast, relax at the hotel or do some brief last-minute exploration close to our hotel. Lunch is on your own today. We depart our hotel in early afternoon and make the 2½-hour drive from Alexandria to Cairo. Once you have settled into our hotel for the start of the Main Tour, the remainder of the evening is at your leisure. Overnight in Cairo. (Breakfast)
MAIN TOUR
Arrive in Cairo / Welcome Dinner
If not participating in the optional pre-tour extension to Alexandria, plan to arrive in Cairo by mid-day today. We can arrange an additional night in Cairo if you wish to come early – simply let us know on your reservation form. Upon arrival at the airport, a local host will meet you and transfer you to our hotel in downtown Cairo. The afternoon is free to rest up from jet lag and enjoy the amenities of our luxury hotel. This evening our entire group will meet for the first time as Toto Tours hosts a Welcome Dinner at our hotel. Overnight in Cairo. (Dinner included)
Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) Complex is brand new – opening in 2020! It is described as the largest archeological museum in the world displaying the heritage of a single civilization, exhibiting the full Tutankhamun collection with many pieces to be displayed for the first time. The museum is sited on 120 acres of land approximately two kilometers from the Giza pyramids and is part of a new master plan for the plateau. The Museum contains over 100,000 artifacts, reflecting Egypt's past from prehistory until the Greek and Roman Periods. As you enter the museum, you can't miss the colossal statue of King Ramses II, nor the 87 huge royal artefacts exhibited at the grand stairs. These stairs lead up to an impressive 28-meter-high glass façade overlooking the pyramids of Giza. The GEM also hosts over 5,000 artefacts from the tomb of the golden Pharaoh Tutankhamun. We will have lunch today aboard the 1901 paddle steamship Le Pacha, one of Cairo’s landmark dining venues moored on the Nile. Returning to our hotel, the remainder of the day is at leisure. (Breakfast / Lunch)
Memphis / Sakkara / Pyramids of Giza
Today features some of the most extraordinary highlights of your tour! Our day begins with the legendary city of Memphis, which was founded in 3100 BC by Menes, the Pharaoh who united Upper and Lower Egypt. It became the capital of the Old Kingdom. Next, we move on to Sakkara, the former necropolis (cemetery) for the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and the place where the very first pyramids were built as tombs for kings. The pyramids here feature six steps on the outside, representing the pharaoh's stepladder to heaven. Discover the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first pyramid ever built and the world's oldest freestanding stone structure. Lunch today is at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Great Pyramids of Giza.
The Great Pyramids of Giza are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built over 4,500 years ago as giant tombs for the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were a father, son and grandson. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest, Khufu's, constructed from over two million enormous stone blocks. We visit the Solar Boat Museum as well as the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. We return to the hotel after a thrilling day, and the evening is at your leisure. (Breakfast / Lunch)
Cairo Sightseeing
Visit the newly refurbished Coptic Museum, displaying a wonderful collection of sculptures dating from Pre-Christian times up until the fifth Century, as well as bone carvings, frescoes, icons, relics and colorful textiles. Our next stop is the Church of St. Sergius, located inside the Roman fortress in Old Cairo, followed by the Hanging Church, so named because it sits "suspended" on top of the Fortress of Babylon that the Romans built when they came to Egypt.
Next, visit the Synagogue of Ben Ezra, built during the time of the once-thriving Jewish community in Egypt. Inside, the so-called "Geniza Documents" were found, a treasure hailed as an unparalleled source of information about the life of the Jews in Egypt's past. We continue our tour to the Citadel, a medieval fortress built in 1176 to protect the city from Crusaders which sits high above Cairo on a limestone hill. Today, the Citadel complex houses mosques and museums, including the National Military Museum.
Lunch today is at a famous restaurant in the heart of the Khan El-Khalili Bazaar. After a wonderful meal, we enjoy wandering through the labyrinth of narrow streets in the Bazaar to marvel at the dazzling array of handicrafts for sale. Perhaps you will find some treasured souvenirs? We return to the hotel for one more free evening in Cairo. (Breakfast / Lunch)
Temples of Luxor and Karnak / Welcome Aboard
After breakfast, we depart our hotel and drive to the Cairo International Airport for our flight to Luxor. There a local tour coordinator will meet us and take us to our 5-Star Deluxe Nile cruise boat. The reception staff greets us and helps us check into our cabins. Lunch will be served on board in the main restaurant. After lunch, our tour of Luxor’s East Bank begins with a visit to the Temple of Karnak. Next your Egyptologist will guide you on a tour of the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor. Return to your cruise boat for afternoon tea in the lounge. Tonight, we are greeted by the Boat Manager while we enjoy freshly prepared canapés with some complimentary Egyptian wine and local beer, followed by a gourmet dinner menu. (All Meals)
Valley of the Kings and Queens
After a delicious breakfast buffet on board, visit the West Bank of Luxor to explore the Valley of the Kings. We continue to the Valley of the Queens for a memorable visit to the Tomb of Queen Nefertari – one of the most beautifully preserved in the entire valley! Marvel at the grandeur of the Funerary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. On the way back to our Nile cruise boat we stop to see the famed Colossi of Memnon. Lunch and afternoon tea are served in the lounge while we cruise to Esna, where we moor for the night. A gourmet dinner will be served on board. (All Meals)
Esna / Edfu
Breakfast will be served on board. This morning, our Egyptologist will guide us through the Greco-Roman Temple of Khnum at Esna. The beautifully preserved Great Hypostyle Hall was built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius. It was excavated from the silt that had accumulated through centuries of annual Nile floods and is about 27 feet below present-day street level. Our cruise continues onward to Edfu, while we enjoy our lunch. This afternoon, we explore the extraordinary Temple of Horus at Edfu. We return to our ship, where afternoon tea is served in the lounge. You will have the chance to participate in an Egyptian cooking lesson as we continue cruising to Kom Ombo. Tonight’s program will feature an “Egyptian Night” costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian “galabeyyas”. Dinner will be a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties. (All Meals)
Kom Ombo / Aswan
After breakfast on board, make a morning visit to the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank. We return to the boat and continue our cruise to Aswan. After lunch we board a small motorboat to visit the majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika. Next, we proceed to the Granite Quarries which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in building the pyramids and temples. You will be astonished by the size of a huge unfinished obelisk. Afternoon tea will be served in the lounge. Close to sunset we sail on a felucca (a typical Egyptian boat) around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Gardens, and the Agha Khan Mausoleum (weather permitting). Tonight’s farewell dinner will be a gala dinner (jacket required), with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine. After dinner, enjoy a folkloric performance and a whirling dervish show as part of the evening’s festivities. (All Meals)
Abu Simbel
A buffet breakfast is served on board before check out at 8 am. Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to the Aswan Airport to board a 40-minute flight to Abu Simbel. (Snack lunch provided). At Abu Simbel the two temples of Ramses II are each fronted by colossal statues up to 66 feet high and are famed as some the most impressive monuments remaining of Ancient Egypt. As the Aswan Dam was being finished, the temples would have been covered by the rising waters of Lake Nasser. With the urgent help of a UNESCO campaign they were cut into blocks, raised piece by piece and reassembled in a new position higher up the hillside. After this memorable visit we board our return flight to Cairo via Aswan. Checking in to our hotel near the Cairo Airport, the remainder of the evening is free to prepare for your journey home. (Breakfast / Lunch)
Departure
The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning. We provide your transfer to the international airport for your return flight home. If you wish to extend your stay in Cairo (or take the optional extension to Jordan), please let us know on your reservation form. (Breakfast)
