Grand Tour Of Egypt Cruise

Day 1 - (Mon.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 - Cairo, Egypt. (Tue.) A welcome drink awaits you at your hotel; settle in and start soaking up the atmosphere of this exciting city.

Day 3 - Cairo. The Pyramids. (Wed.) Meet your Egyptologist and traveling companions at 8am. Then, a leisurely day of sightseeing in and around Africa's largest metropolis starts at the EGYPTIAN MUSEUM with Tutankhamun's fabulous treasures, an exciting first encounter with the splendor of three millennia of Egyptian civilization. On to GIZA for a close-up look at the enigmatic SPHINX and the daunting Great Pyramids. Cheops, with an original height of 496 feet, is the most colossal pyramid ever built. A suggestion for tonight: return to Giza to enjoy the optional sound and light show. (B)

Day 4 - Cairo. Alexandria Excursion. (Thu.) A pleasant drive through the fertile Nile Delta to the seaport of Alexandria. Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, this Mediterranean port city soon became one of the major centers of commerce and science of the Hellenistic world. Your sightseeing features the GRECO-ROMAN MUSEUM, Pompey's massive red granite pillar, and the intriguingly decorated CATACOMBS. Before making your way back to Cairo, stroll through the narrow lanes of the ancient city. (B,L)

Day 5 - Cairo - Luxor. (Fri.) Depart Cairo for ancient MEMPHIS, where you'll admire the 40-foot statue of Ramses II and the Alabaster Sphinx. On to SAKKARA'S "stairway to the sky," the oldest of all pyramids. Later, transfer to the airport for your 300-mile flight up the Nile Valley to Luxor. (B,D)

Day 6 - Luxor (Embarkation). (Sat.) After a morning at leisure, board your elegant river cruise vessel in time for lunch. This afternoon, look forward to a grand start to sightseeing in the Nile Valley. See the stunning monuments of LUXOR and KARNAK, the greatest cities of ancient Egypt that had a combined population of more than one million. To walk among the pillars of the colossal TEMPLE OF AMON RA and along the AVENUE OF THE SPHINXES is an experience you will treasure the rest of your life. Tonight, consider taking in the optional sound and light show at Karnak. (B,L,D)

Day 7 - Luxor - Edfu. (Sun.) Focus on the VALLEY OF KINGS and VALLEY OF QUEENS on the west bank of the Nile, where generations of pharaohs and nobles were buried in great splendor in crypts cut into the cliffs. Sixty-two royal tombs have been uncovered so far, of which only the tomb of Tutankhamun was nearly inviolate when discovered in 1922. Visit DEIR EL-BAHRI, Queen Hatshepsut's monumental rock temple. Stop for pictures at the two COLOSSI OF MEMNON guarding the valleys. This afternoon, start your leisurely cruise up Egypt's river of destiny. See white-clad farmers with their donkeys, camels, and water buffaloes work lush, green fields; and ever present on the horizon beyond the palm trees is the desert. (B,L,D)

Day 8 - Edfu - Kom Ombo. (Mon.) Board a horse-drawn carriage for the drive through Edfu to the TEMPLE OF HORUS with its menacing black stone statue of the falcon god. Built in the time of Cleopatra about 2,000 years ago, it is recent by Old Egyptian standards and beautifully preserved. After lunch, dock at KOM OMBO for a short walk to its bluff-top temple dedicated to the crocodile and falcon gods. Haggle for bargains in the local market before returning to the boat and sailing toward Aswan. (B,L,D)

Day 9 - Aswan (Disembarkation). (Tue.) After breakfast on board, disembark and check into your hotel in Aswan. An included excursion takes you to the turn-of-the-century Old Dam"to this day the widest dam in the world"and the gigantic Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970. Board a motor launch to the island of Agilika between the two dams and visit the TEMPLE OF ISIS, transplanted from the submerged island of Philae. Stop at the ancient GRANITE QUARRIES to see the famous unfinished obelisk. Spend the day at leisure to enjoy this lovely resort town at your own pace. (B,D)

Day 10 - Aswan. (Wed.) A free morning lets you catch up on postcard writing and shopping"or take an optional flight (weather permitting) to the huge sandstone temples of Abu Simbel. A special treat this afternoon: board a felucca and sail right across the blue waters of the river. En route, see the ancient "nilometer" on Elephantine Island, Kitchener Island's lush BOTANICAL GARDENS, and the splendid Aga Khan Mausoleum on the left bank. (B,D)

Day 11 - Aswan - Cairo. (Thu.) Fly from Aswan back to Cairo. There's time this afternoon for independent activities or to join an optional excursion to walled Old Cairo, with Saladin's 12th-century Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque, and the labyrinthine bazaar. And how about our optional dinner cruise on the Nile River tonight to celebrate the success of your Egyptian touring adventure? (B)

Day 12 - Cairo. (Fri.) Homebound flight. (B)