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Travelers can begin their tour in Cairo, Egypt or New York, USA or London, UK

Day 0, Fri.: For those beginning their tour in New York, USA, our plane leaves NY City, at 11:00 PM, Friday, March 12.  Ruth Shilling meets the group at JFK airport in New York City and accompanies the group on the flight to Egypt.  We fly direct non-stop from New York city, USA to Cairo, Egypt.Those arriving from places other than New York should plan to arrive in Cairo sometime Saturday, March 13.  We will arrange to have someone greet you at the airport.  We welcome travelers from all countries to join us on these tours.

Day 1, Sat, March 13t.: Afternoon arrival in Cairo (7 hours ahead of New York time, 2 hours ahead of Greenwich). Our 5-star hotel is right near the pyramids.  Welcome to Egypt!
Optional opportunity:  Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids.

Day 2, Sun.: Our Egypt experience begins with two full days at the Giza Plateau. We visit the Great Pyramid (of course!) and the newly re-opened "3^rd Pyramid" where we have long, full visits to fully absorb the gifts that await us there.  The 2nd Pyramid is presently closed for renovations, but if possible, we will visit this also.  We see the Solar Boat (almost 5,000 years old!), the Sphinx and Valley Temple.  There are legends of the Sphinx speaking. Does the Sphinx have a message for you?  
Camel rides for the adventurous. 

Day 3, Mon.: A morning to relax by the pool as you gaze up at the pyramids, go back to the Giza Plateau, take an early morning horseback ride at the pyramids, shop or just sleep in.  Afternoon trip into Cairo to visit Old Cairo.  We also explore the colorful Kahn al-Khalili bazaar.

Day 4, Tues.: We begin our day with the Niuserre Sun Temple and a visit to Sahure's temple and the pyramids at Abu Sir. This is a rare opportunity, as these sites are rarely visited by tourists. 
Afterwards, we spend the afternoon at the Sakkara complex where we see the Step Pyramid, the early versions of the Book of the Dead and some interesting Old Kingdom tombs.  Evening flight to Luxor.

Day 5, Wed.: Our New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC) experiences begin with the Luxor Temple. Both gently beautiful and full of awesome grandness, this temple was the "Bride of Karnak" during the annual Apet festival. 
Late afternoon visit to the Luxor Museum with its special exhibit room of a cache of statues found in near-perfect condition.  They were buried under the courtyard at the Luxor Temple and found only recently during renovations.

Day 6, Thurs.: For those who would like, we have an early morning meditation at the Luxor Temple followed by a visit to Hatshepsut’s Temple, Deir El Bahari, called "The Most Splendid of All" by the ancient Egyptians.  The splendors of Karnak fill the rest of our day.  Each Pharaoh wanted to leave something impressive at Karnak.  Obelisks and temples abound.  
Optional opportunity:  Sound & Light Show at Karnak in the evening.

Day 7, Fri.: A full days trip by bus to the Temple of the Goddess Hathor at Dendera and the Temple of Seti I and the renowned Osireion at Abydos.  Abydos was the place of pilgrimage during ancient Egyptian times and still holds much of the mystery of the past.  The Temple of Hathor was built during the Ptolemaic (Greek) era on a much older site that had been a place of Hathor worship in earlier times.  The famous circular zodiac was found in the ceiling of a chapel on the roof of the temple.  The ceilings and walls of the main hypostyle hall are full of astrological imagery.

Day 8, Sat.: Our morning meditation is with the fiery lioness, Sekhmet, in her chapel at Karnak. After boarding our deluxe Nile cruise boat we spend the rest of the day on the West Bank of Luxor.  We visit the tombs in the Valley of the Kings (where King Tut’s tomb was found), the Valley of the Workmen, the temple of Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum (time allowing).

Day 9, Sun.: We return to the West Bank this morning and see any sites they we did not have time for on Saturday.  Back on our Nile cruise boat we set sail before lunch and have the rest of the day to relax and enjoy the timelessness of the Nile.  Maybe write those postcards?

Day 10, Mon.: Horse-drawn carriages bring us to Edfu’s Temple of Horus, the best preserved temple in Egypt. In the late afternoon we visit the Ptolemaic temple for Sobek and Haroeris at Kom Ombo, sometimes called the "Temple of Duality."  Our boat continues on to Aswan where we overnight.

Day 11, Tues.:  We begin with a visit to the Unfinished Obelisk at the ancient granite quarry and also see the High Dam.  Next we have a long, full visit at the Temple of Isis at the island of Philae.  Late afternoon/evening felucca (the traditional sailboats of the Nubians) ride to the archeological site at Elephantine Island where they are excavating Temples of the goddess Satet and the God Khnum.  This is also where the Ark of the Covenant is said to have rested for a time.  
Optional opportunity: Sound & Light Show at the Philae Isis Temple.  
Overnight in Aswan.

Day 12, Wed.: We return to the Isis Temple a second time in the early morning for meditation.   Afterwards some travelers may choose to take the short flight to Abu Simbel to see the temples for Ramesses II and his queen, Nefertari.     We spend the afternoon adventuring at the ancient market place in Aswan.  Try your hand at bargaining or just enjoy the sights and smells, like stepping into a storybook of the past.
Overnight in Aswan.

Day 13, Thurs.:  Morning flight back to Cairo.  We spend the day at the Cairo Egyptian Museum – mummies, hundreds of statues and the King Tut collection.  Having experienced the different temples and pyramids, the Old Kingdom, New Kingdom and Ptolemaic (Greek) eras are now part of our common knowledge and the artifacts at the museum have more meaning for us.  We also have a spectacular view of the city of Cairo from the Citadel.  Here we visit what is often called the "Alabaster Mosque."
Overnight in Giza-Cairo.

Day 14, Friday: We begin our day with one last long look at the pyramids, Sphinx and Giza plateau.   Then we drive south to Dashur where we spend the day in the expansive quiet of the Egyptian desert.  At the Red Pyramid (nearly as large as Giza's Great Pyramid) we climb inside to see the chambers and try out their intriguing acoustics.  We also have the opportunity for an unforgettable walk across the open desert to the Bent Pyramid.  The desert is rich with inspiration and the vastness is exhilarating.  
The Bent pyramid was a key center of worship during the Middle Kingdom.  We enjoy the deep peace in this place before it is time to face airports and all the hustle and bustle of modern life on our journeys home.
Farewell dinner at King Zoser's Lodge where we get to sample Ancient Egyptian recipes.  For those returning to the USA we leave for the airport about 10 PM.  Others may choose to extend their stay in beauty and marvels of Egypt.

Day 15, Saturday, March 27:  Return flight to NYC, USA departs Cairo at 1:30 AM.  Arrival in New York City in the morning, 7:30 AM New York time.

Ask us about a possible extension tour of Tel-Amarna after this tour

There may be changes to this itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control.