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

Day 0, Fri., Oct 3, 2003: For those beginning their tour in New York, USA, our plane leaves NY City, at 11:00 PM, Friday, October 3, 2003.  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. Other departure cities in the USA are available as add-on's.  Contact Us for pricing.
Those arriving from places other than New York should plan to arrive in Cairo sometime Saturday, October 4.  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., Oct 4, 2003: 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!

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 "3rd 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.: These first three days (Days 2-4) we experience Ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom era.  This morning we visit the visit to the Nuiserre Sun Temple at Abu Gurab 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 tombs.
Optional:  Sound & Light Show at the pyramids this evening.

Day 4, Tues.: Take a day off to relax and swim in the pool or take the trip out into the desert south of Giza to visit the pyramids of Dashur.  We spend time in the Red Pyramid (nearly as large as Giza's Great Pyramid) and 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.  
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 a 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, 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 Hathor at Dendera and the Temple of Seti I and the renowned Osireion at Abydos.   Our bus passes the hills of Nag Hamadi, where the scrolls were found that contain some of the Gnostic gospels.  
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 worshiping the Goddess Hathor 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 visit the West Bank of Luxor.  The west represented the hereafter and is where the dead were buried.  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, if time allows.

Day 9.:  Another opportunity to visit the West Bank and see anything we did not have time for the day before.  We return to our Nile Cruise boat for lunch and watch the landscape glide slowly by as we begin sailing up the Nile towards Aswan.  There is often excitement on deck as we pass through the lock at Esna.  The locals come out in boats to hawk their wares while the cruise boats wait their turn in the lock.   A day to relax and enjoy the timeless-ness of the Nile.  Afternoon tea on deck.  Entertainment on board in the evening.

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. Sobek is a crocodile god and Haroeris is a form of the god Horus. 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 felluca (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.  Late afternoon is the perfect time for a long, full visit at the Temple of Isis at the island of Philae. 
 Optional opportunity: Sound & Light Show at the Philae Isis Temple.  
Overnight in Aswan.

 Day 12: We return to the Isis Temple a second time in the early morning for meditation. Or 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.  Leaving the airport we stop to enjoy a panoramic view of Cairo from the Citadel.  We also visit there the famous "Alabaster Mosque" - Mohammed Ali Mosque.  Then it is time for our long-awaited visit to 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. One could spend a week here and not see everything.  We have a good, long visit before making our late afternoon trip to the colorful Kahn al-Khalili bazaar.  Enjoy shopping and bargaining, linger over dinner at the famous historic Naguib Mafouz restaurant or try smoking some shisha at an outdoor cafe.  Time to pick up any last minute souvenirs or gifts to take home,
Overnight in Heliopolis-Cairo.

Day 14, Friday, Oct 17: Return flight to the USA or begin the Mt. Sinai Extension.

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

Friday, Oct 17: Our Mount Sinai Extension begins with a drive (by private air-conditioned bus) to St. Catherine's in the southern Sinai. We begin our climb up Mount Sinai by camel (or hike if you choose).  The camels bring us to a lovely garden where we will overnight.  After preparing our camp we hike to the top for sunset.
Overnight in camp provided by our Bedouin guides.

Saturday, Oct 18:  The next morning you can go again to the top to greet the dawn with the hundreds of other pilgrims that make the trek each early morning or you can stay in our quiet camp and enjoy the magic of Mount Sinai from there.  After we descend we visit St. Catherine's Monastery .  Afternoon drive back to Cairo.  We will stop to have tea at a Bedouin village if there is time.
Overnight near the airport in Heliopolis-Cairo.

Sunday, Oct 19:  Departures.  If you are returning to NYC, USA your flight departs Cairo at 9:00 AM.  Arrival in New York City in the afternoon, 4:30 PM New York time.

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