Mystical Egypt Trip

On arrival in Alexandria, you will be met by a Bahi travels representative & English speaking guide who will transfer to your hotel. After having some rest, in the afternoon we will move out for lunch followed by a short tour. We will visit the Alexandria Library (outside view), dedicated to the Muses - the nine goddesses of arts, it is one of the largest & most significant libraries of the ancient world. This will be followed by a visit to the Forte of Qayetbay, a 15th-century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast. Later we will return to our hotel & enjoy dinner.

Today after breakfast, proceed for a full day tour of Alexandria. Visit the National Museum of Alexandria. It contains about 1,800 artefacts that narrate the story of Alexandria and Egypt. Most of these pieces came from other Egyptian museums. The museum mainly focuses on three collections. Ancient Egyptian, Coptic, and the Muslim world. The museum also includes works from the Hellenistic period, including pieces from Heraklion and Canopus We will then pay a visit to the Pompey's Pillar which is a Roman triumphal column and the largest of its type constructed outside of the imperial capitals of Rome and Constantinople & the Catacomb of Kom el Shoqafa, one of the seven wonders of the Middle ages. This will be followed by a short visit to the Montazah Garden including a visit to the Montazah Palace, the summer residence of the former Royal family & a public museum of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty family history and objects dart. Then proceed for lunch. Later we will be transferred to Cairo & then to the train station to board

Today we will be served breakfast while on board the train. On arrival in Aswan we will proceed for a Full day tour to Abu Simbel. Once in Abu Simbel we will visit the Temple of Abu Simbel followed by a one hour boat ride on the Lake Nasser. We will then enjoy a packed lunch box from the Nile cruise & proceed back to Aswan where we will board the Nile cruise. We will have dinner on board the Nile cruise followed by an evening entertainment show.

After a hearty breakfast on board the Nile cruise we will proceed for a visit to the High Dam & the Temple of Philae. The construction of the Aswan Dam / High Dam became a key objective of the Egyptian Government following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, as the ability to control floods, provide water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity were seen as pivotal to Egypt's industrialization. The High Dam once constructed has had a significant impact on the economy and culture of Egypt. The Philae temple on the other hand is a kiosk of Trajan oil painting. It was dedicated to the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris & mother of Horus. These three characters dominate ancient Egyptian culture & their story possesses all the drama of a Shakespearean tragedy. We will return back to the cruise & have lunch while the cruise sets sail for Kom Ombo. Once we reach Kom Ombo we will visit the Kom Ombo Temple that is shared between two Gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris, also known as Horus the Elder, along with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor) and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands). The temple is a typical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis. We will then sail on to Edfu while enjoying dinner & an evening entertainment show on board.

Today after breakfast we will visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Greco-Roman period in ancient Egypt. The Temple of Edfu provides the model for Temple Works in Holbeck, Leeds clearly showing the influence Egyptian architecture had on the British. The courtyard columns at Edfu are closely copied in the frontage of the Leeds building. We will retrace our steps to the cruise for lunch. The cruise will then set sail for Esna & cross the Esna Lock. This may take some time hence you are free to sit back & relax & take in the sites of evening from the deck. We will then sail on to Luxor while having dinner.

Disembarkation from the cruise starts after breakfast this morning in Luxor. Next we will cross on to the West Bank & visit the Necropolis of Thebes. It was used for ritual burials for much of Pharaonic times, especially in the New Kingdom of Egypt. This will be followed by a trip to the Valley of Kings, Temple of Queen Hatshput & the Colossi of Menon. The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom Maatkare Hatshepsut or Hatchepsut (late 16th century BC - c. 1482 BC) was the daughter of Pharaoh Tuthmosis I and the wife of his successor Tuthmosis II . She was the fifth Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Ancient Egypt & is generally regarded by modern Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, ruling longer than any female ruler of an indigenous dynasty. The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III in a seated position, his hands resting on his knees and his gaze facing eastwards towards the river. For the past 3400 years (since 1350 BC) they have stood in the Theban necropolis, west of the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor. Two shorter figures are carved into the front throne alongside his legs: these are his wife Tiy and mother Mutemwiya. The side panels depict the Nile god Hapy. We will next proceed for lunch at a local restaurant in Luxor. We will then proceed for a trip to the East Bank with the Karnak & Luxor Temples. The Karnak temple complex is a city of temples built over 2000 years & dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut & Khonsu. This derelict place is still capable of vershadowing many wonders of the modern world & in its day must have been awe inspiring. The last stop for today will be the Luxor temple which was built by Amenhotep III but completed by Tutankhamun & Horemheb & then added to by Rameses II. Toward the rear is a granite shrine dedicated to Alexander the Great After this we will be transferred to the hotel where we will enjoy our dinner.

Today morning after breakfast, we will bid good bye to Luxor as we move on to Egyptian Capital city of Cairo. Board your flight to Cairo. On arrival in Cairo we will head straight for a tour of the Great Pyramids & The Great Sphinx of Giza. Among the Pyramids the Pyramid of Cheops is the oldest & largest of the 3 pyramids. It is also the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World & the only one to remain largely intact. The pyramid remained the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years, unsurpassed until the 160-metre-tall (520 ft) spire of Lincoln Cathedral was completed c. 1300. The other two pyramids are Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren) & Pyramid of Menkaure (Mycerinus). The Egyptians call the Sphinx Abu el-Hol, the "Father of Terror". However, it is considerably smaller than the Pyramids around it. The missing nose is blamed on target practice by bored troops, commonly blamed variously on British soldiers in World War I or Napoleon's troops in 1798, but 18th-century drawings showing the nose already missing, pointing the finger towards the occupying Turks. We will then proceed for sea food lunch at a local restaurant in the Pyramid's area. Later we will proceed for a shopping tour where you may pick up excellent gifts of Egyptian perfume & Papyrus. You can also enjoy an explanation about how ancient Egyptians manufactured the Papyrus & how it lasted for more than 100 years. Egypt is known for its world class handicrafts & gold & silver jewelleries. In the evening we will proceed for the evening Sound & Light Show in English, a fabulous one hour show at the feet of the Pyramids of Giza. State-of-art technologies of lighting, laser shows & projection are used to visualize & bring to life the mysteries of the Pharonic Egyptian civilization. After the show we will move back to the hotel & enjoy dinner.

We will check out of the hotel today after enjoying a sumptuous breakfast. The day will be occupied by a visit to the Egyptian Museum & the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. The Egyptian Museum houses around 250,000 of antique pieces, covering the whole of history of ancient Egypt which extends of the past five thousand years (Mummies room entry is optional). A delicious lunch at the Alazhar park will be followed by a visit to the Khan El Khaili bazaar area.

Today after breakfast we will be transferred to the airport where we will bid adieu to our Bahi representative & Luxor as we board our flight back to India.