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 Great pyramids reach to the heavens. Ancient tombs lie buried deep in the earth. A mighty river slices through an uninhabitable land, and gives rise to civilization itself. This is Egypt, and we'll unearth its secrets in our small group of just 20, for the most authentic experience. And along the way, we'll bask in a luxury that befits a pharaoh in 5-star accommodations, including a quality Nile cruise ship for 4 remarkable nights. Join us, and discover why this is our most popular trip.
 • Cairo / Giza Tour, including the Great Pyramids & Sphinx, Egyptian Museum and Islamic Cairo
• Camel Ride in the desert
• Luxor Tour, including Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, and Temple of Hatshepsut
• 4-night Nile cruise aboard a 5-star ship, including tours of Edfu and the Temple of Horus, Temple of Sobek & Haroeris at Kom Ombo
• Aswan City Tour, including Aswan High Dam and Philae Temple
• Abu Simbel Tour
• Accommodations for 4 nights in 5-star hotels
• Services of an expert, local guide in all cities
• Professional local Egyptologist
• $100 per person savings if you reserve 5 months before departure!
Day 1 - November 17, 2013, Sunday
You'll be met at the airport and transferred to your 5-star hotel. The afternoon is yours to relax after your flight. This evening join your fellow guests for a Welcome Dinner.
Overnight Sheraton Luxor Resort Hotel 5*.
Meal: Dinner
 Day 2 - November 18, 2013, Monday
We embark our 5-star cruise ship. This afternoon our Egyptologist guide leads a comprehensive tour of Luxor's East Bank, featuring Karnak, Egypt's most elaborate temple built over generations by countless pharaohs.
Overnight: MS Nile Premium, 5* Deluxe Cruise Ship
Meal: B, L, D
 Day 3 - November 19, 2013, Tuesday
We cross the Nile to the West Bank and the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs were buried deep underground in elaborate tombs. We also visit the terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh. This afternoon we set sail to Esna and Edfu.
Overnight: MS Nile Premium, 5* Deluxe Cruise Ship .
Meal: B, L, D
Day 4 - November 20, 2013, Wednesday
oday we visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu, the largest and best preserved pharaonic temple in Egypt. We then sail to Kom Ombo to explore the fascinating dual temple dedicated to Sobek & Haroeris. Later, we sail to Aswan.
Overnight: MS Nile Premium, 5* Deluxe Cruise Ship
Meal: B, L, D
 Day 5 - November 21, 2013, Thursday
Discover Aswan with our Egyptologist guide, including the Aswan High Dam and Philae Temple.
Overnight: MS Nile Premium, 5* Deluxe Cruise Ship
Meal: B, L, D
 Day 6 - November 22, 2013, Friday
This morning we join our short flight to Abu Simbel. As the waters of Lake Nasser rose with the building of the High Dam, each stone of this imposing temple was reassembled on this higher ground to avoid submersion. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was a driving force in that huge engineering feat. We continue onwards to Cairo.
Overnight: Marriott Cairo Hotel 5*
Meal: B, L, D
Day 7 - November 23, 2013, Saturday
We journey to the desert outskirts of Cairo and the remarkable Great Pyramids of Giza, which some scholars believe were built to align with constellations. While here, we embark on a camel ride like explorers of old. We also explore the temple of the mysterious Sphinx. This afternoon we explore the greatest collection of Egyptian artifacts at the Egyptian Museum, including the contents of the tomb of the boy-king Tutankhamen, unearthed by Howard Carter in 1922. We also discover Islamic Cairo and the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, one of the world's greatest and largest outdoor markets. Bid farewell at our Hermes farewell dinner tonight.
Overnight: Marriott Cairo Hotel 5*
Meal: B, L
 Day 8 - November 24, 2013, Sunday
Your Hermes tour ends today.Transfer to airport for your return flight home or join us on our optional extension to Petra, Jodan.
Meal: B
Day 8 - 11 - November 24 - 27, 2013
Luxor:
Situated in Luxor, Sheraton Luxor Resort is close to Luxor Temple, Luxor Museum, and Colossi of Memnon. Also nearby is Medinet Habu.
Dining options at the resort include 3 restaurants along with a poolside bar and a bar/lounge. Additional amenities include a children's pool, a nightclub, and gift shops/newsstands.
Rooms have river, pool, or garden views. The 281 air-conditioned guestrooms at Sheraton Luxor Resort include minibars and espresso makers.  Wireless high-speed Internet access (surcharge) is provided. 32-inch plasma televisions are equipped with satellite channels.
All accommodations provide desks, safes, and direct-dial phones. Bathrooms offer handheld showerheads, bathrobes, makeup/shaving mirrors, and hair dryers. Additional amenities include coffee/tea makers and slippers. In addition, amenities available on request include irons/ironing boards and wake-up calls. Housekeeping is offered daily.
Nile Cruise:
Launched at the end of 2008, the M.S Nile Premium is one of the Nile's newest and most luxurious boats. Its ambience is sophisticated and chic. Decorated predominantly in neutral tones, its dark wood lending it a Colonial feel, it is stylish without being fussy modern whilst retaining warmth. It offers its guests a truly elegant cruising experience, with all of the latest features to ensure the safety and comfort of those aboard.
 After a busy morning's sightseeing, unwind with a refreshing dip in the pool or sip a long cold drink on deck as you watch the timeless life of the riverbanks pass you by. The large, well appointed restaurant serves a delicious range of international and regional cuisine in a relaxing atmosphere. The lounge bar with its attractive terrace area is the perfect place for a predinner drink. Evening entertainment on board includes traditional belly-dancing, Galabiya party and other musical entertainment.
 All of the cabins are: beautifully decorated in dark wood with opulent soft furnishings. Each has a large panoramic window and is air-conditioned with a safety deposit box, telephone with voicemail, plasma TV with marine satellite channels and music system, minibar, hairdryer and luxurious en suite bathroom with bath, shower and WC.
Cairo:
Located in a 20-story former palace built in 1869, this historic central Cairo hotel is on the river Nile, less than one kilometer from the Coptic Museum and 1.3 kilometers from Cairo Tower. The pyramids of Giza are also within reach.
Fully renovated in 2007, the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino offers a conference center with 35,000 square feet of meeting space.  This 5-star Cairo property also has a world-class casino, 14 restaurants, a nightclub, poolside bar, and 24-hour room service. Recreational facilities include tennis courts, a health club, an outdoor pool, and a sauna. This hotel also offers massage and treatment rooms and beauty services.
Amenities featured in the 977 guestrooms and 111 suites include air conditioning and clock radios. Business-friendly amenities include desks and direct-dial phones. Bathrooms provide hair dryers.
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Egyptian Discovery Tour Itinerary
|
Date |
Destination |
Meals |
| 17 Nov |
Home / Luxor |
D |
| 18 Nov |
Luxor / Cruise Embarkation |
B, L, D |
| 19 Nov |
West Bank |
B, L, D |
| 20 Nov |
Luxor / Edfu / Kom Ombo |
B, L, D |
| 21 Nov |
Aswan |
B, L, D |
| 22 Nov |
Aswan / Abu Simbel / Cairo |
B, D |
| 23 Nov |
Cairo |
B, L, D |
| 24 Nov |
Cairo / Home |
B |
|
B-Breakfast, D-Dinner, L-Lunch
Download Complete Itinerary  |
Important Information
 Please note that this tour to Egypt is quite active. Egypt has many famous monuments and temples and we have some early mornings in order to get it all in. This also lets us visit the sights before the Egyptian Sun gets too hot!
We will be traveling exclusively together as a Hermes Tour group during the whole tour. Our cruise ship is a gay friendly ship which will have guests other than our group on board.
We are begining our trip in Luxor. You may fly into Cairo and connect to Luxor or there are a number of flights direct to Luxor from Europe. For example,  Austrian Airlines, Easy Jet, Belairg(19774966)a(1161358)) from Zurich,  TUIfly from Munich, Transavia from Amsterdam, Air Berlin. You should book your return flight to leave from Cairo. Please contact us if you have quesitons.
Canadian, American, and EU passport holders are required to have visas to enter Egypt for tourism purposes. It is possible to receive your tourism visa on arrival at the Luxor, or Cairo Airport. Your passport should be valid for a minimum of 6months after the end of the tour.
There are no shots that are required for travel to Egypt but Hermes Tours does recommend that your tetanus booster be up to date.
It is very easy to withdraw money from ATMs located throughout the country as well as to use your Visa or MasterCard. The American Express card is less widely accepted.
Travelers checks are also accepted however can carry a heavy commission fee. We recommend to travelers to bring only a small amount of cash and/or travelers checks and to rather use their ATM and credit cards while traveling.
Please note that the above cost includes all accommodation in 4/5 star, gay friendly hotels & Cruise ship, with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, porterage, tips and service charges. 2 Internal flights- Aswan-Abu Simbel, Abu Simbel-Cairo. All activities as outlined in the itinerary; all meals as per itinerary; the services of a Hermes Tours Escort throughout the trip (with minimum participation of 8); a full time local Egyptologist guide with his associated expenses; all ground transportation as per itinerary; airport transfer on designated arrival and departure days; Entrance fees to all sites on itinerary, gratuities to drivers, restaurants, ship staff.
International airfare to/from Luxor/Cairo; visas to Egypt; personal travel and cancellation insurance; meals and activities not specifically included in the itinerary; services of a personal nature like alcohol; soft drinks; bottled water; laundry; telephone calls; faxes as well as customary tips to guides.
What Our Travelers Say
"Hermes made my trip of a lifetime affordable, safe and hassle free. They're the Best!"
Stephen Nelson; San Diego, California
"The tour was well organized, David was great with all the details. It was an experience we won't soon forget. Thanks!" Eric Faulhaber & Louis Stanley; Mesa, Arizona
"A great tour and itinerary for the price. Definitely can't beat it!" Casey Bateman; Seattle, Washington
"I want to express the pleasant and unexpected pleasure I derived from traveling with this group. It added immensely to the enjoyment of the trip. Not only do I feel that we got along very well but we seemed to have developed a special camaraderie. I didn't feel any self-consciousness. One could turn to the person next to them and joke or chat like we were old friends." Andrew Montrealegre, Los Angeles, CA
"David,
You were a great guide and leader. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the company of all. It will be one of the great memorable experiences of my life. Thank you all for making it such a great experience." Paul Yanollo, New York, NY
"Egypt was awesome! The culture, history, and numerous remarkable temple and tomb sites make a not-to-be-missed vacation." Geo Vail, Foster City, CA
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