CAIRO

Day 1. Sunday, Nov 30. Leave JFK airport, New York, on Egypt Air. Overnight on plane.
Please note: if you are not traveling from the U.S. you will begin on day 2

Day 2. Monday, Dec 1. Arrive at Cairo. Guardian Travel's staff will greet you as soon as you walk into the airport and escort you through customs and baggage claim. You will then be transferred by bus to the luxurious Mena House Oberoi Hotel. Relax, acclimate and meet your fellow travelers. We will walk through the village together for a welcome dinner at local restaurant. Overnight Mena House. (D)

photo courtesy of National Geographic

SAQQARA

Day 3. Tuesday, Dec 2. Buffet breakfast. Guided tour to Saqqara and Dahshur. Visit the amazing temple complex at Sakkara, home of the oldest pyramid, the step pyramid. We will also visit an Old Kingdom tomb that will give some good visual images of how the ancients lived nearly 5000 years ago. The area of northern Egypt between Giza and Dahshur includes a number of fascinating funerary monuments, including tombs, mastabas, temples and pyramids. Together these "pyramid fields" have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Overnight Mena House. (BLD)

Steps inside Sakkara
photo courtesy of Inia Burginger

Day 4. Wednesday, Dec 3. Buffet breakfast. Visit the famed Cairo Museum. The museum exhibited collection now exceeds 120,000 objects ranging from the pre-history era to the Greco-Roman period. Lunch. After lunch we continue to Old Cairo. No trip to Egypt is complete without shopping at the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, in the heart of Old Cairo. Overnight Mena House.(BLD)

ABU SIMBEL

Entrance to Temple of Nefertari
photo courtesy of Mikey and Lou Samson

Day 5. Thursday, Dec 4. Buffet breakfast. Check out of hotel. Early morning flight to Abu Simbel. Visit The Temple of Ramesses II and The Temple of Nefertari dedicated to Hathor. Overnight in Abu Simbel. (BLD)

ASWAN

Temple of Isis
photo courtesy of Mikey and Lou Samson

Day 6. Friday, Dec 5. Buffet breakfast. Fly from Abu Simbel to Aswan. During our visit to Isis’s beautiful and serene island temple at Philae, we will engage in ceremony to open our hearts. Check on to our fabulous cruise ship, the Sonesta for lunch. In the afternoon we sail to Elephantine Island by Felucca boats. At Elephantine the god Khnum was worshiped as the Creator and he was seen as the guardian of the source of the Nile. Overnight on Cruise.(BLD)

Isis's Temple at Philae

Kom Ombo - In deep conversation
photo courtesy of Mikey and Lou Samson

Day 7. Saturday, Dec 6. — Buffet breakfast. In the morning we tour Kom Ombo where we will visit the temple dedicated to both Horus, the hawk and Sobek, the crocodile god. After our visit to Kom Ombo, we sail on to Edfu. Overnight on Cruise. (BLD)

EDFU

Hank by the Statue of Horus, Temple of Horus, Edfu

Day 8. Sunday, Dec 7. Buffet breakfast. In the morning we will lounge on our boat and then visit Edfu temple in the afternoon. Guarding the entrance of the temple are two statues of the god Horus. Horus was originally seen as a god of the sky, whose eyes are the Sun and the Moon. His importance was such that he was equalled with the king. The pharaoh was seen as a human manifestation of the god Horus. We then set sail for Luxor. There will be a circle on deck. Overnight on Cruise. (BLD)

Aswan - Local Entertainment
photo courtesy of Mikey and Lou Samson

LUXOR

Day 9. Monday, Dec 8. Buffet breakfast. Check out of Nile Cruise. Valley of the Kings and Queens and Hatshipsut temple. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes on the West Bank of the Nile and explore the tombs of pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings and the mortuary temples at Medinet Habu and Deir El-Bahari (the temple of Queen Hatchsepsut). After lunch we will check into the lovely Sonesta St. George Hotel, overlooking the Nile. If time permits you will have a free afternoon to swim in the gorgeous pool, or explore Luxor's market or the Luxor Museum. There are many fascinating attractions in and around this bustling Upper Egypt city. This evening we visit the beautiful Luxor Temple. Overnight Sonesta St. George. (BLD)

Caretaker at Luxor Temple
photo courtesy of Mikey and Lou Samson

ABYDOS, TEMPLE OF OSIRIS

Hathor
photo courtesy of the BBC

Day 10. Tuesday, Dec 9. Buffet breakfast. Morning visit by bus through the timeless countryside along the Nile to Dendera, where we will visit the exquisite temple dedicated to Hathor to experience her mysteries of love, laughter and joy. Continue on to Abydos, temple of Osiris, to delve deeply into the art of remembering. See the ‘flower of life’ and the most beautiful reliefs in all of Egypt. Return to Luxor. Overnight Sonesta St. George. (BLD)

Ancient carving inside Abydos Temple
photo courtesy of Mikey and Lou Samson

KARNACK TEMPLE

Sekhmet
photo courtesy of Hank Wesselman

Day 11. Wednesday, Dec 10. Buffet breakfast. Check out of our Luxor hotel. Morning exploration of the magnificent Karnak Temple, one of the largest temple compounds in the world. There we will meet the goddess Sekhmet, in the sanctuary where her "living" statue has stood unmolested for 3500 years. In the afternoon we will fly to Cairo and check into our hotel. Overnight Mena House Hotel. (BLD)

GREAT PYRAMID

Giza, Egypt
photo courtesy of Mikey and Lou Samson

Day 12. Thursday, Dec 11. Buffet breakfast. Camel ride. Explore the Great Pyramid, Sphinx and Giza Plateau. Private time in the Great Pyramid for our final ceremony. Closing circle and farewell dinner. Overnight Mena House Hotel (BLD)

Hank looking into the sarcophagus in the King's Chamber

Day 13. Friday, Dec 12. Fly back home from Cairo.

Also please note that due to the magical and spontaneous nature of these trips the itinerary is subject to change, although all sites listed will be visited.