 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Ancient Egypt Tour
Day 2 – Saturday – June 13 - Cairo Ahlan Wa Sahlan! Day 3 – Sunday – June 14 Cairo Day 4 – Monday – June 15 - Cairo Day 5 – Tuesday – June 16 - Cairo/Aswan –Optional Abu Simbel/Nile
Cruise Day 6 – Wednesday – June 17 - Nile Cruise Aswan/Kom Ombo/Edfu Day 7 – Thursday – June
18 - Nile Cruise Edfu/Luxor Day 8 – Friday – June
19 - Luxor/Sharm El Sheikh Day 9 – Saturday – June
20 - Sharm El Sheikh – Ras Mohammed Diving Day 10 – Sunday – June
21 - Sharm El Sheikh - Straits of Tiran Diving Day 11 – Monday – June 22 - Sharm El Sheikh
- Thistlegorm Day
12 – Tuesday – June 23 - Sharm El Sheikh Day 13 – Wednesday – June 24 -
Sharm El Sheikh Day 14 – Thursday – June 25 - Sharm El Sheikh/Cairo
Return to Cairo today. Day 15/16 – Friday/Saturday – June 26/27 - Cairo/Alexandria Day 17 – Sunday – June 28 - Alexandria/Cairo All Egypt Trip Options:
Egypt informational meeting: |
Today you will visit the Giza Plateau
where there are three Pyramids, the greatest being that of Cheops. It took 100,000 workers more than 20 years to
construct. Entrance into one of the pyramids is included. Southeast of the Great Pyramids is the Sphinx, carved
out of solid natural rock in about 2650 BC, a magnificent monument with the head of the Pharaoh and the body of
a lion. Visit the first Pyramid ever built, the Step Pyramid of Zoser, in the Sakkara Complex. When Memphis was
the capital of Egypt, during the Old Kingdom period, Sakkara was its necropolis. Spread over seven kilometers of
desert, Sakkara is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Before returning to the hotel,
we will visit the remains in Memphis, the first capital of United Upper and Lower Egypt.
This morning you will be introduced
to the masterpieces of ancient art in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, including the Mummy Room. The museum
is home to the vast findings of King Tutankhamen’s tomb and other important pieces of Egypt's history. There
will be time to shop at the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, known for its narrow alleys. Hundreds of shops are selling
all types of Egyptian handicrafts, silver and gold jewelry, cottons, copperware and perfumes.
This morning a short flight will bring you to Aswan
to board your Nile Cruise or you may select the optional pre cruise three-hour Abu Simbel excursion to visit the
great Temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. The colossal statues were originally carved into the side of
a natural cliff that had to be rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. After your excursion and upon your
return to Aswan you will embark your Nile cruise. After lunch, visit Aswan’s High Dam, Granite Quarries, and
Unfinished Obelisk. Then continue by felucca to enjoy Kitcheners Island with its beautiful gardens and to view the
mausoleum of the Agha Khan.
Disembark the ship in the morning and cross
the West Bank to explore the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings houses 63 tombs belonging to the Pharaohs
of the New Kingdom, including the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen, and tomb KV 63 found in 2005. KV 63 is the first
tomb discovered in the Valley of the Kings since King Tut’s KV 62 tomb in 1922. Many of the tombs, carved out
of the bedrock, retain their original bright colors and fine relief’s and scenes, thought to guarantee the
safe passage of the Ka to the after life. Afterwards continue on to Deir El Bahri to visit the mortuary Temple of
Queen Hatshepsut, considered being one of the finest buildings in Egypt. A short flight to will take you to Sharm
El Sheikh, the “Land of Turquoise” where
rock meets coral reefs and the desert stops at the sea. Sharm El Sheikh offers rich and elegant seaside resorts
and is often called the “Egyptian Riviera.” Your resort has all the amenities of a luxury seaside
hotel and offers spectacular shore diving and snorkeling. In the afternoon, try to explore the magnificent blue
waters that surround you.
Today you will have an opportunity to enjoy three
dives beginning at the most spectacular site. The “masterpiece” of wall dives Ras Mohammed. It has been
said, that if there were just one place in the world to dive that would be Ras Mohammed. The Wall extends from the
eel garden in the north to a large rock formation in the south called the Shark Observatory. Above the surface is
a sheer limestone cliff with a fringing reef below. Drifting southward with the gentle current, every ledge and crevice
has something different to offer. Colorful soft corals grow from overhangs, surrounded by Anthias, which flutter
around the wall like butterflies. Giant gorgonian fans, up to 15 feet across, spread horizontally on some of the
ledges. A few areas, especially in deep crevices, are dark and devoid of life, while others are brilliantly colorful
and alive with activity. Caves provide refuge for soldier fish, hatchet fish, and silver sweepers. If you look
upward, you will should notice schools of jacks or tunas, a shark or eagle ray. This sight will keep you in awe!
Three dives are included today.
Today
you will dive one of the Sinai’s most spectacular areas
the Straits of Tiran. Starting from the north the first reef is Jackson Reef and on its edge rests the wreck of
a freighter. The southeastern end, where the currents are weaker, is the perfect mooring place for all kinds of
diving vessels. Starting your dive towards the north, you come across a forest of awesome Gorgonian fan corals
dancing in the current at about 20 to 30 meters as well as a wide variety of reef fish. The long, narrow Woodhouse
Reef, a drift dive from north to south, is home to reef sharks and eagle rays. At 40 meters, you can find a small "Satellite
Reef" 18 meters in length. Its numerous caves and outstanding landscape makes it the most interesting section
of the dive. Thomas Reef is the smallest of the 4 reefs. This location is for “experienced” divers
only and it is always recommended to make a "test dive" to verify the direction of the extremely strong
currents! Drift dive with the current and you will find some of the most colorful soft coral gardens anywhere in
the gulf. Gordon Reef with its Lighthouse is the most eastern point of the Straits; another freighter wreck rests
here on the reef table, almost parallel to the one on Jackson Reef. Discover huge varieties of reef fish as well
as large schools of groupers. On the sandy bottom at 4 to 5 meters, many Garden Eels are peeking out from the seabed
moving gently in the currents. It is a popular habitat for eagle rays and reef sharks who mainly cruise at greater
depths, but are often spotted popping up for lunch to look at the divers. On the way to and from Tiran always look
out for dolphins - they love to swim along with the boats. Three-day dives are included today and perhaps a night
dive.
There is no area in the world comparable
to the site that you will dive today. Imagine diving in an underwater World War II museum to view a unique piece
of military history and dive into the past. The SS Thistlegorm was sunk by German bomber planes in World War II.
It rests at the bottom of the sea for over sixty years. Located in the Straits of Gubal, Northern Red Sea this famous
vessel has been the subject of much activity and drama during its life as a merchant ship and now as an excellent
dive site. In 1941it was destined for British troops in North Africa to deliver supplies. Though described on the
manifest as "MT" (Motor Transport), this non-description
hid a wide array of Land Mines, Shells, Ammunition, Weapons, Bedford Trucks, Armored Cars, Bren-Carriers, BSA Motorcycles,
Trailers, Vehicle spares, Aircrafts , Radios and a great deal more. Also on board were two sets of rolling stock
to Egyptian Railways - each comprising a 0-6-0 Railway Engine, one Tender, and one Water Carrier being carried
as deck cargo. After two months of sailing, the Thistlegorm landed in Egypt and was assigned “Safe Anchorage “F”,
and waiting for orders to proceed to Alexandria. The Germans based in Crete, Greece were alerted of the anchorage
and released two bombs right over her bridge. Both penetrated No 5 hold - aft of the bridge, detonating a great
deal of ammunition. The explosion sent the two locomotives spiraling into the air, as the ship was ripped open
like a huge tin can. Even to this day, the rear decks are peeled back towards the Bridge leaving many divers wondering
what exactly they are looking at. Some accounts have even described this as "Armour Plating!" Caught
unaware, the Thistlegorm had no time to defend itself and quickly sank while the crew abandoned ship. In 1956,
Jacques Cousteau found the Thistlegorm and kept it a secret until the early 1990’s when a group of divers
happened to discover her. Despite extensive damage aft of the Bridge, the main section is upright and on an even
keel. You will never forget this site! Three dives today.
Today you return to the magnificent Ras Mohammed National
Park for another day of diving. There are over 1,000 species of fish found in this area. The coral reefs here are
not just shelter and food for the different reef and pelagic fish they are in fact living creatures, which breathe,
eat, and reproduce. See them in many different forms, shapes, and colors, from the largest colonies of hard corals
to the tiniest swaying soft ones. About 205 hard coral species and about 120 soft coral species have been recorded
here. On the western side, facing the entrance to Suez Canal offers approximately 45 coral species, including some
endemic ones. The fossil reefs are made up of the fossilized bodies of ancient corals which have long gone but
whose bodies have fossilized together for more coral to attach itself to. In fact these reefs can be seen from
land as the water level had dropped from previous periods. Overall, these reefs range in age between 15,000 to
2 million years and many of the descendants of these ancient species are still alive today among the abundant living
coral colonies. 
Your final day in Sharm El Shiekh is at your leisure. You may choose to take the optional tour
to St. Catherine’s Monastery. Leave your hotel before sunrise for St. Catherine’s. For those interested
in climbing Mount Moses you will have the opportunity to do so. For those choosing not to climb, enjoy breakfast
and a rest at the St. Catherine Hotel. Then visit St. Catherine's Monastery. Constructed by order of the Emperor
Justinian between 527 and 565 the monastery was built around what is thought to be Moses' Burning Bush, which has
a chapel built atop. It is a spectacular natural setting for priceless works of art. Arab mosaics, Greek and Russian
icons, Western oil paintings, paintings on wax, fine sacerdotal ornaments, marbles, enamels, chalices, reliquaries,
including one donated by Czar Alexander II in the 19th century, and another by Empress Catherine of Russia in the
17th century. Perhaps even greater significance, this is the second largest collection of illuminated manuscripts
(The Vatican has the largest). Return to Sharm El Sheikh for the afternoon. This evening as the sun sets, take
a camel ride out into the desert for tea and pastry at a Bedouin camp. Afterwards return to the hotel for dinner. 
 |
 |
 |