Gardens and Temples of Ancient Egypt 701

Enjoy access to the airport Executive lounge before we fly from London to Cairo and transfer to our hotel.

After breakfast we begin our full day of discovery in the company of a local expert Egyptologist visiting Pharaonic Cairo, Saqqara, arguably the best-preserved ancient burial-ground in Egypt. This is also the site of The Step Pyramid, the first proper pyramid built for King Zoser in the 27th-century BC by the architect Imhotep. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Later we discover The Great Pyramids & Sphinx of Giza. Rising from the desert the three Pyramids erected by King Cheops and guarded by the mysterious Sphinx are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and one of the most important sites in Egypt.

Today we visit the Grand Egyptian Museum which sits on the edge of the Giza plateau with the pyramids within view. A huge undertaking which started over 20 years ago, the Museum boasts over 750,000 sqm in floor size, 12 exhibition halls and thousands on thousands of artefacts. At 45m long, the cedarwood Solar Boat of King Khufu once housed in a cramped exhibition hall at Giza now fits easily within the vast space of the GEM and two exhibition halls are entirely devoted to Egypt’s most famous pharaoh, Tutankhamun alone. For the first time, almost all of the 5,000 objects discovered in his tomb will be on display. Costing nearly a billion dollars in its creation, this is the biggest Museum in the world.The Citadel of Salah Al-Din was built between 1176- 1182 AD and this Citadel fortress provides a panoramic view of Cairo from the Moqattam Hills.  We then visit the Al-Orman Garden – a stunning botanical garden which dates from 1875 and the reign of Khedive Ismail Pasha, who established the garden on a larger site than it presently occupies as part of the Palace of the Khedive. This became a public botanical garden in 1910 and put under the Ministry of Agriculture management and covers 28 acres. Today, the garden contains a herbarium building, a rock garden, a rose garden, cactus gardens, and probably the most notable feature, the lotus pond. Al-Orman Garden is located west of the river Nile and east of Cairo University in the Giza Governorate. “Orman” is a Turkish word, which means “the forest”.Later we visit Khan El-Khalili bazaar where treasures include spices, perfumes, gold and silver, carpets, brass and copperware, leatherwork, glass, ceramics and Egyptian cotton.

Today we transfer to Cairo airport and fly to Luxor and transfer to our hotel. On arrival, we head to the Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor for a unique tour. The hotel has a history of hosting royalty and celebrities throughout the years, the interiors feature grand staircases, high ceilings and lounge areas that are appointed with antique furniture and beautiful flower arrangements. As can be expected, Winter Palace’s restaurants have a historical and grand reputation to maintain. Relax and socialise as you enjoy French cuisine with the latest fusion dishes from around the world. The pool scene is stunning and has the vibe of a private oasis with surrounding palm trees. We enjoy lunch at the hotel before transferring to our hotel for the evening.

This morning we enjoy a private half-day tour in Luxor on the East Bank. One of the first stops must be the Temple of Luxor built by Amenophis III and which was originally connected to the Karnak Temple via a long stone processional street called a dromos. The well-preserved dromos was built by Nectanebo I and was originally lined on either side by sphinxes. We later transfer to our 5-star river vessel and enjoy lunch on board. The afternoon is free to relax. Dinner tonight is followed by entertainment.

A full day visiting the West Bank today. Here we will discover a variety of tombs starting with The Valley of the Kings which has tombs from the 18th and 19th Dynasties. Outside the Valley of the Kings, the road leads past Antef, named after the 11th Dynasty princes who were buried there. Some tombs can still be seen as we head towards the Temple of Seti I. The road winds westward until reaching the Valley of Asasif. These are 25th and 26th Dynasty tombs and at the foot of a cliff named Deir el-Bahri is a spectacular complex of temples. The Temples of Mentuhetep I, Hatshepsut and Thotmose II here must be seen. We return to our river vessel for lunch and time to reflect on the sights and sounds experienced today before cruising overnight to Esna.

We begin with a private tour of Edfu Temple – one of the best-preserved shrines in Egypt. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in Egypt. After lunch onboard we visit Kom-Ombo Temple. Built by the Ptolemaic dynasty during the Roman invasion, this temple is dedicated to two gods, Sobek the crocodile god and Haroeris – the falcon god Horus.

Today we cruise to Aswan where we begin with a private tour visiting the High Dam which is 3,830 metres long, 980 metres wide at the base, 40 metres wide at the crest and 111 metres tall. It contains 43 million cubic metres of material and 11,000 cubic metres per second of water can pass through the dam. Abandoned thousands of years ago in the quarries of Aswan, the Unfinished Obelisk is a granite would-be monument that was never finished. It is one of the most important archaeological finds in Egypt for the insight it has provided into ancient stonemasonry methods. We then proceed to visit Philae Temple on the tiny island of Philae, a mere 450 metres long and less than 150 metres wide, which captured the imagination of countless travellers to Egypt from early times. It was famed for its beauty and was known as the “Pearl of Egypt’. Plants and palm trees grew from the fertile deposits that had collected in the crevices of the granite bedrock. Gracious Graeco-Roman temples and colonnades, kiosks and sanctuaries rose proudly against the skyline. We return to our river vessel and after lunch take a Felucca around Aswan Islands then visit the Botanical gardens.
Covering 6.8 hectares, the Aswan Botanical Garden is home to thousands of birds and many exotic plants imported from many parts of the world, offering a beautiful and unique escape from the city. Dinner on board tonight is followed by a Nubian Show.

This morning we have the opportunity of an optional excursion to Abu Simbel by air, a temple built by Ramesses II in ancient Nubia, where he wished to demonstrate his power and his divine nature. Four colossal (20 metres high) statues of him sit in pairs flanking the entrance.
Later we transfer to our hotel in Aswan and later enjoy a late afternoon tea at the historic Old Cataract Hotel where Agatha Christie wrote Death on the Nile. Delight in an authentic High Tea experience and revel in the stunning views overlooking the Nile and Elephantine Island. We return to our hotel for dinner.

Free time to relax before we transfer to Aswan airport for our flight to Cairo where we transfer to our hotel.

Today we head to Alexandria for a full but most enjoyable day exploring the Catacombs of Kom El-Shouqafa and the Roman Amphitheatre. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant. Afterwards we visit Montazah Palace Gardens which are located at the eastern edge of Alexandria on the north coast of Egypt. The complex, which covers 360 acres in size, is a beautiful property that overlooks Al Montaza and encompasses palm-tree lined walkways, several greenhouses and a semi-private beach. We return to Cairo for dinner at our hotel.

Today we transfer to Cairo airport for our return flight to London.