Details

Overnight (CAI 1)

the great pyramids & the sphinx, Sakkara step pyramids & tombs, Egyptian museum & citadel and alabaster mosque .

Tour details:

Day 1  

Depart the pier for the approximate 3-hour drive through the flat desert landscape to Africa’s largest city, Cairo. Upon reaching the outskirts of Cairo, you will proceed to the Giza Plateau to discover the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World, the Pyramids of Giza. It is here that three pharaohs, Cheops, his son Chephren and grandson Mykerinus built great tombs to protect their mummified bodies in the afterlife. You will then drive to the high western plateau for panoramic views and photo opportunities of the valley and pyramids below.

Next, travel to the guardian of the mortuary complex, the mysterious Sphinx. Carved out of a solid natural rock around 2650 B.C., the Sphinx has the head of a man, body of a lion and stretches out to a length of 240 feet. Following your visit.

You will have lunch at a nearby restaurant with the pyramids in the background. After lunch, continue on to the area of Sakkara, located south of Cairo. Sakkara is one part of the great necropolis of Memphis, which was the capital of the Old Kingdom. It was thought that the section was for the kings of the 1st and 2nd dynasty only, but excavations have revealed the tombs of a prime minister, the son of one of the Dynasty’s Kings and a queen’s pyramid. Sakkara is probably best known as the location of King Djoser’s Pyramid, better known as the Step Pyramid. It is the oldest known of the nearly 100 pyramids that have been discovered in Egypt. It was designed by the architect Imhotep, whose design was both unique and revolutionary.

Following your visit to the Sakkara, drive to your hotel. The evening is at your leisure to rest or explore. Guests have the option of attending the Sound and Light show on the Pyramids. Or dinner on board 5* deluxe Nile cruise, Overnight in Cairo. (Hotels used are Le Meridian pyramids & Moevenpick pyramids or similar based on availability at time of booking- 30$ supplement per person for Mena House Oberoi & Marriott and Conrad hotels.)

Day 2 

After an early breakfast, drive to the Citadel of Saladin, where panoramic views of the city of Cairo can be seen. Here you will also visit the spectacular Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt.

 Your last stop is the magnificent Egyptian Museum, the most important depository of Egyptian antiquities in the world. The museum is home to over 120,000 items, only a portion of which are in display in its more than 120 rooms. The artifacts date from 2700 B.C. to the 6th-century A.D. It includes thousands of statues, jewels and the treasure of the boy king, Tutankhamun. Your tour includes a visit to the King Tut gallery which houses the golden mask and items from the treasury. It does not include a visit to the Royal Mummy room.

You will have lunch at a nearby restaurant with the Nile in the background. After lunch, you will begin the 3-hour return drive to the port

Please note: this itinerary is flexible