Egypt Revisited

• Day 1:
• Arrive in Cairo

Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to settle into the hotel and relax after your journey.

• Day 2:
• Cairo - Tour to visit Saqqara, Dahshur and Memphis

Full day tour to visit the Step Pyramid of King Zoser at Saqqara, the remains of Egypt’s ancient capital at Memphis and the Red and Bent Pyramids at Dahshur.

• Day 3:
• Wadi Hitan, the Valley of the Whales & Fayoum Oasis

We rise this morning and head to the Fayoum region to explore the World Heritage Site of the 'Valley of the Whales'. This is acknowledged as the most important site worldwide for learning about the history of whale skeletal development, and hundreds of fossilised whale skeletons as well as mangrove roots and crab tunnels have been found in the sand. Many of these are now displayed on the sand surface and we take a walk of a few kilometres through the desert to view these. In the afternoon we drive to Fayoum Oasis where we will spend the evening at the Helnan Auberge Hotel right next to Lake Qaroun. In the evening we will take a tour of the Oasis.

• Day 4:
• Drive to Minya via Meidum Pyramids. Afternoon tours

Today we head back towards the Nile Valley where our destination is the city of Minya. Along the way we will make stops at the less visited, but interesting pyramids of Hawara, Lahun and Meidum. These pyramids aren't as impressive as their cousins in Giza, however they help us to gain an understanding of how pyramid building developed over the centuries. The city of Minya is known as the ‘Bride of Upper Egypt’, a name derived from the former elegant villas and its people, who are regarded as some of the warmest and honest people in the country.

After settling into your hotel we have an afternoon tour to visit the V and VI dynasty Fraser Tombs and the ruined city of Dehenet at Tinha e-Jebel.

• Day 5:
• Tours around Minya. Afternoon drive to Assyut

After continuing south to Assyut we have some final tours close to Minya. We visit the unfinished tombs at Beni Hassan which demonstrate the transitional period between the Mastaba type tombs of the Old Kingdom and the deep cut tombs seen in the Valley of the Kings. We also visit Hermopolis which is where the Ancient Egyptians believed creation began and the village of Tuna al-Gebal where can see the Tomb of Petosiris which is a fusion of Greek and Egyptian styles.

After leaving Minya behind we head to Assyut via the fabled city of Tel Amarna.

• Day 6:
• Drive to Luxor via Akhmim, Abydos and Dendera

Today we head to another ancient capital - Thebes, modern day Luxor. Along the way we will make stops in Akhmim to view the massive statues of Ramses the Great, Abydos which was once the centre for the cult of Osiris and the Dendera where we visit the Temple of Hathor.

• Day 7:
• Tour to the West bank of Luxor

We cross the Nile today to visit the West Bank where we have an extensive tour which includes the Ramesseum, Temple of Merneptah, Temple of Seti I, Tombs of the Nobles and Deir el-Medina, the Workers Village. In the afternoon we return to Luxor's East Bank where we spend the night.

• Day 8:
• Tour to Luxor Museum and Karnak Temple

In the morning we visit Luxor Museum which houses an excellent collection of statues and funerary goods recovered from the Theban Necropolis. This morning we will also visit the Mummification Museum which aims to give you an insight into this mysterious practice. After time for lunch we visit the huge Temple of Karnak. If you've been to Karnak before our guide will ensure you get chance to see the less visited parts of the temple or you could visit the open-air museum. In the evening we take the overnight sleeper train back to Cairo.

• Day 9:
• Arrive in Cairo. Full day tour to Tanis and Avaris

After arriving in Cairo this morning we have a full day tour to the Nile Delta region where we visit Tanis and Avaris. During Biblical times Tanis was known by the name Zoan and in the film the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Tanis was said to be the hiding place of the Ark of the Covenant. There are many ancient sites at Tanis, including temples and a royal necropolis. In 1939/1940 Pierre Montet discovered the intact burial sites of Psusennes I, Amenemope and Shoshenq II which contained a large amount of Gold, Jewellery, Lapis Lazuli and many other precious items which are now housed in the Cairo Museum. This discovery wasn’t publicised as much as Tut’s discovery due to the breakout of World War II, however many of the treasures discovered rival those of King Tut.
Avaris is our next stop for today, where excavations underway since the 1960’s have confirmed that this is indeed the site of Avaris, the long-vanished Hyksos capital. Much of the area is in ruins today, however one of the greatest discoveries was in 1991, when Minoan style frescoes were discovered in a Hyksos era palace, proving that strong links once existed between the Minoan on Crete, some 500 miles away. After returning to Cairo in the afternoon the remainder of the day is free for you to catch up on some last minute shopping or relax within your hotel before your flight home tomorrow.

• Day 10:
• Cairo - Tour ends

The tour ends today and your time is free until we transfer you to the airport for departure.