With the long-awaited opening of Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum, Egypt has returned to the top of many discerning travellers’ wish lists recently, and there has never been a better time to visit.
Our tour will not only include the spectacular new museum and the treasures of Tutankhamun, now displayed in their full glory, but will also take in a cruise on the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, as well as a stay in Luxor - latter-day Thebes – and a guest lecture from the archaeologist Piers Litherland, who recently discovered the tomb of a missing pharaoh in the Valley of the Kings. Our tour manager will be the very experienced Egyptologist Ellie Jones.
ITINERARY
Friday 30th January – Departure
Flying with Egypt Air, we depart Heathrow at 09:40 and arrive in Cairo at 16:30. We will be transferred to the comfortable Crowne Plaza Hotel (4*) in Giza for the first three nights.
Saturday 31st January – Saqqara, the Pyramids and the Sphinx
We will start our tour of Egypt in Saqqara, site of some of the oldest pyramids in Egypt. In the afternoon we travel to the most emblematic monuments of the Pharaonic age, the Sphinx, and the three pyramids at Giza: the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure, constructed between 2600 and 2500BC.
Sunday 1st February – The Grand Egyptian Museum, Cairo
We begin by exploring the vast collections of the $1bn landmark museum. This spectacular monument is self-proclaimed to be the largest archaeological museum in the world. Here, the duality of a chronological and thematic approach provides a superb introduction to the story of Ancient Egypt.
In the afternoon we visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, Cairo’s ‘other’ new museum, where we see mummies of the great pharaohs, including one which has long been identified as Thutmose II – until Piers’s recent excavations in the desert near Luxor.
Monday 2nd February – Luxor
We will check out of our hotel and make our way take the short flight to Luxor, where we will stay at the Steigenberger Nile Palace (5*), overlooking the Nile from the centre of town.
The hotel has a large swimming pool, spa and a good restaurant.
This evening, we will meet Piers for a talk on his recent discoveries in the desert before dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.
Tuesday 3rd February – The lesser-known Theban Hills
Crossing to the West Bank of the River Nile, we will explore the monuments in the Theban Hills, which are less visited by tour groups, including the tombs of the nobles, the workers’ village of Deir el-Medina and the mortuary temples to Ramesses I and II. The latter is the site that inspired Shelley to write of the "half sunk … shattered visage" of Ozymandias.
Wednesday 4th February – We join our Nile cruise
Checking out of our hotel, we board our vessel MS Sunray for a four-night Nile cruise upriver to Aswan. In the afternoon we will have a guided tour of the magnificent Karnak and Luxor temple complexes on the East Bank.
Thursday 5th February – Valley of the Kings
This morning, we will cross the Nile to the West Bank, which the ancient Egyptians saw as the Land of the Dead. Here we will visit the Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of Ramesses the Great and Tutankhamun were unearthed, and the grand Temple of Hatshepsut. In the afternoon we sail south up the Nile to Esna, where we see the colourful hieroglyphs and magnificent sandstone columns of the Temple of Khnum, renowned for its 24 columns with lotus-style capitals and a ceiling featuring astronomical figures. Ongoing restoration has recently revealed vivid, original colours on the reliefs.
Friday 6th February – The temples at Edfu and Kom Ombo
Travelling further up the Nile today, we will stop to admire the temples at Edfu and Kom Ombo, two of the most impressive in the Nile Valley. Edfu’s Temple of Horus was built during the Ptolemaic era (237 to 57BC) and is dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus. It is known for its massive 36-metre pylon, detailed wall reliefs depicting religious myths and a traditional, grand entrance. Afternoon tea is taken on board as we arrive in Aswan.
Saturday 7th February – Aswan and the Philae Temple
Today we explore Aswan, including the unfinished obelisk and the beautiful Philae Temple, as well as visiting the Aswan High Dam, which transformed the landscape of the Nile Valley when it opened in 1970. We also take an evening excursion on the river aboard a traditional felucca.
Sunday 8th February – Return home
We will check out and disembark this morning and travel to Aswan airport for the flight back to London, via Cairo, landing at Heathrow at 13:35.
How to book: Call Kirker Holidays on 020 7593 2284 or email oldie@kirkerholidays.com. Price £5,979 per person, which includes return flights (including one hold bag); accommodation with breakfast, lunch and dinner each day at the hotels and on the cruise, with drinks; all sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities; the services of the tour lecturer, Ellie Jones, the guest lecture by Piers Litherland and a local guide. Single supplement: £1,480.
WALKING & MOBILITY
Our tours have been created to show you as much as possible of your chosen destination, and often the best way to do this is on foot. In order to enjoy these holidays you need to be reasonably fit, able to stroll at a normal pace for at least 40 minutes, to go up and down a staircase without assistance and to stand - perhaps in a queue - for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Should you have any concerns whatsoever, please speak to Katherine on 01225 427311.
TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES
Although we are pleased to welcome clients with disabilities, their participation will depend on the nature of the disability and in some cases it will be necessary to be accompanied by an able-bodied companion. In order to ensure the comfort and enjoyment of all participants on any tour we must ask you to declare full details of your disability, especially if this affects your mobility, so that we can consider your personal circumstances.
