In the heart of the splendors of Egypt

Descripción del viaje

Alojamiento

Programa del viaje

• día 1

  Flight to Cairo

  Note: Arrival at the airport at least 3 hours before departure.

• día 2

  Cairo: departure for a day of discovery of the famous monuments of ancient Egypt, located in the region of the capital

  

  Pyramids of Giza: vast funerary complex housing the tombs of the pharaohs and comprising three large pyramids. The Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World to have survived to this day, is among these imposing remains of Egyptian Antiquity. It seems that the pyramids were erected about 4 500 years ago and that their construction was facilitated by the existence of a branch of the Nile, now dried up, which would have enabled the transport of stones from the surrounding quarries. However, the engineering challenges that their construction entails still leave, in today’s scientific world, many questions unanswered. The Sphinx, a monument sculpted from a limestone mass, stands in front of the three famous pyramids. It is the monolithic sculpture with the most imposing volume in the world. Dahshur, another royal necropolis of the great Egyptian dynasties, notably houses 2 pyramids built at the request of King Sneferu. The first, known as the Bent Pyramid, and the second, called the Red Pyramid because of the red limestone used for its construction, had the same ambition and aimed at the same challenge. However, only the second project was crowned with success and enabled the construction of a 1st smooth-sided pyramid. The Red Pyramid therefore officially became the resting place of King Sneferu, after which his son, Khufu, had the largest pyramid in Egypt built using newly acquired new construction techniques. Saqqara, a vast necropolis of ancient Egypt where royal tombs and more modest burials stand side by side, provides us with many testimonies about the daily life of ancient Egypt.

• día 3

  Cairo – El Fayoum: getaway in the heart of the Oasis

  

  ● Discovery of Lake Qârun (Moeris), a very important reserve for the region, as well as a body of water very popular with fishermen and winged wildlife. ● Visit to the waterfalls of Wadi El Rayan, the highest waterfalls in the country, offering a surprisingly contrasting view with the surrounding arid landscape. ● Dinner prepared by villagers, with Egyptian specialties on the menu. ● Sandboarding on the high sandy plateau, a unique experience! ● Memorable 4X4 ride in the desert. ● Visit to pottery workshops, a specialty of the region.

• día 4

  Visit of the capital and its many attractions

  

  The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), of very recent construction, is the most important museum dedicated to Ancient Egyptian antiquity. Its monumental collection is the culmination of decades of archaeological research focused on the country’s history. You can see colossal statues of pharaohs there, as well as the most common domestic objects of Ancient Egypt. The Khan el-Khalili bazaar, the best-known of the markets of the Middle East, is a place teeming with activity and renowned for its many shops selling local products and souvenirs (colored lamps, fabrics, copper objects, jewelry, spices, perfumes, musical instruments, etc.). Al Mo’ez Street, a true open-air museum, is an unmissable opportunity to immerse yourself in the Islamic world! It is one of the oldest streets in the city, where you can find the country’s most remarkable Islamic monuments and buildings.

• día 5

  Visit to the places of worship of the capital

  

  ● Mosque of Mohammed Ali: an important Islamic sanctuary in Cairo, erected in the heart of the citadel in the 19th c. Ottoman architectural style, for the viceroy Mohammed-Ali Pasha, considered the father of modern Egypt. It is to him that Egypt owes its entry into the industrial era, making the country one of the world’s leading cotton producers. He was behind the first initiatives to build railway lines and dig canals aimed at transporting materials intended for export. Egypt owes him important social reforms, notably the country’s first military, medical and pharmacy schools. ● Al-Rifa’i Mosque: built between 1869 and 1911, this neo-Mamluk style mosque also features a few borrowings from European architecture. Its construction is part of the movement to modernize the city of Cairo at the end of the 19th c. A small pedestrian street separates it from the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, built five centuries earlier. ● Sultan Hassan Mosque: built in the 14th c., in a purely Mamluk style. Originally, this religious complex also housed a Sunni teaching school. ● Coptic Cairo, a district that bears witness to the city’s Christian life. The Copts are attached to the Church of Alexandria of the evangelist Mark and form one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

• día 6

  Cairo-Hurghada: seaside stay

  

  ● AM : Flight to Hurghada. The city and its beaches stretch for nearly 40 km along the Red Sea, making Hurghada the seaside resort par excellence of the country. World-renowned for its clear waters and coral reefs, Hurghada welcomes visitors from everywhere to go scuba diving and windsurfing. ● PM : Guided tour of the city of Hurghada. Visit of the Great Mosque of Hurghada, its port and its fish market.

• del día 7 al día 8

  Continuation of the beach stay

  

  ● Free time to enjoy this little paradise on the shores of the Red Sea. Beach and optional activities.

• día 9

  Hurghada – Luxor (309 km): cruise

  

  Journey to Luxor, check-in on board the cruise ship, then departure to discover the majestic monuments located along the banks of this mythical river: ● Karnak Temple, the largest religious complex in the city of Thebes in Antiquity, when Thebes was the name given to Luxor. The complex, notably made up of temples, chapels, colonnades and corridors magnificently decorated and sculpted, is undoubtedly the longest construction site in history, since its construction spans more than 2000 years. ● Luxor Temple, dedicated to the worship of Amun. This temple was integrated into the religious urban planning of ancient Thebes, since the religious ceremonies practiced there echoed those of the great temple of Karnak, located less than 2 km away. The Opet festival was celebrated there, one of the most sumptuous festivals of ancient Egypt. The avenue lined with sphinxes and its great harmonious colonnades are sculptural elements highly worthy of interest.

• día 10

  Luxor – Edfu: continuation of the cruise (including a land tour segment)

  

  Departure in an air-conditioned vehicle for a great discovery tour: ● The Valley of the Kings, which stretches along the west bank of the Nile, is a region known for housing the tombs of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (16th to 11th c. BC), as well as those of their family. Visit of 3 richly decorated tombs. ● Temple of Hatshepsut, former funerary temple comprising a very well-preserved set of chapels, galleries, terraces and porticoes carved in limestone. It is said that the imposing construction took place over a period of only 15 years. ● Colossi of Memnon, giant stone sculptures located on the western bank of the Nile, on the road leading to Thebes, and constituting the last remains of an immense temple that has now disappeared. ● Sailing to Edfu

• día 11

  Edfu – Aswan: continuation of the cruise

  

  ● Temple of Edfu, devoted to the worship of Horus, god of royalty and great protector of the pharaohs. Built under King Ptolemy, in the 3rd c. BC, in the pharaonic style. This temple is the 2nd largest sanctuary in Egypt after that of Karnak. ● Temple of Kôm Ombo, dedicated to the gods Sobek (god of fertility) and Haroëris (benevolent god and protector of Upper Egypt in the 2nd c. BC). Arrival by boat offering a very striking view of the site.

• día 12

  Aswan: continuation and end of the cruise

  

  ● Temple of Philae, dedicated to the worship of Isis, the protective goddess of the home: this site was the last place where this cult was practiced. It is in fact the last stronghold of the religion of ancient Egypt, which experienced resurgences of manifestation until the beginning of the 5th c. of our era. ● Aswan High Dam, a hydroelectric dam built on the Nile in the 1960s and considered one of the most important in the world. It is a project whose aim is not only to produce electricity for the country, but also to create a water reservoir and a means of regulating floods for agriculture.

• día 13

  Aswan – Abu Simbel – Aswan – Cairo (280 km outbound / 280 km return) + domestic flight

  

  ● Continue by bus heading southwest to visit the temples of Abu Simbel, two jewels of architecture dating from the 13th century BC, carved directly into an ochre- and pink-hued rocky cliff, and devoted to the worship of several deities, but also to that of the pharaoh Ramses II, himself deified. The pharaoh was the initiator of this great construction project, through which he wanted to mark his power over the territory and the gold resources of Nubia. ● Return trip to Aswan Airport and domestic flight to Cairo.

• día 14

  Cairo - return destination

  

  Transfer to Cairo Airport and flight to the return destination