10 DAYS CAIRO-NILE CRUISE & ST. CATHERINE

On arrival, you are met and assisted at the airport. Transfer to our hotel.

reakfast at the hotel Transfer to Cairo airport for flight CAI - LXR. transfer by private bus on board for the Nile cruise, Lunch on board.
In the afternoon visit the Monumental Complex of Karnak and Luxor Temple. Luxor is the modern name of the ancient Uaset called Thebes by the Greeks, the beautiful capital during the New Kingdom and the seat of the two temples of Luxor and Karnak. The temple of Luxor, a jewel of Egypt, built by Amenhotep III and completed by Ramses II, surprised by the harmony of proportions and the elegance of its findings; Karnak temple is fascinating for its grandeur and complexity, many details of great interest, from the huge Hypostyle Hall, a forest of 136 columns towering over 20 meters, the elegant obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, the "Ballroom".

At the end of the tour returns on board for dinner and overnight.

Breakfast on board.
In the morning visit the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile; proceed to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and on the way back, the last stop at the Colossi of Memnon, the two famous statues at the entrance of the temple of Amenhotep III.

The west bank of Luxor, is the area dedicated to funerary structures, because the West, the place where the sun sets, it was considered the land of the dead and the entrance to the afterlife. Here the pharaohs of the New Kingdom were made to dig their graves in the rock and decorated it with beautiful paintings; here Queen Hatshepsut built his mortuary temple, the Sublime of the Sublime, extremely bold architectural and disconcerting modernity; here the Colossi of Memnon, lonely sentinels, witness the glory and splendor of the distant past.
At the end of the visit back on board and start sailing to Esna, where you can watch the passage of the Dam. Overnight on board.

Breakfast on board. In the morning start sailing to Edfu.
Upon arrival in Edfu visit the Temple of Edfu dedicated to the god Horus; Built during the Ptolemaic temple of Edfu is the best preserved of all Egypt, and is the classic example of the Egyptian temple, where all the components, from the pylon at the entrance to the sanctuary, are perfectly legible. The reliefs on the walls depict important moments in the religious life of the ancient Egyptians, the ritual foundation of the struggle of Horus, the god to whom the temple is dedicated, against Seth, the murderer of Osiris god and symbol of the forces of chaos and disorder.
At the end of the visits, return on board to continue sailing until Kom Ombo. In the afternoon visit the Temple of the two Gods' Horus and Sobek at Kom Ombo. The temple of Kom Ombo dedicated to two gods, Horus the falcon and Sobek the crocodile, and has the special feature of the duplication of all parts of the temple itself: double entry, double
sanctuary, and so on.
In both temples, pads, in excellent condition, offering a beautiful example of Ptolemy, where, lost the classical era pharaonic Egyptian art is open to new solutions, derived from the encounter with Greek civilization, which produce results of great beauty.
At the end of the visit back on board and start sailing to Aswan. Overnight on board.

Breakfast on board.
In the morning, possibility of an optional excursion to Abu Simbel. In the afternoon visit the Temple of Philae and the High Dam of Aswan.
Built by Ramses II as a testimony of his power in the Nubian land, the cave temples of Abu Simbel are all unique in Egyptian architecture: facades are decorated with colossal statues of the king, in the case of the Great Temple, more than 20 meters in height.
Threatened by the waters of Lake Nasser, the temples, thanks to a campaign by UNESCO, were dismantled and reconstructed 60 meters higher. The beauty of the place and the harmony of the buildings have inspired writers and artists and have attached file to the
nickname "Pearl of the Nile" To save them from the waters of the Nile that they would be
completely submerged after the construction of the High Dam in Aswan. Overnight on board.

Breakfast Buffet on board. Transfer to the airport and assistance for flight Aswan - Cairo. Transfer to our hotel. Dinner & overnight

Morning visit Memphis, the city of the god Path and the capital of the oldest kingdom in the world to see the Alabaster Sphinx and the Statue of Ramses II. At Saqqara we visit the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the Mastaba Tomb of Ti, Tomb of Ptahotep, the Serapeum and the Pyramid of Sekhemkhet. Only opened sites
In the afternoon visits to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, an archaeological site on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments includes the three pyramid complexes known as the Great Pyramids, the massive sculpture known as the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers' village and an industrial complex.... Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

After breakfast visit the Coptic churches, a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, , the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga). Coptic Cairo was a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt until the Islamic era, though most of the current buildings of the churches in Coptic Cairo were built after the Muslim conquest of Egypt.

Visit of Saladin Citadel of Cairo, a medieval Islamic fortification located on Mokattam hill near the center of Cairo, was once famous for its fresh breeze and grand views of the city. It is now a preserved historic site, with mosques and museums.

Visit the famous Egyptian Museum contains the world's most extensive collection of pharaonic antiquities; no visit to Egypt is complete without a trip through its galleries where the treasures of King Tut Ein Khamon are exhibited. Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

From Cairo we cross the Suez Canal to visit Ayun Musa (Marah) where Moses led the Israelites southward in Sinai. For three days they traveled this desolate terrain without finding any place to replenish their water. At Marah they found a large spring but the water was undrinkable. Yet, God graciously used Moses to carry out a miracle which enabled the people to have water for themselves and their flocks. This was their first noted encampment after crossing the sea. Then continue visit Elim one of the places where the
Israelites camped following their Exodus from Egypt. a place where "there were twelve wells of water, and seventy date palms," and that the Israelites "camped there near the water". A Professor has proposed Elim to be `Ayun Musa "the springs/wells of Moses."

Then visit of Wadi Feiran (Rafadim): Few places are as steeped in Biblical mystery as the great Wadi Feiran-the Sinai's largest wadi and one of it's most archeologically important stretches of terrain. It was here, according to locals, scholars, and legend, that Moses struck a rock with his staff, bringing forth a spring so his people could drink. Feiran is also the site of Rafadim, the fabled oasis where the Hebrews camped and battled the Amelecites.The Wadi's chief religious sites are the rock from which Moses drew water, which convention places at the western entrance to the oasis, and Mount Tahoun, which Moses supposedly used as an observation point to view the battle with the Amelecites. Atop the mountain is an ancient cross, and the ruins of a small church dating back to the 4th century. The reason why Feiran is called the "Pearl of Sinai."

Then continue into the Sinai desert. We reach Mt. Sinai in the afternoon. After dinner at hotel we bid good night, as very early next morning we shall climb the mountain. (Or watch the climbers from our hotel).

This is the mountain where God spoke to Moses. That, at least, is the overwhelming belief, and the belief itself has drawn pilgrims for over a thousand years. It takes about 3 hours to climb the 7,498-foot peak following the Path of Moses, a stairway of nearly 4,000 steps. There is a longer, less strenuous route up the opposite side, though it is less scenic. In both cases, one should bring good hiking shoes and plenty of water, the latter of which Moses himself probably brought when he climbed it before we descend for breakfast we continue visit of St. Catherine Monastery: Set beneath the mountain where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments, Saint Catherine Monastery has been one of the world’s great centers of religious pilgrimage for over fifteen centuries. Within its imposing walls rests a citadel like no other, incredibly rich in important religious and historical structures. Among its treasures is a library of ancient manuscripts and icons second only to the Vatican's itself, and a 6th century church reputed to lie directly on the site of the Burning Bush. Quite simply, the monastery is a defining feature of the Holy Land. Then we continue eastbound until we reach Taba.