Egypt - Land of the Pharaohs

November 03 - 16, 2010
Escorted by Mary Marlowe

The magic of Egypt has been capturing the imagination of travelers for thousands of years. Join Egypt Specialist, Mary Marlowe, on her 2010 Egypt tour as she explores this extraordinary country. A Travel Consultant for 25 years, Mary has traveled to Egypt twelve times and considers it one of her favorite destinations.

Tour Price
Double Occupancy Per Person: $5,395*
Single Occupancy Per Person: $6,895*

Price Includes:

  • Round trip economy class airfare from Portland to Cairo with Delta Airlines.
  • Domestic flights in Egypt: Cairo - Luxor / Aswan - Cairo.
  • 8 nights accommodations with buffet breakfast daily.
  • 4-night Nile cruise with all meals onboard ship, and tours included.
  • All transfers to / from airports and ports.
  • 11 days of touring in an air-conditioned, private bus with licensed, English speaking guide.
  • 5 lunches in Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor and Abu Simbel.
  • 5 dinner in Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan.
  • All entrance fees as per itinerary.
  • Service and local taxes.
  • Exclusive information kit and travel bag.
  • Visa to Egypt.
  • Tips to guide, driver, Nile cruise staff and transfer people

Tour arranged through Ya'lla Tours USA, Inc.

Egypt "Land of the Pharaohs" Itinerary
November 03 - 16, 2010
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 03
Depart Portland with Delta flight # 1126 to Salt Lake City, leaving at 1:07PM and arriving at 3:54PM. Connect with Delta flight # 170 nonstop to Paris, leaving at 4:45PM.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 04 – CAIRO (D)

Arrive Paris at 11:15AM. Connect with Air France flight # 8622 to Cairo, leave at 1:35PM, arrive at 6:55PM. You will be met by a Ya'lla Tours Egypt representative and transferred to your hotel for a welcome dinner and overnight. Our hotel, HILTON PYRAMIDS GOLF RESORT, is located in view of the Pyramids of Giza. All guest rooms have balconies and floor-to-ceiling opening windows, air-conditioning, satellite TV, wi-fi internet, safe and hair dryer. Facilities include a 27-hole championship golf course with views of the Pyramids, a spa, an outdoor swimming pool, shopping arcade, hair salon and a variety of restaurants and bars.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 05 – CAIRO (B,L,D)

Drive to Giza and visit the Pyramids. See the Great Pyramid, a royal burial chamber and the Valley Temple. Continue to Giza and see the Sphinx and the Solar Boat, one of the most amazing Pharaonic discoveries. Continue to Memphis, capital of the Pharaohs during the Old Kingdom. See the recumbent statue of Ramesses II and the 80-ton Alabaster Sphinx. Lunch en route. Continue to Sakara to see the prototype of the Pyramids the Step Pyramid, built for the 3rd Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser by the exalted architect Imhotep. Continuing south, visit the Pyramid of Dahshour. Senefru, father of Cheops, built this pyramid, also known as the Red Pyramid, approximately 4,600 years ago. Many scholars consider it to be more glorious than the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Return to Cairo and visit a Papyrus Institute and Merit Plaza. Continue to your hotel for overnight. In the evening, enjoy a special dinner in view of the illuminated Pyramids.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 06 – ALEXANDRIA (B,L,D)
Drive the Desert Road to Alexandria. This second largest city in Egypt was built by Alexander the Great on the site of an old fishing village, which had a small harbor,
sheltered by the island of Pharos. Upon arrival in Alexandria, visit the Catacomb (Kom El Shoafa), a remarkable example of the Alexandrian blend of Graeco-Roman
and Egyptian styles carved into 100ft of solid rock.Lunch en route. Continue to Montazah gardens, where you will have the opportunity to see, from outside only, the Montazah palace. Originally built in 1892, the palace dates from 1926 and was the summer home of the Egyptian Royal family. Continue to the newly opened Library of Alexandria. Apart from the main library,the complex will include a library for the blind, a young people’s library, the Alexandria Conference Center, a science museum, a planetarium, a Restoration and
Conservation Laboratory, and the Hall of Fame. Return to your hotel for overnight. Our hotel, RENAISSANCE, is located in downtown Alexandria and completed extensive renovation in 2005. All 117 guest rooms and 41 suites have air conditioning,free bottled water, safe, bathtub with spray jets, hair dryer, cable/satellite TV, VCR, mini-bar, high-speed internet access and balcony. Facilities and services include a wide selection of restaurants, cash machine, currency exchange, laundry, dry-cleaning, 24-hour room service, florist, outdoor swimming pool, and fitness center. Dinner tonight will be in a typical seafood Egyptian restaurant on the Cornish.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 07 – LUXOR (B,L)
After enjoying a morning at leisure. By 11:00AM, drive to El Alamein desert where General Rommel was defeated by General Montgomery in the 2nd World War, saving Egypt and Israel from falling into the hands of the Nazi’s. Visit the commonwealth graveyard and memorial. Lunch en route. Continue to Cairo and the airport for your evening flight on Egypt Air flight # 337 Luxor, leave at 7:15PM, arrive at 8:25PM. Upon arrival, you will be met by a Ya’lla Tours USA representative and transferred to your hotel for overnight. Our hotel, SONESTA ST. GEORGE is a beautiful 5 star hotel, one of the newest, located on the East bank of the Nile. All guest rooms are equipped with Air conditioning, hair dryers, mini bars, satellite TV, safety deposit boxes, and direct dial telephones with modems. It has 4 restaurants, heated swimming pool, beauty salon and spa and a night club.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 08 – LUXOR (B,L)
Depart Luxor and drive for a visit the Temple of Hathor at Denderah, located north
of Luxor. The temple was buried in sand up until mid 1800’s. Two Roman fountains
flank the path leading to the temple’s massive entry gate. The mud-brick enclosure
walls also date to the Roman era. Structures within the walls include the temple, a
Coptic Basilica, and a temple to Isis. Lunch en route. Then drive about 1 ½ hours to Sohag and the Temple of Abydos. Abydos is linked to the earliest dynasties. In 1993, the earliest known tomb was found here, along with some of the oldest hieroglyphics ever discovered. The Temple dates to around 3150 BC. This area was sacred to Osiris, god of the afterlife, who was restored to life here after being killed by his brother Seth. The ancient Egyptians said that at sunset, the area looked like a golden staircase leading to the afterlife, and thus many people wished to be buried here. Return to Luxor for overnight.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 09 - NILE CRUISE (Luxor) (B,L,D)
Begin touring with a visit to Karnak Temple, called by some “the Temple of Temples.” It is the largest place of worship ever built. Its ancient name Ipet-isut means “the most sacred of places.” The temple, or, more correctly, the complex of temples, was built over more than two thousand years by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, the great “Hypostyle Hall” is an incredible forest of giant pillars covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral. Then Then transfer to your Nile cruise vessel, for lunch and an afternoon to relax. Late in the afternoon, visit the graceful Temple of Luxor built by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II for ritual and festivals and dedicated to the god Amun.
Return to your cruise for dinner and overnight on board. Our Nile cruise, AMARCO I, is one of the most deluxe boats cruising the Nile today. This 233-foot-long, 43-foot-wide all-suite vessel provides the ultimate luxury in Nile cruising. Suites are spacious and elegantly appointed and equipped with air conditioning, safe box, mini-fridge, 5-channel satellite TV with closed video circuit, music system, internal telephone, and bathrooms with bathtub and hair dryer. Luxurious and comfortable public areas invite quests to relax and mingle in the open air. Onboard facilities include 2 elevators, spacious restaurants serving the best
Egyptian and international cuisine, lounges with dancing every evening, large
swimming pools, gym, spa, massage, steam rooms, Jacuzzis, sun decks, a variety of
bars and lounges, boutiques and gift shops.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 - NILE CRUISE (Edfu) (B,L,D)
After breakfast onboard, cross to the West Bank of the Nile and visit the wondrous Valley of the Kings, a vast city of the dead where the magnificent tombs of 62 pharaohs have been discovered. The tombs were carved deep into the desert rock, richly decorated and filled with treasures for the afterlife of the pharaohs. Visit several of the tombs. Next, visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This beautiful monument to the reign of the only female pharaoh rises out of the desert plain in a series of terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. On the way back to your Nile cruise, stop at the famed Colossi of Memnon, two 66ft, 1 thousand ton statues of Amenhotep III. These colossal statures were known by the ancient Greeks to emit haunting voices at dawn. Though damaged by nature and ancient tourists, the statues are still impressive. Return to your cruise and set sail for Edfu. The afternoon is at leisure. Lunch and dinner on board. Overnight at Edfu.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11 - NILE CRUISE (Aswan) (B,L,D)
After breakfast on board, set out by horse-drawn carriage to visit the Temple of Horus, the most perfectly preserved of all the Nile Temples. Horus, also known as Haroeris, was the falcon-headed solar war god. Return to your cruise vessel by carriage and sail to Kom Ombo. Visit the Temple of Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility and creator of the
world. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank. Lunch, dinner and overnight on board. Sail to Aswan for overnight.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12 - NILE CRUISE (Aswan) (B,L,D)
After breakfast on board, take a tour of Aswan High Dam, Egypt’s contemporary example of building on a monumental scale. Next, proceed to the granite quarries which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples. The quarries still hold the Unfinished Obelisk, possible intended as a companion to the Lateran Obelisk, originally at Karnak but now in Rome. It would have weighed over 1,100 tons and would have been the worlds’ largest piece of stone ever handled. Continue by a short motor-boat ride to the Temple of Philae on the island of Agilka. The temple was dedicated to Isis, sister/wife of Osiris and patroness of the Ptolemaic rule. In the afternoon, sail around Elephantine Island on a felucca, the traditional Egyptian sail boat. Elephantine Island is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and is the site of some of the most ancient remains in Egypt, with artifacts dating to predynastic periods. Elephantine is Greek for Elephant. In ancient times, the island was called Abu or Yabu, which also means elephant. The name may indicate that the island was once a center for the trade of ivory. Continue sailing around Kitchner Island (also known as Lord Kitchner’s Botanical Garden, Plant Island, Gizirat al- Nabatat, Plantation Island, or Gizirat al-Bustan). Lord Kitchner moved there after
being given the island for his campaigns in the Sudan. He imported plants from around the world to create his famous garden. From the river you have a nice view of the Aga Khan Mausoleum, an elegant pink granite structure built in the late 1950’s. Return to your Cruise for dinner and overnight in Aswan.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13 – CAIRO (B,L,D)
After breakfast you will board our bus and drive along the artificially created Lake Nasser to Abu Simbel. Have lunch in Abu Simbel. Visit the temples that were built over a 25 year span and are one of the most prodigious feats of engineering in Egypt. The entire complex of temples was moved to its present location 90 feet above its old site to protect it from the rising water of the Nile when the Aswan Dam was built in the early sixties. Drive back to Aswan and have dinner. Then transfer to Aswan Airport for your flight to Cairo on Egypt Air flight # 202, leave at 10:20PM, arrive at 11:25PM. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your
hotel for overnight. Our hotel, SOFITEL EL GEZIRAH, totally refurbished in 2007, is located on the southern tip of El Gezirah Island. All 433 guest rooms and suites offer views of the
Nile and a balcony, air-conditioning, safe deposit box, mini-bar, radio and satellite TV, phone with voice mail, high speed internet line, tub and shower in bathroom and hair dryer. Facilities and services include 7 restaurants and bars, wi-fi internet, cash machine, concierge, dry cleaning, safe deposit box, currency exchange, beauty salon, gift shop/news stand, ramp access and facilities for the disabled, fitness center and spa, indoor and outdoor pools and hammam.

SUN DAY, NOVEMBER 14 – CAIRO (B,D)
Enjoy a free morning to relax from the previous long day. In the afternoon, Drive to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities for a detailed, guided tour. Among other fascinating exhibits, see the treasures of the Tomb of Tutankhamen and the extraordinary Mummies Room. Over ten mummies, including that of Ramesses II, are displayed in freestanding glass cases in this climate controlled room. Walk around the mummies and examine them from all angles, gaze into their incredibly well preserved 3000-year-old faces. You will be picked up from your hotel at 7:00PM and take a tour around the city by air-conditioned van, passing by Azhar street, down town streets, the Cairo Tower and the bridge of 6th of October. Then take a felucca trip sailing on the Nile for an hour. Then enjoy a typical Egyptian dinner. Return to your hotel for overnight.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 – CAIRO (B)
Drive to Old Cairo and walk back in time. Visit the Old Coptic Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Lunch en route. Continue to the Mohamad Ali Mosque and the streets of Khan el Khalili Bazaar. Return to your hotel for a free afternoon and overnight.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 - FLIGHT HOME
You will be met at your hotel and transferred to the airport for your Delta flight # 85 nonstop to New York, leave at 12:30PM, arrive at 5:40PM. Clear US Customs and Immigration and connect with Delta flight # 643 nonstop to Portland, leave at 7:15PM, arrive at 11:01PM.

B = Breakfast included
L = Lunch included
D = Dinner included

Important Note:
  • Air schedules are subject to change at any time.
  • You must have a valid U.S. passport to enter Egypt. (Must have at least 6 months of validity past your scheduled return date).
  • A $750 per person deposit is required at the time of the booking. The deposit is FULLY REFUNDABLE up to 90 days prior to departure.
  • Final payment will be due on August 05, 2009.
  • All moneys paid to Ya'lla Tours USA Inc. are held in a trust account until paid to our suppliers.
*Price does not include:
  • Departure taxes, fuel taxes ($410, based on September 02, 2009 tariff, subject to change)
  • Drinks of any kind
  • Meals unless specified
  • Travel insurance ($349 per person in a double room, $502 in a single room, highly recommended)
  • Tips to guide and driver, we recommend $160 per traveler
  • Tips to Nile cruise crew, we recommend $60 per traveler
  • Tips for transfer people, we recommend $3 per transfer

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

  • The price of the tour is: $5,145 per person in a double room based on a minimum of 15 participants in the tour. The price is guaranteed, but if due to unforeseen circumstances beyond Ya’lla Tours USA Inc’s control, the price will be adjusted accordingly.
  • Price of the airfare portion of the tour is subject to change until the air ticket has been issued.
  • Should a single traveler wish to share a room with another traveler, and Ya'lla Tours USA Inc. is unable to match him/her with a roommate, the single room supplement will apply.
  • Should the number of participants, 90 days prior to departure, be lower than the published minimum number of participants to operate the tour, the price will be adjusted accordingly, or the tour will be canceled.
  • A deposit of $750 per person is due at time of booking.
  • Final payment is due 90 days prior to the group departure, on August 05, 2009.
  • For cancellation of 89 to 45 days prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 50% of the tour cost will apply.
  • For cancellation of 44 to 15 days prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 75% of the tour cost will apply.
  • For cancellation of 14 days and less prior to departure, a cancellation fee of 100% of the tour cost will apply.
  • No refund will be paid for unused services such as: transfers, sightseeing, meals, hotel accommodation, entrance fees, and others that are listed in the tour program.
  • The Tour Operator reserves the right to change the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances. In all cases, Ya'lla Tours USA Inc. will do its best to maintain the content of the tour.
  • The Tour operator reserves the right to change the hotels listed on the tour for others of similar quality.



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Important Note
You must have a valid passport to enter Egypt. Your passport must have at least 6 months of validity past your scheduled return date.