Optional Excursions

The following are optional excursions that can be added to most tours.

 

CAIRO:

Giza sound and light show:

A one hour visual and narrated history of the pyramids and Sphinx. 

 

 

 

 

LUXOR:

Karnak sound and light show:
The Karnak Sound and Light Show highlights the dramatic history of ancient Thebes. The show narrates the achievements of some great Pharaohs, with poetic descriptions of the ancient treasures. As visitors walk through the complex of temples, pharaohs arise to tell the story of their interesting lives, as haunting music mysteriously flows through this ancient city. Ancient and poetic voices tell the visitors about the birth of Karnak temple and the heroic achievements of pharaohs and god Amun. It is an enchanting and supernatural experience to listen to sound effects and gaze at the magnificent ruins illuminated during the well-presented show.

Abydos & Temple of Hator:
Depart the hotel at 8 AM for Abydos (2 hours drive), a holy city and the cult centre of Osiris, regent of the Kingdom of the Dead and god of resurrection. From the Ancient Kingdom era, Abydos was an exceptional site of pilgrimage. The Temple of Seti I is a wonder with its colorful and fine bas-reliefs which mark the birth of Ramesside art.   Visit the Temple of Hathor at Dendara on the way back. Hathor is the goddess of love and joy, also known for protecting women and nursing Pharaohs. Secluded at the border of cultivated land and desert, with its richly decorated chapels, its Hathor-headed columns, its obscure corridors and stairs, the unique vestige of the ancient city of Dendera is one of the most famous best preserved monuments in Egypt and offers a splendid view of Upper-Egypt countryside from the roof. NOTE: Have your hotel prepare a box lunch as there are no decent restaurants along the way.  There will be plenty of bottled water in the van but if you prefer other beverages then please bring them.

 

Extended Necropolis:
This excursion includes visits to the Valley of the Queens (including optional entry to Queen Nefertari's tomb), the tombs of the nobles and artisans, the Temple of Medinet Habu and the Ramesseum.

 

 

 

Luxor Museum & Mummification Museum: 
Rick Steves commented: "The Luxor Museum, made possible and designed by the people who brought us the Louvre in Paris, is the finest museum in the country".
The museum displays a superb collection of statues and funerary goods from the Theban Necropolis and temples, dating from the end of the Old Kingdom up until the Late Period.
The Mummification museum is intended to provide visitors with an understanding of the ancient art of mummification. The Ancient Egyptians applied embalming techniques to many species, not only to dead humans. Mummies of cats, fish and crocodiles are on display in this unique museum, where one can also get an idea of the tools used.

 

ASWAN:

Abu Simbel:
The Abu Simbel temples are two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel, a village in Nubia, southern Egypt, near the border with Sudan. They are situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km southwest of Aswan (about 300 km by road). The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments", which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. They serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari, and commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. Their huge external rock relief figures have become iconic. The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir. The relocation of the temples was necessary or they would have been submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River.

Philae Temple sound and light show: 
At the Philae Sound and Light show, the Egyptian gods and goddesses are resurrected to tell us their stories.

 

 

 

 

St. Simeons camel trek:
Travel to the west bank of the river and board your "ship of the desert" for a short trek to the 7th century ruins of St. Simeon's monastery.

 

 

 

 

Nubian museum and Spice Market: 
Established in 1997, in cooperation with Unesco, the museum is a reminder of what was lost beneath Lake Nasser. Exhibits are beautifully displayed in huge halls, where clearly written explanations take you from 4500 BC through to the present day.
At the famous Aswan Spice Market the variety of products and smells is irresistible, from perfumes and incense to fruit and fish. Popular tourist buys include colorful Nubian skullcaps and long scarves; heavier woven shawls; woven baskets and trays. Many of the items you see here are not available in other parts of Egypt.

Aswan museum and antiquity sites plus the botanical gardens on Kitcheners Island:
Elephantine Island is a large island on the Nile river that during ancient times was the first line of defense for Egypt against invasions from the south.  There are numerous temple ruins and a Nilometer. Kitchener's Island features a botanical garden created by Lord Kitchener (British). He had been Consul-General in Egypt from 1911 to 1914. Kitchener rapidly transformed the small 750 metres (2,460 ft) long island into a paradise of exotic trees, many from India, and plants in gardens with view walkways. It later passed into the property of the Egyptian government and was used as a research station called the Botanical Research Institute.

 

ALEXANDRIA:
None