A Special AAA Member Only Luxury Journey to Egypt | April 17-26, 2020 in Business Class

Enjoy Egypt Air's brand new B787-9 Dreamliner overnight in Business Class with full-flat seats. The flight is non-stop.

Upon arrival, you’ll be met by our Cairo-based staff who will assist you with immigration formalities – from obtaining your visa through baggage claim and customs. From the airport, the drive into the city takes about 45 minutes and brings you to the banks of the Nile River. Here in an affluent and prestigious city-center neighborhood near the Egyptian Museum, you’ll check in to the 5-star Kempinski Nile Hotel. Settle in to your Nile-view guestroom and enjoy the rest of this day at leisure.  Meals D

This morning, we’ve made special arrangements for you to enjoy a private field talk in an area that is usually off limits to visitors. Directly under the watchful gaze of the Sphinx between his massive paws, we’ll be joined by Dr. Ashraf Mohie El-Din. Drawing upon his professional experience mapping excavations on the Giza Plateau, he is a wonderful speaker that will enrich your first day of exploration. Then gaze upon the Great Pyramids c and have lunch at the landmark Mena House. Continue to Memphis c, site of Egypt’s ancient capital, to see the Colossus of Ramses II and the beautiful Alabaster Sphinx. At nearby Sakkara, you’ll gaze in wonder upon the remarkable Step Pyramid of King Zoser. You’ll also be among the first to behold the vibrant drawings and inscriptions in the 4,000-year-old Tomb of Mehu – newly opened to visitors for the first time in 80 years. This evening, you’ll dine along the Nile. Meals B+L+D

After a sumptuous buffet breakfast, you’ll begin your exploration of Cairo. From the Citadel, a medieval fortification set on hill near the heart of the capital, you’ll have fine views of the city. Here you‘ll also admire the impressive Muhammad Ali Mosque, built in the mid 1800’s. Mid morning finds you inside the highly regarded Egyptian Museum of Antiquities; with our expert Egyptologist, your 2.5-hour guided visit reveals ancient artifacts that will deepen your appreciation of the sites you’ll explore along the Nile.

After lunch, a guided walking tour through the evocative streets of Old Cairo c includes a visit at one of the city’s oldest churches. Continue to the colorful Khan El Khalili Bazaar where gold, jewelry, spices, rugs, textiles, and lanterns have been sold for centuries. Today, it’s a great place to spend an hour or so - browsing for gifts and mementoes! Back at our luxury boutique hotel, the balance of the evening is yours to dine and enjoy as you wish. In addition to the options available at the Kempinski, our Cairo-based staff will be on hand to offer other suggestions and assistance.  Meals B+L+D
 

You’ll be escorted to the airport this morning for your included flight to Abu Simbel c. With our expert Egyptologist again on-hand, your comprehensive tour of the Temple of Ramses II reveals one of the world’s most impressive sights of antiquity. Behold these 67-foot high figures of the King, carved from solid rock, and hear the dramatic story of how they were moved 200 feet above their original site to protect them from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam. In addition to its oft-photographed statues, the interior hall is decorated with amazing relief carvings that depict a great battle with more than 1,000 stone figures.
 
Then fly to Aswan where you’ll board the luxurious and intimate, 44-guest Oberoi Philae – privately chartered for AAA Members. Settle in to your ultra-spacious light-filled stateroom and then join our expert guides to visit the Nubian Museum. Designed by the award-winning Egyptian architect Mahmoud al-Hakim, the building reflects traditional elements of Nubian architecture; inside, its carefully curated exhibits include temple, tomb and dwelling artifacts from the ancient Nubian civilization that thrived here along Nile River as far back as 2000 BCE.  Meals B+L+D

In contrast to the ancient wonders of Cairo and Abu Simbel, the remarkable High Dam at Aswan is an achievement that belongs to modern Egypt. With enriching insight and narration, you’ll explore this engineering marvel; completed in 1970 at a cost of about $1 billion, it spans more than 2 miles and towers 300 feet. This morning’s excursion also includes the Temple of Philae , rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser after the completion of the High Dam. Now situated on a lovely island, the earliest elements of this impressive complex include a small temple built around 370 BCE and dedicated to the Goddess Isis.
 
Later, we’ll step off at our ship’s private pier to explore the Temple of Kom Ombo. Built on a picturesque bend in the Nile, where crocodiles used to sun themselves, this unusual dual-deity temple of the Ptolemaic Period is dedicated to both Haroeris (one of the oldest forms of the falcon-headed God Horus) and, appropriately enough, the fearsome Crocodile God Sobek.  Meals B+L+D

Join our engaging Egyptologists ashore in Edfu to explore the Temple of Horus, considered by many scholars to be the best-preserved cult temple in all of Egypt. Built in the Ptolemaic era between 237 and 57 BCE, later than many of the other sites along the Nile, it is still a stunning example of traditional Pharaonic architecture and ranks as the second largest temple in Egypt – after the great Karnak Temple. Rich in design, intricate in detail and ingenious in its massive construction, the extraordinary quality of every element here attests to the paramount importance of the falcon-headed Horus. Back onboard, you may wish to be on-deck as our luxury cruiser navigates through the Esna Locks.  Meals B+L+D

With the Philae’s privileged private docking facilities along the Nile, we’ll be off ship efficiently and easily again this morning - going ashore apart from the cluster of other ships and their passengers.

Our exploration begins in the fabled Valley of Kings c, where the pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty abandoned the pyramid tradition in favor of tombs built deep in the mountainside. Each pharaoh also constructed a mortuary temple at the edge of the valley, some distance away from the actual tombs. Sixty four ancient Egyptian rulers are buried here, but only a handful of the temples remain, including Madinat Habu - the tomb of Ramses III with its impressive exterior walls. The fabled final resting place of King Tutankhamen and the fabulously decorated tomb of Ramses VI are also among the highlights awaiting our exploration here in the Valley.
 
Equally as fascinating as the pharaohs’ tombs is the ancient Egyptian village of Deir el-Medina. More than 3,000 years ago during the New Kingdom period, this community was home to the thousands of artisans and laborers who constructed the tombs and temples in the Valley of Kings.
 
Exclusively for AAA Members, today’s specially guided tour of Nefertari’s tomb will reveal one of the most lavishly decorated and beautiful tombs in the Valley of Queens.  Meals B+L+D

After a final breakfast onboard, we’ll disembark the Oberoi Philae to visit two of Egypt’s most celebrated sites of antiquity, beginning with the great Karnak Temple c. With our skilled Egyptologist leading the way, you’ll stand before its massive pillars and admire the grand Hypostyle Hall; encompassing more than 50,000 square feet, this is the largest hall of any temple in the world. Your sightseeing continues at the nearby Luxor Temple c, built in the 14th century BC and connected to the Karnak complex by the awe-inspiring nearly 2-mile long Avenue of Sphinxes.
 
We include your afternoon flight back to the capital, where you’ll be escorted to the Waldorf Astoria Heliopolis Towers; conveniently located close to the airport, it’s ideal for your departure flight the next morning. Settle in to your spacious Premier Guestroom for your final overnight in Egypt.  Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the airport for your onward flight.  Meals B