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MARTIN RANDALL TRAVEL LTD
Voysey House,
Barley Mow Passage
London W4 4GF
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8742 3355
USA: 1-800-988-6168
Canada: (647) 382 1644
Australia: 1300 55 95 95
New Zealand: 61-7-3377-0141
Voysey House,
Barley Mow Passage
London W4 4GF
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8742 3355
USA: 1-800-988-6168
Canada: (647) 382 1644
Australia: 1300 55 95 95
New Zealand: 61-7-3377-0141
Ancient Egypt - From Cairo to Abu Simbel
- A comprehensive introduction to Pharaonic Egypt visiting the principal sites from Giza to Abu Simbel.
- A full and busy tour but it avoids rush and allows time to contemplate and absorb.
- A well-planned land tour makes much better use of time than a Nile cruise.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
Luxor—fly at c. 2.30pm directly from London Heathrow to Luxor, arriving c. 9.30pm (time in the air: c. 4 hours 45 minutes)—first of five nights in Luxor.
DAY 2
Luxor—a leisurely day with talks by the lecturer outlining the main themes of the tour—morning visit to Luxor Museum—free afternoon—overnight Luxor.
DAY 3
Luxor—full day visiting the Theban West Bank, the city of the dead—the Valley of the Kings, where the New Kingdom pharaohs are buried in magnificently decorated rock cut tombs—the vast royal mortuary temples erected as Houses of Eternity for the cult of the king—the Tombs of the Nobles containing exquisite reliefs and painted festival and funeral scenes—the village of the royal workmen who built and decorated the royal tombs, a rare settlement site, with their beautifully decorated tombs with perfectly preserved colour. Overnight Luxor.
DAY 4
Luxor—the ancient site of Thebes—vast temple complex of Karnak including the spectacular temple of Amun and the open air museum—free afternoon—evening visit to Luxor temple, a well preserved structure completed by Rameses II—overnight Luxor.
DAY 5
Denderah—morning visit to the well-preserved and roofed Ptolemaic-Roman Temple of Hathor at Denderah—return to Luxor experiencing the rural landscape of Upper Egypt, unchanged for millennia—overnight Luxor.
DAY 6
Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan—drive south through the agricultural landscape and view the desert edge of Southern Upper Egypt to see the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the most complete of the Egyptian temples—at Kom Ombo visit to the remains of the unique double temple to Sobek and Haroeris (Horus the elder), teetering on the banks of the Nile—first of three nights in the ancient border city of Aswan.
DAY 7
Kitchener’s Island, St Simeon, nobles’ tombs—by boat to the Old and Middle Kingdom tombs cut into the rock high on the West Bank—Island of Plants (Kitchener’s Island), a lush botanical garden with tropical vegetation imported by the eponymous British soldier—optional visit by camel to the lonely seventh-century ruined fortress-monastery of St Simeon, situated on the edge of the desert—overnight Aswan.
DAY 8
Temple of Philae, High Dam—the High Dam is one of the engineering wonders of the world—view in the distance the brooding hulk of Kalabsha temple, relocated to the banks of Lake Nasser as the High Dam was built—between the High Dam and the Old Dam, the Temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis, reconstructed on a landscaped island following the flooding of the original island—the ancient granite quarries where a flawed obelisk dating to the 18th Dynasty lies unfinished—the Nubian Museum, excellent collections of Nubian life from the Neolithic to the present—final night in Aswan.
DAY 9
Abu Simbel, Cairo—fly to Abu Simbel to visit the dramatic twin temples of Rameses II and his great royal wife, Nefertari, on the shores of Lake Nasser—by air to Cairo for the first of three nights.
DAY 10
Giza, Cairo—on the edge of Cairo at Giza is the largest and most renowned complex of Pyramids, the solar boat museum and the Sphinx—afternoon visit to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities to view the richest collection of Pharaonic art in the world, including treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun—overnight Cairo.
DAY 11
Dahshur, Saqqarah, Cairo—drive to the Dahshur pyramid field to view and visit the pyramids predating the Giza pyramids—the cathedral-like interior of the Red Pyramid is an engineering marvel—Saqqarah, the necropolis of the ancient capital city of Memphis—the Step Pyramid complex contains the earliest pyramid and Egypt’s first building in stone, the pyramid of Teti, containing the Pyramid Texts relating the king’s ascent to the stars—the Mastaba of Mereruka has detailed and finely rendered painted scenes of daily life—overnight Cairo.
DAY 12
Cairo—fly from Cairo, arriving London Heathrow at approximately 1.00pm.
DATES & PRICES
TOUR CONTAINS
TESTIMONIALS
So impressed with the smooth movement of 16 individuals around 3 hotels in 3 cities and innumerable ancient sites. Breathtaking.
S.P., London
Our lecturer was a naturally gifted presenter, both knowledgeable and able to engage in a 2 way conversation. His talks were fascinating.M.C., Hampshire
My first experience of a Martin Randall trip was very enjoyable; no detail was overlooked. We were unobtrusively looked after, never herded.J.K.-T., Denbighshire
What distinguishes Martin Randall from other tour operators is the participants it attracts; always congenial, well-educated, more eager to learn than indulge.W.T., Paris
Our tour manager and lecturer really made the tour outstanding. Constant presence, willingness to answer questions, informative talks.M.P., Manchester
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