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2008
June 20,27
July 4,11,18,25
August 1,8,15,22,29
September 5,12,19,26
October 3,10,17,24,31
November 7,14,21,28
December 5,12,19,26

2009 Departures
* Please call us to inquire about 2009 prices and itinerary details

January 2,9,16,23,30
February 6,13,20,27
March 6, 13, 20, 27
April 3, 10, 17, 24
May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
June 5, 12, 19, 26
July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
August 7, 14, 21, 28
September 4, 11, 18, 25
October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
November 6, 13, 20, 27
December 4, 11, 18, 25

Royal Lotus

1-888-942-3301

Certain restrictions apply. All rates in U.S. dollars. Prices, savings offers, and other terms subject to change without notice. Images, logos, photographs etc. on this page is copyrighted by Globus Tours. It is presumed to be accurate and is subject to change without notice.

This 10-day Cruise & Tour vacation offers an exciting voyage through the Kingdom of the Pharaohs. Your journey begins in Cairo, where you’ll marvel at Tutankhamon’s treasures in the Egyptian Museum, visit the enigmatic Sphinx, and see the Great Pyramids of Giza. Then fly to Aswan to enjoy a felucca ride and board the elegant Royal Lotus for a four-night Nile River cruise to Luxor. Along the way, you’ll visit Kitchener Island’s lush Botanical Gardens, gigantic Aswan Dam, the Temple of Isis, the Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens, and Luxor Temple. You’ll also enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride through Edfu to the Temple of Horus, visiting colorful local bazaars, and exploring the stunning monuments of Karnak.

Click on the map above for a large image

Day 1
(Fri.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2Arrival in Cairo, Egypt
(Sat.) A welcome drink awaits you at your hotel; settle in and start soaking up the atmosphere of this exciting city.

Day 3 Cairo. The Pyramids
(Sun.) Meet your Egyptologist and traveling companions at 8 a.m. Sightseeing in and around Africa’s largest metropolis starts at the EGYPTIAN MUSEUM with Tutankhamon’s fabulous treasures, an exciting first encounter with the splendor of three millennia of Egyptian civilization. Then leave for ancient MEMPHIS to admire the 40-foot statue of Ramses II and the Alabaster Sphinx. On to SAKKARA’S “stairway to the sky,” the oldest of all pyramids. Finally, at GIZA, a close-up look at the enigmatic SPHINX and the daunting Great Pyramids. Cheops, with an original height of 496 feet, is the most colossal ever built. A suggestion for tonight: enjoy an optional dinner cruise on the Nile River. (BB)

Day 4 Cairo-Aswan
(Mon.) Time this morning for independent activities or to join an optional excursion to walled Old Cairo. Saladin’s 12th-century Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque and the labyrinthine bazaar are well worth a visit. In the afternoon fly 500 miles up the Nile Valley to the lovely resort town of Aswan. (BB,D)

Day 5 In Aswan. (Embarkation)
(Tue.) Morning at leisure in Aswan. You may want to join an optional flight (weather permitting; approximately US$190) to the huge sandstone temples of Abu Simbel. Then check into your elegant river cruise vessel in time for lunch. In the afternoon, a special treat: board a felucca and sail right across the blue waters of the river. En route see the ancient “nilometer” on Elephantine Island, Kitchener Island’s lush BOTANICAL GARDENS, and the splendid Aga Khan Mausoleum on the left bank. (BB,L,D)

Day 6 Aswan, Kom Ombo
(Wed.) Morning excursion to the turn-of-the-century Old Dam, to this day the widest dam in the world, and the gigantic Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970. Board a motor launch to the island of Agilka between the two dams and visit the TEMPLE OF ISIS, transplanted from the submerged island of Philae. Also stop at the ancient GRANITE QUARRIES to see the famous, unfinished obelisk. Before lunch start your leisurely cruise down Egypt’s river of destiny. Dock at KOM OMBO for a short walk to its bluff-top temple dedicated to the crocodile and falcon gods. Time to haggle for bargains in the local market before returning to the boat. (FB,L,D)

Day 7 Edfu
(Thu.) Board a horse-drawn carriage for the drive through Edfu to the TEMPLE OF HORUS with its menacing black stone statue of the falcon god. Built in the time of Cleopatra about 2,000 years ago, it is recent by Egyptian standards and beautifully preserved. During the hottest part of the day sip a drink on the sun deck of your cruise boat and savor the panorama. See white-clad farmers with their donkeys, camels, and water buffaloes work lush green fields; and ever present on the horizon beyond the palm trees, the desert. Tonight you dock at Luxor with a chance to take in the optional sound and light show at Karnak. (FB,L,D)

Day 8 Luxor
(Fri.) Focus on the VALLEY OF KINGS and VALLEY OF QUEENS on the west bank of the Nile, where generations of pharaohs and nobles were buried in great splendor in crypts cut into the cliffs. Sixty-two royal tombs have been uncovered so far, of which one, the tomb of Tutankhamon, was nearly inviolate when discovered in 1922. Visit DEIR EL-BAHARI, Queen Hatshepsut’s monumental rock temple. Also stop for pictures at the two COLOSSI OF MEMNON guarding the valleys. The afternoon is dedicated to LUXOR TEMPLE. (FB,L,D)

Day 9 Luxor (Disembarkation)-Cairo
(Sat.) A grand finale to your sightseeing in the Nile Valley. See the stunning monuments of KARNAK, the greatest city of ancient Egypt. To walk among the pillars of the colossal TEMPLE OF AMON RA and along the AVENUE OF THE SPHINXES is an experience which you will treasure for the rest of your life. Late morning flight from Luxor back to Cairo. Afternoon at leisure to catch up on your postcard writing and souvenir shopping. Tonight’s optional sound and light show at Giza might be just the way to top off an exciting touring adventure. (FB)

Day 10
(Sun.) Homebound flight. (BB)

SUPERIOR HOTELS:
CAIRO Oberoi Mena House Garden (SF),
ASWAN Elephantine Island Resort (SF),
CAIRO Sheraton Heliopolis (D)