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A Tale of Two RiversCruise the Nile, Stay by the ThamesThis could be your year to see the Pyramids and Buckingham Palace. A new 10-day program from Nubian Nile Cruises offers a deluxe tour to Egypt's famous sights plus two free nights in London (including sightseeing) at a remarkably low cost of about $179 a day. This unique tour program begins with a two-night stay in London (with complimentary continental breakfast) at a three-star hotel close to such major tourist attractions as the British Museum and Harrods. Included is a three-day pass offering unlimited travel via London's efficient Underground and bus systems. Also included is a narrated sightseeing tour aboard one of London's famous open-top double-decker sightseeing buses (with hop-on, hop-off privileges). For the next leg of the journey, use your unlimited travel card for the trip to London's Heathrow Airport. There, you'll board a British Airways or Egyptair jet for the flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, there's time to relax in your hotel and get a good night's sleep before beginning an exciting tour to some of the world's most famous sights. Your first full day in Egypt begins in Cairo with a comprehensive sightseeing tour that includes Saladin's Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali, and the Egyptian Museum of Antiquity, housing the world's finest collection of ancient Egyptian art. Highlights include visits to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Lunch is provided at a local restaurant. Then comes a flight to Luxor to board a deluxe Nile cruise ship. There's time to settle in and freshen up before visiting the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak and the mighty Temple of Luxor. The evening is at your leisure and provides an opportunity to explore colorful local markets. Crossing the Nile by ferry at Luxor, you'll tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, including the great funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Then the cruise ship sails up river to negotiate the Esna Locks, passing villages that have changed little since Biblical times. At Edfu, passengers climb aboard horse-drawn carriages to clip-clop through town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple. Re-embarking on the luxurious Nile cruiser, you'll then sail to Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples. In the afternoon there is a leisurely sail on the Nile by felucca, a sailing vessel that has remained unchanged since the time of the ancient pharaohs. These fast, narrow sailing vessels still glide down the Nile as they did when Ramses II stood on its banks and watched them go by. Later, there is a short camel caravan from Aswan to visit a nearby Nubian village. This is an authentic village not a replica designed for tourists where visitors are able to meet the friendly Nubian people. This is the only tour to Egypt that includes this feature. Scheduled for the following day is a tour of the awesome Aswan Dam, a visit to a red-granite quarry used in ancient times, where you'll view a massive unfinished obelisk, and a visit to the island temples of Philae. Then comes a flight back to Cairo and transfer to your hotel. Priced at $l,799 per person (double occupancy), this tour includes airfare London/Cairo and return, domestic airfares within Egypt, six-day luxury Nile cruise (including all meals and shore excursions), hotel accommodations in Egypt, all transfers within Egypt, and guided sightseeing in Egypt (including all entrance fees). Also included is a two-night stay in London, plus three-day unlimited pass and sightseeing bus tour. Although airfare from the United States to London is not included in the price, this is an ideal opportunity to use accumulated frequent flyer miles. Or ask Nubian Nile Cruises to find a real deal for the transatlantic portion of the trip. This tour operates weekly (except Dec. 15-Jan. 5). You may add extra days in Cairo and/or London. Nubian Nile Cruises Edited by Dave Shultz -Updated 8-30-99- |
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