Egypt in May?

Fly from the US into Cairo (or stay an extra night in Jerusalem if you are coming from Israel).

Arrive in Cairo. We will be met at the airport and driven to our hotel where we can relax and enjoy our evening on our own. Overnight in Cairo.

This morning we begin our tour of the pyramids—the only remaining wonder of the ancient world. We explore the Pyramids of Giza; enjoy a 1-hour safari riding a camel or in a horse cart in the desert; and see the Sphinx. For those who can handle tight spaces, there is an option to enter the great pyramid ($15). Our next stop is  the Papyrus Institute, where we watch a demonstration of the ancient art of making papyrus and do some shopping. After lunch, we visit the amazing Egyptian Museum — including the King Tut exhibit. Overnight in Cairo.

We start our day visiting Sakkara—the site of the oldest pyramid of Egypt and the oldest stone building in the world — King Zoser’s step pyramid, designed by the legendary Imhotep. Next, we proceed to the Old Kingdom capital of Memphis. Here we visit the ruins of the Temple of Ptah and the gigantic colossus of King Ramses II. At a local carpet school, we watch the children learning to make rugs from the cocoon of the silkworms and learn about the different kinds of Egyptian carpets. Overnight in Cairo.

After breakfast, we take early flights to Aswan and immediately begin our tour for the day by visiting the incredible High Dam, built to save Egypt from the wild Nile flood. Next we travel by motor boat for about 10 minutes to visit one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt—the Temple of Isis at Philae. We return to Aswan and board our deluxe Nile cruise, our home for the next 3 nights. Overnight onboard.

We start our cruise sailing north. Our first stop is at Kom Ombo, to visit the only double temple in Egypt, which is dedicated to both Horus the falcon god and Sobek the crocodile god. We return to the ship and continue on to Edfu. There we find the most complete temple in Egypt. We end our cruise for the day in Luxor. This evening we can take an optional 2-hour horse cart tour through the city of Luxor ($20). This is a very popular, fun tour, and a remarkable, unique experience.  Overnight onboard.

We start our tour by visiting the Valley of the Kings. We visit three of the famous tombs of kings.  (There is an additional cost of $15 to visit the tomb of Tutankhamen.)  Next, we pass by Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple for a quick photo stop. As we leave the Valley of the Kings, we visit the Colossi of Memnon. We then return to the ship for lunch. This afternoon we have a photo stop at the Luxor Temple and then visit the Karnak Temple, which is dedicated to the god Amon, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu. Tonight, we can enjoy the optional evening spectacular Sound and Light show at the Karnak temple ($30). This unique show narrates the story of the temple and the history of Thebes, including the lives and celebrated achievements of the pharaohs who built the necropolis. Overnight onboard.

This morning we disembark the cruise ship and take early flights back to Cairo. From there we board our flights either back to the U.S. or to Israel. An optional additional hotel night is available for those not going to Israel.