“Time & Space in the Temples & Pyramids”

DAY 2 – Saturday, January 23, 2027: Welcome meeting, Sightseeing: Dashur – Red & Bent Pyramids, Memphis.
Hotel: Giza hotel night #2. Meal: BB, L.

After a Welcome Meeting, we begin our sightseeing with sites from Ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom (2,575-2,150 B.C.).  We drive southward through fertile farmlands to the pyramids at Dashur, dated even older than the pyramids at Giza!  It is also a chance to begin savoring the riches of Egypt without huge crowds and souvenir sellers.

We spend time inside the Red Pyramid (nearly as large as Giza’s Great Pyramid) and then have the opportunity for an unforgettable walk across the open desert to the Bent Pyramid.  The desert is rich with inspiration and the vastness is exhilarating.  You can also climb inside the Bent Pyramid, but it is quite strenuous, so not for the feint of heart! The Bent Pyramid was a key center of worship during the Middle Kingdom and was much more important than Giza at that time.  It is also the only pyramid to retain most of its original casing stones.  

The Black Pyramid (Middle Kingdom mud brick) can also be seen from here.

After lunch in the Sakkara area, we visit the ancient capital city of Memphis. This was constructed of mudbricks so not much remains, but there are some interesting artifacts on display – the Alabaster Sphinx, the huge fallen statue of Ramesses II, and a number of other statues.

We may also stop to see some of the local carpet weavers (if people are interested).

DAY 3 – Sunday, January 24, 2027: Private Great Pyramid visit in the early morning.* 
Saqqara – Step Pyramid, Unas Pyramid, Teti Pyramid, Serapeum, Old Kingdom Mastaba Tombs including Mereruka, Under the Step Pyramid, and the Southern Tomb. 
Hotel: Giza hotel night #3. Meals: BB, L  

PRIVATE VISIT INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID WITH JUST OUR SMALL GROUP: We are applying for a special government-issued permit which will allow us to have a private visit for our small group alone in the Great Pyramid before the other tourists have arrived for the day. Unlike the normal tourists who only get a short visit to the King’s Chamber, we will also have access to the Queen’s Chamber and the Subterranean Chamber (“the Pit”).

We have every reason to believe that we will receive this permission, as we have on our previous tours.  However, we cannot guarantee this because government policies can change unexpectedly. The cost of this private visit is included in your tour package and is based on having a minimum of 6 travelers on the tour. If there are fewer than six travelers, there is an extra fee for those who choose this experience. 

Our sightseeing today is at the Sakkara Complex (also spelled Saqqara). Three treats for our previous travelers are that a passage under the Step Pyramid has been opened, as well as the Southern Tomb (these were not open before), and the famous Pyramid of Unas is now open, too. So, of course, they are all included in our tour! The Pyramid of Unas has the earliest versions of the Pyramid Texts and also has wonderful colors.

Next, we visit the sites in the northern side of Sakkara. Here we find the Teti Pyramid and some Old Kingdom tombs with fascinating scenes of the daily life in Ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom (the ones which are open varies, but they are all included). There is an extra ticket for the best one, the Tomb of Mereruka, but is included for you, too. We will also visit the Serapeum with its enormous coffins for bulls – a place shrouded in mystery. 

Our final visit is to the newly reopened Imhotep Museum.  This is a small site-museum (all the artifacts were found here at Sakkara) that has a number of interesting pieces to see. Particularly interesting are the life-like statues made of wood. It feels like gazing into the eyes of Ancient Egyptians.

DAY 4 – Monday, January 25, 2027: Giza Plateau – Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Valley Temple, camel ride (not obligatory), Khafre or Menkaure Pyramid.
Check out of our hotel, flight from Cairo to Luxor.
Hotel: Luxor Steigenberger Hotel or similar, night #1. Meals: BB, L.

Today we spend the day on the Giza Plateau. You can go inside whichever pyramids are open (you already went inside the Great Pyramid yesterday). Of the three pyramids, two are usually open while one is closed for renovations – dates are not announced in advance. Tickets for entering the individual pyramids are included in your tour package.

We will also see the Great Sphinx & Valley Temple. There are legends of the Sphinx speaking. Does the Sphinx have a message for you? The Valley Temple is built with huge granite blocks that fit together snugly even today, almost 5,000 years later. Some think it is even older than that!

Camel rides for the adventurous (no additional fee).  Camel videos HERE.

Note that the Solar Boat is no longer on the Giza Plateau but is now on display at the new museum (GEM).

Evening flight from Cairo to Luxor.

DAY 5 – Tuesday: Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple with Open Air Museum.
Hotel: Luxor Steigenberger Hotel or similar, night #2. Meals: BB, L  

Welcome to Luxor! Luxor has been a tourist attraction from long before the New Testament era. The Greeks looked to Egypt as the place of great wisdom and were enthralled by the temple ruins they found there. We begin with an early morning visit to the Luxor Temple. Both gently beautiful and full of awesome grandness, this temple was the “Bride of Karnak” during the annual Apet festival.  There is an Avenue of Sphinxes that connects Luxor Temple with Karnak Temple and it is one of the newly opened attractions! You may have seen the extravagant ceremony that was broadcast recently when it opened. Youtube video.

After breakfast at our hotel, the splendors of Karnak fill the rest of our day. Karnak, Sakkara, and the Giza Pyramids are included in almost every Egypt tour, but the typical visit for each of these sites is about 45-60 minutes. We dedicated a whole day to the Giza pyramids, a whole day to the many sights at Saqqara, and we will do the same with Karnak. There is so much to see there!

Karnak was the center of government during the New Kingdom and each Pharaoh wanted to leave something impressive there. The largest temple complex in Egypt, we see multiple temples, obelisks, great gates, and the famous hypostyle hall – unequaled to this day.  We also see the Sacred Lake, the Festival Hall and Botanical Garden of Thutmosis III (a precursor of Napoleon’s later record of the fauna and flora found in Egypt).

Also at Karnak, we visit the fascinating Open Air Museum where we view the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III (Karnak’s original Holy of Holies) and Senwosret’s White Chapel with its finely-carved Middle Kingdom hieroglyphs.  These are in raised relief – some of the best to be found anywhere.  There is something new each time we visit, as the reconstruction of new pieces is ongoing.

In the late afternoon we visit a shop that sells jewelry with Egyptian motifs. We will also visit a local grocery store where we will get snacks and lunches to eat for our day-long bus trip to Abydos and Dendera tomorrow.

OPTIONAL EVENING ACTIVITY: If you enjoy bargaining and shopping, or just plain people-watching, you may enjoy a evening visit to the Luxor Bazaar. Souvenirs, scarves, dresses, and more. You can even try smoking the shisha (flavored tobacco) in a water pipe.

DAY 11 – Monday: Edfu Temple, sailing to Silsila. Mountain
Hotel: Dahabiya Nile Cruise Boat or similar., night #3. Meals: BB, L, D.

The Edfu Temple is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. Built during the Ptolemaic era on an older site, it is dedicated to the god Horus. Horus was the original superhero. Even the word hero is derived from Heru, his name in the Ancient Egyptian language. He is the savior and redeemer, the one who fights for what is right. He is represented as a falcon (a type of hawk).

We continue sailing on to Silsila Mountain.

DAY 12 – Tuesday: Silsila Quarries with Horemheb Temple, Kom Ombo Temple.
Hotel: Dahabiya Nile Cruise Boat or similar, night #4. Meals: BB, L, D.

Our last day of sailing. We have one more day to let the gentle current of the Nile cleanse our bodies, minds, and souls. Being on the Nile is like time outside of time. Are we in Biblical times? The early 1900’s? Is it really the 21st century? Could that be Agatha Christie I see there writing her next mystery novel? Do memories of earlier times and faces cross your mind?

We make a visit to the Temple of Horemheb at Silsila, a site not easily accessible and certainly impossible to visit with a large cruise boat. Such a visit is more the way it would have been for Egypt travelers in the past. No vendors hawking their wares, no automobiles or buses. This site is also where many of the huge stones used in building the temples we have seen were quarried. The scale of such an operation is quite striking when one sees where the stones originated.

The Kom Ombo Temple sits high on a hill above the Nile. It’s a special feeling when we approach it. This temple has two parallel entrances, one for each of the deities it honors. Sobek was a crocodile god and Haeoris was an aspect of the hawk-god Horus.

DAY 13 – Wednesday: Hatshepsut’s Unfinished Obelisk, spice shop, Philae Isis Temple.
Hotel: Aswan Obelisk, Basma or similar hotel. Meals: BB, L.

After checking out of our hotel, we begin our day with the Unfinished Obelisk of Hatshepsut. Although the fact that it cracked before it could be removed and brought to Luxor was a disaster in ancient times, it is a wonderful opportunity for us in modern times to see how the obelisks were created.

The cataracts in the river at Aswan kept the boats from the Mediterranean from continuing south into Africa, and the boats from Africa  were also unable to continue north. This created a natural place for traders to meet through all of Ancient Egyptian history. Today, Aswan is still renowned for its spice trade. We will visit a spice shop where you will able to sample many of these spices and purchase any you might like.

In the afternoon, we have a beautiful treat. The Philae Isis Temple is on an island near Aswan. This temple was partially submerged when the Low Dam was constructed (1899-1902) by the British. With the construction of the High Dam (1959-1970), it would have been underwater completely. Thankfully, it was moved to higher ground on a neighboring island and its beauty continues to shine.

Our hotel tonight is in Aswan. You may decide to enjoy the sunset from the terrace with a glass of wine or beer.

DAY 14 – Thursday: OPTIONAL: Abu Simbel Temples by road.* 
TOURING: Aswan – Aswan marketplace, Nubian Museum, overnight in Aswan, flight from Aswan to Cairo.
Hotel: Novotel Cairo Airport Hotel or similar, night #1. Meals: BB, L.  
*The cost of the day-long trip to Abu Simbel is not included in your tour. 

THOSE NOT CHOOSING THE ABU SIMBEL OPTION:
A relaxing morning in the beauty of Aswan, we have time to visit the Nubian Museum. You can also try your hand at bargaining in the local street bazaar with its multiple small shops. All during Ancient Egypt, Aswan was the center of trade between Africa to the south and the Mediterranean countries to the north. You might also like to see the Botanical Garden at Kirchner’s Island (optional).

OPTIONAL ABU SIMBEL by road, approx. $200 USD (not included): 
Those choosing this option leave in the early morning and begin the day-long trip to Abu Simbel. The Abu Simbel Temples were made famous when the high dam was constructed and they were soon to be submerged under the new lake, Lake Nasser. A UNESCO international effort saved the temples by moving them to higher ground. The two large temples of Abu Simbel (constructed by Ramesses II) were carved into the cliff itself. The smaller temple is for the Goddess Hathor and was dedicated to his queen, Nefertari.

We fly back to Cairo this evening and check into our hotel, conveniently located right at the Cairo airport for easy arrival this evening and for our departures home on Saturday, February 6, 2027.

DAY 15 – Friday, February 5, 2027: The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Farewell Dinner, Departures late tonight or tomorrow morning.
Hotel: Novotel Cairo Airport Hotel or similar, night #2. Meals: BB, D.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has finally opened! This is a world-renowned museum. It is the largest museum in Africa and houses the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities. The complete artifacts of King Tut are now on display here along with 12 galleries of artifacts from the pre-dynastic time through to the end of the Greco-Roman era. There is also a separate building for the Solar Boat as well as many shops and restaurants.

It’s hard to believe our time has reached an end. We have a final meeting and dinner together before preparing to go our separate ways. Departures are late tonight or tomorrow morning.

The nonstop Cairo/IAD, Washington-Dulles flight (MS 981) leaves Cairo at 11:55pm. tonight The nonstop Cairo/JFK, NY, flight (MS 985), leaves Cairo at 6:30am tomorrow morning.  Our hotel is right within the airport perimeter and there is a shuttle every 30 minutes that will take you to whichever terminal you need to leave from. 

Farewell, Egypt! You will continue to live in our hearts! 

DAY 16 – Saturday, February 6, 2027: Departures.
Hotel: no hotel Meals: BB.

Departures home. Farewell, Egypt! You will continue to live in our hearts! 

PRICES for the In-Depth Time & Space Egypt Tour

BRIEF Itinerary   •   DAY-BY-DAY Itinerary

16-Day Tour January 22 – February 6, 2027 

EARLY BIRD (paid in full by September 20, 2026 by check or bank wire): $6,495 USD in double occupancy

Paid in Full by November 1, 2026 by credit card, check or bank wire: $6,795 USD in double occupancy

Single Rooms: Add $1,000 to the above prices

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