Depart the USA on an overnight flight.

Arrive in Cairo and be welcomed by your tour representative, who will help you obtain your entry visa. Transfer to your hotel (near the airport, most likely) for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, visit the Pyramids of Giza, constructed over 1,000 years before the birth of Moses. See the Great Sphinx and have the opportunity to ride a camel in the desert near the Pyramids.  See modern Cairo as you travel to your hotel on the Nile River for dinner.  Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities to view the unique collection of Pharaonic art and the renowned treasures of King Tutankhamun.

Travel east from Cairo and see the Suez Canal (photo stop) and remember the parting of the Red Sea (Spring of Moses stop) before crossing into the Sinai Peninsula. Stop at the oases on the route the Israelites followed on the Exodus before arriving at St. Catherine.  Enjoy a Bedouin dinner in the desert this evening before overnighting in your desert accommodations (Bedouin Dinner Experience tonight).

This morning, you can opt to climb Mount Sinai, where tradition says Moses received the Ten Commandments. This will be a very strenuous hike. You must be in very good shape, and there will be an early morning start for this option. Everyone will experience a visit to the fortified St. Catherine’s Monastery, built in the 6th century, and one of the oldest working monasteries in the world with the world’s oldest continually operating library. Both the Codex Sinaiticus and Syriac Sinaiticus, important early Biblical manuscripts, were discovered here. Even Muhammad found refuge here, and the site is sacred to all three monotheistic religions.  Remember the story of Moses and the burning bush, which tradition places inside the monastery.  Continue to Sharm El Sheikh for dinner and overnight at your hotel (a beautiful beach resort) located on the shores of the Red Sea.

Enjoy a day of rest on your Red Sea resort.  Enjoy a relaxing day by the pool or optional activities like a glass-bottom boat ride over the stunning reef or other water activities. Lunch is on your own today. There will also be a snorkeling option and an ATV tour option through the desert with tea and coffee under the stars.

This morning, fly from Sharm el Sheik to Luxor, ancient Thebes, which served as the Egyptian capital during the New Kingdom and time of Moses.  Visit the magnificent Temple of Luxor with its avenue of sphinx statues and mighty monumental columns. Continue to the Karnak Temple, which was built over 2,000 years and is the largest religious building ever constructed, and see the famed Hypostyle Hall, the Obelisks of Queen Hatshepsut and Tutomosis III, the temple of Amon, the Granite Scarabeus and the Sacred Lake. Board the Movenpick MS Sunray and enjoy dinner. Guests will go to Karnak Temple and then get checked in on the cruise ship. After some time to rest and eat lunch on board, the group will have the opportunity for a felucca ride in the evening and a carriage ride through old Luxor. After the carriage ride, guests will enjoy a nighttime visit to Luxor Temple. The ancient site lit up is quite spectacular. Guests will return to the ship for a late dinner. The ship overnights in Luxor.

This morning, enjoy the sunrise over the Nile River before you visit the Valley of the Kings. Tombs were constructed here for the kings and powerful nobles of Egypt for nearly 500 years. The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, across from Thebes (modern Luxor), within the heart of the Theban Necropolis. See the Colossi of Memnon, made of sandstone from Gabal El Silselah. Each colossus, including the pedestal and the crown, is about 21 meters tall and represents King Amenhotep III. See the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, one of only a handful of female rulers in Ancient Egypt. Her reign was the longest of all the female pharaohs. Sail to Esna, enjoying afternoon tea before visiting the Temple of Khnum. Dinner and overnight onboard.

Visit the Edfu Temple on the west bank of the Nile. Dating to the Ptolemaic period, the temple was dedicated to the worship of the god Horus, represented as a falcon. It is one of the most beautiful Egyptian temples, distinguished by its huge, splendid structure blending Pharaonic and Greek architecture. Sail to Kom Ombo to visit the Kom Ombo Temple. Built on a hillside, this temple was constructed in the Ptolemaic Roman era for the worship of the gods Haroeris and Sobek. It is noted for the relief engravings on its walls, which show ancient surgical tools, bone saws, and dentistry tools. Nearby, view the three mummified crocodiles in Hathor’s chapel.

Set sail on a smaller boat across the Nile to visit the temples at Philae, including the Temple of Isis, one of the greatest Temples in Egypt, occupying a quarter of the island. Next, visit the High Dam, one of the most outstanding architectural achievements of the twentieth century. It was constructed to replace the old Aswan dam built in 1902. The 3600-meter-long dam was constructed to protect Egypt from floods as well as provide irrigation and electricity to its citizens. View the Unfinished Obelisk, made of red granites brought from the quarries of Aswan. Enjoy dinner & overnight onboard.

Disembark your cruise ship and fly to Cairo.  Tour the Citadel of Saladin, built in 1183 AD, and view the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. In Old Cairo, visit the Abu Serge Church, built over the traditional site of the house where the Holy Family lived during their stay in Egypt. Dinner and overnight in your Cairo hotel.

Return Home or fly to Aqaba for the Petra and Dead Sea Extension