Tour Itinerary: Days 1-5
June 15: Depart from USA
Our main group will be flying out of Seattle to Cairo, Egypt on June 15, 2023. Students who live outside the Northwest, we be flying out of the main international terminal nearest to them.
June 16: Arrival in Cairo, Egypt
After our group arrives in Cairo, we will transfer to Hilton Heliopolis Hotel for a much-needed night's rest.
June 17: Giza Pyramids and the Great Sphinx
Following breakfast, we depart for an amazing adventure at the Giza Pyramids and the Great Sphinx. According to scholars, these ancient structures date back to about the year 2,500 BC--basically to the time of Abraham. In addition to marveling at the pyramids from the outside, you'll also have the chance to go inside and climb the narrow passage way leading into the King's Chamber!
After lunch, we will visit the New Grand Egyptian Museum with all it's amazing archaeological wonders.
June 18: The Early Pyramids
Today we visit some of the earliest pyramids. We begin by visiting Dahshor, where we will see the Bent Pyramid and Red pyramid. We will even get to climb deep down inside of them, if you have the courage (and the thigh muscles). After lunch at the Alezeba Village Tent, we will visit the ancient site of Sakkara, where we will see the Sed temple, the Pyramid of Zozar, Mastaba of Kagemeni, and the Pyramid of Titi. Our last stop will be to ancient Memphis, where we will see a huge statue of Ramses II.
After supper, we head to the train station to catch our First Class overnight sleeper train to Luxor.
June 19: The Valley of the Kings and Luxor Temple
After finishing our breakfast on the train, we head off to visit one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, the Valley of the Kings on the Western Bank of Luxor. The whole west bank is honeycombed with tombs, not just of the ancient Egyptian Kings, but of their families and the noblemen who served them. In addition to visiting three of those ancient tombs, we will see two other sites.
(1) The tomb of Tutankhamun--or better know to us as King Tut. Discovered in 1922, this tomb was the only nearly intact tomb every discovered. Fortunately for us, grave robbers never discovered the tomb. King Tut ascended to the throne in 1333 BC, at the age of nine or ten. He appears to have died when he was about 18 as a result of genetic defects that arose from his parents being siblings, complications from a broken leg and his suffering from malaria.
(2) The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is one of the most beautiful of all of the temples of Ancient Egypt. Hatshepsut (1503-1482) is one of the few female rulers of Ancient Egypt. She is of particular interest since she is the most likely candidate for being Moses' adopted mother. A daughter of King Thutmose I, Hatshepsut became queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother, Thutmose II. Upon her husband's soon death, she began acting as regent for her stepson, the infant Thutmose III, but later took on the full powers of a pharaoh, becoming co-ruler of Egypt around 1473 B.C. It is believed that she was grooming the young Hebrew boy she rescued and named Moses to be her successor. The plan fell apart, perhaps, when Moses killed an Egyptian. Thutmose III may have used that news to rid himself of both Hatshepsut and Moses.
After lunch, we head to the eastern bank of Luxor, known as ancient Thebes, where we will see the Karnak and Luxor Temples. The Karnak Temple comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. The complex is a vast open-air museum, and the second largest ancient religious site in the world. In the temple we will also see wall carvings that includes a reference to the Israelites in the land of Canaan.
After supper, we will head to airport to catch our flight to Cairo, where we will again spend the night at the Hilton Heliopolis.