Wonders of Egypt
Egypt is a fascinating country full of wonders, where both history and the present continue to amaze. The country has plenty of impressive temples, colossal pyramids and mysterious royal tombs to offer. At the beginning of this English spoken trip, we will visit the famous pyramids of Giza and Saqqara from the Old Kingdom. We then move south. From now on, the emphasis will be on the time period known as the New Kingdom. It was Egypt’s most prosperous time and marked the peak of its power.
View the full itinerary with photos in a pdf: Wonders of Egypt.
Travel program
Day 1 – Saturday, February 13, 2021: At 1:30 PM, all travelers gather in front of the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square in the centre of Cairo. The objects from the Amarna period and the beautiful grave goods from Tutankhamun’s tomb are explained in detail in a guided tour. After an extensive visit to the museum, we drive in the late afternoon with a luxury coach from the centre of Cairo to the Sakkara Palm club where we stay two nights on a bed and breakfast basis. In the evening we enjoy a communal welcome dinner in the garden of the hotel.
Day 2 – Sunday, February 14, 2021: We start the day with a visit to the Imhotep Museum. Subsequently we view the step pyramid of Djoser on the inside. We then visit the pyramid of King Unas. Here we find the famous Pyramid Texts. Later in the morning we visit the tombs from the New Kingdom of high officials such as Maya and Horemheb and Meryneith.
Day 3 – Monday, February 15, 2021: In the morning we visit the mastabas of Mereroeka, Kagemni and Ankhmahor. We also descend into the burial chamber of the pyramid of Teti. After lunch we drive to Giza. A communal dinner awaits us at the Desert Moon Hotel. We are staying here one night.
Day 4 – Tuesday, February 16, 2021: After breakfast we visit the Giza plateau. There we visit the mastaba of Queen Meresankh III. Then we visit the museum with the solar boat of Khufu. We visit the pyramid of Khafra or that of Menkaura on the inside, depending on which one is open to the public. We then walk through the desert sand to a panoramic viewpoint. After this we walk along the mastaba of Queen Khentkaus towards the valley temple of Khafra. It offers a beautiful view of the famous sphinx of Giza. We make our way to Giza train station. At 6:45 PM we leave in the sleeper train to Aswan where we will arrive at 7:30 AM tomorrow morning. Dinner is served on board the train.
Day 5 – Wednesday, February 17, 2021: We move into the luxurious Mövenpick Resort in Aswan where we stay for two nights on a bed and breakfast basis. In the early afternoon we visit the beautiful temple of Isis on the island of Philae.
Day 6 – Thursday, February 18, 2021: Today we make a day trip to the temples of Abu Simbel.
Day 7 – Friday, February 19, 2021: We leave Aswan early in the morning and travel to Luxor. On the Theban West Bank we first visit the workers’ village of Deir el-Medina. After lunch we visit the Valley of the Kings where we visit four royal tombs, including the tomb of Tutankhamun. We stay at the Nile Valley Hotel for two nights on a bed and breakfast basis. Tonight a joint farewell dinner will take place on the roof terrace of our hotel.
Day 8 – Saturday, February 20, 2021: In the morning we visit the temple of Karnak. In the afternoon we visit Luxor Temple. We spend the last night at the Nile Valley Hotel.
Most travel companions will return home on Sunday, February 21, 2021. For some, this means getting up early with breakfast just before sunrise. Several domestic flights depart from Luxor Airport to Cairo International Airport in the morning.
Huub Pragt will also get up early this day. After breakfast he leaves for Dendera to visit the temple of Hathor. Participants in the House of Life Healing Conference 2021 are invited to attend his free guided tour Hathor, the Celestial Cow from 11:00 AM. At the beginning of the evening, the opening ceremony to conference will be held at the House of Life in Abydos. Huub Pragt will be a guest speaker for the next three days.
Accommodation and meals
Two nights Sakkara Palm Club on a bed and breakfast basis and a welcome dinner.
One night Desert Moon Hotel in Giza based on dinner, bed and breakfast.
One night in the Giza-Aswan sleeper train with on board dinner.
Two nights at Mövenpick Resort Aswan on a bed and breakfast basis.
Two nights Nile Valley Hotel in Luxor based on bed and breakfast and a farewell dinner.
The Terms of Payment and the General Terms & Conditions of the company Huub Pragt Egyptoloog apply to this trip.
Due to the expected international composition of the travel group, the airline tickets must be booked, and the visas must be purchased by the participants themselves. A visa for Egypt can be purchased at any airport where you enter the country. Upon request and at an additional cost, transfers to and from the airport can be arranged for you. Since the registration page is in Dutch, you can also send an e-mail to Huub Pragt expressing your interest: info@egyptologie.nl. After your registration you will receive a confirmation by e-mail. You will get a reflection period of two weeks to cancel free of charge. After these two weeks a deposit of 10% of the total travel sum will be requested. When you have transferred this amount to the bank account of Huub Pragt Egyptoloog, your registration is final. Due to the technical preparations for this trip, your address and passport details will be passed on to Travel Agency Cultoura Travel. You can take a non-binding option on this trip. Minor changes are reserved for this travel program.
