In King Tut’s Footsteps: Meet the Boy Pharaoh

Sample Itinerary

DAY 1 : DEPART USA

EN ROUTE

Depart on your overnight flight to Cairo.

DAY 2 : ARRIVE CAIRO

MENA HOUSE PALACE

Arrive Cairo International Airport and transfer to your hotel.

DAY 3 : CAIRO

MENA HOUSE PALACE

Begin your day at the inscrutable Sphinx, the giant man/beast that has puzzled mankind for generations. See the fabled Great Pyramids of Giza, Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos and the Solar Boat Museum. After lunch at the Mena House, visit the old Pharaonic capital of Memphis, where Tutankhamun reigned as Boy Pharaoh and died at age 19. End the day at Sakkara touring King Zoser’s Step Pyramid. (B,L)

DAY 4 : CAIRO

MENA HOUSE PALACE

Tour the incomparable Egyptian Museum with its Mummies Room focusing on items from King Tut’s life as a child and Pharaoh: his toys and games, bows, arrows, weapons he used, and items from his everyday life such as chairs, beds and decorative jewelry. Continue to the Khan el Khalili Bazaar for lunch at Naguib Mafouz Restaurant in the heart of Old Cairo. Visit the Citadel and Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali. (B,L)

DAY 5 : CAIRO / EL-MINYA

MERCURE EL-MINYA

Morning drive to el-Minya, 150 miles south of Cairo. Travel alongside the River Nile past old villages, mausoleums and pyramids. (B,L,D)

DAY 6 : EL-MINYA

MERCURE EL-MINYA

Full day tour of Tel el-Amarna, the once-glorious city built by Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti. It was also where young Tutankhamun spent his childhood. Tutankhamun may have been the son of the Pharaoh Akhenaten, or perhaps even a younger brother. When Akhenaten died, Tutankhamun and the capital returned to Thebes. Visit the Northern Palace, the Northern & Southern Tombs, the Akhenaten Border Stellae and the Family (Royal) Tombs of Akhenaten. (B,L,D)

DAY 7 : EL-MINYA / LUXOR

HILTON LUXOR

Today visit fabulous Dendera and the spectacular Temple of Seti I at Abydos, noted for the Gallery of the Kings and the famous Abydos King List, 76 of whom are listed. King Tut’s name is mysteriously missing. (B,L)

DAY 8 : LUXOR

M/S MAYFAIR

Noon embarkation of your Nile cruise boat. This afternoon visit Luxor Temple with its Avenue of Sphinxes, and massive Karnak Temple with its huge hypostyle hall and labyrinthine passageways. Though Tutankhamun put his stamp on both Luxor and Karnak Temples, King Tut’s presence is felt most at Luxor Temple. When he moved the royal residence back to Thebes, he had the walls of the great Colonnade at Luxor Temple embellished with reliefs bearing his name. (B,L,D)

DAY 9 : LUXOR / ESNA

M/S MAYFAIR

Cross to the West Bank and visit the incomparable Valley of the Kings and the Valley of Queens. Tour the tomb of King Tut and see where Kent Weeks is conducting the new excavations on KV5, the tombs of Ramses’ sons. Explore Queen Hatchepsut’s Temple, Egypt’s only female Pharaoh, and the mysterious Colossi of Memnon, so named by the Greeks because of their nighttime whistling. Spend the afternoon relaxing as you cruise the River Nile to Esna. (B,L,D)

DAY 10 : EDFU / KOM OMBO / ASWAN

M/S MAYFAIR

Morning cruise to Edfu and transfer to the best preserved temple in Egypt, the Temple of Horus. Late afternoon tour of Kom Ombo, the temple shared by two gods, Sobek and Haroeries. Be sure to see the mummified crocodiles and the Nilometer where the priests determined taxes. Cruise to Aswan. (B,L,D)

DAY 11 : ASWAN

M/S MAYFAIR

Visit the Aswan High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and beautiful Philae Temple. Evening Nubian folk show. (B,L,D).

DAY 12 : ASWAN / CAIRO

MENA HOUSE PALACE

Morning felucca sailing excursion around Elephantine and Kitchener’s Islands. Late morning flight to Cairo. Return to the Egyptian Museum for a second visit to see the incredible treasures of King Tut’s afterlife – the golden funerary mask, three coffins of gold, a stone sarcophagus and the four nesting gilded shrines covering his mummy. (B)

DAY 13 : DEPART CAIRO

EN ROUTE

Morning return flight to USA. Welcome home! (B)