Egypt and Nile Cruise with Holy Land Tour
March 21 - April 5, 2011

Day 1: Monday, March 21 - Depart the USA for Cairo, Egypt

Join your Tour Director and your fellow travelers at New York/JFK for the 6:30 pm transatlantic flight to Cairo. (In-flight meal service)

Day 2: Tuesday, March 22 - Cairo

We arrive in Cairo, the capital and largest city of Egypt. After completing customs we begin to learn about Egypt's fascinating history from our English-speaking Egyptologist. Transfer to our newly renovated five star hotel with time to relax before our welcome dinner at the hotel this evening. (In-flight meal service, D)

Day 3: Wednesday, March 23 - Cairo

Today we enjoy a full day guided tour of Cairo, starting with Egypt's most famous landmark – the Three Pyramids of Giza. These three limestone structures of various heights were built by pharaohs around 2600 B.C. and are located about 6 miles southwest of Cairo in the Libyan Desert. The tallest Pyramid is about 150 feet high and its lateral length is 247 feet. The Pyramids of Giza are considered one of the seven man made wonders of the world. Next we visit The Great Sphinx of Giza. This colossal sculpture, with a lion’s body, the head of a king wearing his headdress, and the wings of a bird, is the national symbol of Egypt, and was named sphinx which means “strangler”. Sphinxes were placed at the entrances of ancient temples as guardians over kings & pharaohs. After a short camel ride we adjourn our morning tour with a visit to the Papyrus Institute, a government approved shop which makes and sells authentic papyrus. To complete our Egyptian experience we visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly referred to as the Egyptian Museum. This is home to the world’s greatest treasures of ancient Egypt, including the riches of King Tutankhamen. (B, L)

Day 4: Thursday, March 24 - Cairo / Luxor / Nile River Cruise

This morning we depart Cairo for the beautiful Luxor, and our amazing five-day, four-night Nile River Cruise begins. However, prior to boarding the deluxe M/S Jasmin, we prepare for a full day of sightseeing. We begin with the famous Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, located beneath the cliffs at Deir El-Bahri. Queen Hatshepsut is the only known female pharaoh. We also visit the Coliseum of Memnon and the Valley of the Kings, where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century B.C., tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles. Later in the afternoon we make our way to the Temple of Luxor, which stands in the midst of this modern city. (B, L, D)

Day 5: Friday, March 25 - Nile River Cruise / Edfu

After breakfast we disembark the ship for a tour of the Nile’s East Bank, including the Temple of Kanak. The Kanak complex is a vast open-air museum which is the largest ancient religious site in the world and the second most visited historical site in Egypt, second only to the Giza Pyramids. After crossing the Lock at Esna, we make our way along the Nile to Edfu. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Saturday, March 26 - Nile River Cruise / Edfu / Kom Ombo

Today we visit the historic Ptolemaic Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the god of Horus. Enjoy lunch while sailing to Kom Ombo, where we visit the Temple Kom Ombo, an unusual double temple. One side of the temple is dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek, who symbolizes the produce of the Nile and the fertility that it brought to the land. Sobek was also credited as a creator of the world. The other side of the temple is dedicated to the falcon god, Haroeris, who served as god of the sky, god of war, and god of protection. Enjoy dinner and the ship's amenities while we anchor in Kom Ombo for the night. (B, L, D)

Day 7: Sunday, March 27 - Nile River Cruise / Aswan

This morning we visit the beautiful temple of Philae. In the afternoon we tour around Elephantine Island, the Botanical Garden Island and the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan, via a felucca. This is a traditional wooden sailing boat and one of the area’s most reliable and interesting forms of transportation. We overnight onboard ship in Aswan. (B, L, D)

Day 8: Monday, March 28 - Aswan / Tel Aviv

After breakfast we disembark and take a fun horse-drawn carriage ride to the local shopping district, where you will find an array of shops and stores offering a variety of treasures and souvenirs. Later, we continue our tour of Aswan, including the Aswan High Dam. The dam was built to prevent the annual flooding of the surrounding farmland and cotton fields. Before the dam was built, the river’s flood waters deposited essential nutrients and minerals in the soil and made the area around the Nile fertile and therefore ideal for farming. We also visit the Unfinished Obelisk in an ancient quarry high above Aswan and the Temple of Philae. This afternoon we board our flight to Tel Aviv, with a stopover in Cairo. Transfer to hotel in Tel Aviv for overnight. (B, In-flight meal service)

Day 9: Tuesday, March 29 - Jaffa / Caesarea / Acre / Sea of Galilee

We begin this morning traveling to Jaffa, one of the oldest cities in the world. Visit the Church of St. Peter, and walk through Jaffa's reconstructed Old Quarter. After a short drive through Tel Aviv, Israel's modern metropolis, travel through the Sharon plain to Caesarea, the seat of the Roman Procurator of Judea at the time of Christ (Apostles 23: 23 and Apostles 26: 23 - Paul; Apostles 10: 20-48 - Peter and Cornelius). This fortified harbor city was built 2000 years ago by King Herod. View the ruins of Roman, Byzantine and Crusader times. Continue to Haifa for a panoramic view from the Mount Carmel summit, and the golden-domed Bahai Shrine. Drive along the ridge of Mount Carmel, where the Prophet Elijah dwelt, passing by the Carmelite Monastery and Stella Maris. Continue to Acre, and visit the Subterranean Crusader Quarter and walk through the colorful alleys to the Turkish Kahn and the ancient harbor. Leave Acre for your Hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 10: Wednesday, March 30 - Galilee / Golan Heights / Caesarea Philippi

After Breakfast we start with a serene boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14: 22-23). Then tour the northern shore, the area where Jesus spent his years of ministry. See the ruins of Capernaum, the town where Jesus made his home after leaving Nazareth. View the remains of the ancient synagogue, in which he may have preached, and the house of St. Peter (Matthew 4: 13, Matthew 8: 14-15). Continue to Tabgha, where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes took place to feed 5,000 people (Matthew 14: 14-34). Visit the Church of St. Peter Primacy where Peter received the primacy from the Lord (John 21). Drive through the Hula Valley; ascend the Golan Heights, the base of the usually snow-capped Mount Hermon, and visit the nature reserve Banias, which hosts the ruins of the city Caesarea Philippi. Drive for a panoramic view of Galilee. Return to Tiberias via the Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5: 7), site of the Sermon on the Mount. After dinner at the hotel, a special 40-minute multimedia show on the "Galilee Experience" will be presented. (B, D)

Day 11: Thursday, March 31 - Nazareth / Beit She’an / Jericho / Jerusalem

Drive from Tiberias to Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first Miracle: turning jars of water into wine (John 2: 1-11 and John 4: 46-54). Continue past Mary’s Well into Nazareth, the home of Mary and Joseph, and visit the Church of the Annunciation (Luke 26: 28). Proceed through the lush and fertile Jezreel Valley; visit Mount Tabor, traditional place of the transfiguration (Matthew 17: 1-8), on the way to Beit She’an Valley. Recent excavations there have unveiled the impressive ruins of the country’s largest city of the Roman and Byzantine periods, which was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 AD. Continue though the Jordan Valley to Jericho, believed to be the world’s oldest walled city. This was the first city taken by Joshua, when the Hebrews returned from Egypt - 'and the walls fell down' - and was also the site of the Mount of Temptation. Drive from Jericho to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 12: Friday, April 1 - Jerusalem

In the morning ascend the Mount of Olives. Visit the Chapel of Ascension (Luke 24: 50-53) and the Church of Patter Noster (Luke 11: 1-4). Enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. Walk down Palm Sunday Way to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26: 36-58), and visit the famous Church of All Nations. Enter the Old City and visit the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church. Walk along the Way of the Cross - the Via Dolorosa - passing the Monastery of the Flagellation, and visit the Convent of the Sisters of Zion at Ecce Homo. Continue to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Walk through the colorful Arab Bazaar to the Western Wall, last remnant of the second Jewish Temple during the time of Jesus. Ascend to the Temple Mount, and visit the Dome of the Rock and El Aqsa Mosque. In the afternoon visit Mount Zion, where the Room of the Last Supper and King David’s Tomb are situated. Also enter the Dormition Abbey and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)

Day 13: Saturday, April 2 - Qumran / Dead Sea / Massada

Drive through the Judean desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest region on earth, stopping on the wilderness road overlooking Wadi (valley) Kelt, and St. George's Monastery. Proceed past Qumran, where the 2000 year old Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, and reach the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Continue to Massada, and ascend by cable car to the mountaintop. Explore the impressive ruins of the fortress built by Herod, later the site of the heroic last stand of the Jewish zealots against the Romans. Conclude the day on the shores of the Dead Sea, the world’s lowest point, where visitors may "float" on the one sea where you cannot sink. Pass the traditional site of the Inn of the Good Samaritan (Luke 8: 25-37). Return via the city of Bethany to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 14: Sunday, April 3 - Jerusalem / Bethlehem

Drive to the Haas Promenade for a breathtaking view of the Jerusalem panorama. Continue directly to Bethlehem, and visit the Church of the Nativity (Luke 2: 1-7). Pass Rachel's Tomb and drive through the new residential quarters of Jerusalem. Visit Yad Vashem, the unforgettable Memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Pass the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, and view the Menorah, symbol of the State of Israel. Continue to the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the impressive Shrine of the Book, and the Holy Land model of Jerusalem, as it was in the Second Temple period (the time of Jesus). Drive to the picturesque village of Ein Karem, identified as the birthplace of John the Baptist (Luke 1: 1-25); enter the Church of the Visitation. Return to Jerusalem for the last night. Tonight enjoy your Farewell Dinner. (B, D)

Day 15: Sunday, April 4 - Tel Aviv / Cairo

After breakfast we return to Ben Gurion Airport, where we board our flight to Cairo. The afternoon in Cairo is yours for shopping, relaxing, or exploring. (B)

Day 16: Monday, April 5 - Return USA

This morning we board our international flight back to the US. Arrive in New York/JFK Airport. (B, In-flight meal service)