In our tour around the world with Adventures by Disney, we are now going to Egypt. This is a trip that is definitely on my bucket list. Starting in Cairo at the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities you’ll have your own Egyptologist share this amazing museum with you and Junior Adventurers will have an art detective game. Afterwards, enjoy lunch at Al Azhar Park overlooking Cairo. Then you are off to tour Citadel of Saladin and the Great Mosque.
This next day may just be my favorite- a tour of the great pyramids and the sphinx, then the Khufu Boat Museum and see the pharaoh’s painstakingly restored “sun boat” that archaeologists unearthed beside the pyramid in 1954. followed by a camel ride on the Giza plateau with a view of the pyramids. Your family will learn the ancient art of paper making from papyrus from a local expert and then learn to write your name in hieroglyphics on your own cartouche! Wrap up this day with by making your way deep into a bustling bazaar, also known as a souk, and experience scenes right out of Aladdin! Narrow alleyways wind past medieval archways through a dizzying display of tables and booths selling silver, rugs, pottery and more. As you explore the souk, stop by the fascinating Islamic monuments along the way
On day four, your family will depart Cairo and fly to magical Abu Simbel, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with two of the most magnificent temples in the world! Ok, I take it back, these next few days may be my favorite days of the trip- after your tour, you will board the the Tamr Henna, your Nile cruise ship docked in Aswan. This “floating hotel” provides comfortable accommodations on your 3-night cruise from Aswan to Luxor. Enjoy the cool Nile breezes as you pass iconic monuments on the river banks—such as the Temples of Philae and Edfu— the vast desert stretching into the horizon. With a local expert at the helm, you’ll cross the smooth waters of the First Cataract for a scenic excursion. This is where the ancient Egyptians believed the god of the cataracts dwelled, controlling the flow of the sometimes destructive waters. Your family will have some time to go through the markets of Aswan and enjoy dinner in the hotel where Agatha Christie wrote her renowned mystery novel, Death on the Nile, and imagine the Imperial age when famous guests such as Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill stayed in its rooms. Newly restored, the hotel sits on a granite bluff and overlooks the temples of Elephantine Island.
After breakfast on day 5, you’ll disembark the Tamr Henna and board a motor launch to cross the Nile to the Island of Agilkia, home to this famous temple, the Temple of Philae. With an Egyptologist as your private guide, explore the towering columns and mysterious hieroglyphs devoted to the goddess Isis. Commissioned by the only female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, this enormous obelisk would have been the largest in history had its sculptors not detected a crack in the granite and abandoned it in this bedrock quarry. An Egyptologist helps you examine the telltale markings that reveal the incredible technology employed by its creators.
Always wanted a henna tattoo? I have. After lunch, you will have your chance with local henna artists. And for another of my favorite parts of this tour– the cooking lesson! Learning to make an Egyptian specialty and 2 desserts! Followed by a tour of the Temple of Kom Ombo.
On day 6, your family takes a horse and carriage ride to the Temple of Edfu, where an Egyptologist introduces you to this beautiful, well-preserved temple dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god. And your afternoon will be spent at the Temple of Luxor.
Day 7 is a big day! Egyptologist guides you into the famed location of over 60 tombs for pharaohs and nobles on the West Bank of the Nile. Adventures by Disney provides a premium ticket that includes two top tours: the tombs of both King Tut and Ramses VI! Followed by a private tour of The Temple of Karnak. Then take a short flight to the coastal city of Sharm El Sheikh where the following day you will have privately chartered boat to take your family out for snorkeling in the Red Sea!
As you can tell, I have trouble finding my favorite part of this tour. What are you most looking forward to? To book your Adventure by Disney vacation, contact Diana at diana@destinationsinflorida.com.
Written by Diana Edgar — Diana is an Adventures by Disney Expert on United States trips and around the world. Are you ready for that once-in-a-lifetime vacation? Diana is ready to help you plan your magical Disney vacation. Book your next vacation with Diana at diana@destinationsinflorida.com.