FULL ITINERARY - RED SEA
April 12-28, 2019
THURSDAY, April 11: CAIRO (overnight)
Meals and overnight accommodation on your own We suggest that you plan your international flight to arrive into Cairo International Airport [airport code: CAI] no later than April 11. Perhaps grab a bite to eat and stay overnight at a Cairo hotel of your choice to get a good night's sleep after your long journey. FRIDAY, April 12: EMBARKATION @ HURGHADA Lunch, dinner and accommodation onboard Emperor Elite This morning, we head over to Cairo Airport's domestic terminal to catch our onward flight to Hurghada Airport [airport code: HRG]. Here, we'll meet the Emperor Elite liveaboard crew, and after everyone has arrived, the boat crew will drive us to the dive liveaboard that waits in Marsa Ghalib Port, about 3 hours south along the coastline. We'll settle into our cabins and set up our dive gear before the boat departs from Marsa Ghalib Port. SATURDAY-WEDNESDAY, April 13-17: RED SEA DIVING Meals and overnight accommodation onboard Emperor Elite Along the way to the southernmost reefs, we'll dive some sites to the South before sailing overnight to our southernmost point in the Saint John's area. Depending on weather, government approval and marine life sightings in recent weeks, we may sail to the southernmost islands of Rocky and Zabargad, or we'll moor instead in the vast reef system of Saint John's to begin our dive adventure in the south. When leaving Marsa Ghalib, the route can sometimes take in a dive at Abu Dabab on the first or last day. Often spoilt for choice, your guides will pick sites that they know to be the best for the time of the year and can find excellent alternatives should the weather affect the normal route. Although the distances are long, whenever possible we travel overnight. Our aim is to get as many dives in as possible at some of the most impressive reefs. On the way to Fury Shoals, we''ll dive Sha'ab Sharm with its wall dives and white tip reef sharks. Oceanic whitetips and silky sharks can sometimes be found in the blue, and turtles often visit the south side before heading further south. At Fury Shoals, we'll dive Sha'ab Claude with its famous swimthroughs and huge porite corals. Whitetip reef sharks and an anemone and clownfish settlement can be seen a little off the reef to the south. Abu Galawa Soraya has a fantastic coral garden and a wreck of a private sailing boat, populated with glassfish. Saint Johns is a vast collection of small reefs, offering some of the most remote and rewarding diving in the Red Sea. This incredibly beautiful reef lies a short distance north of the Sudanese border. The reef covers a huge area, and many dives would be needed to explore the numerous coral heads and islands. Habili Ali offers giant gorgonians and black corals whilst grey reef, silvertip and schools of hammerhead sharks might be found on the west side. Habili Gafaar is a mass of soft corals teaming with shoals of snappers, butterflyfish and barracudas. Mantas, grey reef and silvertip sharks can often be seen here in the blue. Gota Kebir is a massive reef, famous for its tunnels and south plateau, where jacks and barracudas can be seen and the occasional manta. The tunnels are ideal for novice cave divers. Gota Soraya is rated as possibly one of the best wall dives in the Red Sea, with overhangs and cracks in the reef wall full of glassfish, sweepers and an abundance of corals, grey reef sharks, silvertips and hammerhead sharks. THURSDAY, April 18: RED SEA DIVING Meals and overnight accommodation onboard Emperor Elite On the last day as we head back to port, we'll try to take in a dive or two on the world-famous Elphinstone Reef if weather and diver experience permits, or we will finish in the Abu Dabab area, perhaps with another dive or two closer to Port Ghalib to relax and unwind before your final night in port. Normally, we plan to have 3 dives on our last dive day. After diving is done, the crew will wash our gear and put it out to dry on our way back to Marsa Ghalib Port. FRIDAY, April 19: DISEMBARKATION & LUXOR Breakfast onboard Emperor Elite; lunch and dinner on your own; Overnight accommodation at Sonesta Saint George Hotel in Luxor After breakfast, we'll disembark Emperor Elite around 9am. The boat crew will drive anyone who does not join us for our land tour of Egypt back to Hurghada airport [airport code: HRG] to catch your onward flights. This transfer is included in our dive package. The rest of the group will continue with our land tour of Egypt, boarding our air-conditioned bus bound for Luxor. This 7-hour journey takes us into the heart of the Nile River area. Along the way, we'll stop for a rest break and lunch (on your own). Around 5pm, we'll arrive at our Luxor hotel, after which we can freshen up and enjoy an early dinner (on your own). Around 7pm, we'll head over to the Temple of Karnak for our first taste of Egyptian history -- we'll learn the vivid history of ancient Thebes and hear tales of powerful pharaohs. As we walk through the temple complex, the kings tell their own stories; then, we'll sit alongside Karnak’s sacred lake and see the stones, pillars and statues light up (included in our package). SATURDAY, April 20: LUXOR Buffet breakfast at Sonesta Saint George Hotel in Luxor; Lunch, dinner and overnight accommodation onboard Nile Queen After buffet breakfast at our hotel, the crew will pick us up for transfer to the Nile Queen to board at 10:00 am. After we check in, unpack, meet the crew and have lunch at 1:00pm, a half-day tour will begin at 2:30pm to visit: The Karnak Temple: It is a large complex consisting of many destroyed temples and chapels. It is dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu. The temple of Amun-Re, head of the Theban Triad, is one of the three main temples of the complex and consists of pylons and a Hypostyle Hall. The hall is home to various colossal statues and columns standing erect. Luxor Temple: This attractive temple is located on the east bank of the Nile River. The inner part of the temple was built by King Amenhotep III and the outer part by Ramesses II. You can find the chapels built by Tuthmose III on the rear side of the temple. The six station shrines consisting of different sphinxes separate the Luxor temple from the Karnak area. Lunch will be at a local restaurant (included in our land tour). After sightseeing, we return to the Nile Queen for dinner around 8:00pm and your first night on the Nile. |
SUNDAY, April 21: LUXOR
Meals and overnight accommodation onboard Nile Queen After breakfast at 7:00am, we'll transfer to the West Bank in an air-conditioned vehicle to visit: Valley of the Kings: This valley is known to contain tombs of the Pharaohs like Tutankhamun and is the burial place of the Egyptians of the New Kingdom. This valley consists of the two valleys, the East Valley where the majority of tombs are situated, and the West Valley. Hatshepsut Temple: Today's treat is the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut located beneath the Deir el-Bahari complex, near the Valley of Kings. The sculpture, situated in the temple, depicts the story of the birth of the Queen. The temple was once home to the various statues of the Queen and Osiris, which have now been destroyed. Valley of the Nobles: This area of of the West Bank called Sheik Abd el-Qurna has rock tombs of nobles and high officials of ancient Egypt, who once served the ancient Pharaohs. It is renowned for the decorative tombs with colored paint that looks as if they were just painted, even though they are thousands of years old. Colossi of Memnon: These are the twin stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III standing in the Theban region across the Nile River. The statues depict Pharaoh Amenhotep III in the seated position, facing towards the Nile River with his hands resting on his legs. We'll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant around 1:30pm. After our West Bank tour, we'll visit the Temple of Khrum. After sightseeing, we'll return to the Nile Queen for dinner around 5:30pm for sailing on the Nile River. MONDAY, April 22: EL KAB, EDFU Meals and overnight accommodation onboard Nile Queen El Kab: After an 8:00am breakfast, we will visit El Kab. El Kab, on the East Bank of the Nile, was once the capital of Upper Egypt and is still home to the temple of Nekhbet as well as a row of fascinating decorated tombs carved into the slope of the mountain. Upon docking, we will embark on a beautiful walk through a small fishing village to visit the Necropolis. Edfu: After lunch around 2:00pm, the boat will sail to Edna to cross the lock and arrive at Edfu, home of the Greco-Roman temple dedicated to the god Horus. This is among the best preserved of all Egyptian temples. Horse and carriage will take us to the temple through the busy city streets as if we were visiting in ancient times. TUESDAY, April 23: GEBEL SILSILEH, EL BASHIER Meals and overnight accommodation onboard Nile Queen Gebel Silsileh: Early Tuesday morning after a 9am breakfast, we'll experience the Nile River flowing between two mountain ranges at its narrowest. Usually, we'll be the only visitors at this fascinating site as the larger Nile vessels are not allowed to stop here. After visiting the small temple of Horemheb and walking through the sandstone quarries, where ancient Egyptians cut stone for many of their most famous temples, we will visit a picturesque café to enjoy tea and Shisha. El Bashier Island: In the afternoon, the Nile Queen will visit the island of El Bashier where we can swim and explore the island. Dinner this evening will be a traditional Bedowin barbeque, located on the island. WEDNESDAY, April 24: KOM OMBO Meals and overnight accommodation onboard Nile Queen Kom Ombo: This temple was built during the Ptolemaic period on the site of an older temple at one of the most beautiful locations at a bend on the river. The temple was dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god. After enjoying the temple, we'll visit the new Crocodile Museum, which contains many mummified crocodiles, attesting to the importance the creatures played in this region in ancient times. THURSDAY, April 25: ASWAN, ABU SIMBEL (optional) Breakfast onboard Nile Queen; lunch included; dinner on your own; Overnight accommodation at Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel in Cairo Aswan: Awaken to the beautiful sight of the desert closing in on the river at Aswan Bridge. Check-out from our river boat is 6:00am. Guests will depart at 7:00am to meet our guide and visit the Aswan High Dam. We'll then transfer to Aswan Airportto take a short flight to Abu Simbel around 10:00am. We'll visit both temples of the Abu Simbel temple complex and fly back to Aswan to meet our guide around 1:45pm. We will then visit the Aswan Philae Temple and the Unfinished Obelisk, then proceed back to the Aswan Airport [airport code: ASW] in time to meet our 6:55pm onward flight to Cairo [airport code: CAI]. Flights to and from Abu Simbel are included in the optional Abu Simbel package. FRIDAY, April 26: GIZA Buffet breakfast at hotel; lunch and dinner on your own; Overnight accommodation at Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel in Cairo Giza: After buffet breakfast at the hotel, we meet our guide in the hotel lobby at 08:30am for a tour of the Giza plateau, featuring the Great Pyramid and Sphinx. Here, we'll have an opportunity to experience the traditional Egyptian mode of transportation, a camel ride! We'll stop for lunch (on your own) at a local restaurant, then continue on to visit the alabaster statues of Ramsses II in Memphis and the step pyramid of Saqqara before arriving back at the hotel about 4pm. Dinner tonight is on your own. SATURDAY, April 27: CAIRO Buffet breakfast at hotel; lunch and dinner on your own; Overnight accommodation at Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel in Cairo Cairo: After buffet breakfast at the hotel, we meet our guide in the hotel lobby at 08:30am for a tour of the Egyptian National Museum, where you'll be amazed by King Tut's treasures. After lunch at a local restaurant (on your own), we'll spend the afternoon at the bustling El Khalily Bazaars and El-Moez Street in Historic Cairo. We'll return to the hotel around 4pm. Dinner tonight is on your own. SUNDAY, April 28: DEPARTURE Buffet breakfast at hotel Cairo Airport: After buffet breakfast at the hotel, we'll check out of the hotel and bid Egypt adieu! Our ground staff will transfer us to Cairo International Airport for our homeward flights. |
Come with us to discover the Red Sea,
a truly magical underwater paradise
a truly magical underwater paradise