Portland Community College
The Wonders and Mysteries of



Tour Highlights
EGYPT
12 Days/10 Nights - May 12-23, 2011
Credit Card Authorization
Tour Highlights
Jordan Extension
  • International air Cairo/Amman/Cairo
  • 1 night accommodation in Amman at the Landmark Hotel or similar
  • 2 nights accommodation in Cairo at the Fairmont Heliopolis Hotel or similar
  • 4 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 4 dinners
  • Full day sightseeing: Amman and Jerash
  • Full day sightseeing: Petra
  • Sightseeing en-route to Amman: Madaba /Mt. Nebo/Kerak
  • Hotel taxes and service charges
  • Porterage
  • 2 bottles of water daily
  • English speaking guide throughout Jordan
  • Jordan visa

  • NOT INCLUDED
  • Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, inter-net services, soft drinks, coffee, tea (except at breakfast), mineral water (not including 2 bottles of water per day), alcoholic beverages, passport fees, tips to drivers, guides, transfer people, travel insurance, etc……

  • Please note: Itinerary sightseeing sequence, hotels, cruise ship names are subject to change without prior notice due to government regulations, etc.

Day 1 –Thursday – May 12 - Departure
Today you will depart Portland International airport for New York. Connect with an overnight flight to Egypt.
Day 2 – Friday – May 13 –Cairo
Welcome to Egypt, Land of the Pharaohs! On arrival at Cairo International Airport, you are greeted by your host and assisted through custom formalities and escorted to the hotel. After check-in and time to freshen up, meet with the Egyptologist guide and discuss the exciting days ahead. A welcome dinner will introduce you to Egyptian cuisine. ACCOMMODATIONS: LE MERIDIAN PYRAMIDS HOTEL OR SIMILAR (D)
Day 3 – Saturday – May 14 - Cairo
Your exploration of ancient Egypt begins as you visit the Giza Plateau where three Pyramids, the greatest being that of Cheops. It took 100,000 workers more than 20 years to construct. Entrance into one of the pyramids will be included. Southeast of the Great Pyramids is the Sphinx, carved out of solid natural rock in about 2650 BC, a magnificent monument with the head of the Pharaoh and the body of a lion. If permission can be obtained a special visit into the paws of the Sphinx will be included. Before lunch a special permit will be arranged for you to visit the Worker’s Village.  Archaeologists found thousands of potsherds dating from the time of the pyramids, along with the remains of buildings for the preparation of the food, supplies, building materials and medical services that the workers required. The settlement also boasts the earliest known paved street, complete with a drainage gully, and the earliest known hypostyle hall (a building with a flat ceiling supported by columns).Two intact bakeries were discovered, littered with pots, along with a cat-fish processing chamber and a number of copper-working areas. Fragments of wood and ash were found in each of these chambers, showing that even in this early period, the workers were able to obtain a good supply of precious and rare wood from a distant source. Continue to visit the first Pyramid ever built, the Step Pyramid of Zoser, in the Sakkara Complex. When Memphis was the capital of Egypt, during the Old Kingdom period, Sakkara was its necropolis. Spread over seven kilometers of desert, Sakkara is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Before returning to the hotel, a visit will be made to Memphis, the first capital of United Upper and Lower Egypt. ACCOMMODATIONS: LE MERIDIAN PYRAMIDS HOTEL OR SIMILAR (B, L)
Day 4 – Sunday – May 15 - Cairo
After a buffet breakfast meet with a member of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities for a lecture and slide presentation on the ongoing work of the Giza and Sakkara area. Then it is off to visit the masterpieces of ancient art in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, including the Mummy Room. The museum is home to the vast findings of King Tutankhamen’s tomb and other important pieces of Egypt's history. After lunch, visit Old Cairo where you will see the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the St. Serguis Church. A short drive takes you to the citadel of Salah El Din built by the famous Arab Sultan, Salah El Din (Saladin), in the 12th century and the Mohammed Ali Mosque situated inside the citadel known for its alabaster wall. The day ends with a visit to the Khan El Khalili Bazaar, known for its narrow alleys and hundreds of shops are selling all types of Egyptian handicrafts, silver and gold jewelry, cottons, copperware and perfumes.
ACCOMMODATIONS: LE MERIDIAN PYRAMIDS HOTEL OR SIMILAR (B, L)
Day 5 – Monday – May 16 – Cairo - Meydum and Dashur
A half day tour takes you Dashur located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately 40 kilometers south of Cairo. It is a royal necropolis, known chiefly for several pyramids, two of which are among the oldest, largest and best preserved in Egypt. Completed by Snefro (3rd Dynasty) c. 2600 B.C. Meydum Pyramid was built of local stone blocks weighing an average of 1 1/2 tons per block. It is the first true pyramid. It underwent several stages of development. Started as a seven-stepped pyramid, an eighth step was subsequently added. The surface was then filled in with a casing of polished Tura limestone giving the building its sloping sides. This evening you are in for a treat; dinner will be at a local family’s home. ACCOMMODATIONS: LE MERIDIAN PYRAMIDS HOTEL OR SIMILAR
(B, D)
Day 6 – Tuesday – May 17 – Cairo/Aswan – Cruise Begins
This morning a short flight will bring you to Aswan to board your cruise ship or you may select the optional pre cruise three-hour Abu Simbel excursion to visit the great Temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. The colossal statues were originally carved into the side of a natural cliff that had to be rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. After your excursion and upon return to Aswan you will embark your Nile cruise. After lunch, visit the High Dam, Granite Quarries, and Unfinished Obelisk. Then continue by felucca to visit Kitcheners Island with its beautiful gardens and to view the mausoleum of the Agha Khan. ACCOMMODATIONS: SUPERIOR DELUXE NILE CRUISE SHIP (B, L, D)
Day 7 – Wednesday – May 18 - Aswan/Kom Ombo/Edfu
Sail in a small boat to the Philae Temple, situated on the island of Agilika. Like Abu Simbel, the temple was relocated in order to protect it from the rising water of the High Dam, built in 1960. The main sanctuary on the island is dedicated to the Goddess Isis and her son Horus. Ancient Egyptians believed that Isis was the Goddess of Magic, and when she wept, the Nile flooded.  This afternoon set sail for the city of Kom Ombo, known as “Ombos” in ancient times. Its location on the Nile, gave it strategic importance to control the routes from Nubia to the Nile Valley. The city became prosperous when the temple in the Ptolemaic era was built and divided into two symmetrical halves. The left side is dedicated to the falcon-headed god, “Heroeris," and the right side to the crocodile god, “Sobek”. Reliefs of Ptolemaic Pharaohs are found in the porch area. The remainder of the temple consists of a crypt, chapels, Roman wells where sacred crocodiles may have been kept, and the remains of a birth house. On the walls of the temple, look for the first recorded representation of medical instruments. Sail onto Edfu, midway between Aswan and Luxor. ACCOMMODATIONS: SUPERIOR DELUXE NILE CRUISE SHIP (B, L, D)
Day 8 – Thursday –-May 19 - Edfu/Luxor
Begin the day by visiting the magnificently preserved temple of Edfu. The sandstone temple of Horus, the Sun God, was built under the Ptolemies and completed by the mid first century, BC. In the colonnaded court, we will see the surviving statue of a pair of falcons representing Horus. A series of smaller chambers leads to the Sanctuary of the God, which is lit by three openings in the ceiling. Ceremonies, celebrations, and war scenes are shown on the walls of the temple. Later today, we sail to Esna, pass the lock, and arrive in Luxor, ancient Thebes. This afternoon explore the East Bank of the Nile including the Temple of Luxor. Here, the Avenue of Sphinxes, famous for its artistic degree of uniformity, leads to the entrance of the temple where a seated colossus of Ramses II and a towering Obelisk sit. Continue to the Karnak Temple, one of the most impressive monuments of ancient art and architecture in the world. The carvings, which adorn all of the walls, depict the history and conquests of many of Egypt's Pharaohs. ACCOMMODATIONS: SUPERIOR DELUXE NILE CRUISE SHIP
(B, L, D)
Day 9 – Friday – May 20 – Luxor
This morning explore the Valley of the Kings, housing 63 tombs belonging to the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, including the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen excavated in 1922. Many of the tombs, carved out of the bedrock, retain their original bright colors and fine relief’s and scenes, thought to guarantee the safe passage of the Ka to the after life. Continue on to Deir El Bahri to visit the mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, considered being one of the finest buildings in Egypt. Hatshepsut ruled Egypt as King for 20 years. After returning to the ship for lunch and time to rest, we will stroll through the Luxor Bazaar. A sound and light show at the Karnak Temple is an option for tonight. ACCOMMODATIONS: SUPERIOR DELUXE NILE CRUISE SHIP (B, L, D)
Day 10 –Saturday – May 21 – Luxor
Disembark the ship this morning in Luxor. The day is at your leisure. Before dinner you will visit the Luxor Museum.  The museum houses many ancient treasures including a reassembled wall of 283 painted sandstone blocks from a wall in the dismantled temple built at Karnak for Amenhotep IV (the heretic king Akhenaten of the 18th Dynasty) and finds from Tutankahmun’s tomb such as boats, sandals and arrows. 
ACCOMMODATIONS: SONESTA ST. GEORGE HOTEL OR SIMILAR (B, D)
Day 11 – Sunday – May 22 – Luxor/Cairo
This morning you will take a flight to Cairo. The remainder of the day is at your leisure with a car and driver or you may join the optional tour to Jordan. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner. ACCOMMODATIONS: FAIRMONT HELIOPOLIS HOTEL OR SIMILAR (B, D)
Day 12 – Monday – May 23 - Departure
Your exploration of Egypt ends today as you transfer to the airport for your flight back home.  (B)

                       OPTIONAL JORDAN EXTENSION
Day 11 – Sunday – May 22 – Luxor/Cairo/Amman
This morning you will take a flight to Cairo and then connect with a flight to Amman.  Upon arrival obtain your Jordan visa and meet with your host.  After transfer to your hotel check-in and enjoy sometime at your leisure. ACCOMMODATIONS: LANDMARK HOTEL OR SIMILAR (B, D)
Day 12 – Monday - May 23 – Amman/Jerash/Petra
Today you will have an orientation tour of the city and then it’s off to Jerash. Here you will find remains from Neolithic times, as well as Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Omayyad and others.  Jerash was a member of the Decapolis, a dynamic commercial league of ten Greco-Roman cities. When Emperor Hadrian visited Jerash in AD 129, it was already a thriving city. To honor its guest, the city built a Triumphal Arch. Imagine yourself back in AD 129 as you take a walk down the “Street of Columns”. Continue to Petra the “Rose Red City”
ACCOMMODATIONS: MOVENPICK JOLIE VILLE PETRA HOTEL OR SIMILAR (B, L, D)
Day 13 – Tuesday - May 24 - Petra
Your exploration of Petra begins early this morning.  Climb atop your horse for a ride to the main entrance to the “lost city of Petra”.  Much of Petra’s appeal comes from its spectacular setting deep inside a narrow desert gorge.  From the main entrance you walk into the siq, which ripped through the rock in a prehistoric quake. As you make your way through the cliff walls you will pass inscriptions in ancient languages. Petra’s most famous monument is the Treasury (the final scene of Indian Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed here). You will also see a 3,000 seat theater from the early 1st Century, tombs baths, funerary halls temples and rock drawings. (Box lunch included today) ACCOMMODATIONS: MOVENPICK JOLIE VILLE PETRA HOTEL (B, L, D)
Day 14 – Wednesday – May 25 – Petra/ Kerak/Mt. Nebo/Madaba/Amman
This morning you will leave Petra for Amman. While driving, you will make some interesting stops. Visit the Crusader Fortress of Kerak, Mt. Nebo, believed to be the site where Moses was buried.  A small square church, built on the spot by Byzantine Christians, that later expanded into a vast complex.  One can see a breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea from here.  Visit Madaba, the “City of Mosaics”.  Visit the Greek Orthodox church of St. George where you will see the magnificent sixth century Byzantine mosaic map consisting of two million colored pieces of stone depicting Jerusalem and other holy sites.  There are also some other beautiful mosaics from the 5th to the 7th century in the church. Arrive in Amman where you will connect with a flight back to Cairo. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner. ACCOMMODATIONS: FAIROMONT HELIOPOLIS HOTEL OR SIMILAR
(B, D)
Day 15 – Thursday – May 26 - Departure
Your exploration of Egypt and Jordan ends today as you transfer to the airport for your flight back home.  (B)




With an Optional Extension to Jordan - May 22 - 26, 2011
  • Domestic air roundtrip Portland/New York/Portland
  • International air roundtrip New York/Cairo/New York
  • 4 nights accommodations in Cairo at the Le Meridian Pyramids Hotel or similar
  • 1 night accommodation in Cairo at the Fairmont Heliopolis Hotel or similar
  • 5 days/4 night 5-star deluxe Nile Cruise
  • English speaking Egyptologist guide throughout Egypt
  • 10 breakfast,  6 lunches and 8 dinners (including welcome, farewell and home hosted)
  • All sightseeing and transfers by deluxe air conditioned motor coach
  • Special permit to the Worker’s Village in Giza
  • Special permit to the Paws of the Sphinx
  • Special lecture by a member of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities
  • Full day sightseeing: Pyramids including visit into 1 pyramid/Sphinx-Memphis/Sakkara
  • Full day sightseeing: Egyptian Museum of Antiquities including the Mummies Room/Citadel/Mosque/Coptic Cairo/Khan El Khalili Bazaar
  • Half day sightseeing: Meydum and Dashur
  • All entrance fees on board the Nile Cruise
  • Visit to the Luxor Museum
  • Full day sightseeing: Amman and Jerash
  • Full day sightseeing: Petra
  • Hotel taxes and service charges
  • Porterage
  • 2 bottles of water daily
  • Luggage tags, passport wallet and travel bag
  • Egypt Visa
  • Jordan Visa

  • NOT INCLUDED
  • Items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, inter-net services, soft drinks, coffee, tea (except at breakfast), mineral water (not including 2 bottles of water per day), alcoholic beverages, passport fees, tips to drivers, guides, transfer people, travel insurance, etc……