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Abu Simbel Sun Festival Oct 2020 - 11 days
- Overview
- Itinerary
- What's Included
- Reviews
- Dates
- On The Go Tours
Add a unique element to your Egyptian holiday by combining it with the magical Abu Simbel Sun Festival. Explore the Pyramids and Sphinx, historic temples, the Valley of the Kings and sail down the Nile on a traditional felucca, taking in village life with various stops for swimming.
Highlights
- Abu Simbel - visit this awe-inspiring temple at sunrise to witness the incredible phenomenon of the Abu Simbel Sun Festival
- Cairo - marvel at the legendary Pyramids of Giza, explore the Necropolis of Saqqara and see King Tut's treasures at the Egyptian Museum
- Luxor West Bank - discover exquisite tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the towering Colossi of Memnon and the beautiful Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
- Luxor - roam around the colossal Temple of Karnak and take an optional tour of the beautifully illuminated Luxor Temple at night
- Aswan - take leisurely boat trip to Agilika Island to explore the romantic Philae Temple and wander around the colourful souqs
- Nile felucca cruising - sail the River Nile on board a traditional felucca and spend two nights sleeping under a blanket of stars (or upgrade to a 5 star Nile Cruise)
- Kom Ombo - visit the Nile side Temple of Kom Ombo
Age Policy
Destinations
- Middle East
- Egypt
Tour Types
- Small Group
- Festivals
Day 1: Cairo
Sunday 18 Oct 2020. Welcome to Egypt! Arrive Cairo, included transfer to hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure or those arriving early can opt to join our optional Backstreets of Cairo tour which departs the hotel at 10am. Tonight your Welcome Meeting will be held at 7pm.
Day 2: Pyramids of Giza
Today visit to the stunning pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza Plateau. Sole survivors from the ancient Greek-listed Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids are the planet’s oldest tourist attraction. Gaze in awe at Cheops (Khufu) - the largest of the three great pyramids. Constructed from over 2.5 million limestone blocks it is thought to have taken more than 20 years to construct. Continuing to Saqqara, we can explore the myriad tombs and temples at this site and see Zhoser’s step pyramid - constructed by Imhotep, the pharaoh’s chief architect in 2700 BC.
Day 3: Cairo
( overnight in Sleeper Train)Cairo - Aswan. Today we embark on a guided tour of the new Grand Egyptian Museum, acclaimed for its treasures of King Tutankhamun and his famous solid gold funerary mask. There is a mind-boggling array of relics and antiquities from almost every period of ancient Egyptian history housed in the museum, making it one of the foremost in the world. There is also the option to see the Royal Mummies for an additional fee, if you wish. Later, there will be a chance to have dinner before the overnight sleeper train to Aswan.
Day 4: Aswan
( overnight in Hotel/Coach Journey to Abu Simbel)Aswan - Abu Simbel. After arrival at Aswan and hotel check-in, we visit the Temples of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. Upon returning to Aswan we visit a perfume oil emporium. Spend the rest of the day at leisure; shop in the colourful souqs or simply kick back and relax.
Back at the hotel there will be time to rest and recuperate before departing in the early hours of the morning on our coach journey toward the Temples of Abu Simbel. Here, we await the first rays of sunlight to touch the temple gate signifying the start of the Sun Festival of the mighty King Ramses II.
Day 5: Abu Simbel
22 October. Abu Simbel - Aswan - Nile Felucca Cruise. Possibly the most awe-inspiring temple of all ancient Egypt, with its gargantuan rock-cut façade, the great Sun Temple of King Ramses II at Abu Simbel was created to revere the mighty pharaonic ruler King Ramses II. Ramses the Bold, Ramses the Great, Ramses the Narcissist are perhaps all apt titles for one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers. Celebrating a life that spanned nearly a centenary, Ramses had plenty of time for his more than 200 wives and concubines who produced him some 96 sons and 60 daughters.
Built by Ramses II to demonstrate his political clout and divine backing to the ancient Nubians, Abu Simbel is an awesome self-tribute. Guarding the entrance to the temple (built between 1290 and 1224 BC) hewn into the side of a mountain are four famous colossal statues of the pharaoh himself, which sit majestically staring out across the desert. Over the centuries, the desert sands imperceptibly shifted until the temple was all but lost to humanity. It was rediscovered by chance in 1813 by a Swiss explorer called John Lewis Burkhardt. Only one of the heads of the pharaohs was showing and only a small part of the rest of the colossal temple peeked above the desert sands. It wasn’t until the British happened upon Abu Simbel and starting excavating, that the full glory of the temple of Abu Simbel was revealed to the modern world.
The temple was dedicated to the deified Pharaoh, King Ramses II, known also as the great builder and the gods Amun-Re, Re-Herakhte and Ptah. In a fit of precision and architectural egotism, Ramses II had the entire temple precisely positioned in order for the sun’s rays to align just twice a year, on the date of his ascension to the throne (21 February) and on his birthday (21 October) to illuminate the inner sanctum of the temple. This incredible natural phenomenon provides for a most spectacular sight, which has come to be referred to as the Sun Festival of King Ramses II. Crowds pack into the temple before sunrise and watch the shafts of light slowly creeping through the rock hewn inner Hypostyle Hall (replete with further statues of the King) and through to the Sanctuary. As we are lead through the temple there will be time to pause for a moment to watch the sun illuminating the statues of Amun-Re, Re-Herakhte and Ramses the god, whilst the statute of Ptah - the god of darkness - remains in the shadows.
Famously, the temple was re-located in a multi-million dollar operation in 1972, further up from the shoreline of Lake Nasser, which had threatened to erode the foundations of this monolithic temple complex. For this reason, the sun now strikes a day later than Ramses had originally planned, though the event this morning itself is no less stunning. After the event, there will also be plenty of time to explore the Sun Temple of King Ramses II, the Temple of Hathor and take plenty of pictures.
Upon returning to Aswan around noon we board our Nile felucca for a 2 night voyage downstream on the River Nile.
If sailing by felucca is not your style, consider upgrading to a 5 star luxury Nile Cruise tour, please see the tab above for prices. For more information about Nile Cruising please click here.
Day 6: Felucca Cruise
Nile Felucca Sailing. Relax, go for a swim or just chill out in the sun on deck. Let your troubles melt away, as the felucca plies its route and Egyptian life carries on all around you. In the afternoon, we dock near Kom Ombo and take a motorboat to visit the temple before returning to the felucca for the night.
Day 7: Luxor
We disembark this morning and drive a few hours north too Luxor, home of the legendary Valley of the Kings and Temple of Karnak, 4000 year-old Luxor is ancient Egypt at its best. Enjoy some rest and relaxation. Tonight, an optional visit to the Temple of Luxor beautifully illuminated at night, alternatively enjoy the facilities of our hotel.
Day 8-9: Luxor
( overnight in Luxor (1) & Sleeper Train (1))Luxor - Cairo. On day 8, we explore the West Bank of the Nile and the legendary Valley of the Kings. Marvel at Colossi of Memnon, the massive stone remains of the Temple of Amenophis III, and explore the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and surrounding tombs. After lunch, we visit the Temple of Karnak, a spectacular religious complex built on a gigantic scale, where you get lost wandering around the stone papyrus columns.
Day 9 is a free day for you to explore the wonders of Luxor independently or take advantage of the facilities at the hotel that include a relaxing pool with swim up bar and health and fitness facilities. Tonight, we return by overnight train to Cairo.
Day 10: Cairo
This morning we arrive back into Cairo and transfer to our hotel. Today is at your leisure to independently explore Cairo, or you could book locally our optional visit to the exotic Khan el Khalili Bazaar where you can pick up a few souvenirs.
Day 11: Cairo
Wednesday 28 Oct 2020. Our Egyptian adventure comes to an end today. Included departure transfer to the airport later today in time for your international flight.
- Breakfast daily, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
- 6 nights 4 - 5 star hotels, 2 nights aboard felucca (open deck). If booking our Nile Cruise Upgrade, 4 nights 4 - 5 star hotels and 3 nights Nile Cruiser (en suite cabin)
- 1 overnight night bus (3.5 hrs) with 4 star hotel before hand to freshen up and rest
- 2 overnight trains: Cairo - Aswan and Luxor - Cairo (Private 2 berth sleeper cabin)
- Airport arrival and departure transfers on day 1 and day 11
- Touring of Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Aswan and Luxor
- Guided visit to Abu Simbel at sunrise for the Sun Festival of King Ramses II including Abu Simbel and Sun Festival entrance fee
- Escorted by an Egyptian tour guide degree qualified in Egyptology
- All relevant transfer and transportation in private modern air-conditioned vehicles
NB - the following are not included:
-International flights and visa
-Tip for your tour guide. We recommend you allow USD$5 - 7 per day, per traveller. Tipping your guide is an entirely personal gesture
-Entrance Fees: USD$80–100pp, paid in local currency
Sophie Byrne 05-Nov-2017
Visiting Egypt had been a lifelong dream of mine and my trip with On the Go exceeded all of my expectations. The ancient sites we visited, the felucca ride and all of the other experiences along the way are things I will never forget. Our guide Alam, an Egyptologist, was extremely knowledgeable, organised and above all a great person. He went above and beyond to ensure the trip ran smoothly and everybody in our group was looked after. Alam really made our trip, he is a wonderful tour guide. Overall I felt very safe in Egypt and would encourage everybody to experience this beautiful country.
Rating: 5/5
Denise Weadick 31-Oct-2016
Wonderful trip very well organised, all the guides were there when needed, very articulate and well informed. Amal is very intelligent, kind and considerate to all the ages represented on the tour.
Rating: 5/5
Seema Singh 30-Oct-2016
To Alam, Thank you for making my visit to Egypt so wonderful and memorable. You have to be the most patient man I have ever met. Managing 19 people can be challenging but you always had a smile for us. I feel like I got lucky with our group because our group dynamics just clicked and we all got along so well, but, we were even luckier having you as our guide. You were always smiling and super accommodating. Your passion for Egypt and her history really came through. That sit-down, group round-table we had at the Mosque was both illuminating & special. I have come back from Egypt with not just a lot of knowledge about her ancient history, but also a better understanding of Egypt today and a better understanding about Islam. You are a great ambassador for Egypt. Being on a guided tour made my experience much more enriching because of the group camaraderie and because I felt I was able to see a LOT in a short time and it also made me feel extremely safe. As a single woman traveling, safety is a big factor for me so this tour was the perfect way to travel . I'm already looking forward to the next one. Thank you so much! PS. Also wanted to give a big Thank you to Mido, our Cairo rep. You made it so seamless and easy to get through the airport and hotel transfers. Totally Appreciate :)
Rating: 5/5
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| Dates | Price | Single | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-Oct-2020 for 11 Nights |
|
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Touring with On The Go Tours
Group tours are their speciality. It's what they do well. They started with one trip to Egypt and their Middle East and North Africa portfolio now includes Jordan, Israel and Morocco. Featuring exotic destinations in Europe like Turkey, Iceland, Croatia & Russia, and the colourful countries of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal in the subcontinent, they're now very much a Southeast Asia specialist too, with Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand proving very popular. Japan was recently added as a group touring destination to complement China in the Far East. And Peru, Costa Rica and Mexico are their top picks in Latin America.
Visiting exotic far flung places across the globe, their group tours, which generally consist of between 16-18 people, strike a balance between well-planned itineraries which include key highlights and spare time to do your own thing as well. They include unique travel experiences and there’s lots of real local interaction too, giving you a true flavour of the countries you visit. They organise everything to make your holiday seamless; your transportation, complimentary airport transfers, sightseeing, guiding and some meals. Your tour will be lead by their expert and passionate tour leaders. Captivating, informative and caring, they will ensure your holiday is fun and hassle-free. And, with international English speaking guests and no upper age limit, their tours make for a really fun, unique and eclectic group mix.
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