EDUCATIONAL and CULTURAL TOURS

TTA 183 WEA Travel T (08) 8223 1272 ● F (08) 8232 3690 ● E tours@wea-sa.com.au

www.wea-sa.com.au 223 Angas Street, Adelaide SA 5000

E.&.O.E.

Day 19 Thursday 20th th January

Day 20 Friday 21st January

Day 13 Friday 14th January Aswan has the best bazaar outside Cairo. Walk the Corniche, perhaps relive “Death on the Nile” whilst having a drink on the terrace at the Old Cataract Hotel. The new Nubian Museum opposite the Basma Hotel at the south end of Aswan is a must for a visit. Further afield you can take a felucca to the west bank of the Nile and walk to St. Simeon’s Monastery or the Aga Khan Mausoleum and the tombs of the nobles. You may like to take a Felucca across the Nile to visit Botanic (formerly Kitchener) and Elephantine Islands. Whatever you decide it’s a lovely place to relax for the day as many Europeans use Aswan as a resort to escape their winter at this time of the year. Late afternoon we transfer to the railway station for our first class sleeper train to Cairo. Overnight Sleeper Train Breakfast ● Dinner on train

Day 18 Wednesday 19th January Day 16 Monday 17th January

Day 15 Sunday 16th January

Day 14 Saturday 15th January From the train you travel by coach to Alexandria, known as ‘The Pearl of the Mediterranean’. According to the Greek Historians, Alexander designed and founded this city and built by the early Ptolomies. Enjoy time relaxing and becoming familiar with your surroundings in this important ancient city. You may wish to try the tram system which began operating in 1860. It is the oldest system running in Africa and one of the oldest in the World. The Ramleh main-line runs inland from the seafront Corniche and provides an economical and interesting way to see this city. Overnight Alexandria Breakfast ● Welcome Dinner

Today you visit El Alamein, about 66 miles east of Alexandria and is most notable as the place where the Allied forces of WW II gained a decisive victory. Upon arrival you will visit the small military museum which houses war memorabilia, tanks and armoured vehicles. You will also visit the nearby Allied Cemetery. A thought provoking day. Overnight Alexandria Breakfast

This morning we visit the Alexandria National Museum with its many fine works. In the old area of Alexandria we visit Fort Qaitbey which now stands on the site of the ancient Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. Then we visit the Catacombs of Kom el-Shakafa and the famous ancient monument, Pompey’s Pillar. At the end of the tour we have the opportunity to visit the magnificent modern Bibliotheka Alexandrina – the new Library of Alexandria. Overnight Alexandria Breakfast

Day 17 Tuesday 18th January

This morning we leave the Mediterranean behind board our coach and return to Cairo via the desert road. After settling into our hotel for the reminder of the tour we have some free time to continue exploring this fascinating city. Overnight Cairo

A half day sightseeing; we will have an introduction to the Egyptian Museum and its enormous collection covering Egypt’s past from pre-historic times to the Graeco-Roman period. The museum is filled with so many objects and treasures from Ancient Egypt that it has become a mixture between gigantic storage rooms and an unbelievable museum. Two of the most astounding displays are those of Pharaonic jewellery and the magnificent collection of items from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Come back by yourself whenever time permits; there’s too much to absorb in one visit. Overnight Cairo Breakfast

Sightseeing today will include a visit to the Aqsunqur Mosque, which lies north of the Citadel. This beautiful mosque was built by one of al-Nasir Muhammad's Emirs, Shams ad-Din Aqsunqur, in 1346, and is one of Cairo's most notable mosques. We will also explore the City of the Dead (Qarafa, Arafa.); a four mile long cemetery located on the eastern side of Cairo and home to nearly a million people! Time to and shop in the rabbit warren of the Khan al-Khalili for those last minute bargains. Overnight Cairo Breakfast ● End of Tour Dinner

A morning transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight to Singapore via Dubai. Overnight in Flight Breakfast ● Meals in flight

Day 21 Saturday 22nd January We arrive in Singapore in the early morning and transfer for day use of a hotel. We have the day at leisure before connecting with our late evening flight to Adelaide. Overnight in flight Meals in flight

Day 22 Sunday 23rd January Early morning arrival at the Adelaide International Airport . End of tour.

...enriching lives through cultural exchange

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TTA183

22 days $5690 twin share + taxes + visa Single supplement $850● Balance due 25 October 2010

CairoCairo ● Giza ● Saqqarah ● Memphis ● LuxorLuxor ● Valley of the Kings Karnak ● Dendera ● AswanAswan ● Abu Simbel ● Kom Ombo ● Edfu

AlexandriaAlexandria ● El Alamein ● Kom-el-Shakafa

Day 1 Sunday 2nd January

Day 2 Monday 3rd January Early morning arrival in Cairo. We transfer from the airport to your Cairo hotel for the next 3 nights. After rest and recuperation you may like to start exploring central Cairo yourself, perhaps starting with a visit to Cairo Tower for magnificent views over both Cairo (East bank) and Giza (West bank). You may prefer to take an optional sail on a felucca on the Nile from near our hotel or you can rest for the days ahead. Overnight Cairo Meals in flight ● Evening Welcome Dinner – Nile Crystal Cruise

T he civilisation of the Nile Valley has intrigued travellers for several thousand years. Now you can be one of them! Join this fascinating 22 day tour to Ancient Egypt, which include Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and

Alexandria. Share in the grandeur and beauty of the ancient monuments of Egypt. Visit the well-known Giza Pyramids, the lesser known Step Pyramid and be astounded by the wall paintings in the tombs in Sakkara; try to comprehend the gigantic hypostyle hall of Karnak Temple; the amazing Valley of the Kings; descend into the catacombs in Alexandria; sail to the Temple of Philae; and marvel at the magnificence of Abu Simbel. In contrast, the modern Egypt, with its fine hotels, shops and museums and a steady stream of Nile Cruise Ships provides an interesting backdrop to the Pyramids and the timeless Nile River.

Your Tour Leader is Dr Anne Morrison a researcher at the University of SA with a special interest in hieroglyphics and ancient civilisations. Anne has led previous tours for the WEA to both Egypt and Turkey.

Tour includes: Air transport Adelaide to Adelaide● Transfers ● Hotels ● Experienced WEA Tour Leader ● Fully escorted tour ● Expert local guides ● Pre/Post tour meetings All entrance costs ● Pre-tour classes ● Comprehensive Tour Pack ● Study Notes

Day 3 Tuesday 4th January On the outskirts of Cairo lie Egypt’s most famous monuments, the Pyramids of Giza. After 4,000 years the pyramids still dominate their surroundings. Penetrate the huge mass of one of the Pyramids and climb the passage to Cheops’ or another pharaoh’s austere burial chamber. Alongside the Great Pyramid we will visit the museum housing the Pharaoh’s solar boat. A marvelous example of the skill of the ancient craftsmen, the boat is one of the most memorable artifacts you will see. This part of your tour concludes with a visit to the famous Great Sphinx. You may wish to take an optional camel ride. Following lunch (not included) you will visit the Papyrus Institute to see a demonstration of papyrus making and purchase if you desire. An evening visit to the Son et Lumier, a spectacular light and sound show set amongst the pyramids – stunning, completes this busy day. Overnight Cairo Breakfast

Today you visit Sakkara, the necropolis of Egypt’s ancient capital Memphis. Burials took place on this site from pre-dynastic time’s right into the Christian era and despite over a century of archaeological work is still not yet been fully investigated. On route to Sakkara you will stop to view the colossus of Ramesses II. With the near-by Alabaster Sphinx and a few scattered remains this is all that remains of the vanished Memphis. At Sakkara you will see first pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built by Imhotep and standing in its elaborate funeral complex. You will enter the Pyramid of Unas, or of one of the pharaohs of the sixth dynasty, where the exquisitely carved reliefs incorporate the first known example of the Pyramid Texts. Next you will visit the most interesting of the Mastaba tombs dating from the First Dynasty. Here the wall decorations combine a vivid portrayal of contemporary life with important ritual themes. Finally, a visit to the underground galleries of the Serapaeum (if available) where the embalmed bodies of the sacred Apis bulls were buried in huge stone sarcophagi will leave you marvelling once again at the sheer scale of Ancient Egyptian religious works. Following lunch (not included) we

Day4 Wednesday 5th January Depart Adelaide International Airport on your Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore. After a brief lay-over at Changi airport we connect with our overnight flight to Cairo via Dubai. Meals in flight Overnight in flight.

Day 8 Sunday 9thJanuary

Day 9 Monday 10th January

Day 10 Tuesday 11th January

Day 5 Thursday 6th January

After breakfast we transfer to the airport for our morning flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, transfer to our hotel. Free time for relaxing or exploring your surroundings. Evening Welcome Dinner - This evening we enjoy a felucca cruise up the Nile for an Egyptian Evening, try your hand a belly dancing, camel riding and snake charming whilst sampling the delicious range of Egyptian hospitality. Overnight Luxor Breakfast ● Welcome Dinner

Day 6 Friday 7th January First we visit the Luxor Temple. The mosque of Abu ‘l-Haggag, now perched incongruously high on the wall of the Great Court, showing the depth of silt and rubbish that covered the temple before excavation. Then, on to Karnak, considered to be the world’s largest religious complex. The sprawling site includes; the great temple of Amun, mighty stone pylons, thypostyle hall and obelisks, all will fill you with awe, despite their ruinous state. The rest of the day is at leisure. You may wish to stay on at Karnak, visit the open-air museum or catch a Calesh (a horse-drawn carriage) back to the centre of town and wander on foot through the bazaars and traditional street markets near our hotel. Late in the afternoon the Luxor Museum reopens. Its beautifully displayed collection of choice artifacts should not be missed. You could also take in the Karnak Son et Lumier, alternatively you could do this on day 9. Overnight Luxor Breakfast

Day 7 Saturday 8th January A full day tour by coach to the West Bank of ancient Thebes. Stop at the Colossi of Memnon, the huge statue of Amenophis III. Then drive to Deir el Bahri and the beautiful mortuary temple of the queen who ruled as Pharaoh, Hatshepsut. Visit the tombs in the central area of the Valley of the Kings, where Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered. We will visit one of the many facilities where Alabaster and other stone products are manufactured and

Today you have a full day tour to the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor at Dendera, one of the best preserved temples in the Nile Valley.. She was known as the goddess of beauty and love. You may negotiate a wooden ladder into the crypt, or climb the ramp-like staircase which gives you access to the roof with its excellent views across the Nile. Back at ground level, a relief of Cleopatra on the rear exterior wall is of particular interest. You move on to Abydos, the temple built by Seti I and completed by his son Ramesses II. Marvel at the magnificent wall paintings and reliefs, including a group of seventy cartouches of the Pharaohs arranged in chronological order. Behind the Temple is the Osireion, once held to be the burial place of Osiris. This Temple has long been associated with the story of Osiris, Isis and Horus. Overnight Luxor Breakfast

will visit a Carpet Making Institute and see a demonstration of hand-made carpets and rugs. Overnight Cairo Breakfast

sold. Further sightseeing in the Valley of the Queens will delight you with the glowing colours of the tomb paintings. The day concludes at Medinet Habu, the temple and palace of Ramesses III, a monument so extensive that a Coptic village once existed within its walls. Overnight Luxor Breakfast

Day at leisure. For those who wish to return to the West Bank an optional tour by taxi can be arranged by your tour leader. It will include a return to the Valley of the Kings to see some of the outlying tombs. The more energetic may choose to walk the spectacular mountain track (great photographic opportunities!) to Deir el-Medina, the town of the tomb workers who built the pharaohs’ tombs in the Valley of the Kings. It is possible to visit some of the tomb workers own richly decorated tombs then, if you like, drive round to join the walkers. Finally you will visit the Tombs of the Nobles. You may wish to visit Karnak Temple this evening for the optional, spectacular sound and light show. Overnight Luxor Breakfast

Travelling by coach we head for Aswan, visiting the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu along the way. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is very well preserved. Its reliefs record the construction of the temple and describe and portray its rites. Kom Ombo, on a promontory overlooking the Nile, was uniquely dedicated to two deities, Sobek the crocodile god and Harwer, a form of Horus. Mummified crocodiles, a well-preserved nilometer (to measure the level of the river), a system of crypts and a relief showing ancient surgical instruments all make this a particularly interesting site. Check into your Aswan Hotel for the next four nights. Upon arrival you have some free time for initial explorations of Aswan. Overnight Aswan Breakfast ● Welcome Dinner

Day 11 Wednesday 12th January This morning you visit the quarries which provided the pink granite for many of Egypt’s monuments. The huge Unfinished Obelisk was the largest ever planned. Continue to the Old High Dam with a fine view of the Cataract and then on to the New High Dam and Lake Nasser, the world’s third largest man-made lake. Next you visit Kalabsha Temple, which like Abu Simbel, was moved to avoid the rising waters of Lake Nasser. This temple appears to be Roman in style but as there are references to Amenhotep II and one of the Ptolemies, it was probably built on an earlier site. On a small island between the dams lies the Temple of Philae. The sanctuary of the goddess Isis was moved to its present site from a neighbouring island affected by the rising water levels. The Temple was built by the Ptolemies and Roman Emperors and became a pilgrimage site for those faithful to Isis. Overnight Aswan Breakfast

Day 12 Thursday 13th January An early start this morning, as we will travel by coach to Abu Simbel to see Ramesses’ II impressive rock cut temples with the largest having its facade featuring four huge statues of the Pharaoh and its dramatic interior relief’s of the Battle of Kadesh. These great monuments were rescued by UNESCO from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. The smaller temple which Ramesses built to honour his favorite wife, Nefertari, will also be visited. Abu Simbel is an unforgettable experience. Return to Aswan in the afternoon. Overnight Aswan Breakfast