Day 1 – Arrive Cairo
Arrive in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. You are met and escorted to RAMSES HILTON CAIRO HOTEL.

Day 2 – Pyramids / Memphis / Saqqara
Visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, including the Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx. Drive to Memphis, once a vast metropolis and capital of the Old Kingdom. Continue to Saqqara, the oldest stone complex in the world, to see the towering Step Pyramid of Djoser, the earliest of all pyramids. (BL)

Day 3 – Cairo Sightseeing
Explore the ancient city of Cairo, including the Egyptian National Museum, Old Cairo, the Citadel, the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali and the colorful Khan el Khalili Bazaar. (BL)

Day 4 – Cairo / Luxor - Nile River Cruise
Fly to Luxor to board the deluxe MS AMARANTE, your home for the next four nights as you cruise the majestic and mystical Nile River. This morning visit the Karnak Temples. Afternoon visit the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens on the West Bank and Luxor Temple. This evening, enjoy a Sound & Light show at the temples. (BLD)

Day 5 – Luxor / Esna
Today we sail to Esna, the site of a temple dedicated to the ram-headed god, Khnum. Evening Captain’s Cocktail Party, followed by dinner and dancing. (BLD)

Day 6 – Esna / Edfu / Kom Ombo
Morning sail to Edfu. A short horse-drawn carriage ride takes you to the temple dedicated to the falcon-headed god, Horus. Afternoon sail to Kom Ombo. Evening Galabya Party. (BLD)

Day 7 – Kom Ombo / Aswan
Visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Kom Ombo before sailing to Aswan. Afternoon visit the High Dam, Granite Quarries and the Temple of Philae. Also enjoy a felucca ride around Kitchner’s Island. Evening Nubian Folkloric show on board. (BLD)

Day 8 – Aswan / Cairo
Morning disembark. Fly back to Cairo. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner and folk show, complete with belly dancer. (BD)

Day 9 – Cairo / Tel Aviv
Transfer to the airport for the flight to Tel Aviv. On arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. (B)

Day 10 – Diaspora Museum / Caesarea / Druze village
Depart Tel Aviv and drive to the Diaspora Museum for a visit. Proceed along the coastal plain to Caesarea, capital of Judea under the Romans. See the excavations of the Crusader city and the Roman port, aqueduct and the amphitheater that has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue. Continue via the Druze villages to Haifa. (B)

Day 11 – Haifa / Safed / Golan Heights
The tour of Haifa will begin at the summit of Mount Carmel where you will take in a breathtaking panoramic view of the Haifa Bay and Western Galilee. Continue on to the golden domed Bahai Shrine to visit the exotic Persian Gardens. Proceed to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the ancient synagogues and the artists' colony. Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin. (BD)

Day 12 – Sea of Galilee / Nazareth
Start the day with a visit of Tiberias. Drive to Capernaum to see the ruins of the synagogue and octagonal church of St. Peter and then proceed to Nazareth. Here you will visit the church of the Annunciation. Drive via Beit She'an to Beit Alpha to see the remains of the mosaic floor of an ancient synagogue depicting the zodiac. (B)

Day 13 – Jerusalem: The Old City
Visit the tomb of King David and the room of the Last Supper on Mt. Zion. Enter the walled city and walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter. Visit the Roman Cardo, the Herodian Quarter and continue to the Western Wall. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the church of the Holy Sepulchre. Drive to Mount Scopus and then to the Mount of Olives for a magnificent panoramic view of the Old City. Continue to Bethlehem*, stopping at Rachel's Tomb and to visit the Church of the Nativity. (B)

Day 14 – Jerusalem: The New City
Drive to the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem to see the Chagall stained glass windows. Next is Yad VaShem, Holocaust Memorial and then to the Israel Museum to visit the Shrine of the Book housing the Dead Sea Scrolls and the miniature model of Jerusalem as it was during the second temple period. View the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, and the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University. (B)

Day 15 – Qumran / Massada / Dead Sea
Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, almost 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level. Stop at Qumran to visit the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Drive along the Dead Sea to Massada. Ascend by cable car and tour the ancient fortress where the zealots made their last stand against the Romans before committing mass suicide in 73 AD. Descend by cable car and time and weather permitting, an opportunity to float on the Dead Sea. (B)

Day 16 – Jerusalem
The day is at leisure to pursue independent activities. (B)

Day 17 – Jerusalem / Ben Gurion Airport
After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure. (B)