Book your own air or travel on air miles. Your friends from Spirit Quest Tours will be on hand to assist you with your reservations if you would like. Take the afternoon off, relax by the pool, or visit one of the local souvenir shops. Optional group dinner at Felfella Restaurant, a wonderful local spot featuring traditional Egyptian mezzes and fresh grilled food – be sure and try some "Om Ali," a delicious traditional Egyptian dessert.
We will enjoy lunch in the world-famous Khan El Khalili Market, which is over 1000 years old, and so a little shopping as well. Your evening is free to relax.
Day 5, Monday, September 21st: Thebes, the Valley of the Kings (B/L/D) Day 6, Tuesday, September 22nd: Dendera and Abydos Temples, the Osirion and the Flower of Life (B/L/D) In the morning, we will drive to Dendera Temple, one of Egypt’s most beautiful temples, which is dedicated to Hathor, Goddess of Love, Music and Joy. Here we meditate in the Chapel of Nut, the birthing room, as well as seeing the world’s oldest sundial, and graffiti from Napoleon’s soldiers. Our ceremony here, in the Chapel of Osiris, is one of our most sacred. No pilgrimage to Egypt is complete without visiting Abydos. Day 9, Friday, September 23rd: Kom Ombo Temple/Temple of Philae (B, L, D) Today we visit Kom Ombo, the temple dedicated to two deities: the crocodile god, Sobek, and Horus the Elder, the innate potential for enlightenment dormant within each of us. Kom Ombo was a famous healing temple in ancient days and is now both a gloriously picturesque edifice and an energy-filled ruin overlooking a bend in the Nile. After our ceremony here, we continue sailing through the countryside of Egypt to Aswan.
Late afternoon, we will arrive in Aswan, and visit the Temple of Philae: the delicate, elegant, quintessentially feminine temple of Isis. The graceful antiquity of Philae was meticulously moved stone by stone from its ancient site (now submerged) to its new, higher, island home in the middle of the lake. During our ceremony we will anchor our intentions for the future inside the divine matrix of creation.
Day 1 - Thursday, September 17th: Depart USA
At night, we visit the Nubian Market of Aswan, “The Pearl of Egypt”. With its colorful Nubian bazaar, laid-back atmosphere, warm and wonderful people and a lovely promenade along the Nile, Aswan is a favorite city in Egypt for many visitors. Dinner aboard ship for our last night on the Nile.
Day 2 - Friday, September 18th: Arrival in Cairo - Rest Day
Mid-morning arrival to Cairo International Airport where you'll be met by your Spirit Quest representatives who will provide you with a visa and will assist you through immigrations and customs. We depart by bus to the Mena House Oberoi hotel, one of the most spectacular hotels of the world. The former hunting palace of the Khedive Ismael (the last King of Egypt), the Mena House boasts 140 years of history. Join the ranks of former guests such as Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Princess Grace, and royalty from all over the world.
But perhaps best of all will be the view from our hotel – where the Great Pyramid fills the sky like a mountain.
Day 3 - Saturday, September 19th: Old Cairo & Egyptian museum (B, L)
Today we visit the famous Egyptian Museum, with its staggering collection of relics dating back to 4,000+ BC. Here we will experience first hand the different periods of ancient Egypt and the individual artistic and architectural styles of each period. The highlight of this museum is the visit to the priceless treasures of Tut-Ankh-Amon. You will marvel at the intricate workmanship and the tiniest details of the contents of the luggage packed for this King to accompany him to the next world.
Cairo has played a pivotal role in the history of the three great Western monotheisms: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. From the discovery of Moses among the bullrushes, to sheltering the holy family during the slaughter of the innocents, to its centuries at the center of the Islamic world, Cairo has been intimately folded into the West’s spiritual heritage. Today we’ll explore these themes while visiting “Old Cairo;” including the oldest synagogue in Egypt and the famed St. Sergio Church.
Day 4 - Sunday, September 20th: Depart for Luxor -Luxor Temple, Nile Cruise. (B/D)
Afternoon departure for Cairo Airport for our short flight to Luxor, home to the greatest concentration of antiquities on the planet. Known as Thebes in the ancient world, Luxor is a friendly and fascinating mixture of the ancient and modern, the metropolitan and the rustic.
Then we board our PRIVATE cruise ship, the luxurious dahabeya Afandina. This gorgeous ship, with a 1:1 ratio of staff to guests, will be our home for the next week. The Afandina, boasting incredible materials, workmanship and design, is a truly world-class experience that harkens back to an earlier era of travel. Nothing can prepare you for the magic of sailing the Nile on the Afandina.
In the evening we will visit the magnificent structure of Luxor Temple. Here is where R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz developed his revolutionary Symbolist Interpretation; science, art, religion and philosophy are fused into one vast, coherent whole. Part of the largest temple complex in the world, Luxor is not to be missed.
Today is devoted to Thebes as we cross the Nile to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings, where the great and mysterious funerary texts (“The Books of the Dead”) are exquisitely painted or carved into walls. We continue our visits to Mednet Habu, called by the Egyptians themselves “the most splendid of all”, and then on to the immense Colossi of Memnon. We will also stop at an alabaster factory in the Valley, where we can buy wonderful pieces for just a fraction of what we would pay at home.
Then on to Abydos, one of the most spellbinding spots of Egypt. Here at the Temple of Seti I is the birth of what was to become the Rameses style. Among the temple’s special features are the Seven Axial Chapels, whose reliefs number among the most beautiful in Egyptian art, and the ancient, enigmatic Osirion, home to the Flower of Life: the most important symbol in sacred geometry. We'll also see the bizarre "future vision" hieroglyphs which seem to show tanks, planes and helicopters.
Day 7, Wednesday, September 23rd: Karnak, Esna (B,L,D)
Early this morning we will visit the great Karnak temple just after sunrise to play in the energies of the largest spiritual site in the world. Once connected to Luxor Temple, two miles away, by a long avenue of Sphinxes (now almost fully restored), Karnak is dedicated to the Powers of Creation and exhibits profound solar alignments. Karnak is the theater in which humanity plays out its destiny.
After exploring the temple, we'll move to the "Chapel of Sekhmet," to experience one of our most powerful and beautiful initiations.
We spend the afternoon and evening sailing on the Nile, waving at the villagers, farmers and fishermen as we slowly glide through the peaceful waters as we pass by the first Esna Lock. Overnight in Esna
Day 8, Thursday, September 24th: Esna/Sailing (B, L, D)
Enjoy a relaxing day off as we sail the Nile. Take in the views from one of our private decks, enjoy afternoon tea in the bar, take some time to journal or recapitulate your experiences, or watch a movie in our private living room. Overnight on an island near Kom Ombo.
Day 10, Saturday, September 26th: Cairo, the Great Pyramid
We take the early morning flight back to Cairo. Open your heart and listen – feel the energy of the spirits… today we experience the most remarkable Wonders of the World: The Sphinx and the Pyramids of the Giza Plateau. As we stand between the paws of the Sphinx our Egyptian guide, who is an encyclopedia of Egyptology, will give us detailed examinations of various controversial theories surrounding these amazing structures.
Then we are blessed with a private visit inside the Great Pyramid and our final initiation in the King’s Chamber. This is the spiritual keystone that will lock all of our work in place: in our psyches, our energy bodies, our hearts, our minds and in the divine matrix of creation on the invisible planes of causality. The spiritual technology of the Great Pyramid is a powerful resonator/amplifier for our intentions, so we will apply our conscious will toward creating profound change in our lives, and in the world.
In the afternoon, we will check into Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel, a fabulous and luxurious hotel just a few blocks from the Pyramids. Wash off the dust of the Pyramids with a dip in the pool, and rest up for our farewell dinner. at a very special place.
Day 11, Sunday September 27th: Final departure (B)
Breakfast followed by transfer to Cairo International airport for your flight back home.
* Itinerary is subject to change due to reasons beyond our control.
Accommodations:
Mena House Oberoi Hotel Sept 18th — Sept. 20th (2 nights) Bed and breakfast
Afandina Private Cruise Sept 20th — Sept 26th (6 nights) Full board
Le Meridien Pyramids Sept 26th— 27th (1 nights) Bed and breakfast