- Ship
- 3 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, 3 Dinners
Ain Sukhna, which means “hot spring,” is located in the Gulf of Suez, facing the Red Sea. Around fifty kilometers from the entrance to the Suez Canal, and less than two hours from the Egyptian capital, it is an elegant seaside town that is popular with wealthy families from Cairo. Ain Soukhna is an ideal base for discovering the marvels of Ancient Egypt.
Choose from one of these excursions:
SAKKARA & MASTABA
From the pier, board your coach and start your day with a drive for around two hours and half to Dahshur area, located in South Saqqara where stand the pyramids of Dahshur: The Red and the Bent Pyramids. The constructor of these pyramids is thought to have been Snofru (2575-2551 BC), who was the first ruler of the 4th Dynasty. He is also thought to have built the pyramid at Maidoun. The Red Pyramid is thought to be older, and the Bent Pyramid was built out of limestone which was quarried locally. Following the visit to Dahshur, drive toward Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. Founded in 3100 BC by Menes of Tanis, Memphis was once considered the largest city in the world with a population of over 30,000. At its zenith, the city had many temples, palaces and gardens. Once arriving, you will see the enormous limestone statue, Colossus of Ramses. Over 33 feet (10 m) long, this giant lying statue depicts Ramses II, the Egyptian pharaoh from 1290 to 1224 BC. The Alabaster Sphinx and the ruins of the temple of Ptah can also be viewed during your visit. From Memphis, you will proceed to Sakkara, the necropolis of ancient Memphis. After lunch, visit the famous step Pyramid of Zoser built 5,000 years ago by the engineer Imhotep. The pyramid and its surrounding complex was designed to be as grand as it was unique and revolutionary. At the “cemetery city” of Sakkara, experience an inside visit to one of the mastabas, or funerary chambers. Finally, make a quick visit at a carpet school before driving back to join your ship for approximate another two hours.
Or
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM & THE PYRAMIDS
This full day excursion provides a visit of the most important and significant sites of Egypt's: the Egyptian museum of Antiquities, the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. From the pier of Ain Sukhna, board your coach for the 2.5-hour drive to Cairo, via the desert road. Your guide will provide interesting facts about the sites you will be visiting. Once you arrive, visit the Great Pyramids of Egypt, located 9 miles west of Cairo. The Great Pyramids are considered the most famous of Egypt’s attractions and the only monuments left of the Ancient Wonders. The three main Pyramids at Giza were built as tombs by Cheops, his son Chephren, and Chephren’s son Mykerinus to preserve each of the pharaohs’ mummified body for eternity. For centuries, these unique structures have intrigued the world while surviving the rise and fall of great dynasties. Southeast of the Great Pyramids stands the Sphinx, carved out of solid rock around 2650 BC. Steeped in legend and superstition, the Sphinx was a monument either to the sun god Ra or to Pharaoh Chephren. It has the head of a man and the body of a lion. The monument faces east, probably to greet the rising sun and the return of life each day. After enjoying an early lunch, visit the Egyptian museum of Antiquities located in the heart of Cairo and established by the Egyptian government in 1835. Enter the museum and wander through time, starting from the Archaic Predynastic Period and into the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms. It houses the world’s most important collection of Egyptian antiquities from 2700 BC to the 6th century, with thousands of statues, jewels and artifacts from nearly every period of ancient Egypt. The museum consists of two floors: the museum's ground floor follows the history of Ancient Egypt, the second floor consist of thousands of smaller items from the span of Egyptian history. One of the most important rooms in the Egyptian museum on the second floor is the room of the treasure of Tutankhamun, the boy-king who ruled Egypt for nine years, and his god-like golden mask. You can also visit the Royal Mummies room.
Without the waterway linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean this part of the world would be an arid sandy desert inhabited by a few nomads. The Suez Canal slices through 162 km of desert and was inaugurated in 1869 in the presence of Empress Eugenie, then nationalized by Nasser in 1956.