All Activities listed will happen,
maybe not necessarily in the order stated!
(Be prepared—Spontaneous changes are part of the fun!)

Back to the Tour Page…

A new adjusted itnerary will be available soon.

Day 1, Monday, March 18: Depart for Cairo:

EgyptAir Flight #986 leaves JFK at 6:30 PM. Dinner and overnight on the plane.

 

Day 2, Wednesday, March 20: Arrive Cairo/Opening Circle/Welcome Dinner

Arrive at the Cairo Airport at about 12:15pm local time where we will be met by our Quest Travel transfer agent. He will assist us through baggage claim and customs, before transferring us to our luxury accommodations at the Mena House Oberoi. Once everyone is settled, we will have an Opening Circle and then enjoy our first meal together. (Breakfast and Dinner)

Day 3, Thursday, March 21: Giza Plateau/Sphinx/Sakkara/Equinox

We begin our spiritual sojourn with an inspirational sunrise visit to the Giza Plateau. During this time we greet the Sphinx who sees all of our incarnations on this planet and who keeps safe the Hall of Records where our stories are kept.

In the afternoon we journey to Sakkara by luxury bus, where we will visit the oldest pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, and its temple of sound and healing. Sakkara was masterminded by Imhotep, the high priest, vizier and architect to King Djoser during Dynasty III. This magnificent site includes other Old Kingdom tombs, among them those that hold the earliest known hieroglyphs, the Pyramid Texts that were the model for the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Overnight Mena House. (Breakfast and Lunch)

Khan el khalili Bazaar, CairoDay 4, Friday, March 22: Cairo Museum/ Khan El Khalili Bazaar/Luxor

We will check out of our hotel, and have a morning visit to the Egyptian Museum of Cairo to view the spiritual legacy of priest kings, queens, scribes and healers. Our world-renowned Egyptologist guides us through this famous museum with a collection of over 200,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, dating back to 4,000 BC. Visiting the museum is an opportunity to see the statues and artifacts that originally were located in the temples. This paints a fuller picture when you go the temples, like seeing the original furniture designed for a house. Here you will experience first-hand the different periods of ancient Egypt and the individual artistic and architectural styles of each. One of the highlights of this museum is the visit to the treasures of Tutankhamun. There will be time to explore the museum on your own.

After lunch we will all meet at the Khan El Khalili bazaar for some shopping. Then we will take a short flight to Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes that was the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom, and check into our beautiful dahabeya Afandina, a privately-owned, traditional Egyptian sailing boat. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 5, Saturday, March 23: Karnak/Luxor Temple

AToday we will explore Karnak, one of the largest temple complexes in the world. It has been home for more than 3,500 years to the living statue of the lioness goddess, Sekhmet, who will instigate our mystery school rites of passage. In the evening, we will visit the Luxor Temple to invoke the sacred within the human vessel and receive an important initiation.

Sunrise at PhilaeDay 6, Sunday, March 24: Dendera/Abydos

This morning we head to Dendera to visit the exquisite temple dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of abundance, love and joy. The temple is built with a zodiacal ceiling that recalls the origins of Egypt. On the rooftop where Hathor priests and priestesses gathered for their celebrations thousands of years ago, we reconnect to our destinies. We then continue north to the temple at Abydos, dedicated to Osiris and housing the nine great beings (the Ennead). This temple rests next to and above the most ancient Osirion, one of the premier power places on the planet. It includes a more recent temple built by Seti I, which contains the most beautiful bas reliefs of any temple in Egypt. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch Box and Dinner)

Day 7, Monday, March 25: West Bank/Sail to Esna

This morning we make a sunrise pilgrimage to Deir el Bahari, the funerary temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. We also visit the Necropolis of Thebes on the West Bank of the Nile. The West Bank holds the tombs of the pharaohs that are inscribed with sacred transformative texts, including the books of knowing light and dark, the book of what is in the underworld, the book of caverns, and naming and taming the hours of the night. Here are the tombs of Tutankhamun, Ramses III and VII, Seti I, Thutmosis III, and many others. We will also see the mortuary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu and the Colossi of Memnon.

Back onboard our dahabaya, we sail toward Esna, and delight in watching the timeless bea uty along the Nile. We will meet on deck or in our lovely living room to share our experiences. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Sunset over the NileDay 8, Tuesday, March 26: Esna/Sail to Edfu

This morning we will sail to Esna and visit its famed temple. The temple of Esna is dedicated to the creative triad of Khnum, Neith and their offspring Hak or Sobek. The site is a prime example of the power of the Nile at inundation. Its hieroglyphs have only partially been translated, and thus the temple represents the mystery and power of an as yet un-translated text. After our temple visit and exploration of Esna, we continue sailing part way to Edfu and overnight on the Afandina along the west bank of the Nile. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 9, Wednesday, March 27: Sail to Edfu/Edfu Temple

Sekhmet at Karnak

We continue sailing to Edfu, where we will visit the Temple of Horus, one of the most beautifully preserved in Egypt. Here we follow the pattern of the hero’s quest as we learn how Horus and his followers (the Shemsu Hor) conquered chaos, and we see the sacred marriage of the king and queen as the embodiment of Horus and the goddess Hathor. The side chambers of the temple show the complexity of the rites that include a healing chamber, a perfumery, and singers’ rooms. One chamber, called the House of Life, stored all of the sacred texts used in seasonal and daily rituals. We spend the night near Edfu on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 10, Thursday, March 28: Kom Ombo

We will gather on deck to share our experiences as we sail to Kom Ombo. There, we will visit the only dual temple in Egypt. This dramatic temple poised between the edge of the river and the encroaching desert sand was dedicated to two gods – Sobek the crocodile god of strength, fortitude, fertility and rebirth, and Horus the hawk-headed son of Isis and Osiris. We will dock our dahabeya at an island near Kom Ombo for the night. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 11, Friday, March 29: Sail to Aswan/Elephantine Island

In the early morning we sail to Aswan, the mythical origin of the Nile River and the home of Nubian kings and queens during the later dynasties of Egypt. We will enjoy a felucca sail to visit Elephantine Island and walk through the layers of time that archaeological explorations have unveiled. Atop the island we gather at the temple of Khnum for an important initiation and affirmation. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 12, Saturday, March 30: Philae/Temple of Isis

In our private sunrise meditation and ritual we return to the source of all, the Great Mother, to receive the blessings of Isis at her beautiful island temple at Philae. This isle represents a fusion of three great civilizations – Egyptian, Greek and Roman. The presence of Isis is palpable in the inner sanctum, the Holiest of Holies of her temple. Overnight on the Afandina. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 13, Sunday, March 31: Flight to Cairo/Great Pyramid

We will say goodbye to our Afandina and take a morning flight to Cairo. After some free time, we will have a late afternoon/early evening private visit to the Great Pyramid, with a culminating initiation in the King’s chamber. Later we will have our closing circle and Farewell Dinner. Overnight Mena House. (Breakfast)

Day 14, Monday, April 1: Final Departure or Morning Flight to Jordan

Final 9:10am departure on Egypt Air flight 985 for JFK, arriving in NY at 3:15 pm. (Breakfast)

OR: a morning flight to Amman Jordan, leaving at 8:30am and arriving at 10:05am. We transfer to the Ammarin Bedouin Camp to get settled in before lunch. After lunch, we explore the area around our camp including the sand dunes, the Old Pistachio Tree and the carob trees. We will have a group meeting at 4:30pm followed by dinner in the camp. Overnight at the Bedouin Camp (Breakfast and Dinner)

Day 15, Tuesday, April 2: Petra

We will meet at 8:30am and transfer to Petra, where we will visit the Siq, Treasury, High Place of Sacrifice, Court, Roman Columned Road, Qasr il Bint, as well as the Museum and Petra basin. From there you will have the option to walk or ride a donkey or camel to Um Sayhoun/Bedool village, where you will be met and transferred back to the camp. Overnight at the Bedouin Camp. (Breakfast, Lunch Box and Dinner)

Jordan

Day 16, Wednesday, April 3: Farsh/Garoon/Sig el Barid

After breakfast we will hike up the mountains to Haj Shtayyan’s Pool, the shaman’s pool, and westward through old farm lands and Ammarin caves. Enjoy lunch on the Farsh’s “balcony” overlooking the breathtaking scenery of Wadi Araba. After lunch we will visit the alchemical facilities at Sig el Barid and Beidha Neolithic Village, enjoying the sunset as we hike back to Camp. Overnight at the Bedouin Camp. (Breakfast, Lunch Box and Dinner)

Day 17, Thursday, April 4: Free time at Camp/Wadi Musa

After breakfast there will be free time to rest and explore camp. In the afternoon we will take a trip to Wadi Musa, the town nearest Petra, which also comprises an important Bedouin village. Back at camp we will enjoy a Zarb dinner and entertainment by a local dance troupe. Overnight at Bedouin Camp. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Day 18, Friday, April 5: Flight to Cairo/Free Afternoon

Depart for Cairo at (tbd). Free day to relax and explore. Tonight we stay overnight at a hotel near the airport in Cairo. (Breakfast)

Day 19, Saturday, April 6: Final Departure

Leave Cairo for New York at 9:10am on EgyptAir flight 985, arrive JFK/NY at 3:15pm, local time.