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9 Day Tour of Egypt with Bethany Jensen, M.A.

November 7–15, 2023

Join us for an amazing opportunity to experience more than 5,000 years of history as we travel from Cairo to Aswan! Below is an outline of the trip. Further details are available upon request. Registrants will receive a
packet of information after payment.

Reserve your Spot

Tour Itinerary

November 6

Depart on the flight of your choice that will arrive in Cairo between noon and midnight on November 7th.

November 7

Arrival in Cairo. You will be met at the airport and assisted with transport to the hotel.

November 8

We will spend the day at sites around Cairo. This includes Dahshur, part of the Pyramid Field and location of the Red and Bent Pyramids, Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt and home to a colossal statue of Rameses II, and Saqqara, a massive cemetery in use for thousands of years and the site of the first pyramid built for Pharaoh Djoser.

November 9

Part of the day will be spent at another portion of the Pyramid Field (and certainly the most famous), Giza, known for the Sphinx and its pyramids, which are the only remaining wonder of the ancient world. We will also visit some museums. Egypt has been working on the Grand Egyptian Museum for many years. We hope to be able to visit if it is open. We will also visit the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square. While many artifacts have shifted around with the creation of the GEM, the Egyptian Museum still holds thousands of artifacts spanning the vast history of Egypt.

November 10

In the morning we will fly south to Aswan where we will first check in for our Nile Cruise. Aswan was the ancient southern border of Egypt. This is the location of the First Cataract, a section of the Nile where the water is shallower and rocky making it difficult to sail through. Aswan is where the High Dam is located. Up until the 1960s, the Nile flooded annually in Egypt, which varied from year to year. The dam was built to better control the flooding. As a result, many architectural structures were moved. One such site is Philae, a temple dedicated to Isis that features the last known dated inscription in hieroglyphs from 394 CE. We will also visit the Unfinished Obelisk. When the obelisk was being carved from the bedrock it cracked, resulting in the abandonment of the obelisk. However, this allows us to learn how obelisks were constructed.

November 11

After spending the night in Aswan, we will sail to Kom Ombo and visit the temple there. The Kom Ombo temple is dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek as well as a form of the falcon god, Horus called Haoeris. From here we will sail to Edfu.

November 12

First we will visit the temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the most complete temples in Egypt. From there we will sail to Luxor and visit the famous temples on the East Bank of the Nile. Karnak Temple is a massive religious complex that was constructed over hundreds of years and is connected by an avenue of sphinxes with the Luxor Temple. Karnak was a center of worship for Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. Luxor Temple was the setting to the Opet Festival, a rejuvenation ceremony for the king.

November 13

We plan to begin the day with a hot air balloon ride over Thebes (this is optional, cost not included), following which we will visit various sites on the West Bank of the Nile. The Valley of the Kings was the burial place for kings and other nobility. The valley contains a number of tombs with beautifully preserved decoration of scenes related to the afterlife. We will also visit Deir el-Bahri, a temple dedicated to Hatshepsut, the woman who became king, as well as Medinet Habu, temple of Ramesses III and one of the best preserved New Kingdom temples in Egypt. Finally, we will visit the tomb of Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramesses II after which we will fly back to Cario.

November 14

On our last full day, we will visit a few places around Cairo. This includes the citadel and mosque of Muhammed Ali Pasha. The citadel was built by Saladin and was the center of rule from the medieval period through the 19th century. We will also visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, which has many artifacts that trace the history of Egypt from prehistoric to modern times. This is also where the mummified remains of past pharaohs and queens reside. Additionally, we will visit a Coptic Church called the Hanging Church, so named due to the way it sits over the site of a Roman fortress. Today we will also visit Kahn el-Khalili, a famous bazaar and market in the heart of Cairo.

November 15

Transfer to the Cairo airport for departure. There are flights that leave early in the morning, so we will likely leave the hotel before midnight the previous day.

Meet Bethany

Bethany Jensen first visited Egypt in 2011 as astudent at the BYU Jerusalem Center. Since then,she has returned to Egypt several times whileworking with the BYU Egypt Excavation Projectdirected by Dr. Kerry Muhlestein. She holds a BA inAnthropology with an emphasis in Archaeologyfrom Brigham Young University, an MA inMuseum Studies from Johns Hopkins University,and an MA in Art History with a concentration inEgyptian Art and Archaeology from the Universityof Memphis. In 2020 she started working withSPARC and helps run the day-to-day operations.She is passionate about the ancient world and can’twait to introduce you to some of her favorite places.

Bethany in front of the Great Pyramid of Khufu

Pricing

Costs associated with the tour are based on double occupancy. For single travelers there is a supplement.

 

Double Occupancy (per person): $3450

Single Supplement: $1500

 

Covered Costs:

  • All hotels

  • Flight to Aswan, Nile Cruise, Flight to Cairo (including assistance with transport to the airport)

  • Transport to all sites mentioned in the itinerary, private guides, entrance fees and headsets (there is an additional charge for lost headsets)

  • Most meals and supplemental bottled water

  • All gratuities (Tipping is a major part of Egyptian culture. Your tour coordinator will cover these costs, though you are welcome to add more if you would like.)

  • Not Included: Airfare to and from Cairo, and anything not described above (souvenirs, activities done on your own, possibly some meals, travel insurance)​

 

Booking Instructions:

 

  1. To secure your place on the tour, submit your initial deposit here. You will recieve a PDF info packet and a link to fill out the registration form. The initial deposit of 50% of the cost, $1725 per person is required. This must be done by August 15, 2023. Please contact us for questions about alternative forms of payment. We prefer that all transactions are processed through our website, but we may be able to make exceptions.

  2. Please email a color copy of your passport as well as your flight details to bethany@sparcproject.org at the time of registration or no later than August 31, 2023.

    1. Your passport must have at least six months of validity after you return from this trip. That means that, your expiration date must be after May 14, 2024. If it is not, please plan to renew your passport as soon as possible. (If you are applying for a new passport, that also needs to be done as soon as possible.)

  3. The remainder of the costs will be due by October 15, 2023.

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Note: If you would like to pay the full cost all at once, that is also an option. The initial deposit is refundable prior to October 15, 2023.

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Cancellations:

  • Cancellations received before September 15, 2023 will receive a full refund of their $1725 deposit.

  • Cancellations received prior to October 15, 2023 will receive a 50% refund of payments received.

  • Cancellations received after October 15, 2023 will not receive a refund.

    • Your payments can go toward a replacement if there is one on the waitlist or if you have someone to take your place.

    • If payment is not received on time and there is no communicated explanation, we will assume that your are cancelling and proceed accordingly.

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Flights:

  • YOU MUST BOOK YOUR OWN AIRFARE

  • You will need to arrive between noon and midnight on November 7, 2023. Please plan accordingly and pay attention to the dates when you schedule.

    • For those traveling from Salt Late, there is a Delta flight to Paris and then an Air France flight to Cairo that works well.

  • You will need to depart on November 15th, it will likely be an early morning flight.

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Questions? Please contact us using the form found here.

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