The Egyptian word for gold is nub, which is thought by some to be the origin of the name Nubia. Nubia was a highly advanced ancient black African civilization that rivaled ancient Egypt in wealth, power and cultural development. The first Nubian capital lay at Kerma, just south of the Third Cataract of the Nile.
Here dwelled powerful and wealthy black kings who controlled the trade routes connecting central Africa with ancient Egypt. The Egyptians, who had few natural resources of their own, sought the precious, exotic products of central Africa to satisfy the demands of their luxury-loving populace. By 1500 B.C., the Egyptians, feeling threatened by the Nubian Kings, invaded, conquered and exploited Nubia for the next four centuries.
Later Nubian warrior hordes turned the tables on a weakened Egypt and conquered it. This event has ‘created’ Nubia’s Black Pharaohs. They ruled an Egyptian-Nubian empire that extended from the Mediterranean to the confluence of the Blue and White Niles for sixty years. The black pharaohs promoted a renaissance in Egypt and incorporated Egyptian culture, art, and philosophy into their homeland.
They built magnificent temples at Jebel Barkal and Meroe, filling them with statuary, cultic implements and religious papyri, which became the inspirational force for their culture for centuries to come. The pyramids abandoned as improper tomb type by Egyptian Kings a thousand years earlier, was revived by the Nubians and used by their monarchs for a thousand years, which is why today there are many more pyramids in Sudan than in Egypt.
Your Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Cairo
After our arrival in Cairo we’ll be meeting our guide, who will assist us at the airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight: Hotel Cataract Pyramids Resort, Cairo (1 night) (Dinner)
Day 2: Cairo / Luxor (overnight train)
In the morning we start our exciting, over two-week journey of Egypt and Sudan, with a visit to the Egyptian Museum with its impressive treasure, especially those exhibited from the tomb of Tutankhamen. Afterwards we proceed to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, one of the most impressive mosques from the Mamelouk period.
The afternoon is dedicated to the Pyramids of Gizah, the Sphinx and to the lively bazaar. Later in the afternoon we are transferred to Gizah Railway Station to board the sleeper train to Luxor. Overnight: Onboard train (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3: Luxor
Early in the morning we arrive in Luxor and after our onboard breakfast, we leave for a visit to Karnak and Luxor temples. Karnak Temple is more of a "complex" than it is a single temple and is comprised of several different temples including the Temples of Amun, Mut, and Montha.
The Luxor Temple and its Avenue of Sphinxes is a delightful site and many of the statues are still well put together. It's neat to gaze down the avenue and imagine what it must have looked like when they were all intact. Archaeologists believe that the line of statues once continued much farther than what is presently there. Overnight: Novotel Corolla Luxor Hotel (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 4: Luxor / Aswan
After our overnight and breakfast at the hotel, we go in the morning to visit Luxor’s West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memonon. The valley was once the burial place of the ancient Kings. The tombs are richly adorned with beautiful, colored hieroglyphs, paintings, drawings, representations, and an incredible array of spells and puzzles.
And all hidden (at that time) from the public, to be enjoyed by the King in the afterlife… The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut is one of the most beautiful of the royal mortuary temples. The terraces were different then, with gardens of frankincense trees and other rare plantings brought from Punt.
Queen Hatshepsut, the stepmother of pharaoh Thutmose III, who was an adolescent at the time, built the temple. From here we are transferred by surface to Aswan, via Edfu and Kom Ombo.
Located on the west bank of the Nile, Edfu is at a midway point between Luxor and Aswan, and after Karnak this is the second largest temple in Egypt. It is also one of the best preserved. Construction began under Ptolemy III Euergetes in the 3rd century BC, but the temple was not completed until the 1st century BC. From here we drive to Kom Ombo and visit the Twin Temple of Sobek and Haroeris.
The temple is very unusual and it was dedicated to two triads of deities each with their own associated chambers and sanctuaries. It is likely that there were also two separate priesthoods who tended the deities Sailing towards Aswan. Afterwards we proceed to Aswan. Late in the afternoon we’ll have a short sailing trip around the islands of Aswan. Overnight: Pyramisa Corniche Hotel, Aswan (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 5: Aswan / Wadi Halfa (cruise)
Today, Monday morning, we are leaving Aswan and are transferred to Aswan Harbour and embark the ferryboat to Wadi Halfa. The Nile cruise will be an exciting one, as we’ll pass by interesting places, we’ll meet nice and friendly people and enjoy the local hospitality. Overnight: Onboard Ferry (1 night) (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 6: Wadi Halfa / Soleb (drive)
In the morning we arrive in Wadi Halfa, where we leave Egypt and enter Sudan. After clearing the customs and immigration formalities, we meet our guide and driver and we proceed (via Abri) to Soleb. A real cultural adventure begins. Overnight: in a Nubian house (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 7: Soleb / Sesebi / Third Cataract (drive)
In the morning we first visit the Temple of Soleb, a Nubian version of the large temples of the Pharaohs, reminding the visitor of Luxor Temple. The Temple here was built in the 14th Century BC by the command of Amenophis III and dedicated to Amon-Re of Karnak and Nebmaatre, which was both a deified version of the king himself and a local variant of Khonsu.
Nebmaatre was represented as a moon-god with the horns of Amon. This temple is the best-preserved Egyptian-built temple in Sudan. Afterwards we drive to Sesebi, an outpost of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Then we cross the Nile River near Delgo and after 30 km drive we arrive at the Third Cataract, one of original six rapids on the Nile.
Time to take photos and go strolling. Later we’ll set up our Tent Camp and have dinner around the campfire. Overnight: Portable Tent Camp (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 8: Tumbus / Kerma / Kawa (drive)
While we have breakfast the escorting staff will pack-up our Camp then we drive to Tumbus. On our way we will stop to see the prehistoric rock glyphs in Sebu and to see the Egyptian inscriptions and a statue of Taharka, still lying on the ground in Tumbus.
Afterwards we drive to Kerma, the capital of the Nubian Kingdom between the 3rd and 2nd Millennium B.C. First we visit the "Diffufa" - these are probably tombs – which are extensive mud brick ruins and are only slightly younger than the Pyramids of Gizah. Then we drive into the small town of Kerma for provision shopping and continue drive for 120 km to El Kawa to visit here the Temple, which is partially covered by the dunes. Overnight: Portable Tent Camp (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 9: Kawa / Old Dongola / El Kurru (drive)
This morning we’ll visit the Old Dongola, formerly the capital of the Christian Kingdom of Makuria, with its fortress and the remains of a Cathedral. From here we drive on to the Necropolis of El Kurru, where the subterranean tomb of King Tanwetamani is decorated in the classical Nubian Pharaohnic style. Overnight: Portable Tent Camp. (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 10: Karima / Jebel Barkal / Nuri (drive)
Today we drive to Karima where we cross the Nile River again, and ascent to Jebel Barkal. Our visit here will be to the vast Temple of Amun of Napata dating back to the 12th Century B.C. The temple was the most important religious centre of the Kushite (Nubian) Pharaohs.
When the kings of Kush (Nubia) ruled Egypt, they took their orders from the god Amun of Jebel Barkal. This supreme god was thought to live inside the mountain. He spoke through mysterious signs to priests in this temple. In this way, he chose each new king of Kush from among the old king's brothers, sons, and nephews. He also advised the reigning king on matters of making war and running the state.
Whatever the god said, the kings were supposed to obey. Afterwards we visit Nuri, a necropolis with pyramids of the 26th Dynasty, among them the pyramid of Pharaoh Taharqa. Overnight: Portable Tent Camp. (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 11: Deir Ghazali / Bayuda Desert / Meroe
After breakfast at our campsite we first visit the nearby Monastery of Deir Ghazali then take an interesting dune-drive through the Bayuda Desert to Meroe. The Kingdom of Meroe existed for 1,200 years over the history, only to continue in the shape of the Kingdom of Nubia, which lasted another 1,100 years.
Of these two Kingdoms, Meroe was at a greater power in its days, strong enough to conquer Egypt for half a century. The region managed to impress the people of its time, housing agricultural achievements and efficient iron industry, a high culture, where even an alphabet was developed. And the pyramids have a distinct and elegant style, even if they're far smaller than the ones we’ve found in Egypt. Overnight: Portable Tent Camp. (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 12: Meroe / Shendi / Musawarat (drive)
In the morning have a leisurely stay in Meroe. Afternoon we’ll drive to Shendi and on to Musawarat es Sufra, an extensive temple area with rare elephant statues. Musawarat contains the sprawling ruin known as the "Great Enclosure", a labyrinth of stone buildings, temples, corridors, ramps, and courtyards.
Tremendous stone walls partition the complex into no less than twenty separate compounds, which have recently been found to be protected gardens of fruit trees, all brought together with their appropriate soil, from the banks of the Nile and watered by an elaborate underground pipe system. The function of the complex is not really known. Overnight: Portable Tent Camp. (1 night) (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 13: Musawarat / Naga / Khartoum
After visiting Musawarat, we precede to the ancient temple precinct of Naga, where there is the Lion Temple (Apedemak), the Temple for Amun and a kiosk of the Roman Period. The Apedemak Temple at Naga is adorned with relief’s depicting the imposing figures of its builders, King Natakamani and Queen Amanitore doing homage to the lion god. From here we drive to Khartoum. Overnight: El Faysal Hotel, Khartoum. (2 nights) (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 14: Khartoum
After a leisurely breakfast at our hotel, we go for a city tour in Khartoum. Worth visiting are the National Museum, to see the relocated temples of Nubia and the frescoes of the early Christian Cathedral at Faras, and the Ethnographic Museum. In the afternoon we’ll take a motorboat trip to the confluence of the Blue and White Nile (ca. 1 ½ hours). (Breakfast)
Day 15: Khartoum / Departure
After an interesting and exciting journey through the Black Kingdoms of the Nile of Ancient times, we leave Sudan and we return to ‘our days civilization’.
Tour highlights & World Heritage Sites (WHS)
- The pyramids and the Sphinx at Gizah (WHS)
- The Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo (WHS)
- Karnak and Luxor Temples
- The Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memonon, Luxor
- Temple of Isis, Aswan
- Jebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region
- The Apedemak Temple at Naga
- The pyramids of Meroe
- Old Dongola
- Temple of Soleb
- The "Diffufa" at Kerma
Price includes:
- All transfers and visits according to the itinerary
- All hotels and tented overnights as per itinerary
- One night in sleeper train 1st class (with dinner and breakfast aboard)
- One night aboard ferry from Assuan – Wadi Halfa (D,B)
- All meals as per itinerary (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
- Eight days jeep safari in North Sudan
- All entrance fees at sites and monuments
- All route and other visiting (& photo) permits
- Full board during jeep safari (incl. mineral water, tea and coffee)
- Camping gear (tents, mattresses, cooking equipment)
- English speaking guide / escort
- Portage
Price does not include:
- International flight tickets
- Entry visa fee to Sudan
- Entry visa fee to Egypt
- Departure tax in Sudan (~25 USD)
- Passport registration in Sudan (~45 USD)
- Insurance
- Any expenses of personal nature
- Tips for guide and driver
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price per person in double rooms & tents for 2008
In case of 04 people and more (max. 12): USD: 3,140.00 / CAD: 3,295.00 – per person.
In case of 02 or 03 participants (per jeep): USD: 3,810.00 / CAD: 4,000.00 – per person.
Single supplement is USD: 375.00 / CAD: 395.00
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Egypt
Sudan
Cultural Journey
Boating and Sailing
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