Day 1: Arrival Cairo, Egypt

When you arrive at the Cairo International Airport, you will be met by Hallmark Travel Planners representative. After the immigration and customs procedures, you transfer to your hotel for check in.

The city of Cairo has acted for an infinite time as a guardian and a center for culture, art, and beauty. It is quite famous for being the capital of Egypt, and the largest metropolitan area in Africa, The Middle East, the Arab world, and the 15th largest in the world.
The city occupies an area of about 528 square kilometers in northern Egypt, 120 km (75 mi) west of Gulf of Suez & Suez canal, 165 km (100 mi) south of the Mediterranean Sea and lies on both banks of the Nile River near the Nile delta. Through history, there was always a capital for Egypt but the Cairo we know today was founded in 969 CE by the Fatimid dynasty where it became the heart of the region’s political and cultural life.

Day 2: Guide Tour of Cairo & Environs

We travel to Memphis, the first capital of Egypt. Here you’ll see the best and the biggest statue of King Ramses the great, one of the greatest king who ruled Egypt in the new kingdom.. In Sakkara we visit the Step Pyramid, constructed by Imhotep in the 27th century BC. We visit also tow Tombs of the Nobles.

After lunch we pay a visit to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. The Great Pyramid of Cheops, constructed from over two million stone blocks, is 135m high. The Sphinx was carved from one solid piece of limestone and measures 50m in length and 22m in height. Overnight at your hotel in Cairo.

We proceed to the famous Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. Among the 100,000 pieces housed on the museum is the famous exhibit of Tutankhamun whose tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. We also see archaeological relics from the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom and Greco-Roman periods. Overnight at your hotel in Cairo.

Day 3: Fly to Aswan – Embark Cruise

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for flight to Aswan.

Arrive Aswan Airport, Where you are met by our guide, holding a sign with your name. You begin your day of exploring by visiting the majestic Temple of Philae. Ride a motorized boat to the island of Agilika. This sacred complex was dedicated to the goddess Isis and reflects a fusion of three great civilizations — Egyptian, Greek and Roman.
The temple was dismantled and then painstakingly reassembled when the Aswan High Dam was constructed. Proceed to the granite quarries and site of the Unfinished Obelisk. Illustrating the skills of Egypt’s stonemasons, this monolith is one-third taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk. Then, Board your Nile cruise boat. Enjoy lunch. Later, Ride Like a Local around the Aswan Islands in a felucca, while enjoying a refreshing Scenic Sundowner.

Day 4: Sail on the Cruise to Kom Ombo – Edfu

Breakfast on board. Sailing to Kom Ombo, lunch on board. Visit to the temple dedicated to the gods Sobek and Haroeris or as known Temple of Kom Ombo. The temple is particularly notable for its relief of medicinal instruments. The Temple is very unique and the only of its design in Egypt as it is dedicated for two gods with its triads to be the first and only temple to be designed like this especially that its designed in the Ptolemaic era, each part dedicated to different god with its triad, you will see Sobek with Hathor and Khonsu as a triad in the southern part and god Haroeris (Horus the Elder) along with Tasenetnofret and Panebtawy in the northern part.

Disembark at Kom Ombo (hill of gold) to visit the Greco- Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god), whom some ancient Egyptians considered the creator of the world. View the mummified remains of several crocodiles that once basked along the ancient Nile shore, just as their descendants do today. Back on board, Cruise to Edfu.

Day 5: Temple of Horus, Cruise the Nile

Today, view the Temple of Horus, falcon-headed god of the sky. Built in 230 BC by Ptolemy III, this amazingly well-preserved and colorful structure reveals what temple worship in ancient Egypt was like. Back on board, Cruise to Luxor.

Arrive in Luxor, journey to the east bank of the Nile, the Temple of Karnak, where generations of pharaohs wished to record their names. Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall, strolling among its expertly aligned columns, which soar to 80 feet high. Continue to the striking Temple of Luxor.

View the three large statues of Ramses II along the front of the temple pylons; the Courtyard of Ramses II; and the Colonnade of Amenhotep III, with its 50-foot-high columns. Walk in their shadows as visitors have done since antiquity and ponder the astonishing feats of engineering it took to create them.

Day 6: Luxor, Valley of Kings – Fly to Kenya

This morning, disembark from the cruise and explore the west bank of the Nile River and the Necropolis of Thebes, and view the Colossi of Memnon. Next, arrive at the architecturally stunning Temple of Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt’s first female pharaoh and regarded today as one of its most successful. Continue to the Valley of the Kings, burial ground of the pharaohs and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For a period of 500 years beginning in the 16th century BC, tombs were built along this valley for pharaohs and nobles, including that of “the boy king,” Tutankhamun. Enter the tomb of Tutankhamun (extra ticket) – found in 1922 by British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter- to discover the secrets of this storied chamber.

In the afternoon, transfer to Luxor airport and fly back to Cairo. Later, connect a flight from Cairo to Nairobi, arriving Nairobi early morning next day.

Day 7: Morning rest. Afternoon to Masai Mara

Upon arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the early morning hours, you will transfer to your hotel for some rest. No scheduled activities this morning. You may take optional tours later in the day if you feel like. Suggested tours would be a brief tour of the city of Nairobi itself.

The Nairobi city walking tour covers the modern city center the colorful Nairobi city market, parliament buildings, Kenyatta International Convention Centre; the landmark of Nairobi (KICC), The 7th memorial park bomb blast, the Nairobi railway station museum, Nairobi snake park and the renowned National Museum where there are spell binding displays of the early man tribal regalia and the flora and fauna of Kenya.

Pick up from your hotel just after lunch and drive to Masai Mara. The drive will be 5 hours to the main gate. You will pass through the Great African Rift Valley and the famous Masai town Narok Town. You will arrive in time for lunch. Check in at your safari lodge.
On arrival Masai Mara, you transfer to your safari lodge where you spend the next 2 nights. Most safari camps and lodges are built around along the river, from where it is possible to see a wide variety of game from the camp including elephants, wildebeests and giraffe. The tents are tucked into the edge of the forest and have polished wooden decks with large verandahs from which you can enjoy the tranquil surroundings.

Day 8: Safari Activities in Masai Mara

You have a full day to spent game viewing in Kenya’s finest wildlife park, the Masai Mara National Reserve.
Our morning and afternoon game drives take us in search of Africa’s Big Five and the plethora of other wildlife inhabiting this vast Kenyan game reserve. On clear days, the Masai Mara offers fantastic orange tinged sunsets well-worth capturing on camera.
The Masai Mara Game Reserve is 1510km² of incredible wide-open landscapes and fertile riverine woodland following the looping meanders of the Mara and Talek rivers in Kenya. One glimpse is enough to explain its appeal; it is typical open savannah, with a mass of amazing wildlife.

Wherever you go in the vast Masai Mara you will see an abundance of wildlife such as Masai giraffe, baboons, warthogs, bat eared foxes, grey jackals, spotted hyena, topis, impala, hartebeests, wildebeest.
Elephants, buffaloes, zebras and hippos are also found in great numbers. It is also common to see lions either basking after a heavy meal, or surveying the plains for their next meal. Cheetahs and leopards are harder but to spot, but are reasonably common with the park.

Day 9: Drive Masai Mara for Serengeti

Today we shall be leaving Kenya, entering the 3rd African country on the itinerary – Tanzania
By 0900am to 0930am breakfast, we check out and leave Maasai mara region for Isebania border where you will say bye to Kenya Guide and meet the Tanzania Guide.

After Visa processing proceed on with the drive into the Serengeti National park, which shares the same ecosystem with the Maasai Mara game reserve. This is Tanzania’s largest game park, covering some 14736 km² of African bushveld. The Serengeti is a year-round game viewing destination, offering world-class game viewing throughout the year.
Serengeti Park and the neighboring Masai Mara National Park in Kenya, are however best known for the annual Wildebeest Migration.
Also known as the Great Migration, this wildlife spectacle is set in motion when an endless sea of grazers migrate across the plains in search of fresh grazing.

Day 10: Safari Activities in Serengeti

Two full days of game viewing activities, with optional of packed lunch or return to the lodge for Lunch and proceed with afternoon game drive in endless plains of Serengeti national Park till sun set.

The Serengeti covers an area of about 14763sq kms, with various vegetation, grassy plains, savannah acacia lands, wooden hills and mountains which are the backdrops for an extraordinary concentration of animals which reaches its peak during the wildebeest migration.
It is said to be around 2 million of wildebeest in Serengeti that migrate every year from Maasai Mara plains. Dinner and overnight at your lodge.

Day 11: Drive Serengeti to Ngorongoro

After breakfast, depart with picnic lunch boxes, heading towards Ngorongoro Conservation area via Olduvai Gorge, site of Louis and Mary Leakey’s renowned archaeological discoveries.

Their findings include some of the man’s earliest known ancestral remains. The stop over may last anything from 30 to 45 minutes, depending on your interest. Lunch on the way. Continue driving to Ngorongoro Area, and onward to Karatu for the night at your lodge.
IN the afternoon, we will descend 2000 feet (over 600 meters) to the floor of the crater for a full day crater tour. Explore the forest areas that are inhabited by monkeys and elephants, the lake area, where you may see the flamingos and the open savannah where the lions hunt for food.

The crater and its adjacent areas constitute the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a vast area of more than 8,000 km2, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and extended in 2010. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world. It was formed when a giant volcano erupted two to three million years ago. The caldera is a huge bowl with walls more than 600 meters high, covered with forests, plus a flat, fertile floor covering some 260 km2.

This particular natural world is organized into various ecosystems: forests, savannahs, lakes and marshes, salt ponds, arid lands…, squeezed into an area no more than 20 kilometers in diameter. It is home to some 25,000 wild animals of many different species. It is considered one of the smallest areas where it is possible to see the Big Five, the five most representative animals of Africa: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.

Day 12: Drive to Arusha – Fly Home

Breakfast at the lodge. We then check out and depart, traveling by road to Arusha town. After lunch in Arusha, you shall proceed to Kilimanjaro International Airport for flight back home.

Tour Price Per Person

Single Room Supplement – US$892 per person

Rates are subject to change with notice.

Important to Know

• Rates are per person and exclude the international flight from/to your home country.
• Rates include a fixed budget for flights during this tour. Flights may cost more, depending on travel dates. If so, your quote will reflect this.