July 3-July 14, 2023

Live Aboard Wrecks & Reefs & Ancient Cairo

Cairo & Liveaboard from $3295 

Live Aboard Only: $1699

This is the absolute best time of year to visit these stunning wrecks and reefs as summer is when the huge shoals of fish and pelagic marine life visit Ras Mohamed National Park and the Northern Red Sea!

With your hosts OTA Diving:  Visit our most favorite sites in the Northern Red Sea! We spent years diving and guiding the wrecks and reefs of the Northern Red Sea and have created this trip to showcase the best diving of the Glorious Red Sea.  We have reserved the entire boat and will be cruising with our good friends and former employers, Emperor Divers.

This trip is perfect for underwater photography and videography.  There is a mix of relaxed reef diving, exciting historic wrecks, dramatic walls and exhilarating drift diving.   

But first, our adventure starts when we land in Cairo. 

Cairo Tours July 3-7

Cairo, Museum, and Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx, Saqqara Pyramids, & Optional Tours

July 3 DAY ONE: Our topside adventure is just beginning - Arrive and transfer to our 5 star Hotel where we can relax and rejuvenate ourselves for the Cairo Experience! Our Representative will meet you at the airport right before Customs. You are then transferred to the Four Seasons overlooking the Nile River in the heart of the city. Sink into the luxurious bed after meeting fellow guests for dinner on arrival day. 

July 4 Day TWO: We'll wake up in the exotic and ancient city of Cairo and head to The Great Pyramids of Giza to explore this Unesco World Heritage Site. We get an early start and spend our morning exploring the most famous landmark on Earth. You'll get to enter the Pyramid of Cheops and climb to the King's Chamber. Next, we'll hop on our camels and explore the other side of the Pyramids.  Don't forget your hat and comfortable shoes for this exciting morning! 

Lunch at a favorite local restaurant included - We'll enjoy a little chill out time before our next stop.

After lunch we'll make a quick stop at the papyrus school where we'll learn about the first paper - how to spot the real thing - and a chance to peruse and purchase your own masterpiece!  

Museum: We'll spend the afternoon at the Museum of Egyptian Civilization. We've included the best part of this visit: The Mummies! 

After our Museum visit we'll return to the hotel. 

We'll refresh and then meet for dinner* and head to the Optional Sound & Light* show at the Pyramids by night. 

Options/not included:

• Dinners/budget $10-$30/per person depending on restaurant.
• Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids: $60 VIP Ticket / priority entry, guide, first two rows seating. 

July 5 DAY THREE: 

Saqqara Step Pyramids 4 hour tour with lunch at local restaurant included. Although part of the Giza Plateau and Unesco World Heritage Site it is miles away from the Great Pyramids and the bustle of Cairo. You'll drive back in time, through the agricultural farmlands and thousands of date palms as we wind our way to the oldest Pyramid in the world, The Djoser Step Pyramid. 

After the tour we'll stop for lunch at a local country restaurant. We'll then stop at the rug factory- this area is the rug making capital of Egypt. Each rug is hand tied by students and interns studying the art and craft of rug making and designing. We'll learn about the process and we'll have a chance to purchase as well. 

Return to the hotel - early dinner and we'll head to the highlight of the evening a Tanoura Show - Whirling Dervishes in an historic theater in the heart of Old Cairo. 

This show is a blend of live music and traditional dancing that you will never forget. This is a must see cultural show that sells out every week. 

July 6 Day FOUR: 

• Optional tours/Day at leisure - Your only plan for this day is our Group Dinner included in your itinerary. We'll meet in the lobby at 6 pm and transfer to the restaurant to celebrate and enjoy our last night in this ancient city. 

1. Behind the Scenes City Tour & Downtown Museum - Cairo Tower & Zamelek Bridge Walk

- Visit Famous Tahir Square 

-See the original museum where Howard Carter's treasured finds from King Tut's Tomb are on display.   

-Get a taste of local life 

2. Khan Khalili walking tour, lunch at Abu Tarek's - 

Khan el Khalili is a maze, but our guides will help you navigate the streets and discover your heart’s desire. The souk is a dream for the traveler who wants to bring a piece of Egypt home with them. Nearly anything imaginable can be found within its busy alleys, and of course, some unexpected treasures await. 

The original Koushary restaurant. Koushary is a delicious blend of carbs: pasta, rice, lentils all topped with a spicy -as - you - like tomato sauce, fried onions, and chickpeas to name a few of the choices.

Cairo Tour Includes:

• Round trip Domestic Flight from CAI to HRG 
• 5* Accommodation at Four Seasons First Residence for 4 nights with Breakfast Included
  
• All Transfers by vehicle with A/C & Wifi
• All Sightseeing tours in Cairo as mentioned in itinerary below
• Local English Speaking Egyptologist and Tour Guide
• Entrance Fees as indicated on the itinerary
• Meals as indicated on the itinerary
• Bottled water during tours
• Service Charges & Fees
• Tanoura Show
• Group Dinner

July 7 Day Five: 

Transfer to airport for our short 45 minute flight to the port City of Hurghada. We'll transfer from the airport to the marina where we'll board the boat and begin our liveaboard on the gorgeous Red Sea. 

July 7-July 14 Cruise the Red Sea. We'll arrive back in port on the evening of July 13th . Disembark July 14 and transfer to airport for flight home or Optional Tours. 

Last dive on July 13 will finish at noon.  Depart the boat by 8am and transfer to airport for flight home. 

All Cabins are air-conditioned with a private shower and bathroom. 

Your adventure takes you to some of the most famous wrecks and pristine reefs in the world.  This trip is packed with the most stunning dive sites in the Red Sea!

All transfers for the entire trip, Taxes, and Park Fees

Nitrox for the week

3-4 Dives a Day including Night Dives (all dives and dives sites are subject to cancellation as per the requirements of the Egyptian Navy and Coast Guard, below is a sample itinerary)

3 Meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic drinks each day

snorkeling and swimming opportunities

Dolphin House Dive Site with luck we can swim with a pod of dolphins! PS. we're always lucky at Dolphin House!

Thistlegorm WWII Wreck - Known as THE WRECK this is one of the most famous wrecks in the world.  Dozens of Indian motor bikes, Howard trucks, and tons of munitions were on board when she sunk Oct. 6, 1941.

Ras Mohamed National Park dives including:

Shark & Yolanda Reef

Straits of Tiran including:

Gordon Reef

Jackson Reef

Please note: As a 21+ DIVES cruise, there's a good chance to enjoy 21 or more dives on a 7-day safari if you choose to.

You don't need a minimum number of dives but you should be comfortable with drift dives, as currents can be unpredictable and strong.

If you are an Open Water Diver, some dives are below 18m therefore we recommend having advanced experience or taking your Advanced Open Water course on board to maximize your enjoyment from the trip.

Inexperienced and beginner divers may find some dives challenging and may be asked by the Cruise Director to skip dives that are not suitable for their diving experience. All diving is made from zodiacs to give precise entry and exit points.

This itinerary presents the best of both worlds, where you visit famous wrecks in the northern Red Sea along with some stunning reef diving. 

We’ll board the boat on the 7th and dive until July 13th around noon. Back in port July 13th-sleep on the boat and depart July 14th for the airport home or Luxor Tour. 

Optional Luxor Extension - 2 Days 

Overnight Luxor Tour from Hurghada
Duration: Two Days $799 including r/t flights or private car, hotel, tours & transfers

Day 1: Fly To Luxor / Luxor Sightseeing Tours

Memphis Tours representative will pick you up from your hotel in Hurghada by air-conditioned modern vehicle to HRG Airport for your flight to Luxor, where you will be accompanied by your own Egyptologist tour guide to visit the famous Karnak temple the largest place of worship ever built.  The temple, or, more correctly, the complex of temples, was built over more than two thousand years by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the great “Hypostyle Hall” is an incredible forest of giant pillars.

On the way you will enjoy lunch at the quality restaurant and then you will be accompanied by your tour guide to visit the majestic Luxor temple which was built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II for ritual and festivals and dedicated to the god Amun with some free time for shopping in Luxor. From there will be driven to your hotel for check in, leisurely free time in Luxor and overnight stay in Luxor.

Meals: Lunch


Day 2: Luxor Sightseeing Tours/ Fly Back Cairo


Optional Hot Air Balloon Tour: $175/3:30 am- Breakfast Box from hotel.  Your tour guide will pick you up and take you to the launch site. You'll meet your pilot and help prepare the balloons for launch. You'll spend about an hour in flight over the stunning scenery of Luxor, The Valley of the Kings, and the Nile. This is a fantastic tour that will be among the highlights of your trip to Egypt. You will be back at your hotel in time for a full breakfast and proceed as follows: 

Early morning, enjoy a relaxing breakfast in your hotel in Luxor and then you will enjoy visiting  the West Bank of The Nile River you will be visiting the two colossal statues of Amenhotep III (Colossi of Memnon), and then visit the Valley of the Kings, where the magnificent tombs discovered, those tombs were carved deep into the desert rock, richly decorated and filled with treasures for the afterlife of the pharaohs, you will visit 3 tombs Continue the tour to visit the Hatshepsut temple. This impressive temple dedicated to the Queen Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh, rises out of the desert  in a series of terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. Proceed to have your lunch at local restaurant

Then you will embark the Felucca to Banana Island on The Nile River, and then you will be transferred to Luxor domestic airport to fly back to Cairo where you will be met by our Tour Representative and transferred by private air-conditioned van class to your hotel in Cairo or your flight home
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Hot Air Balloon is not included and it costs per person US$ 175 

Check-out is at 12:00  noon.

Included:
- Pick up services from your hotel & return.
- Return flight from Cairo to Luxor. (Economy Class) 
- Tour to Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings.
- Tour to Karnak, Luxor Temples.
- Shopping through famous Bazaars in Luxor.
- Felucca boat to Banana Island
- Service of professional English-speaking Egyptologist guide.
- Entrance fees to the sights mentioned in the itinerary.
- Lunch at quality restaurant.
- Bottled water during your trip.
- Pick up service from hotel and return.
- Accommodation in Luxor at 5* hotel.
- Assistance of our personnel during tours.
- All transfers by air-conditioned mini-bus.
- All services charges and taxes included.

Excluded:
- Any extras not mentioned in the program.
- Tipping.
- Optional activities
- Entrance fees inside Tutankhmanen Tomb 
- Hot Air Balloon costs per person US$ 175
- Personal expenses like drinks during meals, laundry, phone calls...etc
 
Flight Times Approx:

Cairo to Luxor 06:00 / 07:00

Luxor to Cairo 22:00 / 23:00
The timing of the flight may be changed according to the availability at Egypt Air or Nile Air.

Petra Option 2 Days

PETRA EXTENSION:
2 Days Petra Tour from Cairo. $799 (airfare not included)

Day 1: Welcome to Amman - Arrive Amman and transfer to Petra, (one Group Transfer)
On this Jordan Petra tour, your tour manager will meet and assist you upon your arrival at Amman International Airport. After that, you will be transferred to your hotel in Petra by a private air-conditioned vehicle for check-in. From Amman to Petra is about 3 hours one way driving. (We recommend to take the morning or noon flight from Cairo to Amman). 

Option Dead Sea Soak- $90
Include a quick visit and swim in the Dead Sea for 2 hours -must arrive in Amman by 10:00 am. 
So morning flight from Cairo to Amman is recommended.

Day 2: Petra Tour - Then Back to Amman Airport - (one Group Transfer)
After breakfast enjoy a tour to to the rose-red city of Petra, Jordan’s largest attraction. First started in the 6th century B.C. by Nabataean Arabs the city boasts beautiful facades carved directly into the walls of the mountainsides. Arriving at the visitor’s center it’s a 700-meter walk to the Siq entrance which is an impressive 1200 meter long gorge of a kaleidoscope of colors the towers more than 80 meters above you and it will lead you to the wonderful treasury. As you exit the chasm you’re instantly transfixed by the beauty of Petra, chosen as one of the New World Wonders, the place speaks for itself. After your time at Petra, you make your way back through the Siq before returning to Amman Airport for flight home.

The flight from Annan Airport needs to be after 20:00. From Petra to Amman is about 3 hours, one way driving. End of the services at Amman Airport. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Included
- Meet and assist services at Amman Airport upon arrival and departure
- Accommodation in Amman for 01 nights including breakfast
- Meals as mentioned in the above itinerary
- All transfers by a private a/c vehicle with English speaking assistant
- Local English speaking spot guide in Petra (about 2-3 hours)
- English speaking driver in the Dead Sea
- Entrance fees to the above-mentioned sites
- Short horse ride in Petra (included in ticket)
- Service charges and taxes

Excluded
- International airfare to/from Cairo approximate cost $450 r/t arrive Amman at 9am.      Return flight to Cairo or fly home from Amman. 
- Entry visa to Jordan (About per person US $60 to be paid upon arrival for American)
- Personal spending like drinks during meals, laundry, phone calls...etc
- Tipping

Note: 
- Petra tour requires considerable walking, the number of horses in Petra is limited.

Not Included:

International Airfare - Contact 855-682-3483 or stop by the shop for suggestions and tips booking airfare

Dive and Trip Insurance (Dive insurance is mandatory, trip insurance while not mandatory is VERY, VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Once booked and confirmed, there are no refunds. If something happens and you cannot go on the trip you will file a trip insurance claim. We will assist you in this process. 

Additional Excursions Available:

If you would like to extend your trip to see more we can help you do it.  Just call us at 855-682-3483.

There is also fantastic Kite-Surfing, Day boat Diving, Bedouin Desert Excursions, and shopping from our port city of Hurghada.  Come by or Call 855-OTA-DIVE (682-3483) for all the details.