Day 1: Arrival In Cairo ( / / )
Welcome and assistance by the local tour coordinator at Cairo airport in the arrival hall.
Visa Purchase: your travel coordinator will help you to get your visa stamps upon your arrival.
Transfer to your hotel.
A vibrant, exhilarating, exotic, fascinating and welcoming city. Home to the best Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic sights in Egypt, this city is where you never know what incredible, half-forgotten monument you might stumble across while wandering around. Visit the capital's medieval markets at Khan El-Khalili or walk down the Nile promenade. There are also plenty of cinemas, theatres and modern malls. Go for an opera or enjoy oriental music dance shows. Good for short breaks and long stays; you’ll get to see the Giza Pyramids, thousands of ancient artifacts in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and much more.
Overnight in Cairo.
Day 2: Cairo (B/L/ )
Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx
Breakfast at the hotel.
Departure for your full day tour to Giza & Sphinx.
The Great Pyramids of Giza are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built over 4,500 years ago as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were father, son and grandson respectively. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest - Khufu's - constructed from over two million stone blocks. Optional entry into Cheops Pyramid for a glimpse of the interior structure. Nearby sits the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. This story of the Sphinx is told on the 'Dream Stela' that was placed between the Sphinx's paws by King Tuthmoses IV.
Lunch at a local restaurant
Transfer back to the hotel.
Dinner under your own arrangements.
Overnight in Cairo.
Day 3: Cairo (B/L/ )
Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo & Bazar
Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel to start your tour.
Tour 7,000 years of history at the Egyptian museum, home to the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the world.
Continue to the Citadel, a medieval fortress perched high on limestone hills above Cairo, which was built in 1176 to protect the city from crusaders.
Continue to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, completed in 1363, is one of the finest in Egypt and houses the mausoleum where Sultan Hassan's sons are buried. The more recent Refaie Mosque, which was completed in 1912, has well-preserved, colorful decoration.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Finally, visit the fascinating Khan El-Khalili Bazaar is reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Originally founded as a watering stop for caravanserai in the 14th century, the bazaar has now grown to vast proportions. Wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets to find workshops and stalls selling anything from woodwork and glassware to leather goods and perfumes.
Optional: Visit to the citadel complex houses various mosques and museums, including the National Military Museum.
With its grand, soaring architecture and rich decoration.
Transfer back to the hotel.
Dinner under your own arrangements.
Overnight in Cairo.
Day 4: Cairo – Luxor (B/L/D)
Temples of Luxor
Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo Domestic Airport for the domestic flight to Luxor.
Meet and assist at Luxor Airport, transfer to your cruise boat and meet with your local guide.
After breakfast on board, begin your tour with a visit to the Temple of Luxor, which was once connected to Karnak via the Avenue of Sphinxes, almost 3 kilometres in length. Built by Amenhotep III in 1380 BC, the site was added to by later pharaohs. The temple enjoyed many celebrations, the most important being the Festival of Opet which lasted almost a month.
Lunch and afternoon tea.
Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 5: Luxor – Esna (B/L/D)
Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon Luxor
Once an Ancient Egyptian capital, Luxor is known today as the world's "greatest open-air museum. Luxor is divided by the Nile into two areas commonly called the East Bank and West Bank, which were considered in Ancient Egyptian times as symbolizing Life and Death.
Departure to the West Bank to explore the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs which have maintained their richly painted hues and were filled with treasures for use in the afterlife. Continue to the famed Colossi of Memnon, two immense statues of Amenhotep III which, in Pharaonic times, guarded the entrance to his once great temple known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn.
Lunch and afternoon tea.
Return to the ship for lunch and departure to Esna, pass through the lock and continue cruising to Edfu.
Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 6: Kom Ombo (B/L/D)
Temple of Kom-Ombo
Return to the ship for lunch and departure to Kom-Ombo.
Visit the Temple of Kom-Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.
Later, afternoon tea is served in the lounge of the ship.
Tonight's dinner on board is an Egyptian Night costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian galabeyya. Dinner is a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties.
Overnight on board.
Day 7: Aswan (B/L/D)
Philae Temple, High Dam and unfinished Obelisck
A breakfast buffet is served on board and the morning is yours to enjoy at leisure.
Enjoy lunch on board,
Take a short motorboat ride to visit the Temple of Philae, built in honour of Isis, one of the great mother goddesses of Ancient Egypt. This beautiful temple was moved, with the help of UNESCO, to its present location on Agilka Island to save it from the rising waters caused by the construction of the High Dam. Its construction in the 1960’s was somewhat controversial due to the loss of Nubian villages and temples which now lie under Lake Nasser, the world’s largest artificial lake. However, the resulting electricity generated by the dam supplies the whole of Egypt.
You will also stop at the stone quarries to see the Unfinished Obelisk, the largest known ancient obelisk. Here, listen to your guide as they explain the methods used by ancient craftsmen to create impressive moments and see marks from workers' tools, which are still clearly visible on the bedrock.
Afternoon tea is served on board and your farewell dinner is a gala dinner.
A folkloric show and a Whirling Dervish show follow.
Overnight on board.
Day 8: Aswan (B/ / )
A buffet breakfast is served on board, before check-out.
Optional: Excursion to Abu Simbel
Early morning transfer to Abu Simbel by road (3 hours one way) or by flight (flight duration 45 minutes one way)
As you approach the entrance to Abu Simbel temple notice the four enormous statues of Pharaoh Ramses II that look out over Lake Nasser, which are carved from one piece of rock. The temple is dedicated to the god Ra-Hurakhti and was built by Ramses II during the 13th century BC. The walls inside depict the pharaoh in his various exploits and next door is the temple that Ramses dedicated to his favorite wife, Nefertari.
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Aswan Airport.
Board your flight for departure.
