Arrival to Egypt

Cairo - Welcome to Egypt! This marks the start of an incredible journey in Egypt. For now, transfer to your hotel in Cairo.

Day Tour to Giza pyramids and the Egyptian Museum

Pyramids of Giza - Today, visit the magnificent pyramids and the Sphinx at the Giza Plateau. As the only remaining wonders of the ancient Greek-listed Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids are the oldest tourist attractions on Earth. Marvel at Cheops (Khufu) – the largest of the three great pyramids. Built from over 2.5 million limestone blocks, it is believed to have taken more than 20 years to complete.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities - Continue to the Egyptian Museum, renowned for its treasures of King Tutankhamun and his famous solid gold funerary mask. We also offer an optional visit to the exotic Khan el Khalili Bazaar. Later, we will transfer you back to your hotel for another pleasant night in Cairo before your domestic flight to Aswan the next morning.

Aswan Nile cruise

Aswan - Upon arrival, check in for the Nile cruise in Aswan. Rest for a while before lunchtime. After lunch, the tour in Aswan begins.

Aswan High Dam - The Aswan Dam, more specifically known as the Aswan High Dam since the 1980s, is one of the world’s largest embankment dams. It was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. Upon completion, it was the tallest earthen dam in the world, surpassing the United States’ Chatuge Dam.

Temple of Philae - The Philae temple complex is situated on an island in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, Egypt. Before the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, the temple complex was located on Philae Island, near the expansive First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt. These rapids and the surrounding area have been variously flooded since the initial construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902. The temple complex was dismantled and moved to nearby Agilkia Island as part of the UNESCO Nubia Campaign project, protecting this and other complexes before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam. The hieroglyphic reliefs of the temple complex are being studied and published by the Philae Temple Text Project of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna.

TEMPLE OF KING RAMSES II, ABU SIMBEL

Abu Simbel Temple Complex - Abu Simbel – Aswan – Nile Cruise. Possibly the most awe-inspiring temple of all ancient Egypt, with its colossal rock-cut façade, the great Sun Temple of King Ramses II at Abu Simbel was created to honor the mighty pharaonic ruler King Ramses II. Ramses the Bold, Ramses the Great, and Ramses the Narcissist are perhaps all fitting titles for one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers. Celebrating a life that spanned nearly a century, Ramses had ample time for his more than 200 wives and concubines who bore him some 96 sons and 60 daughters. Start this amazing trip to Abu Simbel early in the morning around 4:30 AM.

Temple of Kom Ombo - Cruising & Kom Ombo.

Nile cruising, Relax this afternoon after returning from Abu Simbel as we sail the Nile. Later today, we visit the Temple of Kom Ombo. A unique riverside temple, it is unusual in that everything architecturally is doubled and perfectly symmetrical along the main axis of the temple, including twin halls, courts, colonnades, sanctuaries, and entrances.

Sailing from Edfu to Luxor

Temple of Horus - This morning, we visit the temple of Horus in Edfu town, then sail again towards Esna Lock and Luxor.

Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom, including the Dendera Temple complex, Esna, the Temple of Kom Ombo, and Philae. Its size reflects the relative prosperity of the time. The present temple, which was begun “on 23 August 237 BC, initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels.” The building was started during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII Auletes. It was built on the site of an earlier, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus, although the previous structure was oriented east–west rather than north–south as in the present site. A ruined pylon lies just to the east of the current temple; inscriptional evidence has been found indicating a building program under the New Kingdom rulers Ramesses I, Seti I, and Ramesses II.

Karnak Open Air Museum - This afternoon, we tour the ancient city of Thebes (the East Bank), taking in the magnificent Temple of Karnak.

The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak, comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic Kingdom, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. The area around Karnak was the ancient Egyptian Ipet-isut and the main place of worship of the 18th Dynastic Theban Triad, with the god Amun as its head. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes, and in 1979 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the rest of the city. The Karnak complex gives its name to the nearby, and partly surrounded, modern village of El-Karnak, 2.5 kilometers north of Luxor.

Luxor Temple - Luxor temple looks stunning at dusk and is beautifully illuminated at night.

The Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language, it was known as ipet resyt, “the southern sanctuary.” It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak. Unlike the other temples in Thebes, Luxor temple is not dedicated to a cult god or a deified version of the pharaoh in death. Instead, Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually.

Luxor West bank tour

Colossi of Memnon - Early this morning, we check out of our Nile cruise and visit the highlights of Luxor. The massive pair of statues known as the Colossi of Memnon are the first monuments you’ll see during our morning visit to the West Bank.

Valley of the Kings - The royal graveyard of the kings of the new kingdom at the western bank of the Nile in Luxor town.

Valley of the Kings, a long narrow defile just west of the Nile River in Upper Egypt. It was part of the ancient city of Thebes and was the burial site of almost all the kings (pharaohs) of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (1539–1075 BCE), from Thutmose I to Ramses X. Located in the hills behind Dayr al-Baḥrī, the 62 known tombs exhibit variety both in plan and in decoration. In 1979 UNESCO designated the valley part of the World Heritage site of ancient Thebes, which also includes Luxor, the Valley of the Queens, and Karnak.

Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari - The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut is a mortuary temple built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Located opposite the city of Luxor, it is considered to be a masterpiece of ancient architecture. Its three massive terraces rise above the desert floor and into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. Her tomb, KV20, lies inside the same massif capped by El Qurn, a pyramid for her mortuary complex. At the edge of the desert, 1 km east, connected to the complex by a causeway lies the accompanying valley temple. Across the river Nile, the whole structure points towards the monumental Eighth Pylon, Hatshepsut’s most recognizable addition to the Temple of Karnak and the site from which the procession of the Beautiful Festival of the Valley departed.

Luxor - After finishing this tour, we transfer you to Luxor airport to fly back to Cairo, then back to your hotel in Cairo to spend another night.

Cairo Airport for final departure

Cairo - This morning’s adventure comes to an end with an included departure transfer to the airport for your international flight.

• Professional Egyptologist guide
• Bottled water during tours
• Hotel accommodation in Cairo
• Lunch
• All excursions and airport transfers with air-conditioned vehicles
• Dinner
• Breakfast
• Domestic flight tickets - round trip (Cairo to Aswan - Luxor to Cairo)
• 5-star Nile cruise accommodation (full board)

• Gratuities
• Any personal expenses