Travel to Luxor, Karnak, and The Luxor Temple
We’ll pick you up at the Luxor airport at your arrival time, and then check into our Nile cruise ship for our 5 day sail down the Nile. Lunch will be served on the cruise ship.
In the afternoon we will visit the Karnak Temple Complex, where a vast mixture of temples, chapels, pylons, and other ancient buildings still stand. Many famous pharaohs contributed to this temple overtime. Karnak is the second largest ancient religious temple in the world, spanning across over 100 hectares.
At dusk, we will visit Luxor Temple and marvel at the grand, colossal statues of Ramesses II at the gates of the temple, as well as the giant intact pillars, the remnants of the Alley of the Sphinxes and statues of other great rulers such as Tutankhamun.
Overnight stay in Luxor
Hatshepsut’s temple and the Valley of the Kings
We begin our day by visiting three famous tombs in the Valley of the Kings, a burial place active from the 16th to 11th century BCE. Here, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and other powerful nobles. The admission ticket allows entry into three of the 63 tombs, but you can purchase an additional ticket for King Tutankhamen’s tomb.
We will also visit Hatshepsut’s Temple, where our guide will tell you about an interesting time in Egyptian history.
Our cruise will depart Luxor for Edfu.
Edfu temple and Kom Ombo
After breakfast, we will take a horse carriage ride to Edfu Temple. Edfu Temple is dedicated to the God Horus, and is considered one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt.
After our visit to Edfu, we will set sail for Kom Ombo. The afternoon will be open for our guests to enjoy the scenic Nile and the amenities on the cruise ship.
We will then arrive in Kom Ombo before sunset and walk to this beautiful temple along the banks of the Nile. The setting sun makes the temple and its pillars glow in the afternoon sun, making it the best time to visit. We will also visit the Crocodile Museum and see some mummified crocodiles that were found at the temple.
We sail overnight to Aswan.
Aswan, the Temple of Philae, Kalabsha Temple, and the Unfinished Obelisk
Our morning starts with a short trip on a felucca to the temple of Philae, located on an island in Lake Nasser. This temple is dedicated to the Goddess Isis, and is a beautiful temple in picturesque surroundings.
We will return to the cruise ship for lunch, then visit the Temple of Kalabsha, a temple dedicated to Mandulis, a lower Nubian sun god.
Our final stop will be visiting the Aswan quarry where you will find the Unfinished Obelisk. The Aswan quarry was used to excavate red, grey and black granite to construct ancient monuments and statues across Egypt. At this stop you can get up close and see the largest (albeit unfinished) obelisk that was ever unearthed.
We will stay overnight in Aswan.
Abu Simbel
We leave for iconic Abu Simbel at 4 AM to join the convoy of tourist buses on the 300km journey south.
Abu Simbel has two temples; one for Ramses II, and one for his beautiful wife Nefertari. These two temples were originally carved out of the mountain side during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, but after the construction of the Aswan dam in the 1960s, the monument was moved to its current location. It is a lasting monument to Ramses II and Queen Nefertari, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.
We will return to Aswan for lunch, then check out our Nile Cruise. Afterwards, you’ll have free time, and will take you to the Aswan airport, train station, or any other drop-off point you like, and whatever time is convenient.
