Guest Arrival

Guests arrive at Cairo International Airport and are transferred from the airport to the Mercure Cairo Le Sphinx Hotel.

Guests will have the opportunity to relax from their journey to Egypt.

A welcome dinner will be held in the evening to introduce staff to guests.

Giza Plateau & Grand Egyptian Museum

Our morning will be spent at the famous Giza Plateau, where the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world still stand. Guests will see the three great pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Valley Temple, while our guide explains the history of this ancient and mysterious site. Entry inside the Great Pyramid is included.  We will also take our guests into a few of the 6,000 tombs that are also on this site!

After lunch we will visit a papyrus shop where they will demonstrate how papyrus has been made for over 5000 years.

In the afternoon we will visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (open to all as of late fall 2022), where we will be one of the first people to visit the magnificent new museum, with floor to ceiling windows facing the pyramids.

Overnight stay at the Mercure Le Sphinx Cairo hotel.

Karnak Temple & Luxor Temple

We fly to Luxor to check into our 5 Star, 7 night Nile Cruise.

SPECIAL ACCESS

In the afternoon we will visit Karnak Temple Complex, where we will have special access to the largest religious complex ever constructed.

Our guide will take us to areas of Karnak which are usually off limits, and will give us a sneak peak at an active archaeological site!

We will then walk the newly opened Avenue of Sphinxes which connects Karnak and Luxor temples!

At dusk, we will visit Luxor Temple and marvel at the grand and colossal statues of Ramesses II at the gates of the temple, as well as the giant intact pillars, and statues of other great rulers such as Tutankhamen.

Overnight stay in Luxor

Valley of the Kings, Tomb of Seti I, & Tomb of Nefertari

We begin our day by visiting three famous tombs in the Valley of the Kings, a burial place active in the Ancient World for a period of nearly 500 years.

SPECIAL INCLUSION

See Seti I and Nefertari’s tomb at no additional cost! These two tombs are the best preserved tombs in ancient Egypt, and Seti I’s tomb is also the longest (at more than 120 meters), deepest,  and most completely finished in the Valley of the Kings. These tombs are not to be missed! They have only been open to tourists just over a year, but are rarely visited.

We will then return to the cruise ship for lunch, with the afternoon free for guests to relax as we set sail for Edfu.

Our cruise will depart Luxor for Edfu.

Edfu Temple & Kom Ombo

Today we will visit Edfu Temple (a temple dedicated to the falcon god of the sky and of war, Horus), 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 free for our guests to enjoy the scenic Nile and the amenities on the cruise ship.

We will arrive in Kom Ombo in the afternoon 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 then sail overnight to Aswan.

Temple of Isis, Unfinished Obelisk and Elephantine Island

Our morning starts with a short trip on a felucca to the temple of Philae Temple, located on an island in Lake Nasser. This temple is dedicated to the Goddess Isis, and is a beautiful temple amidst picturesque surroundings.

From there we will go to the Unfinished Obelisk to marvel at the largest obelisk ever attempted.

We will return to the cruise ship for lunch, then take another boat to Elephantine Island.

Abu Simbel & Nubian Village

Our journey takes us to Abu Simbel in the early morning. We will travel 300km south of Aswan on a coach bus, to visit the lasting monument to Ramses II and his Queen Nefertari, which commemorates his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.

We will return to Aswan on the cruise ship for lunch. After lunch we will take a boat to the Nubian Village, to discover beautiful colourful buildings and a unique culture. We will explore this village, and have some tea with the locals.

Overnight stay in Aswan

Day Sailing

Relax and unwind after some long days exploring archaeological sites as our cruise ship sails up the Nile, back towards Luxor.

There will be entertainment on the cruise ship in the evening, and a special afternoon for our group to enjoy cocktails.

We arrive in Luxor in the evening and stay overnight

Abydos & Dendera

We have a special day ahead, visiting Dendera Temple, a site for chapels or shrines from the beginning of ancient Egypt’s history, and the beautiful main temple is dedicated to the goddess Hathor, the Ancient Egyptian goddess of love, beauty, and music.  Dendera is where the famous and mysterious “light bulb” inscriptions can be found.

We then continue onto Abydos, which is famous for the kings list, the hieroglyphs of Abydos, and the Osirion at the rear of the temple.

Temple of Hatshepsut, Ramesseum, & Medinet Habu

We will conclude our time in Luxor with one of the best preserved temples in Luxor – Medinet Habu. This magnificent temple is often overlooked, but offers some stunningly colourful wall reliefs.

After a quick stop at the Colossi of Memnon, we will stop for lunch on the West Bank before heading to the airport to catch our evening flight back to Cairo.

Overnight stay at the Mercure Le Sphinx Cairo hotel.

Dahshur & Memphis

Our journey will take us to Dahshur first to visit the Bent and Red Pyramids.

We then continue to Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, where guests can marvel at the giant colossus of Rameses II and some of the other artifacts found in the area dating back to around the 19th Dynasty (1292- 1189 BCE).

We will then return to Giza for lunch.  The afternoon will be free for guests to relax at their hotel, or to participate in any additional activities.

Overnight stay at the Mercure Le Sphinx Cairo hotel.

Saqqara

Today we will visit an archaeological site that dates back to the early Dynastic period (3150-2686 BCE).  At Saqqara we will visit the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the Unas pyramid, and nearby tombs.

After lunch we will then head to another part of this complex, to visit the Pyramid of Teti, the tomb of Ka, and the Serapeum, which is a mysterious set of tunnels where 25 70-tonne sarcophagi were found.

Overnight stay at the Mercure Le Sphinx Cairo hotel.

Tanis

We have saved something truly special for our final day of the tour, where we will travel 188km (116m) north-east to the city of Tanis. Tanis is a relatively unknown archaeological site and is seldom visited by tour groups, but is among Egypt’s greatest archaeological sites, and was once the capital of all Egypt.

After a short rest, we will head off for dinner near the famous Tahrir Square, then visit the Egyptian Museum at night, where over 160,000 Pharaonic period artifacts are displayed.

Overnight stay at the Mercure Le Sphinx Cairo hotel.

Fayoum, Wadi Al-Hitan, & Meidum Pyramid

Our journey today takes us two hours outside of Cairo to the picturesque Fayum region. First we will visit the Meidum pyramid, a unique structure built at the end of the Third Dynasty. There are also some mud brick Mastabas (mud brick tomb structures the Ancient Egyptians constructed in the days before the Pyramids) next to the pyramid which we will also have the opportunity to visit.

Our guests depart

As our tour concludes, we bid farewell to all of our guests and transfer them from the hotel to the Cairo International Airport for their flights home.