Pyramids, Nile Cruise, and Lake Nasser Cruise

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Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Cairo "Welcome to Egypt"

At Cairo International Airport, your tour manager will greet and help you before driving you in a luxurious, air-conditioned vehicle to your accommodation. Your tour manager will help you check in to the hotel smoothly and go over your itinerary with you to determine when each tour will pick you up. This would be an excellent opportunity to take the optional trip to the Giza Plateau's Sound and Light Show near the majestic pyramids.

Spending the night in Cairo. 
Welcome Drink. 
Visits: A trip to the Giza Plateau's Sound and Light Show is optional. 

Day 2: Sakkara and the Giza Pyramids

Following your hotel breakfast, you will visit Sakkara, the first pyramid ever constructed in Egypt, followed by the Step Pyramid of King Djoser and the Teti Pyramid. Next, travel to the renowned Giza Plateau to see the Great Pyramids of Khufu, often known as Cheops to the ancient Greeks, the lone surviving wonder among the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The smallest pyramid, Menkaure (Mykerinos), and the Khafre (Chephren) pyramid are also located on the plateau. The plateau is famous for the Pyramids and the strange construction called "the Sphinx." You will visit the Valley Temple on the plateau. You will be returned to your hotel later on. 

Spending the night in Cairo. 
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch. 
Visits: Sakkara, King Djoser's Step Pyramid, the Teti Pyramid, the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and Valley Temple. 

Day 3: Air travel from Cairo to Luxor; Nile Cruises

Following an early breakfast, your tour guide will transport you to Cairo Airport for your journey to Luxor. Your representative will meet you at the airport so you can begin your Nile cruise in Luxor. Your knowledgeable guide will accompany you to the world's most ancient religious site, the Karnak Temple. One of the most renowned sites in Egypt is the Hypostyle Hall, with its enormous granite columns. Several pharaohs constructed the wide-ranging complex, and you will have free time to explore its various areas. Next, you will head to the Luxor Temple, constructed by Amenhotep III and Ramses II for rituals and festivals dedicated to the god Amon. We strongly advise you to participate in the optional tour, the Sound and Light show, where Pharaonic storytelling narrates the magnificent history of Luxor and Karnak. Go back to cruising the Nile. 

Spending the night on your Luxor Nile cruise. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 
Visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, optional evening visit to the Sound and Light Shows at the Karnak and Luxor Temples.

Day 4: Cruise excursions on the Nile Luxor

Your guide escorts you to Ancient Thebes, one of the world's most significant archeological sites, on the West Bank of the Nile, after breakfast on board at Luxor. Explore the magnificent colonnaded and terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, carved out of a steep cliff face and featuring paintings describing Hatshepsut's travels to the mystical realm of Punt. You can also see Amenhotep III's two enormous statues, known as the Colossei of Memnon. After that, you visit three tombs in the Valley of the Kings to view a variety of exquisitely adorned rock-cut tombs, many of which still feature vivid color and amazing details of gods and scenes from the Book of the Underworld. The three tombs that are visited are chosen by the Egyptian government to protect them from the high volume of tourists; as a result, they are changed every year, and it is impossible to establish which tombs were visited before your visit. The most popular tombs feature glass-covered interior walls, walkways, and electric illumination. Cruise the Esna Lock to Edfu while having dinner on board.

Note: Entry to the Tombs of King Tutankhamun and Ramses VI requires an extra charge. 
Spending the night on your Nile cruise in Edfu. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 
Visits: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and Colossi of Memnon. 

Day 5: Temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu

After breakfast on your cruise, you set sail for Aswan to view the Kom Ombo Temple. This is the only ancient Egyptian temple with two entrances, signifying its dedication to two gods: Horus, the falcon-headed god of the sky, and Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility. In addition, Kom Ombo is well-known for surgical equipment, which provide us with an early history of medicine and surgery in ancient Egypt. 
In the afternoon, you'll travel down the Nile to see the massive Ptolemaic Temple of Horus at Edfu. This temple, which has numerous columns, halls, chambers, and chapels, is the best-preserved of all the Egyptian temples. Two statues of Horus flank the twin tower entrance gate, and within lies an intriguing inscription listing the titles of the library's papers. Afternoon tea is provided on the sundeck as you return to your Nile cruise for dinner and sail into Aswan. 

Spending the night on your Aswan Nile cruise. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 
Visits: Edfu's Temple of Horus, Kom Ombo Temple. 

Day 6: Cruise Tours Along Aswan Nile

Your guide will meet you after breakfast on your cruise ship to take you to the "Unfinished Obelisk," which is still located in the granite quarry that supplied building materials to ancient Egypt. If not for a crack discovered when it was being hewn, that would have been the largest chunk of stone ever handled. See the Philae Temple on Angilika Island, one of the Nubian temples preserved before the construction of the High Dam. Enjoy the lengthy colonnades, towers, and reliefs, which feature the final examples of Egyptian hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions still in existence. Lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and some relaxing free time in Aswan await you when you return to your Nile cruise ship. 

Spending the night on your Aswan Nile cruise. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 
Visits: Philae Temple, Aswan City; Unfinished Obelisk. 

Day 7: Group travel from Aswan to Abu Simbel - Lake Nasser Cruise

After breakfast, leave the cruise to join a 3.5-hour group transfer to Abu Simbel. Once you arrive at Abu Simbel, your five-star Lake Nasser cruise will begin. After lunch on board and checking in at Abu Simbel, embark on a fascinating exploration of these massive twin temples.

Note: An upgrade to a flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel is available upon request, but is otherwise optional. 
Spending the night sailing on Lake Nasser. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 
Visits: Abu Simbel.

Day 8: Cruise Tours on Lake Nasser

Sail to Kasr Ibrim and enjoy breakfast. From the sun deck, observe Kasr Ibrim Fortress while traveling to Amada, where you may explore the Tomb of Pennut, Ed Deir, and the Temple of Amada. As you cruise to Wadi El Seboua, your ship will serve lunch. Savor your dinner while on board. 

Spending the night on the Lake Nasser Cruise. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 
Visits: Ed Deir, the Tomb of Pennut, the Kasr Ibrim Fortress, and the Temple of Amada. 

Day 9: Cruise Tours on Lake Nasser

After breakfast, visit Wadi El Seboua, then go to El Dakka and Mehraka by foot or camel. Return to the ship to start sailing for Aswan. Savor your dinner while on board. 

Spending the night on the Lake Nasser Cruise. 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. 
Visits: Mehraka, El Dakka, and Wadi El Seboua. 

Day 10: Take a Lake Nasser cruise and depart for Cairo

After breakfast, depart the Lake Cruise to visit the Kalabsha Temple, which honors the Nubian god Mandulis. Next, proceed to Beit el Wali to see the stunning Kertassi Kiosk and the Nubian-style temple honoring the goddess Hathor. Ultimately, an air-conditioned vehicle will transport you from your cruise to Aswan Airport, so you can take a flight back to Cairo. 

Spending the night in the Cairo hotel. 
Meals: Breakfast. 
Visits: Kertassi Kiosk, Kalabsha Temple. 

Day 11: Tours of Cairo's Sightseeing

Your tour guide will take you to see the Egyptian Museum on your final day in Cairo, where French architect Marcel Dourgnon, known for his neo-classical architecture, created it. With more than 120,000 objects, the museum's extensive collection includes Egypt's predynastic, Pharaonic, and Greco-Roman periods. A wonderful way to learn about ancient Egyptian society and their renowned mummification technique is to visit the museum. 
The next stop is at the Hanging Church, known as the Suspended Church, a basilica church that got its name atop the south gate of the Fortress of Babylon. Here, you will have the rare opportunity to learn about Coptic Cairo's Christian history and see some of the city's first religious landmarks. This church serves as the center of the Christian Church of Egypt. After savoring the beautiful ancient Egyptian antiques and treasures, we will drive you to Khan El Khalili, Cairo's oldest bazaar, if there is time. 

Spending the night in Cairo. 
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch. 
Visits: the Hanging Church, the Basilica Church, the Egyptian Museum, and Khan El Khalili. 

Day 12: Cairo - Return Home by Air

After breakfast at your Cairo hotel, we will take you to Cairo International Airport for your trip home.

Meals: Breakfast.

Tour Information

Tour Includes

The service of meeting and assisting at the Cairo airport.

Knowledgeable staff members available to assist you with any aspect of your stay, including the aforementioned tours.

Every transfer in a personal, air-conditioned vehicle.

Four nights' accommodation in Cairo with breakfast each day included.

Four nights of full-board accommodation on a Nile cruise.

Three nights of full-board accommodation on a Lake Nasser cruise.

Domestic flights from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo.

The aforementioned shore excursions will all be part of small group tours. 

Visit the Luxor and Karnak Temples.

Visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, and the Colossi of Memnon.

Visit Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples.

Visit the Unfinished Obelisk and Temple of Philae.

Visit the temples of Abu Simbel.

Visit the temples of Amada and Derr.

Visit the Tomb of Penout.

Visit Wadi El Seboua and Dakka and Meharakka temples.

Visit the Kertassi Kiosk, Beit El Wali, and the Kalabsha Temple.

Lunch meals during tours.

English-speaking local tour guide.

Entrance costs to every location listed on the itinerary.

All taxes and service fees.

Tour Excludes

Airfare abroad.

Egypt entry visa.

Any optional tours.

Personal expenses.

Tipping.

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