On the first day, we’ll be waiting for you at the Cairo airport to give you your visa and help you with immigration controls before taking you to your hotel, and eating in a local restaurant in the evening. If your flight arrives after 9 pm, we’ll instead furnish you with a cold picnic at the hotel.
After breakfast, we’ll visit the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, where the bravest can see the inside, dodging the ancient booby traps the ancient builders left to deter grave robbers! After the visit, we’ll head to a papyrus school to learn how this famous Egyptian monument is made. To revitalize, we’ll eat a traditional lunch and make our way to Memphis, Egypt’s first capital, and to Saqqara, its necropolis, as well as the famous statue of Ramses II.
Then, after a short rest at the hotel, we’ll head to Old Cairo, to the medieval area where we’ll walk its oldest street, explore the Khan el Khalili market, and eat a typical dinner in the famous and historical Café of Mirrors.
On our third day, we’ll visit the most emblematic downtown spots. We’ll see the Citadel, explore the Alabaster Mosque, haggle in the Khan el Khalili, pass through the Coptic neighborhood, eat, and marvel at the masterworks of the Egyptian Museum (entrance to the Mummy’s Room is not included). Then in the evening, we’ll eat at a local restaurant.
After another strong breakfast, we’ll make our way to the airport to take a flight to Luxor, once called Thebes, from where our cruise down the Nile starts. At this fascinating destination, we’ll visit the Luxor Temple – which will perhaps be the most enduring image of our trip – and tour the city center on a horse-drawn carriage. Finally, we’ll take you to the hotel where we’ll rest until the next day.
Early in the morning, we’ll make our way to the Karnak Temple, separated from the Luxor temple by the majestic Avenue of the Sphinxes, nearly 2 miles long and lined with hundreds of human-headed sphinxes.
The tour will then continue, crossing to the East bank of the Nile to see the Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of some of the most famous pharaohs can be found (entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb is an extra € 16 (US$ 18), approximately). And we’ll visit the Hatshepsut temple and the enormous Colossi of Memnon.
Then, when we return to the boat, we’ll cruise southwards up the river Nile, towards Edfu, enjoying a wander around the floodgates of Esna in the evening.
We begin the day by visiting the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the god Horus, the sky God. This also happens to be the best-preserved and most spectacular temple in the country. Then, we’ll continue our cruise, sailing towards Kom Ombo.
As we arrive, we’ll visit the temple, dedicated to the Gods Sobek and Horus – whose location makes it one of the most beautiful. Then, at the end of the day, we’ll continue to sail the River Nile towards Aswan.
Note: the visit to Edfu includes transport by buggy. If you prefer to travel by a different means of transport, please let the guide know the day before. Opting for a different mode of transport incurs an additional fee of € 15 (US$ 16.87) per person.
The day begins with a bus trip to the Temples of Abu Simbel, the most famous in all of Egypt, saved from the rising waters of the Nile thanks to a coordinated international effort. We’ll return to Aswan and, along the way, catch a glimpse of the Aswan Dam, one of the most impressive engineering feats of the 20th century.
Additionally, we’ll also visit the Temple of Filae, found on a beautiful island known as the Jewel of the Nile, returning to the cruise ship to eat. Then, after lunch, we’ll sail around the region in a Felucca (a traditional wooden boat) found along the Nile, arriving back to the cruise ship at 4 pm to spend the night. Of course, you’ll have the rest of the evening free to enjoy the area at your own pace before bedtime!
Having eaten breakfast, we’ll take you to the Aswan airport, where we’ll take the return flight to Cairo. Once there, you’re free to move on to your connecting or international flight.
We’ll adapt the departure time from Aswan depending on the timing of your flight from Cairo. If it leaves early, we’ll leave Aswan earlier and offer you a continental breakfast or something to go. If your Cairo flight is in the evening, we’ll offer you breakfast on board the boat before taking you to Aswan to take your flight to Cairo.
