Day 1: Arrival In Cairo
Welcome and assistance by the local tour coordinator at Cairo airport in the arrivals hall, entry formalities and transfer to the hotel of your choice. Visa Purchase: your travel coordinator will pre-purchase visa stamps prior to your arrival.
A vibrant, exhilarating, exotic, fascinating and welcoming city. Home to the best Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic sights in Egypt, this city is where you never know what incredible, half-forgotten monument you might stumble across while wandering around. Enjoy the Nile view from your hotel room balcony, visit the capital's medieval markets by Khan El-Khalili, or walk down the Nile promenade. There are also plenty of cinemas, theatres and modern malls. Go for an opera or enjoy oriental music dance shows. Good for short breaks and long stays; you’ll get to see the Giza Pyramids, thousands of ancient artifacts in the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities and much more.
Day 2: Cairo (B/L/ )
Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel to start your tour.
Tour 7,000 years of history at the Egyptian museum, home to the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the world.
Visit the Citadel next, a medieval fortress perched high on limestone hills above Cairo, which was built in 1176 to protect the city from crusaders. Today, the citadel complex houses various mosques and museums, including the National Military Museum.
With its grand, soaring architecture and rich decoration, the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, completed in 1363, is one of the finest in Egypt and also houses the mausoleum where Sultan Hassan's sons are buried. A short walk across to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, discover the much newer Refaie Mosque, completed in 1912 with well-preserved, colorful decoration. Buried in tombs there is a Muslim saint, a companion of the Prophet Mohamed, Egypt's last royal family and the last Shah of Iran.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Finally, visit the fascinating Khan El-Khalili Bazaar is reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Originally founded as a watering stop for caravanserai in the 14th century, the bazaar has now grown to vast proportions.
Wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets to find workshops and stalls selling all manner of things from woodwork and glassware to leather goods and perfumes.
At the end of your tour, you are transferred to your hotel. Dinner under your own arrangements.
Day 3: Cairo (B/L/ )
Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel to start your tour.
Begin with Sakkara, the former necropolis (cemetery) for the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and the place where the very first pyramids were built as tombs for kings. Instead of the smooth sides featured on other pyramids, the pyramids here feature six steps on the outside, representing the pharaoh's stepladder to heaven. Discover the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first pyramid ever built and the world's oldest freestanding stone structure.
You could also admire the beautiful tomb art at Sakkara, which gives great insight into the lives of the ancient Egyptians.
Lunch at local restaurant.
The Great Pyramids of Giza are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built over 4,500 years ago as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were father, son and grandson respectively. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest - Khufu's - constructed from over two million blocks. Contrary to popular beliefs, the pyramids were not built by slaves but by Egyptian peasants, whose labor in building the pyramids paid their taxes to the Pharaoh, who also fed, clothed and housed them.
Nearby sits the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. About a thousand years after the Sphinx was built it was covered in sand until a young prince had a dream in which the Sphinx told him that if he cleared the sand away, he would become Pharaoh. This story is told on the 'Dream Stela' that was placed between the Sphinx's paws by King Tuthmose IV.
At the end of your tour, you are transferred to your hotel. Dinner under your own arrangements.
Day 4: Cairo – Aswan (B/L/D)
Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo domestic Airport by air-conditioned vehicle.
Flight: Board your Egypt-Air flight to Aswan.
Board your 45-minute flight to Abu Simbel. ( Optional )
The two temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel are each fronted by colossal statues up to 20 meters (66 feet) high and are famed as the most impressive monuments remaining of Ancient Egypt. Recently, the temples were threatened by the waters of Lake Nasser, and with the help of a UNESCO campaign they were cut into blocks, raised piece by piece and reassembled in a new position higher up the hillside.
After your visit, board your return flight to Aswan.
Arrival: At Aswan Airport, your Tour Coordinator will meet you.
Transfer: Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to your selected cruise.
Lunch on board.
This afternoon you will have the chance to take a ride on a felucca (a typical Egyptian sail boat) around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener's Botanical Gardens, and the Agha Khan Mausoleum (weather permitting, life jackets will be provided).
Enjoy afternoon tea served in the lounge. Tonight, you will be greeted by your Boat Manager. A gourmet dinner will be served on board.
Day 5: Aswan – Kom Ombo (B/L/D)
A breakfast buffet will be served on board, followed by a short motorboat ride to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika.
This will be followed by a visit to the Granite Quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples, and still hold a huge unfinished obelisk.
Later, an Egyptian cooking lesson will be presented on board.
Enjoy lunch, while you cruise to Kom Ombo and visit the magnificent Temple of Kom Ombo - dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek.
Afternoon tea will be served while you cruise to Edfu.
Overnight On board in Esna.
Day 6: Luxor (B/L/D)
Breakfast buffet on board during sailing to Luxor.
Luxor Temple : Begin the morning with a tour of the East Bank of Luxor, starting with the trikingly graceful Temple of Luxor dedicated to the god Amun.
Karnak Temple: Proceed to the Temple of Karnak, built over more than a thousand years by generations of Pharaohs. The great 'Hypostyle Hall' is an incredible forest of giant pillars, covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Lunch: Lunch on board.
Valley of the Kings & Queens Visit the West Bank of Luxor to explore the Valley of the Kings, a vast City of the Dead where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, decorated richly, and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of Pharaohs.
Visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. On the way back to the river Nile, you will pass by the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn.
Return to your cruise for afternoon tea on board.
Tonight's farewell dinner will be a gala dinner (jacket required), with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine followed by a belly dancer, accompanied by a whirling dervish show.
Day 7: Luxor (B/ / )
Once an Ancient Egyptian capital, is known today as the world's "greatest open-air museum." From the tomb of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings and the magnificent sunset views at the majestic temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor to the exciting and fun Nile cruises, Luxor is the perfect choice for culture vultures. Luxor is divided by the Nile into two areas commonly called the East Bank and West Bank which were considered in Ancient Egyptian times as symbolizing respectively Life and Death.
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Hotel.
Hilton Luxor Resort is a wonderful escape to the banks of the Nile and is just 20 minutes International Airport and 10 minutes from Luxor town center. This stylish Luxor spa resort is the ideal base from which to explore the region's historic attractions such as the Temple of Karnak, which is just moments away from the hotel. Expect outstanding service from the attentive, multilingual staff and feel at home in the spacious and bright guest rooms - many feature balconies with river, city or garden views. Or opt for a suite for extra space.
Enjoy a choice of 4 restaurants and bars or indulge in fragrant Arabian-style teas and Turkish coffees with waterfront views in the Diwan Shisha Café. Other facilities include two infinity pools, a fitness center and a spa.
Hilton Luxor Resort & SPA - Nile View Room - Double.
Day 8: Luxor – Hurghada (B/ / )
Nestled on the Gulf of Suez, Hurghada is one of Egypt's busiest beach resorts with many hotels. Diving is the main attraction since the area is famed for its reefs, and nearby Giftun Island is a snorkeller's paradise. If you want to experience a bit of history, the nearby monasteries of St. Paul and St. Anthony are worth a day trip.
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle from Luxor to your selected hotel in Hurghada.
Overnight: At your hotel in Hurghada.
Day 9: Hurghada (B/ / )
Free day for Leisure.
Overnight: At your hotel in Hurghada.
Day 10: Hurghada (B/ / )
Free day for Leisure.
Overnight: At your hotel in Hurghada.
Day 11: Hurghada (B/ / )
Free day for Leisure.
Overnight: At your hotel in Hurghada.
Day 12: Hurghada – Cairo (B/ / )
Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Hurghada airport.
