FROM THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA, CRUISE DOWN THE NILE TO THE ASWAN DAM, STOPPING AT EVERY PIECE OF ENCHANTING EGYPTIAN HISTORY ALONG THE WAY
A visit to Egypt is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Nowhere else on Earth can you experience the same level of fascinating history than in this Northern African country.
TOUR DETAILS
- 9 nights
- Price on enquiry
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
- Great Pyramids of Giza
- Egyptian Museum
- Nile River Cruise
- Valley of the Kings
- Temple of Edfu
- Aswan High Dam
- Stay in the legendary Old Cataract Aswan Hotel
ITINERARY IN BRIEF
- 9 nights/10 days in Egypt
- Fully escorted tours
- 3 nights in Cairo
- 4 nights onboard Nile Cruise
- 2 nights at the 5tar Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan Hotel
day one
Arrive in Cairo
On arrival in Cairo you will be met off the flight and assisted through the airport. You will then meet your driver who will take you to Giza, where you have a hotel with great pyramids view for your 3 nights in Cairo. The drive takes around an hour.
Overlooking the Great Pyramids of Giza, Marriott Mena House, Cairo, is surrounded by 40 acres of green gardens and has a spa, fitness centre and a pool. The rooms are decorated with handcrafted furniture. Dining choices range from Italian specialties at Alfredo Restaurant to authentic Indian cuisine at the Moghul Room, while cocktails are served with unforgettable vistas at 139 Pavilion.
All rooms have air conditioning and include luxurious fabrics, a seating area and LCD TV. Each room and suite has a spacious private bathroom with a bathrobe and slippers.
We recommend requesting the Premium Pyramids Full View Room, where you can see the iconic pyramids from your your private balcony or even your bed! Watch how the pyramids change at all times of the day, in the shadows of the ever-changing light.
Overnight at Marriott Mena House.
day TWO
Explore the Pyramids
Breakfast is available in the dining room facing the garden.
After breakfast, you will be met at your hotel by your private guide for a full day tour of the pyramids at Giza, Dahshur and Saqqara.
Your tour starts close to your hotel as you visit the iconic Great Pyramid of Giza. It is the largest Egyptian Pyramid and the tomb of the Pharaoh Khufu. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world. Sitting in front of it, The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining mythical creature with the head of a human (perhaps Pharaoh Kafre) and the body of a lion. South of Giza is Dahshur an ancient pyramid complex, famous for its bent pyramid, and Saqqara is home to the famous step pyramid.
Overnight at Marriott Mena House.
day three
Explore Cairo
Today you will be picked up by your guide for a full day tour of Cairo. Your day will include the Egyptian Museum, where the apparent disarray belies the vast array of treasures to be found. (Though if the new Grand Egyptian Museum is open by then, we will include that). Your day also includes some of the more modern Arabic sections of the city, including the Citadel of Saladin, a medieval Islamic fortification. Your day will finish at the Khan el-Khalili, where your guide will be invaluable as you explore this famous souq in the historic centre of the city.
Overnight at Marriott Mena House.
day four
Join your Cruise in Luxor
Breakfast at the hotel this morning will be followed by a private transfer to the airport in time for your hour-long flight to Luxor.
On arrival into Luxor, you will be transferred to your boat, the Oberoi Philae, for embarkation. Enjoy lunch onboard from 12:30pm, before your afternoon adventures.
Styled to resemble a paddle steamer that has plied the Nile for over a century, the Oberoi Philae has been completely refitted and inside the decor is light and modern. Food on board is unparalleled and the freshly prepared menu of Western, Indian, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine can be enjoyed in either the indoor restaurant, lounge or at the poolside dining area.
The Philae offers a truly luxurious experience and boasts an excellent spa, cinema, small gym and cigar lounge. There is also a lift serving all four levels. Excursions are in groups of about 20 people, with an expert English-speaking guide provided by the boat. Unlike the vast majority of cruise boats on the Nile, the Philae enjoys private moorings in Luxor and Aswan, a significant benefit for those who value their privacy.
Each of the 22 cabins and suites are spacious with an elegant, neutral decor, rattan furnishings and floor to ceiling windows allowing you to watch the Nile scenery as you sail by. The bathrooms are large and include freestanding bathtubs. Cabins are also equipped with modern facilities, including a flat-screen television, air conditioning, coffee machine and high speed Wi-Fi.
15:00 Visit Karnak and Luxor temple. Spread out on the east bank of the Nile and built on the site of the New Kingdom capital city of Thebes, Luxor is the tourist Mecca of the Nile Valley. The exciting excavations in the 19th and early 20th centuries, especially the discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, aroused international interest in the town. The bustling town is centered on the magnificent Luxor Temple, an enduring symbol of its glorious past. Located at the northern end of the town of Luxor, Karnak Temple is the country’s most important temple. It covers two hectares (five acres) of land. The temple lay buried under sand for more than 1,000 years before excavation work began in the mid-19th century. Today, the huge task of restoration continues.
17:00 Tea at Club Lounge
19:00 Cocktail reception
19:30 Dinner
Overnight onboard the Oberoi Philae.
day five
Explore the West Bank of Luxor
05:00 Breakfast onboard your boat.
06:00 Visit the Valley of the Kings, with its royal tombs, King Tut’s tomb, Ramesses the 6th. This is followed by a visit to Temple of Medinet Habu, Dier El Madina. On the way back, stop at the Colossi of Memnon.
The remote barren Valley of the Kings was the necropolis of the New Kingdom pharaohs. By digging their tombs deep into the Theban Hills pharaohs from 1500 BC had hoped to stop robbers stealing the
priceless possessions buried with them. Sixty two tombs have been found in the Valley of the Kings including Tomb of Ramesses VI, Tomb of Tutankhamen and Tomb of Seti.
The beautiful temple of Medinet Habu is second only to Karnak in size and detail. Soaring 18 metre (60 feet) into the sky, the two enthroned statues are the first monuments most visitors see on arriving in the West Bank. All that remains today are the two faceless colossi called the Colossi of Memnon, which, despite the ravages of time, are an impressive sight.
12:00 Sail to Essna
12:30 Lunch onboard.
Cross the Essna Lock.
17:00 Tea at club Lounge
19:30 Dinner
Overnight onboard the Oberoi Philae.
day SIX
Visit Edfu and Kom Ombo
05:00 Sail to Edfu
07:30 Breakfast
10:00 Visit the Temple of Edfu,
The Temple of Horus at Edfu was buried under sand and silt for nearly two thousand years. It is the largest and best-preserved Ptolemaic temple in Egypt. Construction of the temple began in 237 B.C. and the main temple complex took 25 years to complete.
12:00 Sail to Komombo
13:00 Lunch
17:00 Tea at club Lounge
18:00 Visit the twin temple of Kom Ombo.
One side of the temple is dedicated to the Crocodile God Sobek, God of Fertility and Creator of the World. The other side is dedicated to the Falcon God Haroeis, also known as Horus, the Elder. The construction of the Temple of Komombo began in the 2nd century and completed in the 1st century BC. The temple is built in imposing Graeco – Roman style and is in a particularly beautiful setting overlooking the Nile. The Chapel of Hathor to the south of the temple now houses a few crocodile mummies from the nearby crocodile necropolis.
19:30 Dinner
Overnight onboard the Oberoi Philae.
day SEVEN
Arrive into Aswan
05:00 Sail to Aswan
07:00 Breakfast
08:00 Visit High Dam and Philae temple. The High Dam was built between 1960 and 1971 and is immense. At the eastern end of the dam there is a visitors’ pavilion detailing the construction of the dam.
The Philae Temple is dedicated to the Goddess Isis and was built in Ptolemaic times. The oldest parts of the temple were built by Nectanebo I (380 – 362 B.C.) and a large portion of the temple was constructed during the regime of Ptolemy II (285 – 246 B.C.). With the building of the High Dam this monument was relocated to the nearby island of Agilika. The UNESCO led project took eight years to complete.
12.30 Lunch on board
16:00 Visit Nubian Museum.
When Egypt built the High Dam at Aswan, Egyptologists and archaeologists the world over heeded UNESCO’s appeal to salvage the monuments of Egyptian Nubia before the rising waters them forever. More than sixty expeditions ultimately joined the “Nubian Rescue Campaign”, resulting in the excavation and recording of hundreds of sites, the recovery of thousands of objects, and the salvage and translocation of a number of important temples to higher ground.
19:30 Dinner
Overnight onboard the Oberoi Philae.
day EIGHT
Disembark & day at leisure in Aswan
7.30am Breakfast
After breakfast, disembark from your cruise ship, and meet your private transfer for the journey to your hotel. We will request early check in.
You then have the day at leisure to enjoy the hotel’s facilities.
Step into the legendary site where King Fouad once entertained and Agatha Christie sipped cocktails: the 5-star Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan Hotel. In the Nubian Desert on the banks of the Nile, opposite Elephantine Island, the majestic hotel sits on a pink granite cliff overlooking the world’s longest river. This ravishing hotel with its legendary guest list of royals and dignitaries is both ideal for romantic getaways, and a perfect place to unwind after a Nile cruise.
This Victorian building with the pink granite facade has modern rooms with private bathrooms. Each of the air-conditioned rooms is decorated with wooden furniture. Sofitel Legend Old Cataract has 4 restaurants serving international and oriental dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Oriental Kebabgy Restaurant has a terrace with panoramic views over Nile. The hotel’s 4 bars offer refreshing drinks. The Promenade has views over Elephantine Islands, while The Bar is an evening piano lounge in a classic oriental setting.
The Nile Prestige Suites are in the modern wing of the hotel and provide stunning views from its wonderful balcony. The room has a bedroom area, living area and oversized bathroom and comes with Wi-Fi with air-conditioning.
Overnight at the Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel.
day NINE
Day at leisure in Aswan
You have the whole day at leisure today. It is always good to unwind for a day or two after the busy history tours of a Nile Cruise.
However, there are plenty of excursions we can include to keep you busy. A visit across the water to the Nubian Village – a flying visit to the iconic Abu Simbel – or a camel ride to St Simeon’s Monastery!
Overnight at the Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel.
day TEN
Head home from Aswan
This morning after breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport in time for your flight up to Cairo.
There, you will assisted through the airport in time to catch your flight home.