Let’s beat the heat and visit the famous Pyramids of Giza and the mighty Sphinx this morning. These colossal edifices are instantly familiar yet remain full of mystery and power. Getting up close to these incredible pharaonic tombs is an unforgettable experience. Thereafter, we’ll grab some lunch from a local restaurant and head back to the hotel to freshen up before stepping into another era of the Egyptian history, the Islamic era.

We’ll then take a walk along El Moez Street located in the heart of Cairo where various monuments dating back to the 10th century AD can be spotted. We will explore a madrasa (a school teaching the 4 rites of Islam), a kuttab (where children memorize the Quran), a sabil (a water dispensary and cistern), a hammam (a public bath), a house that dates back to the 14th century AD and the Gate of Cairo.

Our adventure continues with some free time in hustle and bustle of Khan El Khalili Bazaar, an essential Egyptian experience. You’ll have plenty of time to lose yourself in the colors and aromas of one of the world’s oldest marketplaces. We’ll learn how various vendors prepare local foods, explore the Al Attarin spice & El Sagha gold markets and take a break for tea at the iconic Feshawi Café.

Next up, we’ll visit a book binding store owned by a family that has kept the tradition alive for over eighty years. Here, you can customize a handmade notebook with your initials on it.

Included :

• Activities: Giza Pyramids Complex & The Great Sphinx; El Moez Street; Khan Al-Khalili Bazaar; Book binding experience
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 
• Accommodation: Hotel

Explore the treasures of the ancient Egyptians inside the Egyptian Museum. The Egyptian Museum is one of the world’s great museums, home to a stupendous collection of antiquities and the perfect introduction to your tour, exhibiting many of the region’s treasures. Your expert guide will take you through Egypt’s rich and fascinating dynastic history and thereafter, you will have time to explore at your own pace. Don’t forget to check out the Royal Mummy Room, it’s mummerizing!

We’ll go back to the hotel where you’ll have some time to freshen up and then let’s head downtown! If you’ve taken a history lesson or watched the news in the last few years, you’ll know that every corner of downtown Cairo has a story to tell. Our guide will tell us just a few of those stories and help us see Cairo through the eyes of a local.

For lunch, indulge yourself with a typical Egyptian meal of koshary (a mixture of rice, pasta, lentils, tomato sauce and garlic sauce). Be cautious as the chili sauce is as hot as the Egyptian sun!

In the evening, we’ll share an authentic Egyptian meal with a local family in their home where we can chat with the family members about life in the Middle East and learn how to make some of their favorite traditional Egyptian dishes.

Included :

• Activities: Egyptian Museum; Downtown walking tour; Home-cooked meal at local family’s house
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel

This morning we will take a flight to Egypt’s southernmost city of Aswan. Its relaxed charm is due in no small part to its large Nubian population. Today you will travel to Philae Island and visit the beautiful Temple of Isis; the goddess of health, marriage, and wisdom. This spectacular testament to Ancient Egyptian architecture pulls together important and impressive hieroglyphics, pylons, and carvings. It was built to honor the goddess Isis and was moved – brick by brick – from the partially submerged Philae Island to its current home of Agilika Island in the 1970s.

The Egyptian sun can become overbearing in the early afternoon so we will head back to the hotel for a quick nap or free time by the pool before continuing our day. Once the sun has started to go down, we’ll pay a visit to the local bazaar – home to a maze of souks, thanks to Aswan’s status as a market town and the gateway to southern Egypt.

Included :

• Transfer: Cairo – Aswan by plane (approx. 1.5 hours)
• Activities: Temple of Isis; Aswan Bazaar
• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel

Today we will make our way to Abu Simbel which is approximately 3.5 hours from Aswan. For many, this is the highlight of their time in Egypt. Upon arrival, you’ll have the day to slow down and get some R&R after the fast pace of Cairo.

This evening, we will head to the Abu Simbel Temple which is one of the most recognized temples in Egypt. This temple is truly worth visiting and we will be visiting it twice; once in the morning and once at night. Most people visit this ancient complex during the day as many day-trippers come here from Aswan and they are stuck visiting in the afternoon in the blistering heat, but we’ll be arriving at night, when the ruins are illuminated by warm lights, creating one of the most magical experiences on the trip.

Included :

• Transfer: Aswan – Abu Simbel by minibus (approx. 3.5 hours)
• Activities: Abu Simbel Light & Sound Show
• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel

Today, you can have your breakfast by the lake before heading out to see the same temple we saw last night for some pictures of this impressive temple in the morning light.You’re also welcome to take a leisurely morning by the lake and pool instead, if you so wish.

There are few sites as magnificent and breathtaking as this 13th-century BC Great Temple. Hence why we are giving you the option to see it twice. Abu Simbel’s temple is famed for the front colossal reliefs which were carved directly into the mountainside. It’s a sight to behold as is the interior of the temple where there are huge, detailed carved stone statues plus fascinating hieroglyphics and murals.

After, we will head back to Aswan where we will hop on a 5-star luxury riverboat that you will call home for the next 4 days. There’s no better way to soak in the ancient history of the Nile than by boat. Enjoy all the comforts of a world-class hotel, including a swimming pool, sundeck, restaurant, and cabins with panoramic windows of the riverside. Traveling by riverboat allows you to get to the heart of each destination while ensuring the journey in between is every bit as interesting.

After getting settled into our rooms on the riverboat, we will hop on a traditional felucca sailing boat where you can sit back and relax with some drinks as the sun sets over the beautiful Nile.

Included :

• Transfer: Abu Simbel – Aswan by minibus (approx. 3.5 hours)
• Activities: Abu Simbel Temple in the early morning; Felucca sailboat at sunset with drinks
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Luxury Nile cruise

We’ll sail to the city of Komombo this morning to visit its temple which sits picturesquely ruined on the river’s edge and provides interesting insight into Egypt’s Greco-Roman period. The temple was built in approximately 181 BC and is dedicated to the gods Horus the Sobek. In the section dedicated to Sobek, mummified crocodiles have been recently discovered and are now displayed in the crocodile museum attached to the temple – Don’t miss it!

We’ll return to the boat and then, continue sailing to Edfu where you’ll have the option of visiting the temple there or relaxing on the boat for the rest of the day.

Included :

• Activities: Komombo Temple
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 
• Accommodation: Luxury Nile cruise
• Optional Activity: Edfu Temple

We’ll start the day by visiting Karnak which is a mammoth plot of temples, chapels and pylons. It is one of the world’s most celebrated temple complexes and was built some 2000 years ago, with some parts of the temple dating as far back as 2,055 BC. Your guide will take you around, explaining the area’s ancient history and pointing out some of the unique features of the temple. Unlike the rest of the temples of ancient Egypt, Luxor’s temple is unusual because it wasn’t dedicated to any god or deified king in death, but rather to the rejuvenation of kingship where many kings were crowned.

We’ll have lunch on board the boat and have the rest of the afternoon to stay cool with a dip in the boat’s pool or a quick nap. For those of you who have the energy, you’ll have the option of hitting up souk street in the center of the city of Luxor to witness locals going about their daily life.

Tonight is your last night aboard the cruise boat so don’t miss out on one last Nile sunset!

Included :

• Activities: Karnak temple
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 
• Accommodation: Luxury Nile cruise
• Optional Activity: Luxor souks

This morning, we will say goodbye to the Nile River and visit the wonders of the West Bank: The Valley of the Kings and its three royal tombs where you will learn about the funerary rites of the ancient Egyptians and the significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics. Tutankhamen’s tomb and final resting place which is buried under the arid hills also containing over 60 tombs of pharaohs, many richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. Hatshepsut temple, dedicated to the most famous queen of Egypt, who ruled for 21 years; the longest period a queen ruled. 

Finally, the Colossi of Memnon, 17 meter high statues used to flank the entrance of the funerary temple of king Amenhotep.

If you’d like to keep the magic going, you have the option of hopping into a hot air balloon set adrift over the Valley of the Kings for a bird’s eye view of the arid hills concealing over 60 richly decorated tombs of pharaohs.

After a day filled with adventures among the tombs of the pharoahs, we’ll head back to our 5-star hotel in Luxor where you’ll have the rest of the evening to relax at the hotel.

Included :

• Activities: Valley of the Kings; Tutankhamen’s tomb; Hatshepsut temple;
  Colossi of Memnon
• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Hotel
• Optional Activity: Hot air balloon over Valley of the Kings (120 USD per person. You can sign up during the tour with the tour leader and pay in cash or in credit card.)