Egypt & the Nile on a Luxury Nile Cruise | 10 Days

This morning, visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (or the Grand Egyptian Museum, upon its opening), home to the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, including treasures from Tutankhamun and items dating to 4000 BC. After lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy your afternoon at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Explore the Giza Plateau, site of the pyramids of Mycerinus and Chefren as well as the Great Pyramid. Built in the Fourth Dynasty (approximately 2690 BC), it is the only survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Revel in the opportunity to enter the interior of one of these legendary pyramids. Visit the Great Sphinx.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.

Fly to Luxor, site of the ancient city of Thebes. Begin your day of exploring here visiting Temple of Karnak, where generations of pharaohs wished to record their names. Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall; its expertly aligned columns, the largest of which is 80 feet high with a 33-foot circumference, are a sight to behold. Then a journey to the striking Temple of Luxor, Behold the three large statues of Ramses II along the front of the temple pylons; the Courtyard of Ramses II behind the East Tower; and the Colonnade of Amenhotep III, with its 14 papyrus-headed columns, some fully 50 feet in height. Later, step aboard ‘Luxury Nile Cruise,’ where you enjoy lunch.

‘MS Mayfair Nile Cruise Or Mövenpick MS Hamees’

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Explore the west bank of the Nile and the Necropolis of Thebes, and enjoy a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon. Next, stop at the lovely Temple of Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt’s first female pharaoh and regarded today as one of its most successful. Continue to the Valley of the Kings, burial ground of the pharaohs and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For a period of 500 years beginning in the 16th century BC, tombs were built along this valley for pharaohs and nobles, including that of “the boy king,” Tutankhamun. Found in 1922 by British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter, the tomb of Tutankhamun is yours to discover, as you set foot inside its 35-century-old walls. This afternoon, sail to Edfu and overnight.

‘Luxury Nile Cruise’’ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Visit the Temple of Horus, falcon-headed god of the sky. Built in 230 BC by Ptolemy III and once buried in sand and debris, this stunningly well-preserved and colorful structure reveals what temple worship in ancient Egypt was like. Join your chef back on board for a local cooking lesson. Later, disembark at Kom Ombo (hill of gold) to visit the Greco-Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god), who was considered by some ancient Egyptians to be the creator of the world. While there, view the mummified remains of several crocodiles that once basked along the ancient Nile shore, just as their descendants do today.

‘Luxury Nile Cruise’ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Visit Aswan and ride a motorized boat to Philae Temple on the island of Agilika. This sacred complex was dedicated to the goddess Isis and reflects a fusion of three great civilizations — Egyptian, Greek and Roman. The temple was dismantled, and then painstakingly reassembled when the Aswan High Dam was constructed. Built in the 1960s, the dam spans the Nile River, more than two miles across and incorporating 16 times the amount of material that went into the Great Pyramid at Giza. It provides irrigation and hydroelectric power to much of Egypt, and the reservoir that formed behind it, Lake Nasser, is 340 miles long. Proceed to the impressive granite quarries and site of the Unfinished Obelisk. Illustrating the skills of Egypt’s stonemasons, this monolith is one-third taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk. Later, Ride Like a Local around the Aswan islands in a felucca, while enjoying a Scenic Sundowner, weather permitting.

‘Luxury Nile Cruise’ Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Today, bid farewell to ‘Nile Cruise,’ early morning OPTIONAL TRIP TO ABU SIMBEL by car (3 hrs each way by road, pre-bookable $110 Per Person) Discover the commanding twin temples of Ramses II and his wife, Queen Nefertari. The former’s façade is dominated by four statues of the pharaoh, each nearly 70 feet tall. Perhaps even more impressive, this entire site was disassembled and moved here to save it from the floodwaters caused by the Aswan High Dam. Later, transfer to the Aswan airport and fly to Cairo via Aswan. Check in to your hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast.

After Breakfast, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities:

Discover Coptic Cairo, visiting a church where the Holy Family stayed, as well as ancient Ben Ezra Synagogue.

Tour Islamic Cairo, including a walk in Moaz Street, and the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar.

Relax Aboard a Felucca, viewing Cairo from a different perspective as you sail the Nile River’s waters.
Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart.

Meals: Breakfast.