Itinerary

1. Day 1: Cairo

   • Begin your adventure with a welcome meeting.

   • Travel along the River Nile by felucca (a traditional wooden boat with broad canvas sails) or head out to explore the markets

   • To escape the hustle and bustle, go to the Christian Coptic sector.

2. Day 2: Cairo

   • In the morning, a private van will transport you with your Egyptologist tour guide to Giza. 

   • Approach the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx by a camel, see panoramic views across the dunes. Explore these structures that have stood tall for 4,500 years, and for an additional charge, you may be able to go inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu, (although occasionally, it may be closed to visitors). 

   • Afterwards, make your way to the Egyptian Museum, home to one of the world's great collections of antiquities. Wander the treasure-filled halls of the museum, and make sure to check out the Mummies Hall (optional) for a close encounter with some of the country’s most important queens and pharaohs.

   • Later in the evening with your tour guide, travel to Giza station, where you will board a sleeper train to Aswan (approximately 13 hours). Bedding and air-conditioning are provided.

3. Day 3: Aswan

   Welcome to Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city with the river Nile, Elephantine Island, and white-sailed feluccas. Its easy-going charm is due in no small part to its large Nubian population.

   • Make use of a free day to see Aswan sites such as:

     • The unfinished obelisk or the High Dam.

     • The Nubian Bazaar is a must, while the excellent Nubian Museum is at the top of many visitors’ lists.

     • Highly recommended is the beautiful Temple of Isis (the Goddess of health, marriage, and wisdom) that was rescued from the rising waters of the Nile and relocated on Philae Island. It's a marvel of decorative pylons featuring some of Egypt's finest carvings– definitely one of the real gems of Upper Egypt.

     • The evening sound and light show at Philae Temple.

     • The waterfront promenade, or Aswan's 'corniche', runs alongside one of Nile's most appealing stretches and is the perfect place to stop for a mint tea.

   • This evening, experience the modern Nubian culture first-hand with a visit to a nearby village.

   • Join a local Nubian family for dinner and get an unforgettable insight into the daily life of the local people. This is a rare and memorable experience, giving you the chance to immerse yourself in the local culture.

4. Day 4: Abu Simbel

   • Today, visit stunning Abu Simbel in the morning. With the four gargantuan statues of Ramses guarding the Great Temple, carved directly out of the mountain on the west bank of the Nile, this is one of Egypt's most memorable sights. Please note this optional activity has a very early start (but it’s totally worth it). You can get there by a 40-minute flight, or in an air-conditioned deluxe vehicle leaving very early. The journey by land is 3 hours each way, with an early departure from Aswan between 5 am and 6 am.

   • Otherwise, you could take a sailboat ride around the islands in a traditional felucca, stopping off at the botanical gardens on Kitchener's Island.

   • Alternatively, take a camel ride to the Monastery of St Simeon, an abandoned 7th-century fortress monastery located in the desert on the Nile's west bank. Your tour guide will be on hand to help you arrange any excursions.

   • Alternatively, you may prefer to simply relax and take in the beauty of the Nile, or do some shopping in the friendly bazaar.

5. Day 5: Nile - Felucca

   • Board a felucca and spend a day out on the river, watching rural Egyptian daily life play out on the banks. 

   • Watch the sun setting across the Nile in the evening and spend a night under the stars.

   Your Nubian sailing crew provides all the meals, which are hearty and delicious. Your felucca offers some shade and protection from the elements as a traditional wooden boat with broad canvas sails. However, there is no cabin or enclosed section.
   

6. Day 6: Luxor

   • Let your tour guide take a private air-conditioned deluxe vehicle to the open-air museum of Luxor (approximately 3.5 hours). From the spectacular temple complex of Karnak to the Valley of the Kings, Luxor is full of wonderfully preserved reminders of the Pharaohs.

   • On the way, there's the option to visit either the unique mirror-image design of the Temple of Kom Ombo or the beautifully preserved Temple of Edfu, also dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god.

   • Also, explore the magnificent Karnak Temple, which is perhaps the most impressive of all the ancient Pharaohs' monumental works. One of the world's most celebrated temple complexes, Karnak is a house of the gods built over a period of some 2000 years. Your guided tour of this vast temple of impressive pylons, obelisks, and chapels will reveal its finest sections, such as the Avenue of Sphinxes and the Great Temple of Amun.

   • Relax, shop in the bazaar (open until quite late) or perhaps experience the atmosphere of a local teahouse for the rest of your day.

7. Day 7: Luxor

   • Today, hop in a private air-conditioned deluxe vehicle and discover some of the many wonders of ancient Thebes.

   • The first stop is the Colossi of Memnon, two 17 meter-high statues on Luxor's west bank. Carved from granite blocks, they represented the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and were once part of an impressive colonnade.

   • Hop onto donkeys (in the winter months of October to May only) for a ride of a different kind, through local villages and fields of sugarcane (approximately 30 minutes).

   • Continue onto the spectacular royal burial site of the Valley of the Kings. There are over 60 richly decorated tombs of pharaohs buried under the arid hills. With your guide, explore this sprawling and spectacular place, where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (11th to 20th century BC) were secretly interred for all eternity and where discoveries are still being made. Understand the history and legends of these remarkable people, their funerary rites, and the significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics.

   • Join a local family for lunch to try some tasty traditional home cooking.

   • The rest of your afternoon is free to explore, and the Luxor Museum is a great place to visit in your free time. Alternatively, hire a bicycle and venture into the countryside. For a more upscale experience, check out the Winter Palace, a lovely five-star historical building with beautiful views over the Nile–a great place for a refreshing cocktail.

   • Catch an overnight sleeper train from Luxor back to Cairo (approximately 10 hours).

8. Day 8: Cairo

   • Arrive in Cairo.

   • For your comfort and convenience, day rooms are provided on this day until 12 pm for storing luggage and freshening up. Once settled, consider joining the rest of the group for a farewell breakfast. Otherwise, there are no activities planned on this day. You're free to depart at any time after the early-morning arrival, but please do not arrange departing international flights before 3 pm in case of any travel delays or bad traffic.