4-Day Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor with Philae and Karnak

• Meet your tour guide after arriving at Aswan International Airport, where a representative will assist you with arrival procedures and take you to the hotel. At the hotel, the tour manager will help with a smooth check-in and review your holiday itinerary with you to confirm pick-up times for each tour. Then board the cruise and have lunch.
• Visit the world-famous High Dam, an engineering miracle constructed between 1960 and 1970. It was built to increase economic production by regulating the annual river flooding, providing water storage for agriculture, and later generating hydroelectricity. The dam had a significant impact on the economy and culture of Egypt.
• Continue to the Unfinished Obelisk. This obelisk is believed to belong to Queen Hatshepsut, one of the rulers of the 18th Dynasty and the royal wife of King Tuthmosis II. Located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan, it is the largest known ancient obelisk. It is unknown which pharaoh created this structure. It is nearly one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected and, if finished, would have measured around 42 m and weighed nearly 1,200 tons.
• Head to the beautifully located Temple of Philae on Isis Island and the Granite Quarries. The temple is dedicated to the goddesses Isis and Hathor. Return for dinner on board.

Overnight in Aswan.
(Meals: lunch, dinner)

• Visit Kom Ombo and have lunch on board. Explore the temple shared by the two gods Sobek and Haroeris in Kom Ombo, standing on high ground overlooking the Nile. The Temple of Sobek and Haroeris in Kom Ombo, also known simply as Kom Ombo Temple, dates from about 180 BC during the Ptolemaic era, with additions made in Roman times. The temple was built under Ptolemy VI. Since this bend in the Nile was a favoured spot for crocodiles to bask in the sun and threaten locals, it is natural that the temple would be dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god. It is unusual, however, in having a double dedication, as it also honours Haroeris, a form of the falcon-headed god Horus. The hypostyle halls were added under Ptolemy XIII (51-47 BC), while the Roman emperor Trajan (53-117 AD) added the forecourt and outer enclosure walls.
• Head to Edfu and visit the majestic temple dedicated to Horus. Edfu Temple is the second largest temple after Karnak and was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna. The temple was dedicated to the falcon god Horus and was built during the Ptolemaic period.
• Sail to Luxor and enjoy a galabya party.

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner)

• Have breakfast on board and cross to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings. It was created and used from approximately 1539 BC to 1075 BC and contains some 60 tombs, starting with Thutmose I and ending with Ramses X or XI. The site's official name was The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the Pharaoh, Life, Strength, Health in The West of Thebes, or the Great Field. The most famous tomb is KV62, the Tomb of King Tutankhamun. Howard Carter discovered King Tut's tomb in 1922, and it was the first royal tomb to be found still largely intact.
• Continue to visit the Hatshepsut Temple at El Deir El Bahary. This impressive temple was dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh. It rises out of the desert in a series of terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs surrounding it.
• Proceed to the two colossal statues of Amenhotep III. The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. For 3,400 years, they have stood in the Theban necropolis across the River Nile from the city of Luxor. Their original function was to stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep's memorial or mortuary temple. Also visit the Temples of Thebes on the eastern bank.
• Cross the River Nile and continue to explore Karnak Temple, the largest place of worship ever built. In ancient Egypt, the power of the god Amun of Thebes gradually increased during the early New Kingdom and, after the short persecution led by Akhenaten, rose to its apex. In the reign of Ramesses III, more than two-thirds of the property owned by the temples belonged to Amun, as evidenced by the stupendous buildings at Karnak. Although badly ruined, no site in Egypt is more impressive than Karnak. It is the largest temple complex ever built by man and represents the combined achievement of many generations of ancient builders. The Temple of Karnak consists of three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples located about three kilometres north of Luxor, Egypt, on 100 ha (247 acres) of land. Karnak is the site's modern name. Its ancient name was Ipet-isut, meaning "The Most Select (or Sacred) of Places."

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meals: breakfast, afternoon tea, lunch, dinner)

• Have breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport or railway station for your onward destination.

(Meal: breakfast)