5-Day Luxor and Cairo Historical Tour with Giza Pyramids and Karnak

• Meet your tour guide after arriving at Luxor International Airport, where a representative will assist you with the 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 establish and confirm the pick-up times for each tour.

Overnight in Luxor.

(Welcome drinks)

• Have breakfast and visit the Valley of the Kings. It was created and used from approximately 1539 BC to 1075 BC. It 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. Tutankhamun's tomb was the first royal tomb to be discovered that was still largely intact.
• Continue the tour 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. The original function of the Colossi was to stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep's memorial or mortuary temple.
• You can book an evening trip to the fabulous sound and light show at El Karnak Temple (optional).

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)

• Have breakfast and head 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, it 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 is actually made up 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 actually the site's modern name. Its ancient name was Ipet-isut, meaning "The Most Select (or Sacred) of Places."
• Move to Luxor Temple. Amenhotep III built it in the 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom, and Ramesses II completed it during the 19th Dynasty. King Ramses II was the most famous king of the 19th Dynasty. He ruled Egypt for about 67 years. The temple was dedicated to the great god Amun-Ra, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu, representing the Theban triad. Enjoy visiting the Obelisk of Ramses II in front of the 1st Pylon. It was called "Ipet resyt", the Southern Opet or the Place of the Seclusion of Amun-Re. It was directly connected to the temple of Karnak, the main cult centre of Amun-Re or Amun-Min, the sky god or the ithyphallic fertility god. Since its inception, Luxor Temple has always been a sacred site. After Egypt's pagan period, a Christian church and monastery were located here, and after that, a mosque, the 13th-century Mosque of Abu el-Haggag, was built and continues to be used today.
• Return to the hotel.

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)

• Head to the airport to transfer to Cairo, then go to the Giza Plateau to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), along with three small pyramids. You will continue to explore the rest of the Giza Plateau, including the sight of Khafre's (Kaphren) pyramid, Khufu's son and the second-largest pyramid on the Giza site, the remains of the funeral temple, the pyramid of Menkaure (Mykerinus), and three small pyramids.
• Proceed to visit the Great Sphinx, the head of a pharaoh with a lion's body, which dates from the time of Chephren.
• Visit the Valley Temple, which belongs to the pyramids of Chephren. This temple definitely served two functions. First, it was used for the purification of the mummy of the king before burial. Second, it was used for carrying out the mummification process of the king. After visiting the pyramids, you will continue across the plateau for a photo of the three pyramids rising from the sands, with the Cairo skyline in the background. Have lunch at a local restaurant.
• See the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, commonly known as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt. It is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities dating back about 5,000 years of art. It is considered the world's largest and most valuable collection of Egyptian art. More than 250,000 original artifacts are presented, with a representative amount on display while the rest are in storage, and the Egyptian Museum is filled with thousands of pharaonic artifacts, including the golden treasures of King Tutankhamun. Fascinating objects such as jewels, headdresses, alabaster vases, and toys from ancient Egypt are all on display. Many priceless statues and artifacts were kept in his tomb for more than 3,500 years before their discovery in 1922, when the tomb was excavated, and they can also be seen in the Egyptian Museum. It is one of the first stops on most people's itineraries when travelling to Egypt. This distinctive museum, which houses a vast store of priceless objects from earlier times to the Greco-Roman period, is worth seeing.
• Have a delicious lunch at a local restaurant and proceed to Old Cairo. See the Hanging Church, built in the 3rd and beginning of the 4th century in the Basilica style, the Abu Sirga Church, and Ben Ezra Synagogue, which dates back to the beginning of the 15th century AD. It was built in the Basilica style above the cave where the Holy Family took refuge. Then visit the Amr Ibn El-Aas Mosque, the first mosque built in Egypt.
• Continue driving to Islamic Cairo, where you will be able to explore Khan El Khalili, Cairo's old bazaar.
• Transfer to Cairo Domestic Airport to fly back to Luxor and head to your hotel in Luxor.

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)

• Have breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Luxor International Airport for your onward destination.

(Meal: breakfast)