6-Day Luxor and Aswan Heritage Tour from Cairo with Nile temples

• Meet your tour guide after arriving at Luxor 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 establish and confirm pick-up times for each tour.

Overnight in Luxor.

• 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. It contains around 60 tombs, beginning 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 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. Their original function 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 tour).

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)

• Have your 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 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 and 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 later a mosque, the 13th-century Mosque of Abu el-Haggag, was built and continues to be used today.
• Transfer to your hotel in Aswan, about 3 and a half hours by road from Luxor.

Overnight in Aswan.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)

• Have breakfast on the train and transfer to the cruise to 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.
• Move 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. The Unfinished Obelisk is the largest known ancient obelisk, located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan. It is unknown which pharaoh created this structure. It is nearly one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected and would have measured around 42 m and weighed nearly 1,200 tons if completed.
• Move to the beautifully located Temple of Philae on Isis Island and the Granite Quarries, dedicated to the goddesses Isis and Hathor. Lunch is included in this tour.
• Transfer from Aswan to Luxor in about 3 and a half hours by road, and later head back to the hotel.

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meals: breakfast, lunch)

• Enjoy a free day in Luxor.

Or

• Go for a Luxor day tour to the following places:
  • Dandara and Abydos Temples
  • Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
  • Luxor Museum and Mummification Museum
  • Luxor city tour by horse carriage
  • Luxor hot air balloon ride
  • Sound and light show at Karnak Temples
  • Ramesseum Temple, Habu Temple, and Nobles Valley

Overnight in Luxor.
(Meal: breakfast)

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

(Meal: breakfast)