3 or more nights in 1 destination. Requires 1-2 miles of walking per day to participate in top sites primarily flat surfaces and with some stairs.
Embark on an expedition to the land of the Pharaohs, starting your journey in Egypt’s effervescent capital, Cairo. On arrival at Cairo Airport, you’ll be transferred to your hotel and have time to relax after your journey. Refreshed and ready to embrace the intoxicating energy of this ancient and modern city, you’ll be thrilled with the many treasures that will give you a preview of what’s about to come – an incredible encounter with antiquities you’ll be sharing with friends for years to come.
Fly to Luxor this morning and connect with the remnants of ancient Thebes during a visit to the Temple of Amun and the imposing Avenue of the Sphinx. Board your cruise ship in time for lunch, then visit the Luxor Museum before returning to your cruise ship. This evening, get to know your Travel Director, a professionally trained Egyptologist, as well as fellow guests over a welcome drink followed by dinner.
Journey to the final resting place of Egypt’s Pharaohs, immersing yourself in the ancient history of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and the Grand Temple of Luxor. Connect With Locals as you enjoy a traditional Be My Guest bite to eat of freshly baked bread with honey and mint tea in the archaeological paradise that is Luxor's West Bank.
Sail upstream to Kom-Ombo, where life remains much as it was a thousand years ago. Standing at the threshold of the imposing Temple of Kom-Ombo on the banks of the Nile, you’ll imagine visitors over the centuries arriving to pay homage to the gods Horus the Elder and Sobek. Tour the Temple, learning all about its ‘double’ and perfectly symmetrical design for the duo of gods – one side dedicated to the crocodile god, the other to the falcon god. After a captivating encounter with the ancients, we enjoy a traditional Egyptian dinner on our cruise boat. Watching the sun set over the shimmering Nile, we’ll don our galabeas and toast to legends of the past and new friends.
Set sail on a traditional felucca across the mighty Nile to voyage around the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener’s Island. On arrival explore the Aswan Dam, built to curb the periodic flooding of the Nile. Our next stop is the Temple of Isis, followed by a visit to the Unfinished Obelisk, lying semi-carved from the solid bedrock.
Enjoy a morning at leisure or perhaps join a once in a lifetime Optional Experience to Abu Simbel, carved into a solid rock cliff in Egypt’s Nubian Valley. As you approach the Great Temple, you’ll marvel at the four-seated colossi on either side of the entrance and the elaborate engravings depicting great victories and paying homage to the gods. Later this afternoon fly back to Cairo.
Embark on a sightseeing tour through the cacophony of Cairo’s busy streets. Visit the Hanging Church of St. Mary and the Sultan Hassan Mosque in Old Cairo, see the ancient Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque. Later, you'll Dive Into Culture and discover Tutankhamun's priceless treasures at the Egyptian Museum.
The Great Pyramids of Giza beckon today and we have an opportunity to embark on a soul-stirring encounter with its treasures – the Colossus of Ramses II, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara and the enigmatic Great Sphinx. Be mesmerized by the intricate art of Egyptian carpet weaving as you meet the skilled artisans of a local weaving school during a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. Enjoy some free time this evening or consider joining a Nile dinner cruise.
Our epic journey at its end, we say farewell to newfound friends.
Optional Experiences are subject to change. Your Travel Director will supply you with a final list of Optional Experiences available on your trip. Optional Experiences cannot be booked online; they can be purchased during your trip through your Travel Director.
National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (Available on Day 1)Designed for those visitors with extra pre or post trip nights in Cairo
Located in Old Cairo, visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) to see the 22 royal mummies and over 1500 artefacts on display.
With exhibitions beginning with the predynastic period, followed by the Roman and Coptic periods, until modern day Egypt.
The museum incorporates the array of different civilizations that contributed to Egypt’s rich and diverse history.
Listen to voices of ancient kings, queens and gods as they share stories about the places you’ll see in the Temple during a walking tour, followed by a show around the Divine Lake. This show is operated in Karnak Temple in Luxor during the evening, lasting for just under an hour. Prices are in USD.
Adult Price: $55 Philae Temple Sound And Light Performance (Available on Day 5)Join us for a short boat ride to Philae Island, located between the old and new Aswan Dams, where you’ll have a short tour. We’ll then seat you in a Roman style theater for a retelling of the perennial Nile flood, and of the goddesses Isis and Hathor, to whose worship the temple was originally dedicated. Approximately 50 minutes. Prices are in USD.
Adult Price: $55 Life on the Nile (Available on Day 5)A chance to get up close with the wildlife of the world’s most famous rivers. Learn from your local Nubian expert how the Nile has been the center of life for ancient civilizations and local wildlife as you travel by boat around the islands of first cataract.
Watch out for colorful native birds, different species of herons, kingfishers, sunbirds, and other wildlife that thrive in the marsh grass along the riverbanks whilst taking in the unique views of the Sahara sand dunes.
This four-hour excursion includes a flight to Abu Simbel, site of the Temple of Ramses II with his four great statues. You’ll also see statues of Queen Nefertari on the facade of the Temple of Hathor. 75 minutes will be spent at Abu Simbel - the remainder will be travel time. Prices are in USD.
Adult Price: $380 Dinner, Belly Dancing and Nile Cruise (Available on Day 7)Join us for a two hour cruise along the Nile river on a luxurious ship. You’ll be treated to dinner onboard and be entertained with a belly dancing show. Prices are in USD.
Adult Price: $88 Full Day Alexandria (Designed For Those Visitors With Extra Pre Or Post Trip Nights In Cairo) (Available on Day 9)Join us for a visit to Egypt's second city, Alexandria. You’ll see its nineteenth-century architecture and stop at the National Museum, the catacombs of Kom es-Shoqafa and Pompey's Pillar. You'll also enjoy great views from Fort Qaitbey, and stop at the Roman Theater with its marble seating before returning to Cairo. Prices are in USD.
Adult Price: $155