Country(ies): Egypt
Tour type: Private
Group size: Min: 1 | Max: Any
Accommodation: No Accommodation
Meals: Breakfasts - 8, Lunches - 4, Dinners - 4
Transport: A/C minibus, 5-star Nile cruise boat & flights
Highlights: Famous Pyramids & Sphinx, vast Egyptian Museum, Luxury Nile Cruise, tombs in the Valley of the Kings, monumental Temple of Karnak, option to visit Abu Simbel.
Combining the pyramids, sphinx and Egyptian Museum in Cairo with a luxury Nile Cruise is one of the world's classic holidays, and one of our most popular. You will see and learn about some fascinating ancient history while enjoying some of Cairo's very best hotels and watching rural Egyptian life pass by as you sail up-river on a 5-star deluxe level cruise boat.
We begin in Cairo with an introduction to Egyptian Pharaonic history at the pyramids and Sphinx at Gisa. In the afternoon we explore the huge Egyptian Museum with its famous Tutankhamun exhibit, and vast collection of statues and artefacts.
We leave Cairo and fly south to Luxor, commonly described as the world's largest open air museum. After a night in a 5-star hotel and a visit to the huge temple complex at Karnak we board your 5-star-deluxe level Nile cruise boat to check in. The afternoon is free to explore Luxor's markets, or perhaps visit the Mummification Museum. In the evening we visit Luxor temple in the centre of town when it is beautifully lit up. We start early the next morning to explore the West Bank of the Nile before the big crowds and the extreme heat of the middle of the day arrive. Our tours here take in the Valley of the Kings, where many Pharaohs were buried, the unique temple to Queen Hatchepsut, and also the less visited Medinat Habu temple which has some of Egypt's deepest carved hieroglyphs and colourful wall paintings, really giving a sense of how these temples used to look at their peak. Our final stop is at the Colossi of Memnon before we head back to the cruise boat.
The cruise boat then departs and heads south, up-river and through the locks on the Nile at Esna, before arriving at Edfu where we overnight. After visiting Edfu temple, we sail further up-river, stopping at Komombo, before reaching the laid-back town of Aswan, which sits beside the cascading waters of the Nile.
Here you can relax and watch myriad feluccas sail lazily around the many small islands or experience traditional Egyptian life with a stroll along the mazy streets of the town’s colourful bazaar. Our tours in Aswan include a boat trip to the lovely island Philae temple, the Aswan Dam, and a felucca sailboat trip on the river to some of the islands. You can also take the opportunity to visit the temples to Ramses II at Abu Simbel, which were dismantled and rebuilt when Lake Nasser was flooded.
From Aswan you return to Cairo by air and our last tour takes in the Citadel with great views over the city, several beautiful mosques, the ancient churches of Coptic Cairo, and the bustling Khan-el-Khalili bazaar. Your tour ends in Cairo with a transfer to the airport for your flight home.
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Our rep will meet you at Cairo airport, help you to obtain your Egyptian visa and collect your luggage, and then transfer you to your 5-star hotel close to the Pyramids for the start of your trip. They will help you settle in, introduce you to the local area, and explain tomorrow's arrangements.
OVERNIGHT:
Cairo 5-star hotel
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 0, Lunches - 0, Dinners - 0
EXTRAS:
Extra day in Cairo (5-star) - pre-tour
Single room supplement (EGTMSN)
We enjoy a full day tour today to the majestic Pyramids and Sphinx at Gisa, and also to the huge Egyptian Museum, home to the famous Tutankhamun display. Your are accompanied by one of our professional Egyptologist guides who will explain the history of pyramid building, and more about the ancient Egyptian empire and its different Pharaonic dynasties.
OVERNIGHT:
Cairo 5-star hotel
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 0, Dinners - 0
EXTRAS:
None
We fly to Luxor this morning and board our luxury Nile cruise boat before heading out with one of our Egyptologisit guides to visit the huge temple complex at Karnak. You'll then have some time to relax before we head out again in the evening to visit Luxor temple in the centre of town while it is beautifully lit up. You spend the night on board the cruise boat moored up in Luxor.
OVERNIGHT:
Nile cruiseboat
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1
EXTRAS:
None
This morning we tour the West Bank of the Nile and explore the Pharaonic tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatchepsut Temple and the Valley of the Artisans, Deir el-Medina. We'll also see the huge Colossi of Memnon. In the afternoon we sail up-river and cross through the lock on the Nile at Esna before continuing to Edfu. Depending on the queue to get through the lock there may also be time to visit the temple at Esna. Before the tour starts this morning, you also have the option of a spectacular hot air balloon flight to see the sun rise over the West Bank of the Nile.
Note: Nile cruise boat itineraries and the timing of visits is subject to slight alterations while en-route.
OVERNIGHT:
Nile cruiseboat
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1
EXTRAS:
Hot air balloon in Luxor
After breakfast we visit the nearby Edfu Temple, which is dedicated to the god Horus, before continuing to sail up the Nile to Aswan, breaking the journey at the temple at Kom Ombo en-route. At Kom Ombo we explore the temple, which is home to mummified crocodiles amongst other ancient artefacts. The rest of the day you can spend watching typical Egyptian rural life pass you by on the banks of the Nile. You may see farmers with their donkeys in the fields, water buffalo, egrets and other water birds in the shallows on the banks of the river, and fishermen in their rowing boats.
OVERNIGHT:
Nile cruiseboat
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1
EXTRAS:
None
The Nile is at its most picturesque in Aswan, and we have this morning free to explore the town, its markets, and to walk along the Corniche or visit the Nubian Museum. In the afternoon we take a felucca sailboat trip around Kitchener and Elephantine islands.
You also have the option this morning to visit the spectacular temple built by Ramses II at Abu Simbel. This huge temple is cut into a rocky hillside and was moved completely and rebuilt when Lake Nasser was flooded.
OVERNIGHT:
Nile cruiseboat
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1
EXTRAS:
Abu Simbel overland
You check out of your cabins this morning and then we finish our tours in Aswan with a a boat tripto the beautiful island temple of Philae. The Philae temple, built to honour the Goddess Isis is one of Egypt's most romantic and beautiful sites, and was dismantled and relocated as a result of constucting the Aswan Dam. In the afternoon we take an internal flight with Egypt Air back to Cairo and check into a luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Old Cairo. The mainly pedestrian streets around the hotel are quiet and peaceful during the day but teem with life in the evenings as local Egyptians come out for a stroll with their friends and family, and to eat and drink. The busy markets of the Khan-el-Khalili bazaar are also only a 15 minute walk away.
OVERNIGHT:
Cairo hotel
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 0, Dinners - 0
EXTRAS:
None
Our tour of Cairo today includes the Citadel overlooking the city, some important and beautiful mosques and the tiny streets and churches of Coptic Cairo. In the afternoon we take a walking tour out from our hotel to explore and shop for souvenirs in the various markets and back streets of the busy Khan-el-Khalili bazaar. This evening you could take a dinner cruise on the Nile, re-visit the pyramids for a spectacular sound and light show, or enjoy a final taste of Egyptian food in your hotel.
OVERNIGHT:
Cairo boutique hotel
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 0, Dinners - 0
EXTRAS:
None
Your time is free today until we transfer you to the airport in time for your flight home.
OVERNIGHT:
N/A
MEALS:
Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 0, Dinners - 0
EXTRAS:
Extra day in Cairo post-tour - Le Riad
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If you are looking for a tour and not finding what you are looking for, have a look at our best other related tours to check out for your travel plans. At Egypt Uncovered, we offer a variety of tours to suit your needs. So sit back, relax, and let us help you plan the perfect getaway.
This tour is designed as a sample tailor-made tour itinerary. As such we do not offer set group departure dates that you can join. Rather, the tour is available for you to do privately starting on any date of the year (subject to fitting in with Nile Cruise schedules which do not operate every day). Guideline seasonal prices are given on our website, based on 2 people travelling. If you would like to adjust the tour itinerary, or there will be more or less people travelling, please contact us and we will customise a price for you.
The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often use on this tour. From time to time we may exchange these for similar properties at the same level. In general, specific hotels cannot be guaranteed on our group tours, but you may select your preferred options if you are booking a tailor-made trip.
Our tours are designed to include all that you need to enjoy a really special time in the destination you're visiting. However, we do also offer some extra options to complement the tour and add some additional sightseeing or activities, or some extra time at either end of the tour.
The detailed Tour Notes below have been written to give you some more detailed information about how the tour runs, what to expect, and how to prepare for your holiday. We recommend downloading an up to date copy of these shortly before you travel in case of any changes.
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