Breathtaking Experience

14 days / 12 nights
Cairo - Luxor - Aswan

Day 0 :
- Departure from Washington DC
Day 1 :
- Arrive in Cairo, where our representative will greet you and accompany you through custom & immigration process, then escorted to your 5 stars hotel on board your a/c vehicle.
  19h Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 2 :
- Experience a full day of attractions, beginning with the splendors of the Pyramids of Giza and a stop at the Great Sphinx, an ancient symbol of wisdom & strength embodied in a huge sculpture of a Pharaoh’s head on a lion’s body.
  After a stop for lunch at an Egyptian specialties restaurant, the tour takes you to the Necropolis of Sakkara to view the Step Pyramid of Zoser, built in 2630 BC, it is considered to be the oldest major stone structure in the world; visit the Serapeum, tombs of the sacred bulls of Apis.
  Continue to Memphis, the first capital of the Old Kingdom, founded by King Menes; it was the center of ruling, commerce & culture for more than 3000 years
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 3 :
- Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, housing the world’s largest, rarest and most precious collection of genuine artifacts dating back to 5000 years including an exhibit of the treasures of King Tutankhamen that had been sealed in his tomb for more than 3500 years.
  Head to the Citadel of Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyuby (Saladin) and explore this most impressive defensive fortresses dating to the Middle Ages and offering an unrestricted panoramic view of Cairo. Visit Mohamed Ali’s Alabaster Mosque and his mausoleum, one of the most iconic monuments in Cairo.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 4 :
- Discover the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, inaugurated in 2021. It the first of its kind in the Arab world. The Museum’s exceptional collection includes the Royal Mummies, which are exhibited in a new interactive display using 21st century cutting-edge technology that goes beneath the wrappings and reveals their secrets.
  After lunch at the famous Naguib Mahfouz Restaurant, venture to the bustling and colorful Khan El Khalili 14th century covered bazaar. Follow the labyrinth of the narrow streets for a unique market experience with fresh spices, brassware, gold, silver, leather and authentic Egyptian souvenirs.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 5 :
- Fly South to Luxor, formerly known as Thebes, the capital city of the New Kingdom of Upper Egypt. Upon arrival, board your luxurious cruise ship, your home on the Nile for the next seven nights.
  Luxor has two grandiose temples, Karnak and Luxor. Explore the Temple of Karnak, the largest religious complex in the world. It consists of three main temples, covering about 200 acres in a vast network of 134 columns, some as high as 70 feet, statues, shrines, obelisks, sphinxes and a sacred lake.
  Then visit the Temple of Luxor, predominately built by Amenhotep II and Ramses II, the temple was the focus point for rituals & festivals. Constructed in 1400 BCE, it was converted to a church by the Romans in 395 AD and then to a mosque in 640 AD, or more than 3400 years of continuous religious worship. These two temples were connected by an Avenue of Sphinxes, with ram-headed statues lining both flanks of the 1.7 miles’ road. It was recently restored and inaugurated in 2022.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 6 :
- Crossing to the Necropolis of the West Bank, visit the Valley of the Kings, burial ground of the Pharaohs, one of the most famous archeological sites in the world. In 1922, through the efforts of Sir Howard Carter, the tomb of “the Boy King” Tutankhamun, was discovered totally intact. This was the most exciting & richest discovery ever made in Egypt. Next, visit Deir El Bahri, the architecturally stunning Funerary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, first female Pharaoh and regarded today as one of the most successful.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 7 :
- Rise early this morning for an exhilarating Hot-Air Balloon ride over the Nile and ancient vestiges lining its shores.
  Return on board, relax and admire from the deck, the Nile River timeless landscapes, as the ship sails south to Edfu.
  Visit the Temple of Horus one of the best preserved temples built during the reigns of the Ptolemies, it is officially called the “Perch of Horus”, dedicated to the falcon-headed god, son of Osiris & Isis. Beyond the great hypostyle hall, a second, smaller hypostyle hall leads to a water well called the « Chamber of the Nile » from where the priests drew pure holy water; it is followed by the Vestibule and finally the Sanctuary.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 8 :
- Cruising further south to Kom Ombo, about 28 miles north of Aswan, visit the only temple dedicated to two gods, Sobek & Haroeris, the House of the Crocodile and the Castle of the Falcon. There are scenes depicting purification of the king, his coronation and his consecration of the temple. Returning to your ship, admire from the deck the incomparable extended view of the meandering Nile while sailing to Aswan.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 9 :
- In Aswan, a motorized boat will take you to Philae Temple on the Island of Aegilika. A sacred complex dedicated to the goddess Isis, reflecting a fusion of three great civilizations, Egyptian, Greek and Roman. It was dismantled, moved and reassembled on another island when the world famous Aswan High Dam was constructed and its lake covered the area. Proceed to the granite quarries, site of the unfinished Obelisk.
  Later sail like a local in a Felucca, around Aswan Islands and Kitchener’s Botanical Island, and to the colorful Nubian Village.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 10 :
- Sailing north in the early morning, passing the Esna lock, heading to Luxor.
  Tonight, in Luxor, take a « Hantour » ride, the famous horse-drawn carriage, to the Karnak Temple and enjoy the Sound & Light Show.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 11 :
- By motor boat, arrive at Qena to explore the area ancient Egyptian heritage: at Dendarah you’ll visit the best preserved temple complex in Egypt, the Temple of Hathor, the Goddess of Love, to whom the power of joy, feminine love and motherhood were attributed. The Dendara Zodiac bas-relief ceiling combines both Mesopotamian and Egyptian sky iconography. Don’t miss at the back of the temple, the relief depicting Cleopatra with Caesarion, son of Julius Caesar, the Roman emperor.
  Return to your ship in Luxor.
  This evening, gather with your fellow guests for a memorable farewell dinner.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 12 :
- Fly back to Cairo.
  Explore Old Coptic Cairo and churches of the 4th and 5th Centuries: the Hanging Church built over the fortress of Babylon, St. Sergius Church built in the area where the Holy Family took refuge, Ben Ezra Synagogue and St. George Greek Orthodox church.
  At Islamic Cairo, also known as Medieval Cairo. visit the Mosque of Ibn Touloun, the second oldest mosque surviving in its full original form. Next to it, visit Gayer-Anderson Museum, consisting of two restored medieval houses, one dating to 1545 AD and the other to 1631, joined at one point by a bridge, becoming one house, where this British officer, orientalist and collectors lived and filled with his collection of art, furniture and carpets. It is also known as the “House of the Cretan Woman” or Beit al-Kritiliya.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 13 :
- Relaxing morning before the long trip home.
  Visit the Baron Empain's Palace, also known as the Hindu Pvving alace. It is the most prominent monument in Heliopolis, a suburb of the capital, which was founded by the Baron at the turn of the 20th century. Heliopolis is now a thriving city and one of the more affluent areas of Cairo.
  Lunch on “ The Golden Pharaoh “ boat cruising the Nile through Cairo.
  Your Egyptian adventure comes to an end today. It’s time to say goodbye, with the hope that you had an unforgettable journey.
  Meals : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Day 14 :
- Arrival to Washington DC.