Pharaohs and Pyramids Egypt Tour package

Travel to the Giza Plateau, the site of the Giza Pyramids of Mycerinus, Chefren, and the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the only survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Great Sphinx, measuring 190 feet long and 65 feet high, still stands as centurion over these magnificent royal tombs. This monumental landmark is carved from a single rock shaped like a lion with a pharaoh's head.

Overnight: in Cairo | Meals: Breakfast.

Rise and shine! After a delicious breakfast at your luxurious hotel, walk among ancient treasures with your local expert on a private tour of the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities before it opens to the public. Admire the world's most incredible collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the golden treasures of Tutankhamun's tomb. Continue to the ancient capital of Memphis and the world-famous Step Pyramid of Zoser, the oldest known Egyptian pyramid.

Overnight: in Cairo | Meals: Breakfast.

Today after breakfast, our team will transfer you to the airport to Head to Luxor and board your Nile Cruise for the next eight days. Visit the West Bank of the Nile (Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens), where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of pharaohs. Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut, Ancient Egypt's first female pharaoh. This afternoon, embark on a tour of the Luxor Museum, where you will see a priceless collection of artifacts. One of the main attractions in this Museum is a hall displaying 26 well-preserved statues discovered in a cache under the open-air court of the Luxor Temple.

Overnight: onboard Luxury Nile Cruise | Meals: Full-Board Basis

In Luxor, view the graceful Temple Luxor, dedicated to the god Amon and built by Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, Horemhab, and Temple of Karnak, built by generations of pharaohs over thousand years. Among this site's stunning highlights is the Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of stone columns covering over 50,000 square feet.

Overnight: onboard Luxury Nile Cruise | Meals: Full-Board Basis

Sail to Edfu, and visit the beautifully preserved Temple of Horus in Edfu, one of the best examples of Ptolemaic temple buildings in Egypt.

Overnight: onboard Luxury Nile Cruise | Meals: Full-Board Basis

Today you will have the opportunity to visit one of Egypt's must-see landmarks, the temples of Abu Simbel (Ramses II and his wife), Nefertari. The complex was moved to a higher elevation when floodwaters from Lake Nasser and the Aswan High Dam project threatened the temples' preservation. Board your Nile cruise and sail around the Aswan islands in a felucca (a traditional sailboat) if conditions permit.

Overnight: onboard Luxury Nile Cruise | Meals: Full-Board Basis

Visit the Aswan High Dam, a contemporary counterpart to Egypt's monumental constructions of the past. Then, proceed to the granite quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples, and see the famed Unfinished Obelisk. Enjoy a short motorboat ride to the romantic, majestic Temple of Philae on the island of Agilika. The pharaohs as the "Land of Gold," and its wealth, knew ancient Nubia. Lands were eventually incorporated into Egypt around 1500 BC. Visit the Nubian Museum and immerse yourself in the culture of their villages. Examine fascinating artifacts that reflect the progression of the Nubian culture and civilization. Later, journey to the Aswan Spice Market to sharpen your bargaining skills or take in the colorful scene.

Overnight: onboard Luxury Nile Cruise | Meals: Full-Board Basis

Sail for Kom Ombo Temple to visit the site of the lovely Greco-Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god). The temple, built in the third century BC, stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.

Overnight: onboard Luxury Nile Cruise | Meals: Full-Board Basis

Begin the day with a visit to the beautiful Ptolemaic Dendera Temple of the goddess Hathor at Denderah. Well-preserved, this temple complex has a massive stone roof, dark chambers, underground passages, and towering columns inscribed with hieroglyphics. Within the walls of this ancient complex, view the Zodiac, considered the basis on which later astronomy systems were founded. Explore traces of the Pharaonic temple built underneath the existing temple, the best-preserved Roman mammisi or "Birth House," the Sacred Bark Shrine, the unique relief depicting Cleopatra VII with her son Caesarian and much more. Visit Abydos, the center of a holy city dedicated to Osiris, Lord of the Netherworld. The construction of its uniquely designed temple was started by Seti I and finished by his son, Ramses II. It contains seven sanctuaries dedicated to seven various deities. The temple is most notable for its ancient chronological list of the kings of Egypt from the first dynasty until Sati I.

Overnight: onboard Luxury Nile Cruise | Meals: Full-Board Basis

Return to the Egyptian capital for a tour of Coptic and Old Cairo. Explore the remains of the fortress of Babylon, first built by the Persians around the sixth century BC; the Church of St. Sergius, where the holy family is reported to have stayed; and the Hanging Church, which was the seat of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate for centuries. Finish your sightseeing at Egypt's oldest synagogue, Ben Ezra. Inside this temple, the Cairo Geniza documents were found, a treasure hailed as an unparalleled source of information about the life of the Jews in Egypt's past.

Overnight: in Cairo Luxury Hotel | Meals: Breakfast

After a morning at leisure, visit the Mosque and Madrasa of Sultan Hassan. Later, a walking tour of Islamic Cairo takes you from one of the remaining gates of the city to Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, where life has hardly changed for centuries. After your sightseeing, return to your hotel. This evening, join your fellow travelers for a special farewell dinner. This event provides a perfect opportunity to toast your journey and share experiences.

Overnight: in Cairo Luxury Hotel | Meals: Breakfast

Board your international departure flight for your journey back home.