Egypt Tour 8 Days, 7 Nights to Cairo, Aswan And Luxor With Nile Cruise

Our representative will meet and assist you when you arrive at Cairo International Airport. He will help you handle all your procedures through passport control, customs formalities and in the luggage area. Following this, you will be driven to your 5-star hotel on a private air-conditioned vehicle for drop-off.

After breakfast at your hotel, you will go on a tour of the Giza Plateau which is about 30 minutes from Cairo. Once in Giza, your Egyptologist guide will provide a fascinating introduction to each of the three pyramids: Cheops, Khafre and Menakaure, the only survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. You will have free-time to enter the burial chambers of the pyramids (optional, for an additional cost); however, your guide is not allowed to enter with you to avoid overcrowding. You may also ride a camel in the pyramids area (optional, for an additional cost). After visiting the pyramids, you will continue across the plateau for a photo opportunity of the three pyramids rising from the sands with the Cairo skyline in the background. You will then visit the Solar Boat Museum, home to the remarkably well-preserved funerary boat of King Khufu. Here you will see the 142-foot-long funerary boat of Cheops, hailed as the single most important archaeological find in Egypt since the tomb of Tutankhamen.

A short drive to the city side of the plateau finds you standing at the feet of the Sphinx, for thousands of years the enigmatic symbol of Egypt. The Great Sphinx, measuring 190 feet in length and 65 feet high, still stands as centurion over these magnificent royal tombs. This monumental landmark was carved out of a single piece of rock in the shape of a lion with a pharaoh’s head.

After your tour of the Giza Pyramids, you will drive to Sakkara, which was built in 2650 B.C., and is home to Egypt’s oldest pyramid. Your guide will provide a brief history of the famous Step Pyramid and you will have free time to walk around. Your final stop is Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Here you will see artifacts from many of the great rulers of Egypt, including the fallen statue of Ramses II. After touring the Memphis, you will have a chance to visit a Papyrus Institute to see how this famous artwork is made and have the chance to purchase genuine items if you wish. After the conclusion of your tour, you will drive back to your hotel for drop-off.

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be driven to Cairo Airport to take your flight to Aswan. Once you arrive in Aswan, you will be met and assisted by our representative who will take you to embark your Nile cruise for the next 4 days, 3 nights. Later you will go on an exciting tour of the world famous High Dam, an engineering miracle built in the 1960s. Thereafter, you will to island of Egilka on a motorboat to visit the majestic Philae temple dedicated to the Goddesses Isis. Overnight stay on board your cruise.

(Optional trip) Today at 4 AM you will go on a trip by bus to the impressive Temples of Ramses II in Abu Simbel. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Nubian Monuments,” which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his alleged victory at the Battle of Kadesh, and to intimidate his Nubian neighbors. However, the complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968, on an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.

The relocation of the temples was necessary to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River. Abu Simbel remains one of Egypt’s top tourist attractions. With your qualified Egyptologist as your guide, you will enjoy a personalized visit to the temples of Abu Simbel. With its four rock-hewn pharaohs, your guide will explain the history behind this magnificent site, including how the temples were discovered by accident in 1813. Due to the large number of visitors to Abu Simbel, guides are not permitted inside either of the two temples you will visit. Then return to Aswan to board your 5-star deluxe Nile cruise.

Then sailing to Kom Ombo. You will be escorted by your Egyptology speaking guide to visit Kom Ombo temple, the crocodile-headed God of fertility and creator of the world, then you will take your lunch aboard your cruise with free time at leisure while sailing to Edfu to explore Edfu’s Temple of Horus, Continue the cruise down to Luxor. Afternoon tea is served on the sun –deck with dinner and overnight stay onboard cruise.

Breakfast onboard the cruise, and then you will be taken to the West Bank of the river Nile to visit the two colossal statues (Colossi of Memnon). Following this, you will visit the Valley of the Kings, where the magnificent pharaonic tombs were discovered. Here you will have a chance to visit the tomb of King Tutankhamen (optional, for an additional cost). Continue the tour to visit the Hatshepsut temple at El Deer El Bahary, dedicated to the Queen Hatshepsut. You will head back to your cruise ship for lunch. After having afternoon tea on the ship you will have free time at leisure. Overnight stay on board your cruise.

After breakfast, you will be accompanied by your guide to visit the Karnack Temples, the largest place of worship ever built. Its ancient name Ipet-isut means “the most sacred of places.” The temple, or, more correctly, the complex of temples, was built over more than 2,000 years by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, you will find the great “Hypostyle Hall,” which is an incredible forest of giant pillars. After this, you will be transferred to Luxor temple which was built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II for ritual and festivals dedicated to god Amen. You will then you will be driven to Luxor Airport for flight back to Cairo where you will be driven to your hotel.

After breakfast at your hotel, you will proceed to visit Cairo’s famous Egyptian Museum, which houses over 250,000 Egyptian artifacts, including the treasures of the tomb of King Tutankhamen. His five-gilded coffins dominate the main hall, while his magnificent death mask is the star attraction. After your visit to the Egyptian Museum, you will proceed to the ancient sites and culture of Coptic Christians. There you will visit Abu Serga where the Holy family sorts refuge, and Ben Ezra, one of the oldest synagogues in Cairo. Here you will learn about Christian life in Egypt. You will also tour the Citadel of Salah el Din where Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque stays. Your final stop will be the Khan el Khalili bazaar where your guide will give you an introduction to the famous markets which claim to have inspired Christopher Columbus to discover the Americas. Here you will have free-time to stroll through the maze of streets and shops and try your luck bargaining with the shop owners for a souvenir or two of your trip to Egypt or have a cup of Egyptian tea at the famous coffee shop “El Fishawy” to enjoy the atmosphere of the bazaar. Overnight in Cairo.

After breakfast at your hotel, you will check out and be driven to Cairo International Airport for your final departure.