Best of Egypt Winter 2020

Welcome to Cairo. You are met at Cairo Airport and transferred to your hotel. Wander through ancient, bustling streets in the City of a Thousand Minarets or simply relax after your journey.

Fly to Luxor and on arrival, visit the enormous temple complex at Karnak, featuring the Temple of Amun and the amazing Avenue of the Sphinx. Board your luxury cruise ship in time for lunch. Later, visit the Grand Temple of Luxor before returning to your cruise ship for dinner.

Discover the Valley of the Kings in the Theban Hills west of the Nile, where tombs were built for the powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. Visit the Temple of Medinet Habou, the mortuary temple of Ramses III. Admire Queen Hatshepsut’s impressive temple at Deir el-Bahri. And view the Colossi of Memnon, carved from quartzite sandstone. Later, sail to Edfu

Visit Egypt’s best-preserved cult temple at Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god Horus. Relax and admire the scenery as you sail upstream to Kom-Ombo − little has changed in a thousand years. Tour the Temple of Kom-Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-headed god, Sobek. This evening, dress up in traditional clothing and experience a fun filled Egyptian Dinner and Galabea Party.

We sail to Aswan in a traditional felucca crossing the Nile to see the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener’s Island. We’ll visit the Temple of Isis on the Island of Philae, see the Unfinished Obelisk, and explore the High Dam that has given life to the Nile Valley for decades. A blood-red sunset is common in Aswan, made all the more breathtaking by the silhouette of dozens of feluccas set against it.

Consider an optional experience to the mighty Sun Temple of Abu Simbel − a once in a lifetime opportunity − where four giant stone statues of Ramses II guard the temple’s entrance. This afternoon fly back to Cairo from Aswan.

Thousands of years of history are brought to life during your full day of sightseeing. See the ancient Citadel, built to protect the city from the Crusaders. Marvel at the Alabaster Mosque’s ornate interior and the Sultan Hassan Mosque, one of the masterpieces of Mamluk architecture. Visit the Hanging Church of St. Mary in Old Cairo and see Tutankhamun’s priceless treasures at the Egyptian Museum, discovered by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. Spend the evening as you wish.

See the limestone Colossus of Ramses II and the giant Alabaster Sphinx at Memphis. Admire the Step Pyramid at Sakkara, which heralded the beginning of the pyramid age. Marvel at the Great Pyramids of Giza, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. See the enigmatic Great Sphinx − the oldest monumental sculpture in the world. The evening is yours to do as you please. Perhaps complete your Cairo experience with a romantic dinner cruise on the Nile.

Today you leave this mysterious, ancient country. After breakfast at your hotel, you will check out and be driven to Cairo International Airport for your final departure.