Itinerary
- Day 1
Cairo to Luxor
Your driver picks you up from your Cairo or Giza hotel around 6:30 PM and takes you to the train station. You'll board an overnight sleeper train heading to Luxor, a journey that takes about 10 to 12 hours. Dinner and breakfast come with your ticket, so you can settle in and rest during the trip.
- Meals
- Dinner, Breakfast
- Day 2
Luxor
A tour guide meets you at Luxor railway station and drives you by air-conditioned car to your 5-star Nile cruise for check-in before lunch. After eating on board, you'll head out to Karnak Temple, one of the largest temples ever constructed at about 63 acres and built over 2000 years. From there you go to Luxor Temple to see Egyptian, Christian, and Islamic architectural features along with the obelisk and statues. Back on the cruise for dinner and your first night aboard.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch on board the cruise), Dinner (Dinner on board the cruise)
Included Activities
- Visit Karnak Temple
- Visit Luxor Temple
Landmarks/POIs Karnak Temple Luxor Temple - Day 3
Luxor West Bank
Following breakfast, you drive to the West Bank and explore the Theban Necropolis starting with the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs carved tombs into mountains to safeguard treasures and mummies. Next you see the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at El Deir El Bahari, which has undergone restoration by the Polish mission since 1960 and tells the story of how she ruled as sole pharaoh. A photo stop at the towering Colossi of Memnon statues finishes this section, then you return to the cruise by noon for lunch. The afternoon brings sailing down the Nile with tea on the sundeck, crossing the Esna Lock and arriving in Edfu for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on board the cruise), Afternoon Tea (Afternoon tea on the sundeck), Dinner (Dinner on board the cruise)
Included Activities
- Visit Valley of the Kings
- Visit Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
- Photo stop at Colossi of Memnon
Landmarks/POIs Valley of the Kings Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut Colossi of Memnon - Day 4
Edfu to Aswan
After breakfast you take a horse carriage ride with your guide to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the most complete and well-preserved Egyptian temple around. Back on the cruise you relax on deck watching the Nile landscape as you sail toward Kom Ombo. Lunch happens on board, then afternoon tea on the sundeck. Late in the day you visit the double temple at Kom Ombo dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon god. After returning to the cruise for dinner, you'll enjoy a folkloric party with the crew and guides, then sail through the night toward Aswan.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on board the cruise), Afternoon Tea (Afternoon tea on the sundeck), Dinner (Dinner on board the cruise with folkloric party)
Included Activities
- Horse carriage ride to Temple of Horus
- Visit Temple of Horus at Edfu
- Visit double temple at Kom Ombo
- Folkloric party on cruise
Landmarks/POIs Temple of Horus Kom Ombo Temple - Day 5
Aswan Abu Simbel Excursion
Around 4:00 to 4:30 AM your guide picks you up for the Abu Simbel trip, traveling with other guests in a shared bus or minibus. You'll see the rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel, one of Egypt's most impressive sites, built for King Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari. The return to the cruise happens around 2:30 PM where you have lunch and free time to relax. Later there's dinner on board followed by a Nubian folkloric show before you stay overnight in Aswan.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on board the cruise), Dinner (Dinner on board the cruise with folkloric Nubian Show)
Included Activities
- Abu Simbel rock-cut temples visit
Landmarks/POIs Abu Simbel Temples - Day 6
Aswan
After breakfast you check out and explore Aswan's highlights with your guide, learning about Nubian immigration and culture. You visit the High Dam completed in 1960 to control flooding and produce electricity. Then a small motorboat takes you to the Greco-Roman Temple dedicated to the goddess Isis. Later you head to Aswan railway station to board your overnight sleeper train back to Cairo.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast on the cruise), Dinner (Dinner on the train)
Included Activities
- Visit High Dam
- Visit Greco-Roman Temple of Isis (by motorboat)
Landmarks/POIs Aswan High Dam Temple of Isis (Philae Temple) - Day 7
Arrival Cairo
When you arrive at the Giza or Cairo train station, an Egypt Gift Tours driver holding a sign with your name transfers you to your hotel in Cairo or Giza. Breakfast is included on the train. Just make sure to provide your hotel name and address beforehand so the driver knows where to drop you off.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast on the train)
