Itinerary
- Day 1
Cairo to Luxor
Your Egypt Gift Tours representative picks you up from your hotel around 6:30 PM and takes you to Cairo train station. You'll board an evening first-class sitting train heading to Luxor, settling in for approximately 10 to 12 hours of overnight travel.
Optional Activities
- Upgrade sitting train to sleeping cabin (80$ USD per person in double cabin)
- Day 2
Luxor
After meeting your guide at Luxor railway station, you'll transfer by air-conditioned van to your 5-star Nile Cruise for check-in. Lunch happens on board, then you head out to see the massive Karnak Temple, which spans about 63 acres and was built over 2000 years. From there, you'll walk through Luxor Temple with its layers of ancient Egyptian, Christian, and Islamic architecture. Back on the cruise for dinner and your first night.
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch on board cruise), Dinner (Dinner on board cruise)
Included Activities
- Visit Karnak Temple
- Visit Luxor Temple
Landmarks Karnak Temple Luxor Temple - Day 3
Luxor West Bank
You'll start around 4:00 AM with a 30 to 45 minute hot air balloon flight over Luxor's west bank, catching the sunrise with aerial views of temples and mountains below. After breakfast, you explore the Theban Necropolis, walking through the Valley of the Kings where pharaohs carved their tombs, checking out the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and seeing the Colossi of Memnon. You're back on the cruise by noon for lunch, then you sail down the Nile with afternoon tea and cross through Esna Lock before docking in Edfu for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on board cruise), Dinner (Dinner on board cruise)
Included Activities
- Hot Air Balloon flight over west bank of Luxor (30 to 45 minutes)
- Visit Valley of the Kings
- Visit Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
- Photo stop at Colossi of Memnon
- Afternoon tea on sundeck
Landmarks Valley of the Kings Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut Colossi of Memnon - Day 4
Edfu and Kom Ombo
Following breakfast, you take a horse carriage ride with your guide to the well-preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu. Back on the cruise, you relax on deck while sailing to Kom Ombo with lunch on board and afternoon tea on the sundeck. In late afternoon, you visit the unique double Temple of Sobek and Horus at Kom Ombo. The evening brings dinner and a folkloric party on the cruise as you continue sailing to Aswan for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch on board cruise), Dinner (Dinner on board cruise)
Included Activities
- Horse Carriage ride to Temple of Horus at Edfu
- Visit Temple of Horus at Edfu
- Visit Temple of Sobek and Horus at Kom Ombo
- Afternoon tea on sundeck
- Folkloric party on cruise
Landmarks Temple of Horus at Edfu Temple of Sobek and Horus at Kom Ombo - Day 5
Abu Simbel and Aswan
You check out around 4:30 AM for a small group trip to Abu Simbel to see the rock-cut temples built for King Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari. Back on the cruise around 1:30 PM, you collect your luggage and then explore Aswan's highlights with your guide, learning about Nubian immigration. You take a small motorboat to Philae Temple, the Graeco-Roman Temple of goddess Isis. Later, you transfer to Aswan railway station to board your evening train back to Cairo.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Abu Simbel Trip (rock-cut temples of King Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari)
- Visit Philae Temple by motorboat
Optional Activities
- Nubian Village by motorboat (45$ USD per person)
Landmarks Abu Simbel Temples Philae Temple - Day 6
Cairo
You arrive at either Giza or Cairo train station where your driver meets you holding a sign with your name. They'll transfer you to your hotel in Cairo or Giza (just make sure to provide your hotel name and address ahead of time for the drop-off).
