Friday 15th Feb 2013. Welcome to Egypt and the start of a wonderful holiday! Arrive Cairo airport, meet and greet service and included transfer to hotel. Overnight - Cairo

Today we visit Egypt's most loved sight - The Great Pyramids of Giza. We explore the Gize plateau, pyramids and massive lion-headed Sphinx. Later, we tour Saqqara - an ancient necropolis with many half-buried tombs and the famous Zhoser’s step pyramid. Overnight sleeper cabin train south to Luxor with a light dinner included.

If your don't fancy travelling by overnight sleeper train, opt to undertake the journey by flight with our Jewel of the Nile Flight Upgrade. The option includes air travel between Cairo - Luxor and Aswan - Cairo with two nights accommodation in the comfort of 5 star hotels. Overnight - Sleeper Train (B, D)

Home of the legendary Valley of the Kings and Temple of Karnak, 4000 year old Luxor is ancient Egypt at it’s best. Upon arriving to Luxor, hotel check in and some rest and relaxation. Later this afternoon we visit the grand temples of Karnak. More than a temple, Karnak is a spectacular complex of sanctuaries, pylons and obelisks - built on a grand scale. During the height of Theban power, Karnak was the most important place of worship. Later, we visit to the Temple of Luxor built by Pharaoh Amenophis III. Luxor Temple looks stunning at dusk and is beautifully illuminated at night. Overnight - Luxor (B)

An early start allows us to avoid some of the fierce midday heat as we venture to the tomb strewn Valley of the Kings. Consider opting to join our hot air ballooning excursion over ancient Thebes - fabulous early in the morning!

The massive pair of statues known as the Colossi of Memnon are the first monuments you’ll see during our visit to the West Bank of the River Nile. After we tour the famed Valley of the Kings and the colonnaded Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Return to Luxor for check-in aboard our Nile 5 star cruiser. Overnight - Nile Cruiser (B, L, D)

Pull up a deck chair and relax as we sail upstream toward the Temple of Kom Ombo. Overnight - Nile Cruiser (B, L, D)

A relaxing day as we sail the Nile. Later today, we visit the waterside Temple of Kom Ombo. Arrive Aswan late evening and remainder on the evening at leisure. Overnight - Nile Cruising (B, L, D)

Nile Cruiser. Arriving to Aswan, we visit the Philae Temple. Later after lunch, a visit to the High Dam and take a felucca boat journey to Elephantine and Kitchener Island.

This evening relax and watch an amazing sunset in Egypt’s southern most town straddling the River Nile. Just after midnight, we check out from our Nile Cruiser and travel due south toward the Temples of Abu Simbel. Our bus journey will take approximately 3.5 hours, arriving well before sunrise. Overnight - Nile Cruiser/Bus to Abu Simbel. (B, L, D)

SUN FESTIVAL – TEMPLE OF KING RAMSES II – ABU SIMBEL Saturday 22 Feb 2012. Abu Simbel – Aswan. As dawn breaks the magic will unfold and here we’ll witness the spectacular Sun Festival of King Ramses II. Possibly the most awe-inspiring temple of all ancient Egypt, with its gargantuan rock-cut façade, the great Sun Temple of King Ramses II at Abu Simbel was created to revere the mighty Pharaonic ruler King Ramses II. Ramses the Bold, Ramses the Great, and Ramses the Narcissist are perhaps all apt titles for one of ancient Egypt’s most powerful rulers. Celebrating a life that spanned nearly a centenary, Ramses had plenty of time for his more than 200 wives and concubines who produced him some 96 sons and 60 daughters. Built by Ramses II to demonstrate his political clout and divine backing to the ancient Nubians, Abu Simbel is an awesome self tribute. Guarding the entrance to the temple (built between 1290 and 1224 BC) hewn into the side of a mountain are four famous colossal statues of the pharaoh himself, which sit majestically staring out across the desert, seemingly since time began. Over the centuries, the desert sands imperceptibly shifted until the temple was all but lost to humanity. It was rediscovered by chance in 1813 by a Swiss explorer called John Lewis Burkhardt. Only one of the heads of the pharaohs was showing and only a small part of the rest of the colossal temple peeked above the desert sands. The other rock cut temple at Abu Simbel is the Temple of Hathor, which is fronted by six massive standing statues. Four of them represent King Ramses II, whilst the other two are of his beloved wife, Queen Nefertari. In a fit of precision and architectural egotism, Ramses II had Abu Simbel carefully angled and oriented in order that the sun’s rays would align twice a year on his date of his ascension to the throne (21 February) and on his birthday (21 October) and illuminate the inner sanctum of the temple. This incredible natural phenomenon provides for a most spectacular sight, and is now known as the Sun Festival of King Ramses II. People gather before sunrise and watch the shafts of light slowly creeping through the rock hewn inner Hypostyle Hall and through to the Sanctuary. Significantly, the sun illuminates statues of Amun- Re, Re-Herakhte and Ramses the god, whilst the statute of Ptah - the god of darkness - remains in the shadows. Famously, the temple was re-located in a multimillion dollar operation in 1972, further up from the shoreline of Lake Nasser, which had hreatened to erode the foundations of this monolithic temple complex. For this reason, the sun now strikes a day later than Ramses had originally planned, though the event this morning itself is no less stunning. After the grand finale, we’ll explore the site in depth with a fully guided tour of the Sun Temple of King Ramses II and also the Temple of Hathor. You’ll have time to independently explore and take plenty of pictures, before returning to Aswan. Upon arrival to Aswan, there is time to relax and enjoy the hotel facilities (a number of day use rooms will be provided for the group). Later this evening we board the overnight train for our journey back to Cairo. Enjoy a light dinner in the comfort of your sleeper cabin. Overnight - Sleeper Train (B, D)

Cairo. Sleeper train travellers arrive to Cairo and hotel check in. Early this afternoon we all head out to tour the dazzling antiquities at the Egyptian Museum. Amongst the many exhibits are the treasures of King Tutankhamen. The remains of the afternoon and evening offer free time. Overnight - Cairo (B, D)

Today offers free time for you to relax by the pool, enjoy the hotel facilities or maybe head to Khan el Khalili market for a little last minute souvenir shopping. Alternatively, you could join our Cairo city tour visiting old Cairo and the Islamic citadel. (B)

Tuesday 25 February 2013. Our Ramses Sunrise tour concludes after breakfast and onward departure transfer to the airport. (B)