Alexandria, Ancient Egypt & Red Sea

Tuesday. Welcome to Egypt! On arrival at the airport you’ll be transferred to our hotel to spend the rest of today exploring Cairo at leisure.

Cairo – Alexandria. Today we drive to the Mediterranean coast and discover the beautiful port city of Alexandria. We explore the ancient Roman Catacombs, rediscovered in 1900, they're the largest of catacombs in Egypt. As we make our way to Citadel of Qaitbay, we visit Pompey’s Pillar and see the incredible Library of Alexandria (exterior). The Qaitbay fortress was built on the site of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven Wonder of the Ancient World. A powerful earthquake struck the lighthouse in 1323AD, and the stones recovered from the ruin were used to build this famous citadel. After our sightseeing there's time to freshen up at the hotel before we head out for dinner this evening.

Alexandria – Cairo. Our morning starts with a visit the El Alamein. Known for its sobering Commonwealth War Graves, El Alamein witnessed two bloody battles during the Second World War. Approximately 13,000 allied soldiers were killed and 70,000 were wounded as they defeated the Axis powers. The victory ensured the threats to Egypt and the strategically important Suez Canal was eliminated. As we continue with our tour, we will stop to pay our respect to the fallen soldiers and learn more about the battles once fought on this ground. After our visit to the El Alamein Military museum, we return to Cairo.

Today is spent at leisure, you can explore Egypt’s capital as you please. Perhaps explore the lesser-known sights of the city by taking our optional Backstreet of Cairo tour. On this tour wander down El Moez street in Islamic Cairo, visit Garbage City and the famous cave church of St Simon.

We start our day with a visit to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, Egypt’s most famous attraction. The Pyramids of Giza are the only surviving Ancient Wonder of the World. Marvel at the colossal structure of Cheops, the largest of the pyramids, which was the tallest man-made building on Earth for 3,800 years. We continue to the necropolis of Saqqara to set our sights on the famous stepped Pyramid of Zhoser, the world's earliest stone monument, which dates back to 2700BC.

Cairo – Aswan. On today’s excursion, we visit the Grand Egyptian Museum. This extraordinary 490,000 sq.m complex is just 2km from the pyramids and houses over 100,000 artefacts from ancient Egypt’s diverse history. Many of the exhibits have never been on public display before, and artefacts have been brought together from across Egypt and the rest of the world. The museum will eventually showcase a giant exhibition dedicated to the treasures of King Tutankhamun.

After our guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum, we head over to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which continues to house a vast collection of statues, jewellery, and sarcophagi. Among its treasures are several remarkably well-preserved mummies, including those of Yuya and Thuyu, high-ranking nobles and the great-grandparents of King Tutankhamun. These mummies are so well-preserved that they still have thick locks of hair, visible fingernails, and smooth, blackened skin. We head back to our hotel with time to relax and unwind before we board our night train to Aswan.

We arrive into Aswan this morning and our sightseeing begins with a visit to the breath-takingly beautiful Philae Temple. A boat will transfer us to Agilika Island to explore the site. In 1960 UNESCO started a project to preserve the temple from the ever-increasing waters of the Nile, the intact ancient building was carefully relocated from its original location to Agilika. Our final stop today is a fragrant one, as we stop at a perfume oil emporium. This evening is free to spend exploring Aswan – why not head over to experience the hustle and bustle of the vibrant market.

Aswan - Nile felucca cruise. This morning there's an optional excursion to the spectacular temple of Abu Simbel, built by Ramses II and famously guarded by 4 colossal statues of the pharaoh himself. Later, we continue our journey onboard a traditional felucca for a relaxing 2-night cruise down the Nile. Alternatively consider upgrading to a 5-star luxury Nile cruise, please see the tab above for prices. For more information about Nile Cruising please click here.

Nile felucca cruise – Kom Ombo. Relax onboard the felucca as we make our way to next destination. This afternoon we disembark near Kom Ombo and visit its perfectly symmetrical temple, which is dedicated to two gods; the falcon god Horus and the Crocodile god Sobek. We then return to our felucca for our final night on board, sleeping on deck under a blanket of stars.

Kom Ombo – Luxor. This morning we disembark the felucca and make our way to Luxor, home of the legendary Valley of the Kings and Temple of Karnak. The rest of the day is free to spend at leisure, relaxing by the hotel pool. This evening there's an optional excursion to Luxor Temple, where hundreds of lights bring this spectacular temple to life.

Luxor- Cairo. This morning our journey takes us to the West Bank and the incredible Valley of the Kings, where we visit the tombs of famous pharaohs and take in the beauty of the well-preserved vibrant colours. The best known tombs are those of Ramses II, Seti I, Amenhotep II and of course, the tomb of King Tutankhamun. If open, an additional entrance fee applies to visit King Tuts' tomb. We also set our sights on the Colossi of Memnon and explore the beautiful temple of Egypt’s second female pharaoh, Queen Hatshepsut before returning to our hotel at midday.

Later this afternoon we discover the majestic Karnak Temple, dominated by the great Temple of Amun-ra, one of the largest religious buildings in the world. The construction of this temple took over 1,500 years and showcases contributions from around 30 different pharaohs. All dedicated to the Theban gods and to the greater glory of Egypt’s Middle and New Kingdom rulers. The evening is free to spent at leisure.

Luxor - Hurghada. Today we depart Luxor and drive east to Hurghada, part of the beautiful Red Sea Riviera, for 3 days by the beach!

We are in Hurghada for the next two days, simply relax and take in the beautiful scenery. There will also be the opportunity to join an optional excursion to Giftun Island for swimming and snorkelling.

Hurghada is one of the most popular Red Sea resorts, extending across 36kms with beautiful beaches and azure water, it’s the perfect spot for a relaxing stay There's excellent aquatic facilities for sail boarding, yachting, deep-sea fishing, SCUBA diving and snorkelling, with some of the world's finest offshore reefs. Hurghada also has plenty of restaurants and late-night bars for evening entertainment. Just outside Hurghada is an ancient Roman quarry called Mons Porphyritis and Port Safarga – a famously windy place which is ideal for windsurfing.

Hurghada – Cairo. This morning we make our way back to Cairo. The rest of today is free to relax and explore Cairo at leisure, or there's an optional visit to Khan El Khalili bazaar, where you can shop for any last-minute souvenirs.

Our ancient exploration of Egypt tour comes to an end after breakfast and a hotel check-out, you’ll be transferred to Cairo airport.