Cairo to Luxor Explorer

Sunday. Welcome to Egypt! Upon arrival at Cairo Airport you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax by the hotel pool, or those arriving early, opt to join our unique Backstreets tour of Cairo which departs the hotel at 10am today. This optional tour takes you off the beaten track in Egypt's bustling capital, visiting Downtown Cairo, the exquisite mosques and monuments of El Moez Street in Islamic Cairo, Garbage City and the incredible Cave Church of St. Simon.

At 7pm this evening meet your guide and the rest of the group at a Welcome Meeting.

Note: If you would like to extend your stay we offer an Alexandria Day Trip on the Saturday before your tour starts, and we can arrange pre tour accommodation as well, please enquire.

After a good night's rest, we enjoy a full day of touring. Our first stop this morning is the famous pyramids and the iconic Sphinx at the Giza Plateau. Sole survivors from the ancient Greek, listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the pyramids are the planet’s oldest tourist attraction. Known as Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus, the pyramids were already more than 2,000 years old when Herodotus the Greek historian visited them (in 5th century BC). A highly skilled corps of mathematicians, masons, surveyors and stone cutters carried out the job of building the pyramids. 100,000 workers were used to carry out the back-breaking task of moving and laying the stones of the largest pyramid - Cheops and about 2.5 million limestone blocks, quarried locally and weighing in excess of 6 million tonnes were used to construct it. Leaving the Pyramids of Giza, we stop at a government supervised papyrus emporium where you can buy genuine papyrus at quite reasonable prices.

Continuing to the necropolis of Saqqara, we explore the myriad tombs and temples at this site and see Zhoser’s Step Pyramid which constructed by Imhotep, the pharaoh’s chief architect in 2700 BC. The remainder of today is free to relax or explore Egypt’s capital at leisure. Perhaps head to Khan el Khalili Bazaar, the ideal place for souvenir shopping.

Cairo - Luxor. Today we embark on a guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum, an extraordinary 490,000 sq.m complex that houses over 100,000 artefacts and will eventually showcase a giant exhibition featuring the treasures of King Tutankhamun. Many of the items on display are being exhibited for the first time, with artefacts gathered from across Egypt and the world.

Next, we visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, home to an extensive 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 showcase incredible preservation, with thick locks of hair, visible fingernails, and smooth, blackened skin offering a fascinating glimpse into Egypt's ancient past.

Returning to the hotel, there's time to relax by the pool before boarding the overnight train to Luxor this evening.

We arrive into Luxor this morning and drive to Dendera which is one of Egypt's best preserved temple complexes, located 60km north of Luxor. This vast complex covers 40,000 square metres and its temples, chapels and shrines were gradually built over thousands of years. Dendera's crowning glory is the 2000 year old Temple of Hathor, with its exquisitely decorated ceiling. After our guided tour of this incredible site we return to Luxor where the afternoon is free to spend at leisure. Take a stroll around town or enjoy a refreshing swim in the pool.

This evening there is an optional visit to view the beautiful Temple of Luxor, beautifully illuminated at night (book locally).

4000 year-old Luxor is ancient Egypt at its very best. This morning we visit Luxor’s famous West Bank. Our first stop is the famous Valley of the Kings which is studded with beautifully decorated tombs, including the tombs of Ramses II, Seti I, Amenhotep II and of course, King Tutankhamen. After exploring this incredible site we travel to visit the Valley of the Queens and the beautiful limestone, colonnaded Temple of Hatshepsut, who was one of only three Egyptian ruling queens. Our final stop on the West Bank is to see the imposing 18m-high Colossi of Memnon, which is all that remains of the temple of the hedonistic Amenophis III.

Returning to the hotel at around midday, there's time to have lunch and relax by the pool before we visit the colossal Temple of Karnak later this afternoon. More than a temple, Karnak is a spectacular complex of sanctuaries, pylons, chapels, halls and obelisks, all dedicated to the Theban gods and to the greater glory of Egypt’s Middle and New Kingdom rulers.

Friday. Our tour comes to an end today with a transfer to Luxor Airport to meet your onward flight. Alternatively we can book post tour accommodation, so you can further explore Luxor’s abundance of antiquity’s.

For information about visas, top travel tips and much more, take a look through our travel guide.