Pyramids, Pharaohs & Nile

Welcome to Cairo. On arrival in the Egyptian capital, make your own way to the hotel. The rest of your first day is at leisure.

Today we visit the Pyramids and the Sphinx. A single pyramid was constructed from around 2,300,000 blocks, each weighing an average of two and one-half tons, and standing before them it is easy to understand why generations of writers and artists have tried to capture their scale and significance. We explore the site, including the Cheops Pyramid, whose interior burial chambers are open to the public.

Close by stands the Great Sphinx of Giza, dating from the time of Chephren (2620 BC). Carved from natural yellow limestone, it measures 65 feet high and 187 feet long, combining the head of a pharaoh with the body of a lion. After our visit, we return to the hotel, with the remainder of the day at leisure. You may choose to book the optional Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids this evening.

Optional: Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids (group tour)
This experience is available every day, with departure at approximately 6 pm. You will return to Giza for the Sound and Light Show, where the Pyramids and the Sphinx are illuminated against the night sky. The visual effects and narration tell the story of the Sphinx, the long-standing guardian of the necropolis, and trace the building of the Pyramids of Cheops, Kephren and Mykerinos. You will also hear about notable figures from ancient Egypt, including Nefertiti, Thutmosis IV, Akhnaten and Tutankhamun. Pick-up times may vary depending on your location or pick-up point.

Cairo - Luxor. This morning, transfer to Cairo International Airport for your included flight to Luxor. On arrival, we are escorted to our cruise ship on the Nile for embarkation - the ship will be our home for the next four nights. After lunch on board, we visit the temples of Luxor and Karnak.

Luxor Temple, built largely by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, was the centre of the important Opet Festival, a ceremony that linked the pharaoh's human role with his divine status. During the festival, the procession of royal images began at Karnak and concluded at Luxor Temple.

Karnak Temple, originally founded in 1928 BC as a small shrine to Amun, grew over 1300 years into the largest and oldest temple complex on earth. The site contains three main temples dedicated to Mut, Monthu and Amun, each enclosed by massive brick walls, with the Temple of Amun at the heart of the compound. After our visit, we return to the ship for dinner and overnight on board.

Optional: Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple (group tour)
Available every day, this evening experience departs at approximately 6 pm. As you walk through the illuminated temple complex, the achievements of the pharaohs are narrated through atmospheric sound, poetic descriptions and dramatic lighting. Voices recount the origins of Karnak and the stories of Amun and the rulers who shaped ancient Thebes. Pick-up times may vary depending on your location or pick-up point.

Optional: Hot Air Ballooning Over the Valley at Sunrise (group tour)
Rise early this morning if you want to enjoy a sunrise flight over the landscapes of Luxor. You will glide above temples, tombs and fields, gaining a unique aerial perspective on the ancient sites of the West Bank as the morning light transforms the desert and mountains below.

Luxor - Edfu. After breakfast, we cross the newly constructed Luxor Bridge to visit the Valley of the Kings, home to many New Kingdom royal tombs, including those of Tutankhamun (extra admission fee required) and Ramses the Great. We visit three royal tombs today, chosen according to site availability. Each tomb bears the king's formal name and titles, with walls adorned with images, statues and richly painted scenes. Most follow a similar architectural layout of three corridors, an antechamber and a sunken sarcophagus chamber. We explore several remarkable tombs before continuing to the Valley of the Queens, which contains between 75 and 80 burial sites belonging to queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties, including the renowned tomb of Nefertari, one of Ramses II’s wives.

We then tour the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, dedicated to the only woman to rule Egypt as pharaoh. Built during the 18th Dynasty, the temple stands beneath the cliffs of Deir El-Bahri, on a site long associated with the Theban Goddess of the West. In ancient times it was known as Djeser-djeseru, meaning sacred of sacred. Its location aligns directly with the Temple of Amun at Karnak on the East Bank.

Back onboard our Nile cruise, we enjoy lunch before sailing towards Edfu via Esna. This region once lay at the northern edge of ancient Nubia, the Land of Gold, whose territory and resources were gradually absorbed into Egypt around 1500 BC. In the afternoon, we join our shipmates for tea before dinner and overnight on board.

Edfu - Kom Ombo - Aswan. This morning, we visit the Temple of Edfu, the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt and the second largest after Karnak. It stands on a site long associated with the mythic battle between Horus and Seth.

We then sail to Kom Ombo, with lunch and afternoon tea served on board. This afternoon, you disembark for a short walk to the Temples of Kom Ombo, a unique complex dedicated to two deities: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris. In ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked along the nearby riverbank. The remains of the temple are scattered due to the shifting Nile, later use by the Copts as a church, and the removal of stone for other building projects.

As we continue sailing towards ancient Nubia, you may choose to take part in an Egyptian Galabeya Party on board. Overnight on the cruise.

We visit the Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970 after ten years of construction. This vast rockfill structure, known in Arabic as Sadd El-Aali, stands just north of the Egyptian-Sudanese border and creates Lake Nasser, the largest artificial reservoir in the world. We also see the Old Aswan Dam, completed in 1902.

Later, we travel by motorboat to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis. The approach offers a striking view of the island before we land at the ancient quay on the south side. The temple was saved from the rising waters of Lake Nasser during the construction of the High Dam and is closely linked with legends of Isis, including the story that she found the heart of Osiris here after his murder by Seth. After our visit, we return to the ship for dinner and overnight on board.

Optional: Sound and Light Show at Philae Temple (group tour)
Available every day, this evening experience brings the story of Isis and Osiris to life through atmospheric lighting and narration set against the temple’s dramatic island backdrop. As you walk through the illuminated complex, the myths, gods and rulers associated with Philae are recounted in vivid detail. Pick-up times may vary depending on your location or pick-up point.

Aswan - Cairo. After breakfast, we disembark the cruise and transfer to Aswan Airport for our flight back to Cairo. On arrival, you are met and escorted to the hotel, with the remainder of the day at leisure. Overnight in Cairo.

Optional: Morning Visit to Abu Simbel (group tour)
Available every day, this excursion departs at approximately 7 am, with pick-up times varying depending on your location and flight schedule. You transfer to Aswan Airport for a short flight to Abu Simbel, followed by a transfer to the temple site. Here you visit the Temple of Ramses II, dedicated primarily to Re-Harakhte, and the Temple of Queen Nefertari, dedicated to Hathor. These remarkable monuments are not only among the most impressive in Egypt but are also renowned for their dramatic relocation in the 1960s, when both temples were moved to higher ground to save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser.

Your tour comes to an end after breakfast and check-out. No transfer is included, so make your own way to the airport or your next destination.