Itinerary

Day 1: Cairo

On arrival at Cairo International Airport, you are met by our representative and transferred to your hotel. This is simply an arrival day so you may arrive in Cairo at any time. Note that hotel rooms are generally only available after midday. The balance of the day is free to explore your surroundings, but normally a Welcome Meeting is held in the evening where you meet your tour leader and fellow travellers.

Day 2: Cairo

After breakfast and a briefing from our tour leader we drive out to Memphis on the edge of the Western Desert, where a small museum marks the site of the ancient city. We then continue to its necropolis, Saqqara, where our guide explains the significance of the various temples and colonnades. At the centre of the complex is the step pyramid of King Djoser, believed to be over 5000 years old and the predecessor to the great pyramids at Giza. Nearby we visit the tombs of the nobles, containing exquisite bas-reliefs of everyday life in ancient times. At the conclusion of our visit we return to Cairo, where the balance of the day is at leisure to explore this busy metropolis or just relax at our hotel.
Meals included: 1 breakfast

Day 3: Cairo - overnight train

The Egyptian Museum is simply one of the world’s great museums, home to a stupendous collection of antiquities and the perfect introduction to our tour, exhibiting many of the region’s treasures. We head there after breakfast and our expert guide takes us through Egypt’s rich and fascinating dynastic history. You will then have some free time to explore on your own; you may wish to visit the Royal Mummy Room (optional and at extra cost). We then drive out to Giza, home to perhaps the greatest iconic structures ever created by man - the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Instantly familiar yet retaining a mystique and power, getting up close to these incredible pharaonic tombs is captivating. For an additional charge you may be able to go inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops), although occasionally it may be closed to visitors. Afterwards we return to our hotel, where there is plenty of time to freshen up and pack before we are transferred to the railway station for the overnight sleeper train to Luxor. Sleeping berths (beds and linen) are provided in private cabins and an airline-style dinner is served. It is worth bringing additional snacks and your tour leader can help you to arrange this. A toilet is located at the end of each carriage.
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 4: Luxor

After an early breakfast on board, the train rolls into Luxor - a buzzing place with a great bazaar and situated close to some of ancient Egypt’s most important and extraordinary sights. We transfer to our Nile cruise boat, which will be our home for the next four nights. We can relax by the pool on the boat or explore the town. Later in the day we take horse-drawn carriages to Karnak - one of the world’s most celebrated temple complexes, built over a period of some 200 years. Our guided tour of the temple reveals the complex’s finest sections. For the rest of the afternoon and evening we are free to relax, shop in the bazaar (open until quite late) or perhaps experience the atmosphere of a local tea house.
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 5: Valley of the Kings - Luxor - Nile Cruise

We rise early this morning (very much earlier during summer!) and head into the Valley of the Kings, where buried under the arid hills are over 60 tombs of pharaohs, many richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. It’s a compelling place, vast and spectacular, and discoveries are still being made. Tutankhamun’s final resting place is also located here, but entry to this small tomb is quite limited. It is at additional cost, but you will be given some free time when you will have the opportunity to visit it. Our guide explains the funerary rites of the ancient Egyptians and significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics. We visit three royal tombs and then continue to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, set in a spectacular natural amphitheatre. Our final stop is at the Colossi of Memnon - giant statues that were once part of an impressive colonnade. We return to our boat and enjoy lunch on board. There is time to relax on deck or in your cabin before we set sail for Edfu. Departure time may vary, depending on river traffic – please refer to the note regarding cruise schedules in the ‘Other Information’ section. We pass through Esna Lock, which can sometimes be a slow process depending on the number of vessels waiting to get through, and continue our journey upstream.
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Day 6: Nile Cruise (Edfu - Komombo)

Morning finds us moored near Edfu, an excellently-preserved temple dedicated to Horus - the falcon-headed god. We disembark and explore the temple as well as experiencing the bustling town centre. Returning to our cruise boat we continue travelling upriver, relaxing on the sundeck and taking in the surrounding sights - desert hills forming a backdrop to lush riverbanks, fishermen casting their nets and farmers working their land. Arriving at Komombo, our short walk around the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god) that lies picturesquely ruined on the river’s edge provides an interesting insight into the Greco-Roman period.
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Day 7: Aswan

We arrive in Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city and a place with an easygoing charm that is due in no small part to its large Nubian population. Depending on our arrival time, we may visit the beautiful Temple of Isis that was rescued from the rising waters of the Nile and relocated on Philae Island (alternatively we will visit it tomorrow). It is an absolute gem, its decorative pylons featuring some of Egypt’s finest carvings - definitely one of the highlights of Upper Egypt. The rest of our day is free to wander – and Aswan is a great place for it. The Nubian Bazaar is a must, while the excellent Nubian Museum is recommended by many. The waterfront promenade, or Aswan’s 'corniche', runs alongside the one of Nile’s most appealing stretches and is the perfect place to stop for a mint tea. In the evening we visit a Nubian village and enjoy the hospitality of our hosts as we dine out on some delicious local cuisine. We are also treated to some Nubian dancing and may even have the chance to perform some of the moves ourselves!
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Day 8: Aswan - overnight train

We disembark our cruise boat and check into a hotel, where a few day rooms are made available for our use. The rest of the day is free for us to make our own discoveries. The visit to Abu Simbel will take place this morning for those of us who booked this option with our tour leader back in Cairo. This optional trip is well worth it. With the four gargantuan statues of Ramses guarding the Great Temple, this is one of Egypt’s most memorable sights. A popular afternoon option in Aswan is a sailboat ride around the islands in a traditional felucca, stopping off at the botanical gardens on Kitchener’s Island. Alternatively, take a camel ride to the Monastery of St Simeon - an abandoned 7th century fortress monastery located in the desert on the Nile’s west bank. Our tour leader is on hand to help us arrange any excursions. Alternatively, you may just prefer to relax by the hotel pool. In the late afternoon we reconvene for our transfer to the railway station, where we board the sleeper train for the return journey to Cairo. After departure an airline-style dinner is served in our cabins.
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 dinner

Day 9: Cairo

After breakfast on the train we arrive in Cairo and are transferred to our hotel, where we have time to freshen up. Today we look into another layer of Egyptian history: medieval Cairo. We head to Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, Cairo’s oldest mosque and the Gayer-Anderson Museum. The ‘Khan’, sprawling around an old area known as Al-Azhar, is a quintessentially Cairo experience - a warren of alleys with stalls serving up a succession of intoxicating scenes and retaining a distinctly medieval and sometimes carnivalesque feel. It’s Cairo’s finest area for you to practise your bartering skills! We explore the gold market, ‘perfume street’ and the spice market, where heady aromas hang in the air like a thick blanket of Damascene cloth (which can be purchased next door in the cloth market!). The beautiful 9th century Ibn Tulun Mosque is one of the oldest, largest and arguably the most beautiful mosque in Egypt – the perfectly proportioned courtyard and distinctive minaret both help to mark it out as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture, Nearby stands the Gayer-Anderson Museum, housed in two fine old villas (dating to the 16th and 17th centuries AD). Once owned by an English army officer, the two houses contain a fascinating collection of Arabic artefacts, furniture and memorabilia, giving us a great insight into Cairene life during the Ottoman period.
Meals included: 1 breakfast

Day 10: Cairo

Your trip ends today after breakfast. Check-out time is usually around 12 noon and you are free to leave at any time. If you have arranged a private airport transfer you will be advised of the pick-up time. Additional accommodation can be pre-booked if you wish to spend more time exploring Cairo.
Meals included: 1 breakfast

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