13-Day Unforgettable Egyptian Experience

Welcome meeting

Private visit to the King’s Burial Chamber at the Great Pyramid

See the Great Sphinx of Giza

The Great Sphinx of Giza has stood watch over the Great Pyramids of Giza pyramids for thousands of years. It is made from the limestone of Giza Plateau itself, and is one of the largest carved statues in the world.

Tour Giza Plateau

After your private visit to the Great Pyramid of Khufu, your guide will take you to the other sites of Giza Plateau once the area has opened to the public. You will hear stories about the people and pPharaohs who built the pyramids over 4,500 years ago, and have the chance to explore these ancient structures with your expert Egyptologist guide.

Return to your hotel for overnight

Tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum

Enjoy a visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the largest museum ever made to focus on a single civilization - from pre-dynastic antiquity to the present. During your visit, you’ll see the grand treasure of King Tutankhamun, on display for the first time in its entirety since 1922, and come face to face with the gilded mask of a king. 

Visit the Saqqara necropolis 

Saqqara is home to the oldest stone building in history: the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Here you will learn about the architect-engineer Imhotep, later deified by ancient worshippers. You will have the chance to visit some of the most beautifully decorated Old Kingdom tombs and view the pyramid texts inscribed inside. This visit will give you insight into the tremendous skill of ancient craftsmen, and glimpses of daily and religious life thousands of years ago. 

Return to your hotel for overnight

Fly to Luxor; your guide will assist with the airport transfers and travel.

Visit Karnak Temple

Karnak Temple is the largest religious complex ever constructed, with numerous temples, pylons, statues and obelisks added by generations of pharaohs. Beginning in the reign of Senusret I, the most powerful rulers of Egypt - including Ramses the Great, Hatshepsut, and Thutmose III - built additions to the temple complex, with construction continuing for nearly two thousand years through the Ptolemaic period. 

Check into your luxurious 5-star hotel and rest

Evening visit to Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple and Avenue of the Sphinxes

Luxor Temple is the second significant temple of the East Bank of Luxor. It is faced by two massive seated statues of Ramses II (Ramses the Great), and four standing statues. Like Karnak Temple, additions to Luxor Temple were undertaken by many pharaohs, including Amenhotep III and his grandson Tutankhamun. 

In front of Luxor Temple, and stretching all the way to Karnak Temple, is the Avenue of the Sphinxes. This ancient road is lined with over a thousand sphinx and ram statues. 

Return to your Luxor hotel for overnight

After breakfast, your driver and your guide will pick you up from your Luxor hotel. Alternatively, we can arrange a hot air balloon ride, to enjoy the iconic views of Luxor and the Valley of the Kings.

Visit Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings, located on the west bank of Luxor, is the home to many royal tombs from the new kingdom. The discovery of the nearly-intact tomb of King Tutankhamun in 1922 completely transformed Egyptian archeology and led to the Valley of the Kings becoming one of the most famous archeological sites in the world. More than 65 known tombs are located in the Valley and have been cut directly into the rock. Many of these tombs are still adorned with beautiful carvings and paintings as befit their royal occupants. 

Tour Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut is one of Egypt’s most well-known pharaohs, and one of the few female pharaohs that we know of. She ruled for more than twenty years in a period of notable prosperity and peace. Among her many significant architectural projects is the Temple of Hatshepsut, facing Luxor and the Temple of Karnak. 

See the Colossi of Memnon

These two massive statues of Amenhotep III once stood before the king’s mortuary temple. In later years, Greek and Roman tourists visited the site and left numerous graffiti detailing their own story of the colossi.

Drive to Esna and check in to your luxurious dahabeya for your 5-night Nile cruise

Sailing the Nile on a dahabeya - a traditional sailboat - offers an unparalleled luxury experience for travellers. Dahabeyas are the most elegant way to travel, recalling a previous era of Egyptian tourism and discovery.

Visit Edfu Temple

Edfu Temple is exquisitely preserved, thanks to having been buried for many years under the silt and mud from the Nile. It is dedicated to the god Horus and has beautiful friezes of the god’s journeys and relationship with his wife, Hathor.

Return to your dahabeya and set sail for overnight voyage

Sail to Besaw Island for a glimpse of Egyptian rural life, largely unchanged from ancient times

View the Gebel el-Silsila quarries, used for its fine sandstone to build temples and statues throughout antiquity

Visit Kom Ombo Temple

The temple of Kom Ombo is dedicated to both Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder. Next to Kom Ombo is the Crocodile Museum, which holds numerous mummified crocodiles brought as offerings to the temple.

Visit the city of Daraw and see camels at the local livestock market

Sail to an island with golden-sand beaches, and put your feet into the Nile water

Sail to Aswan overnight

Drive to Abu Simbel (approximately 4 hours)

The magnificent temples of Abu Simbel were carved by Ramses the Great to celebrate his victories in battle and to honor his wife, Nefertari. Between 1964 and 1968 a multinational project was undertaken to save the temples from the rising waters from the construction of the High Dam. Archeologists and engineers from around the world worked to carefully cut the temples apart, transport them and then reconstruct them on higher ground.

Visit Aswan spice market and enjoy haggling in a traditional bazaar

Return to dahabeya overnight

Visit Philae Temple Complex

Philae Temple was dedicated to goddess Isis, and was a site of worship for visitors from the 26th dynasty through the Ptolemaic periods. This beautifully-constructed temple was admired by many ancient writers including Seneca and Pliny the Elder.

Check in to the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan

The Old Cataract Hotel has played host to many famous celebrities, including Agatha Christie. She used the hotel as inspiration for her novel Death on the Nile while visiting Egypt in 1933.

Optional visit to Nubian Museum

The Nubian Museum in Aswan highlights Nubian and Egyptian history and displays a number of artifacts from all eras of Ancient Nubia. Special galleries offer temporary exhibitions including a retrospective on the UNESCO effort to save Nubian monuments ahead of the construction of the High Dam.

Optional Felucca sailing trip

Feluccas have been used for centuries by Egyptians to sail up and down the Nile; while nowadays you will see more motorized boats, nothing can beat the unparalleled comfort and relaxation of this historic mode of transport. 

Check out of your hotel and fly back to Cairo

Visit the Citadel of Saladin 

Spend time getting acquainted with the vibrant city of Cairo, and learn more about the history of Africa’s largest city. You will explore the medieval Citadel of Saladin, built in the 12th century to overlook the city and defend the city from incoming Crusaders. This striking complex is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

Tour the Mosque of Muhammad Ali

Visit the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the ‘Alabaster Mosque’, built in the Ottoman style by the influential Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali Pasha in 1832, with sweeping views over Cairo.

Check into your hotel

Farewell dinner

After checking out of your hotel, a private driver will transport you to the airport for your departure flight.