Between the Sphinx Paws

With your Egyptologist, life in the ancient Egypt world will come to life. Today, you will tour the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the necropolis of Sakkara, and the former capital, Memphis. You will start with a visit to the Giza Plateau, where your qualified Egyptologist guide will introduce each of the three pyramids: Cheops, Khafre, and Menakaure.

You will have free time to enter the great pyramid), though your guide is not permitted to enter with you or take a camel ride (optional). After visiting the pyramids, you will continue across the plateau for a photo opportunity of the three pyramids rising from the sands, with the Cairo skyline in the background. A short drive to the city side of the plateau finds you standing at the feet of the Sphinx, for thousands of years, the enigmatic symbol of Egypt. Special entry will be arranged exclusively to enter the Sphinx field limited to this tour.

Sakkara was the main necropolis of the old kingdom era. It is a great archeological site where the famous and multi-titled architect Imhotep built the oldest pyramid in Egypt. The first stone structure is 4800 years and was erected in the form of huge solid steps on top of each. (The name Step Pyramid is quite suitable). You will learn about the complex Step Pyramid and the development of the royal tomb structure.

Your tour guide will accompany you inside one of the nobles' tombs to see murals and wall-painted reliefs reflecting daily life activities in ancient Egypt. Moreover, you can enter the pyramid of Teti, where you can see the oldest form of the pyramid text on the chamber walls (4340 years old.)

Your final stop is Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Here you will see artifacts from many of the great rulers of Egypt, including the fallen statue of Ramses II and the second-largest sphinx in Egypt.

At the end of the tour, you’ll be back at your luxury, giving you time to refresh before deciding on where to dine this evening or opting for one of Cairo's night activities.

Overnight: in Cairo | Meals: Breakfast

Explore the main sites of Cairo with a visit to the famous Egyptian Museum. Housing over 65,000 Egyptian artifacts, the museum attracts millions of visitors annually. The highlights of the museum are the priceless treasures of King Tutankhamun. His 6-gold gilded coffins dominate the main hall, while his magnificent gold mask is the star attraction! Your Egyptologist guide will introduce you to the most important pieces before allowing you free time to explore the museum at your leisure.

Following this, you will tour the Alabaster Mosque at the Citadel of Salah el-Din, which sits on top of a limestone hill overlooking Cairo and is the most important mosque in the city. The lower part of the Mosque is clad inside and out with Alabaster, while the top part is constructed from the limestone cladding removed from the Pyramids of Giza. Inside the mosque, your guide will introduce you to the basic beliefs of Islam, including a translation of the most common prayers.

Follow up with a visit to Khan el Khalili Bazaar, where your guide will introduce the famous bazaar. Here you will enjoy free time to stroll through the maze of streets and shops and try your luck bargaining with the shop owners for a souvenir of your trip to Egypt or have a cup of tea at the famous coffee shop El Fishawy.

Overnight: in Cairo | Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast and check-out, we’ll leave Cairo behind us for our morning’s journey to the ancient city of Alexandria. You will visit the famous Alexandria Library. In contrast to the ancient architecture found throughout Egypt, the Norwegian-designed building is a striking piece of modern design. A copy of every book published in the world is kept in the library, making it one of the great literary sites in the world. The library also houses several exhibitions relating to the history of Egypt and a display of rare antique books. Then, you will check into your luxurious hotel in Alexandria.

Overnight: in Alexandria | Meals: Breakfast

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. and was the capital of Graeco-Roman Egypt. Your first stop in this Alexandria day tour is the catacombs of Kom El-Shuqqafa, a Roman burial site whose family tomb reveals the merging of Egyptian and Roman art and architecture. Descend below ground to visit the tomb and Caracalla Hall.

At Pompey’s Pillar, you’ll discover an impressive monolithic column erected in 300 AD to honor the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Outside of town, explore the lovely Montazah Palace and Royal Gardens. Set on nearly 150 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds along the Mediterranean, you’ll discover two striking palaces. Built as a hunting lodge in 1892 by the last ruler of the Mohammad Ali Dynasty, the Salamlek Palace has been restored on several occasions and served as a presidential residence. On the same grounds, the newer Al-Haramlik Palace is distinguished by its fanciful blend of Moorish, Turkish, and Florentine architectural elements. Before returning to your luxury hotel, you'll also visit the ancient Roman Amphitheater.

Overnight: in Alexandria | Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast, you’ll make the return journey to Cairo.

Overnight: in Cairo | Meals: Breakfast

In the morning, we will fly from Cairo to Luxor. In Luxor, we will check in on a luxury 5-star cruise ship, our floating hotel. This 5-day Nile Cruise features various stops and site visits, including all the most impressive monuments from the time of the Pharaohs. Our 5-star Deluxe Nile cruise ship offers a modern sun deck, pool, spacious lounges, bar, gym, and open-air and fine dining restaurants. Therefore, there will be plenty to do while sailing. Cruising the Nile on such a luxurious ship is always one of the best memories our tour participants take home from Egypt. At the same time, cruising is the most convenient and comfortable way to travel from one place to another.

On that day, we will visit the famous Karnak Temple. It is the largest temple in the world. Walk along the Avenue of Sphinx to enter the complex as your guide explains how the massive facade was constructed. On entering the Temples of Karnak, you will see each legacy left by the various pharaohs as the complex grew even larger. The deeper you go into the complex, the further back in time you will travel, with the oldest ruins dating back over 3,000 years. Walking through the Great Hypostyle Hall, it is hard not to be overwhelmed by the 134 columns towering above you like an ancient forest. At the rear of the complex, you will find the sacred lake where centuries ago pharaohs and their offerings to the gods were purified. After a tour of the complex, you will have additional free time to explore at leisure.

Continue your Luxor day tour to Luxor Temple, which was once joined to the Temples of Karnak by a 2-kilometer-long Avenue of Sphinx, a portion of which marks the entrance to the temple. Dominated by statues of the great warrior pharaoh Ramses II, Luxor Temple has survived Nile floods, foreign invasion, and thousands of years exposed to the elements. A pure Egyptian temple, the inner walls and columns are decorated with intricate hieroglyphics, which your guide will help you decipher.

Find out how Alexander the Great wrote himself into Luxor Temple's history, and see one of the original pair of obelisks, the second of which now stands on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

Overnight: onboard Nile Cruise | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we will start sightseeing on the west bank of Luxor. Our tour will start with a motorboat ride across the Nile to see the highlight of the west of Luxor – the Valley of the Kings.

It is located on the West Bank of the Nile in Luxor and has been the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs. Undeniably, it is one of Egypt's most important treasures. There, we will access some of the most renowned tombs. Our visit will also include admission to King Tutankhamun's tomb.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahari The Temple of Deir el-Bahari is one of the most characteristic temples in Egypt. It was built of limestone not sandstone like most of the other funerary temples of the New Kingdom. Hatshepsut was the first queen to rule over Egypt in ancient Egyptian history (ca. 1473 to 1458 BC). Although many people, including royal family members, objected to the idea of having a lady ruling over Egypt, she proved them wrong through her many achievements. Hatshepsut became one of the most important and successful rulers of Egypt.

The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. They have sat in the Theban necropolis across the river Nile for 3400 years. The original function of the Colossi was to stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep's memorial temple – a massive cult center built during the pharaoh's lifetime, where he used to be worshiped as a god on earth.

Deir el-Medina is a worker’s village (now an archaeological site), home to the artisans and artisans of Thebes who built and decorated the royal tombs in the nearby Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Deir el-Medina is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt because it provides a wealth of information on the everyday life of people who used to live there.

Overnight: onboard Nile Cruise | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, our cruise ship will take us to Edfu to see its marvelous temple, the Edfu Temple is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt dedicated to the falcon god Horus. It was built in the Ptolemaic period between 240 and 57 BC. When we return to the ship, we will cruise towards Kom Ombo, where we arrive in the late afternoon.

We will visit the Ptolemaic Kom Ombo Temple. It was built during the reign of King Ptolemy V (ca. 205 to 180 BC). The Ptolemies constructed the Temple of Kom Ombo to worship the two gods, Sobek – the crocodile god, and Horus – the falcon god. After visiting the site, we will return to the ship for dinner and continue sailing toward the south.

Overnight: onboard Nile Cruise | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart your cruise ship and travel to the High Dam of Aswan, an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. Containing more material than used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the Dam is 11,811 ft long, 3215 ft thick at the base, 364 ft tall, and carved into the existing granite, providing irrigation and electricity for the whole of Egypt. From the top of the High Dam, you can gaze across Lake Nasser to Kalabsha Temple in the south and the huge power station to the north.

Next, we will take a motorboat ride to the Temple of Philae, beautifully located on an island and dedicated to Isis, the goddess of health, marriage, and wisdom. Philae was considered one of the burial places of the god Osiris, so the island was a sacred place for Ancient Egyptians. The temple consists of monuments from various times extending from the Pharaohs to the Caesars. After returning to the ship and having lunch, we will relax while cruising the Nile by a motorboat to the Nubian museum. Your qualified Egyptologist guide will show you some of the most important artifacts before allowing you free time to explore the museum at your leisure. The building is set within a landscape on graded levels that includes a sequence of waterfalls. When the waterway reaches the lower part of the garden, it divides into 2 branches to surround an open-air stage and amphitheater where already many local and foreign groups have performed. The remaining 43,000 square meters have been planted with palm trees, flowers, and climbing plants, spread over natural rocks.

Overnight: onboard Nile Cruise | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Disembark your luxurious Nile cruise and transfer to the airport for your flight to Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel temples refer to two massive rock temples (the Great Temple of Ramses II and the smaller Temple of Hathor) in Abu Simbel in Nubia, southern Egypt, on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km southwest of Aswan. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the " Nubian Monuments," which runs from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his alleged victory at the Battle of Kadesh, and to intimidate his Nubian neighbors.

However, the complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 on an artificial hill made from a domed structure high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir. The relocation of the temples was necessary to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile River. Abu Simbel remains one of Egypt's top tourist attractions. With a qualified Egyptologist as your guide, you will enjoy a personalized visit to the temples of Abu Simbel. With its four rock-hewn pharaohs, your guide will explain the history behind this magnificent site, including how the temples were discovered by accident in 1813. Fly back to Cairo, where you will be escorted to your hotel.

Overnight: in Cairo | Meals: Breakfast

Spend the whole day in the hotel to relax and pack

Overnight: in Cairo | Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Cairo International Airport for final departure.