Travel Itinerary
Cairo _ Alexandria _ Abu Simbel _ Nile River Cruise _ Aswan _ Luxor _ Sharm el Sheikh
11 nights
Day 1: Arrival in Cairo
Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, reception and assistance by our team. Transfer to the hotel by private air-conditioned bus, accommodation and rest.
Day 2: Giza Pyramids _ The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)
Breakfast, departure to visit the Giza Plateau, where the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos are located. They were built during the 4th Pharaonic Dynasty more than 4,600 years ago in the Egyptian Sahara. We will have the opportunity to see the Valley Temple up close, as well as the Great Sphinx, carved from a single block around 2500 BC, symbolizing the enigma, mystery and grandeur of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Lunch break.
Visit the newly inaugurated Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo on the first day of November 2025.
The GEM is the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization, the Egyptian civilization. We will explore its fascinating galleries with 100,000 items and artifacts from Ancient Egypt on display, as well as its intelligent and modern architecture, where light and air interact. The visit also includes the Tutankhamun or Tut Ankh Amun collection, who lived around 1330 BC, bringing together his treasures for the first time in history. They were discovered in 1922 by the English archaeologist Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in the city of Luxor (Thebes), south of Cairo.
Day 3: Alexandria Day Trip
Breakfast. Departure to visit the city of Alexandria, located 220 km from Cairo, approximately a 2-hour journey by road. It is the second-largest Egyptian city, founded at the northernmost part of Egypt on the Mediterranean coast in 332 BC by Alexander the Great. The city of Cleopatra grew to rival Rome over a period of one thousand years.
We will visit the Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, dating back to the 2nd century, the largest Greco-Roman necropolis in Egypt. We will also visit the Roman Amphitheatre, which served as a theater and meeting hall, and Qaitbay Fortress, built on the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
We will also visit the modern and new Library of Alexandria, which houses 8 million volumes and ancient maps. It was built on the original site of the ancient library, which was the largest in antiquity and attracted warriors, scholars, philosophers, poets and historians such as Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, the Ptolemies, Euclid and Hypatia.
Lunch included, return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Cairo.
Day 4: Saladin Citadel (Alabaster Mosque) _ Coptic Quarter _ Khan El Khalili Market
Breakfast. We begin our day by visiting the famous Alabaster Mosque, or the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. We enter barefoot and sit in a circle for a simple explanation about Islam. The mosque was built in 1830 within the walls of the medieval castle of Saladin, or Sultan Salah Ad-Din, from the time of the Crusades, whose story was portrayed in the film “Kingdom of Heaven”. In 1176, Saladin built the citadel himself on top of Al-Moqattam Hill, allowing panoramic views over the entire city of Cairo and, on a clear day, the possibility of seeing the Pyramids in Giza.
We continue to the Coptic Quarter to understand how Christianity emerged in Egypt. We visit the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, built over the cave where the Holy Family took refuge during their flight from Bethlehem to Egypt from the massacres of the Roman Emperor Herod. Next to it is the Ben Ezra Synagogue, which we also enter to learn a little about Jewish culture. Hundreds of Hebrew Geniza manuscripts were found in this synagogue, adding to the importance of Coptic Cairo alongside the ruins of the Roman Fortress of Babylon from the 3rd century.
In the afternoon, we visit Khan El Khalili Market, or “souq” as the local community likes to call it. It is the oldest market in Egypt still in operation, functioning since 1382 until today. It is famous for El Fishawy Café, known as the Café of Mirrors, which was frequented by the Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Free time in the market to buy Egyptian souvenirs, enjoy mint tea in its historic cafés, or simply walk through its narrow and beautifully decorated streets.
Return to the hotel _ dinner _ overnight in Cairo.
Day 5: Cairo / Aswan Flight _ Philae Temple _ Unfinished Obelisk
_ Start of the Cruise.
Breakfast. Take the domestic flight from Cairo to Aswan (1 hour and 20 minutes). Upon arrival, we go directly by private bus (15-minute journey) to the Temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis, one of the most beautiful monuments of ancient Egyptian civilization, representing love, feminine power and female identity. Afterwards, we visit the pink granite quarry where the Unfinished Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut was found, which has remained there since approximately 1450 BC until the present day.
Transfer to the cruise ship _ check-in on board _ lunch on board and rest.
In the afternoon, enjoy a traditional Felucca ride, an important part of Nubian culture. Afterwards, we continue to the INCLUDED Nubian Village, the colorful village of the famous “Nubians of the Nile”, the native people of the region. They have brightly colored houses, speak the Nubian language, and it is common to have henna tattoos with them and swim in the sacred Nile River.
Return to the cruise ship, dinner on board. Overnight in Aswan.
Day 6: Abu Simbel Temples _ Kom Ombo _ Costume Party
Breakfast (packed breakfast for the journey). INCLUDED excursion: early morning departure to visit the temples of Abu Simbel, departing from Aswan by bus for a 3-hour journey to the Egyptian city of Abu Simbel on the border with Sudan. There are two temples built by Pharaoh Ramesses II around 1250 BC. The smaller temple was dedicated to Queen Nefertari, the beloved wife of the great Ramesses. The larger temple depicts the famous Battle of Qadesh and was carved directly into the rock, with Ramesses II portrayed in all the scenes as a living god.
Return by bus to Aswan. We will be back on the boat around 13:30. Lunch on board and rest.
Navigation to the city of Kom Ombo.
At the scheduled time, departure to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the god Haroeris, meaning Horus the Elder. Return to the boat for dinner and a costume party on board. Overnight on board and navigation towards the city of Edfu.
Day 7: Esna Lock _ Karnak and Luxor Temples
Breakfast while enjoying navigation along the Nile River, admiring the narrow, green strip of cultivated land where a great civilization flourished. We will fill our hearts with love for the beauty of Egypt as each landscape appears before us along the banks of the Nile, including ancient temples, Pharaonic monuments, palm trees, fellahin (farmers), fishermen, boatmen, sailing boats, simple villages, and the contrast between the desert and the valley, as well as the arid and fertile lands.
We pass through the Esna Lock, a hydraulic dam that allows ships to move between different levels of the Nile. It is very interesting to experience this crossing as the cruise ship slows down, the water raises the ship, and local water vendors approach in their small boats and begin offering and selling towels and tablecloths to tourists on board.
Lunch. Navigation until reaching the city of Luxor, where the boat docks and does not depart again.
In the afternoon, departure at the scheduled time for a visit to Karnak Temple, the largest Pharaonic temple in Egypt, with 3,500 years of history. It is a religious complex dedicated to Amun Ra, the king of the gods. Various pharaohs contributed to its construction through additions, modifications and expansions, including Mentuhotep II, Thutmose III, Hatshepsut, Seti I and Ramesses II. Construction continued for 2,000 years, with around 80,000 priests serving the temple.
Afterwards, we will visit Luxor Temple, located 3 km from Karnak. Luxor Temple was built by Pharaoh Amenhotep III and completed by the Great Ramesses around 1390–1279 BC. It was dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu, where the annual Opet Festival was celebrated. During the tour, we will see the 3-km Avenue of Sphinxes connecting Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple, as well as the famous pink granite obelisk erected by King Ramesses II.
Return to the boat, dinner and overnight on board in Luxor.
Day 8: Hot Air Balloon _ Valley of the Kings _ Temple of Hatshepsut _ Colossi of Memnon _ Red Sea
Early in the morning, OPTIONAL hot-air balloon ride in Luxor to enjoy views of the Nile River and its banks from the air, with the contrast between the desert and the temples along the river.
Breakfast and departure to visit INCLUDED: the Valley of the Kings, including entrance to three tombs. Afterwards, we visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, set against a mountainous landscape, and the Colossi of Memnon, each measuring 18 meters high. The two statues bear the features of Amenhotep III, the father-in-law of Nefertiti.
Lunch at a restaurant in the city of Luxor near the sites we will visit.
Transfer to the hotel and check-in. Overnight in Luxor.
Days 09 to 12: Luxor / Sharm el Sheikh Flight with Connection in Cairo
After breakfast, transfer to Luxor Airport to take the domestic flight towards the Asian part of Egypt. Upon landing at the tourist resort of Sharm el Sheikh, private transfer to the hotel and accommodation on an All-Inclusive basis.
At night, go out, have fun and enjoy a city tour visiting Farsha Café and Al Sahaba Mosque.
There is the possibility of enjoying an optional desert experience, driving quad bikes through the Red Sea mountains with a Bedouin dinner. Alternatively, for those who love crystal-clear waters, enjoy a snorkeling and diving trip by yacht to Ras Mohammed National Park, a region famous for its coral reefs and vibrant marine life.
Those who wish may take a private vehicle excursion to Mount Sinai and Saint Catherine’s Monastery, approximately 2.5 hours from Sharm el Sheikh. Climb Mount Moses, 2,286 meters high, at night to reach the summit in time to watch the sunrise and visit the biblical site where the Prophet Moses spent 40 nights before receiving the Ten Commandments. Descend during the day to enjoy views of Mount Horeb, Elijah’s Plateau and Mount Catherine, at 2,642 meters, the highest mountain in Egypt.
Day 12: Domestic Flight Sharm el Sheikh / Cairo
Breakfast and transfer to Sharm el Sheikh Airport for the domestic flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival, reception and assistance by our team for boarding the international return flight.
Important
It is important to know that, sometimes and due to force majeure, excursions may be changed to different days or sequences without affecting the itinerary.
Included in the package:
Not included:
