Day 2 – Giza Pyramids tour, Sphinx & Saqqara

Start early for the Giza Plateau to see the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure rising from the desert. Your Egyptologist explains how quarries, ramps, and workforce villages supported construction, then guides you to the panoramic viewpoint for wide-angle photos. Continue to the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple to understand royal funerary rituals and the role of embalming.

After a lunch stop at a local restaurant, travel to Saqqara, the vast necropolis of ancient Memphis. Visit the Step Pyramid of Djoser—the world’s earliest large-scale stone building—and learn how its architect Imhotep transformed the mastaba into a pyramid complex. Time permitting, your guide may include a beautifully decorated Old Kingdom tomb to admire vivid daily-life scenes. Return to your hotel by late afternoon.

• Giza Plateau with panoramic photo stop
• Great Sphinx & Valley Temple
• Saqqara & Step Pyramid of Djoser

Day 3 – Egyptian Museum Tour & Old Cairo

Head to the Egyptian Museum (or current museum venue) to explore a world-class collection spanning Predynastic to Greco-Roman eras. Your guided route highlights masterpieces of sculpture, royal portraits, exquisite jewelry, and objects that reveal daily life along the Nile. The session is paced to balance depth with freshness, including short rests for discussion and questions.

After lunch at a nearby restaurant, continue to Old Cairo. Step inside the Hanging Church with its wooden nave, visit the serene Ben Ezra Synagogue, and walk the lanes around ancient Roman tower walls. If time allows, browse Khan El Khalili’s historic market for copper lamps, inlaid boxes, and hand-woven scarves. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Evening free or optional dinner cruise.

• Guided highlights tour of the museum
• Old Cairo churches & lanes
• Optional Khan El Khalili visit

Day 4 – Flight to Aswan & Nile Cruise Embarkation

Transfer to Cairo Airport for a short flight to Aswan. On arrival, meet your guide and board the Nile cruise. After check-in and a welcome drink, set out to see Aswan’s signature sites: the mighty High Dam with sweeping views across Lake Nasser, and the romantic Temple of Philae, saved from rising waters and reassembled stone by stone on Agilkia Island. Sail the short motor launch across the water to approach the temple’s colonnades—one of Upper Egypt’s most atmospheric moments.

Return to the ship for lunch. The afternoon is yours to relax on the sundeck, dip in the small pool, or watch river life glide by—fishing skiffs, date palms, and sandy riverbanks. Dinner onboard and overnight in Aswan.

• Flight Cairo → Aswan
• High Dam & Philae Temple tour
• Embark Nile cruise (full board)

Day 5 – Kom Ombo & Edfu Temples

Cast off and sail north, passing islands and fields that showcase the Nile’s timeless rhythm. Disembark at Kom Ombo, a unique double temple dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the falcon. Reliefs here include detailed medical instruments and ritual scenes. Reboard for lunch while the ship continues to Edfu.

At Edfu, horse-drawn carriages (or modern transfer where applicable) bring you to the Temple of Horus—Egypt’s best-preserved major temple. Its towering pylon, intact hypostyle halls, and crisp reliefs make it a highlight of any Nile journey. Learn how annual festivals reenacted the myth of Horus and Seth and how priests managed offerings, workshops, and sacred processions. Sail onward. Dinner and overnight onboard.

• Guided visit: Kom Ombo Temple
• Guided visit: Edfu Temple of Horus
• Sailing and evening on the river

Day 6 – Luxor East Bank: Karnak & Luxor Temples

Arrive in Luxor and explore the monumental East Bank. At Karnak, walk the Avenue of Sphinxes into a vast religious complex expanded by pharaohs for more than 1,500 years. Stand beneath the Hypostyle Hall’s forest of columns and trace the carved scenes showing offerings to Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. Your guide unpacks the site’s sacred lake, obelisks, and chapels to connect the architecture with ancient theology.

After a midday rest onboard, visit Luxor Temple in the golden afternoon light. Linked to Karnak by the ancient processional way, Luxor Temple is famed for graceful courts and night illuminations that make its columns glow after sunset. Return to the ship for dinner. Optional evening sound-and-light show can be arranged on request.

• Karnak Temple complex highlights
• Luxor Temple at dusk
• Overnight onboard in Luxor

Day 7 – Luxor West Bank & Departure

Disembark after breakfast and cross to the West Bank for royal tombs and desert cliffs. In the Valley of the Kings, your ticket includes entry to several beautifully decorated tombs where vivid colors still shine after millennia—scenes of deities, protective spells, and the pharaoh’s journey to the afterlife. Continue to the elegant terraces of the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari to hear the story of Egypt’s trailblazing female pharaoh.

Stop at the Colossi of Memnon for photos, then transfer to Luxor Airport for your flight to Cairo and onward travel. If your schedule allows, you can add an extra night in Luxor or a sunrise hot-air balloon ride before departure (pre-booking recommended). Trip ends with airport drop-off.

• Valley of the Kings (multiple tombs)
• Temple of Hatshepsut & Colossi of Memnon
• Airport transfer for departure

Yes, upgrades are available on request.

Yes, families are welcome, and the pace can be adjusted.

Yes, hotels include breakfast, the cruise includes full board, and lunches are included on Cairo tours.

Yes, we can arrange a day trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan.