CHEOPS – 10 Days (Cairo – Nile cruise & Abu-Simble)

Your day in Cairo starts after breakfast in the company of a friendly expert Egyptologist. You drive out to the Giza plateau, site of the ancient world’s last surviving wonder. The pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus stand here, vast man-made structures raised from huge stone blocks. Nearby lies the Sphinx, with the body of a lion and the face of Chephren, a silent sentinel that has long kept watch over the pharaohs’ land and their tombs.

The tour continues at the Grand Egyptian Museum. More than 250,000 objects covering 5,000 years of history are housed there, and the highlight is the treasure of Tutankhamen, especially his solid gold mask. Later you are dropped at the station for the overnight sleeper to Luxor.

After breakfast, our team meets you on the platform at Luxor railway station and takes you to your cruise ship for boarding. Then you set out to explore the east bank of the Nile. You visit the Temple of Luxor and the Temple of Karnak, which in ancient times were connected by an avenue lined with ram-headed sphinxes. Sites of this scale have earned Luxor its name as the largest open-air museum on earth and one of the leading archaeological destinations in the world. After lunch on board, the rest of your time is free for the city and its markets.

After breakfast, the day is spent on the Nile’s West Bank. You start in the Valley of the Kings, a burial complex where pharaohs were entombed starting with Thutmose I. The next stops are the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous stone figures. Lunch is waiting on board when you return, and in the afternoon you have tea as the cruise heads for Edfu, passing through the Esna Lock.

Breakfast is followed by a horse-carriage ride to Edfu Temple. Built for the god Horus, it is considered the best-preserved temple from the ancient world. Back on the ship you have lunch as you sail to Kom Ombo. Its temple is a rare double building with two divine owners. Sebek, the crocodile god, has the right-hand side, while Horus the Great, the solar god of war, has the left. Tea is served in the afternoon as the ship sails on toward Aswan.

The Delta Egypt representative provides a breakfast box for you, as your day starts very early. You are collected from the cruise ship and travel for around three hours to Abu Simbel. The two temples here have a style all their own and are counted among the finest works of ancient Egypt. The great temple of Ramses II is called the Sun Temple. The Temple of Queen Nefertari goes by a second name, the Temple of Hathor, honouring the sun god’s wife. After the visit you head back to Aswan, where lunch is served on the cruise. The rest of the afternoon is yours to see Aswan, and later there is a galabia party for you to enjoy.

After breakfast, you tour the High Dam, a famous engineering achievement from 1960 that gives the whole of Egypt its electricity and irrigation. A short trip by boat follows to Agilika Island, where the Temple of Philae honours the goddess Isis and holds several shrines and sanctuaries. Afterwards a transfer brings you to the station, and you travel back to Cairo on the sleeper train.

After breakfast, you are welcomed at Cairo railway station and transferred to your hotel to check in. The day’s sightseeing opens at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. It was the first museum to focus on the ancient Egyptians, the oldest civilization in history, and no other museum in Egypt presents an overview of all the eras the country has passed through. About 50,000 artifacts cover Egyptian life from prehistoric days up to now.

From there you head to the Citadel of Saladin to see the alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali. Old Cairo is next. It is often called the religious complex, since its landmarks sit close together within walking distance of one another: first the Hanging Church, then the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and finally the oldest mosque in Egypt and in Africa as a whole. Late in the afternoon you go to Khan el Khalili, among the most striking oriental markets, with a great many shops selling an impressive range of gold and silver jewelry. Afterwards you return to the hotel.

Following breakfast, you have a free day to see Cairo independently, at your own pace.

Breakfast is followed by your transfer to the airport for departure.