Hathor – 8 Days (Cairo – Nile Cruise)

Your private Egyptologist meets you after breakfast for a first immersion in Cairo’s ancient past. On the Giza Plateau you stand beside the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos, the last of the Seven Wonders still in existence and a striking example of how skilled ancient builders were. The Great Sphinx lies close by, a mysterious figure combining a lion’s body with a king’s face, which has watched over this necropolis for millennia.

You then drive on to Saqqara, the earliest royal burial ground in Egypt, where pyramids and tombs spread across a broad archaeological site. There you see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, considered by most scholars the first monumental structure built in stone and a milestone for architecture as a whole.

After breakfast and check-out, you transfer to Cairo Airport and fly to Aswan. Someone meets you when you land and takes you to your Nile cruise to board the ship. Your first visit in Aswan is the High Dam, an impressive achievement of modern engineering in Egypt. A boat then takes you to Agilkia Island, home to the graceful Temple of Philae. Dedicated to Isis, it is known for sanctuaries and reliefs in excellent condition. Lunch is then served on board the cruise, and in the evening an international buffet is laid out for dinner.

Following breakfast, your first visit is Kom Ombo, a rare temple with two sanctuaries, one for Sobek the crocodile god and one for Horus the Elder. Lunch is waiting on board when you return to the cruise. Later you tour the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to Horus, whose excellent state of preservation makes it one of the best surviving temples from ancient Egypt. A continental buffet dinner is served on board in the evening.

Following breakfast, Luxor’s West Bank is the day’s focus. Visit the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs were buried, and then the dramatic temple built for Queen Hatshepsut. Next you pause at the Colossi of Memnon, huge figures that have stood guard over the Theban plain for millennia. After lunch back on the Nile cruise, the evening is given over to a relaxed Galabia party with an oriental dinner.

Following breakfast, check out and set off to explore the East Bank of Luxor, which holds some of the finest monuments of antiquity. Karnak Temple comes first, an immense ceremonial complex that grew over many centuries as new sections were added. You then move on to Luxor Temple, linked to Karnak in ancient times by a grand road lined with ram-headed sphinxes. Between them, these two temples show why Luxor is called the greatest open-air museum on the planet and a leading archaeological landscape. After the visit you are driven to Luxor Airport and fly back to Cairo.

After breakfast, set out to discover the many periods of Cairo’s history. The Grand Egyptian Museum, known internationally as a major cultural landmark, is your first stop, with the most complete display of ancient Egyptian art assembled anywhere. The visit through its extensive halls builds up to Tutankhamun’s treasures, among them his solid-gold funerary mask, celebrated as one of humanity’s great masterpieces.

Continue to the Citadel of Saladin. The Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali rises above its walls, and the city spreads out below in wide views. Afterwards Old Cairo awaits, an unusual quarter where you can walk between the sites of several faiths. Visit the Hanging Church, the old synagogue of Ben Ezra and one of the earliest mosques built in Africa, a sign of centuries of peaceful coexistence.

Later in the afternoon you wander through Khan El Khalili, Cairo’s best-known bazaar, with its jewelry in gold and silver and a long tradition of craftsmanship. You return to your hotel after a day full of culture.

Have breakfast at your hotel and check out. When the time comes, a driver and a Delta Tours Egypt representative accompany you to Cairo International Airport and help with your departure. This brings your eight days in Cairo and on the Nile cruise to a close, after seeing the Pyramids, temples of the ancient world, royal tombs and the Nile, along with many of Egypt’s finest archaeological treasures.