Nile Dream – 10 Days (Cairo – Nile Cruise – Hurghada)

Start the day with breakfast, then meet your private Egyptologist for an introduction to Cairo in pharaonic times. Your first stop is the Giza Plateau. Here rise the three Great Pyramids of the kings Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos, a remarkable engineering feat and the sole Wonder of the Ancient World that survives. Nearby, the Great Sphinx combines the form of a lion with the face of a king and has guarded the cemetery for millennia.

The tour then moves on to Saqqara, Egypt’s earliest royal burial ground, where pyramids and tombs spread across a large archaeological zone. The highlight is Djoser’s Step Pyramid, widely seen as the first monumental structure ever raised in stone, a milestone for architecture everywhere.

Your breakfast is followed by a full day among the many layers of Cairo’s history. The first visit is to the Grand Egyptian Museum, an outstanding cultural venue holding what is regarded as the greatest collection of ancient Egyptian art gathered anywhere in one place. Walk through its extensive halls until you reach the treasures of Tutankhamun, crowned by his famous solid-gold mask, among the most admired masterpieces humanity has produced.

Next comes Saladin’s Citadel, where Mohamed Ali’s elegant Alabaster Mosque stands and wide views open over Cairo. Continue into Old Cairo, a compact district in which the country’s religious heritage can be explored on foot. Visit the Hanging Church, the old Ben Ezra Synagogue and a mosque counted among the earliest on the African continent, places that speak of long coexistence between faiths.

As the afternoon draws to a close, browse the lanes of Khan El Khalili, the well-known bazaar celebrated for its gold and silver jewellery and skilled craftwork. You then return to your hotel.

Following breakfast, you check out and are driven to Cairo Airport to catch your flight to Aswan. On landing you are met and taken to your Nile cruise, where embarkation takes place. Aswan touring starts with the High Dam, a symbol of Egypt’s modern engineering skill.

Afterwards, you cross by boat to Agilkia Island for Philae Temple, dedicated to Isis and known for the fine state of its sanctuaries and reliefs. Lunch on board awaits when you return. Dinner in the evening is an international buffet.

Breakfast is followed by a visit to Kom Ombo, a rare double temple shared by two gods: Sobek, who takes the form of a crocodile, and Horus the Elder. Afterwards you go back to the ship and have lunch on board.

Later on, continue to Edfu, where the temple of Horus is so well preserved that it ranks among the finest from ancient times. Your evening ends with a continental buffet dinner aboard the cruise.

Breakfast is followed by a guided tour of Luxor’s East Bank. You walk through the Temple of Karnak, a huge complex that successive generations of pharaohs expanded across the centuries in honour of Amun, Mut and Khonsu. Next you visit Luxor Temple, set gracefully on the riverbank, which was linked to Karnak in antiquity by a great road lined with ram-headed sphinxes.

You return to the cruise for lunch on board. The evening brings a relaxed Galabia party together with an oriental dinner.

Following breakfast, you leave the Nile cruise to join a guided visit to the West Bank of Luxor. Walk into the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs were laid to rest. Then see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, dramatically placed against the Theban mountains, before a halt beside the Colossi of Memnon, which have looked out across the plain for upward of three millennia.

Afterwards, a modern air-conditioned vehicle drives you overland to Hurghada, among the most popular resorts on the Red Sea. On arrival, you are brought to the all-inclusive hotel and check in there.

Breakfast is followed by a free day in Hurghada. Take it easy by the Red Sea, lie back on the beach, or make use of the many water activities the resort offers, from sailing and snorkelling to other experiences in the sea.

Following breakfast, you check out. Use the free time in Hurghada to see more of the city or spend a last spell beside the Red Sea. Afterwards, a transfer takes you to Hurghada Airport, and you fly to Cairo. On landing you are met and taken to the hotel by private, air-conditioned car.

Following breakfast, a transfer takes you to the airport for departure.