A Week in Egypt: The Highlights Tour

After breakfast at the hotel, grab comfortable shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses and sun hats (do you see a theme?). Today, you’re visiting the Giza Plateau, home to the last remaining wonder of the ancient world — the Great Pyramid. Few sites anywhere in the world cast a shadow as large as the Great Pyramid and in that shadow there are always nooks and crannies to explore.

You will visit the pyramids with a guide from the first female-founded tour company in Cairo. This will be an eight-hour day (door to door) that will include lunch at Khufu, where you can chat about your reflections over traditional Egyptian dips and breads like hummus, labneh and fava beans. Aside from the communal bread tearing, lunch will overlook the Giza Plateau and all the unknowns surrounding it.

This morning you will embark on a market tour where you will learn more about traditional handicrafts in Egypt, in addition to getting behind-the-scenes access to Cairo’s renowned local fashion scene.

You will learn about traditional crafts in Egypt such as carpets, textiles, papyrus, glasswork and jewelry. Through the storytelling of your knowledgeable guide, you will learn about the history and processes involved in creating these crafts, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of their significance in Egyptian culture. You will then visit local shops featuring up-and-coming Egyptian fashion designers, granting inside access to the burgeoning fashion scene in Cairo.

Following your morning tour, you’ll head back to the hotel for a few hours of R&R. While it might be tempting, don’t order anything more than a drink as you’re relaxing poolside, because your next activity is a walking food tour, where you’ll sample the best of Cairo.

Think: the Egyptian national dish, home-style grubs, a distinctive dish called molokhiya, along with the best baba ghanoush you’ve ever had or dreamed of having.

The tour takes place downtown, in Cairo’s charming center known for its picturesque European-inspired buildings, lively streets and diverse crowd. On the tour, you’ll witness local life at its best, with no tourist traps and no unnecessary filtering, seeing Cairo as it really is.

Have you ever wondered where the beautiful monuments adorning Egyptian paper money are located? In a hunt for Cairo’s landmarks depicted on Egyptian paper currency, this morning you will set out on an epic journey to uncover the beauty and history of different Islamic masterpieces in Cairo.

In a distance of just one kilometer, you will visit the “heavy hitters” of Historic Cairo, a World Heritage Site, exploring the area located between Ibn Tulun Mosque and the Madrassa of Sultan Hassan. Highlights include:

• Ibn Tulun Mosque

• Gayer-Anderson Museum

• Madrassa of Sultan Hassan

• Rifaie Mosque

After your morning jaunt and lunch, you’ll take a late afternoon flight to Aswan, where you’ll check into your home for the next three days. Ideally located on the hillside of the Nubian Village in Aswan, and overlooking the River Nile, you can exhale deeply. A slower pace of life awaits in Aswan.

The architecture of the hotel, and the village at large, reveals Nubian charm with its lively colors that mimic the surrounding nature of the sun and its reflection on the yellow desert, green palms and unlimited blue shades of the sky and the River Nile from sunrise to sunset.

In yesterday's itinerary, I told you to exhale — you’re in Aswan, and the pace of life is slower than bustling Cairo. Well, this morning is dedicated to just that, enjoying the slower pace! Enjoy the views of the natural beauty and flowing Nile River from the hotel's privileged position: bink around the Nubian Village, shop in the Souk or rent a kayak. The morning is yours!

After a morning spent at leisure, head to Eco Nubia for lunch, and snag a table on their terrace which overlooks the Philae Temple, where you will head for a brief tour following a decadent lunch.

You can’t go to Egypt without a sailing experience, and we’ve got just the one lined up. Your traditional felucca will cruise at a peaceful and relaxing pace down the Nile so you can admire the desert sunset. You will disembark at Heissa Nile Island for dinner at a traditional Nubian restaurant before being brought home at the end of the night.

Today, you’re taking a day trip from Aswan to visit Abu Simbel, a UNESCO World Heritage site, famous for its colossal temples built by Ramses II.

To avoid the hottest part of the day, you’ll depart early in the morning via car, providing the opportunity to enjoy the picturesque views of the desert and the Nile River as you travel southward towards the Sudanese border.

Once you arrive, your guide will take you through the complex, explaining the history and significance of the temples:

• Great Temple of Ramses II: Marvel at the impressive facade and colossal statues of Ramses II and explore the intricate carvings and hieroglyphs depicting scenes of ancient battles and religious ceremonies.

• Temple of Hathor: Visit the smaller but equally captivating temple dedicated to Hathor, adorned with statues of Ramses II and his beloved wife Nefertari.

Once you’ve had your fill of temples, we’ll take you to a local restaurant where you can get your fill of delicious Egyptian food. After lunch, begin your journey back to Aswan. Use the journey to reflect on the wonders you've seen at Abu Simbel. You'll arrive back in Aswan in the late afternoon or early evening.

A day trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan is a whirlwind of history, culture and breathtaking sights, offering a glimpse into ancient Egypt's grandeur and the architectural prowess of Ramses II.

This morning, you will bid Aswan farewell and head to Luxor by way of a private transfer. Prepare to be wowed by your next accommodation, Al Moudira. Here, surrounded by farmland on the quiet west bank of the Nile, you’re far removed from the east bank tourist crush, and closer to where you’re actually headed, the Valley of the Kings.

After lunch served beneath stone arches and crystal chandeliers, you’ll be whisked away to the Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak and Luxor Temple. One of the largest religious temple complexes in the world, the Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak, beckons. Dedicated to the Egyptian sun god, Amun-Ra, 30 pharaohs over the course of 1,000 years contributed to the complex. Corridors of sphinxes, pylons and monuments to pharaohs and gods span across an area of 250,000 square meters.

You’ll be wiped by the time dinner rolls around, so I propose a relaxing evening to enjoy the hospitality of your new hotel, a stunning oasis where the domes, arches, ceramic fountains and open-air patios will make you feel like you’re in an Arabian palace.

After breakfast, you will explore the Valley of the Kings. Tucked away and hidden within the hillsides, 63 tombs were sealed away to protect the pharaohs within as they slumbered, including the tomb of legendary King Tutankhamen. The hidden tunnels of tombs are impressive enough, but the original painted hieroglyphics are the true marvel. The paint, while thousands of years old, looks fresh still, as though it were painted yesterday. From the tunnels of King Tut’s tomb, we venture to the Temple of Hatshepsut, one of two known female pharaohs. An internationally recognized architectural marvel, her temple rises in three great terraces over the desert floor and into the cliffs of Deir al-Bahari.

This evening, you’ll continue to your final dinner, served in a communal setting overlooking the Nile. Reminisce on your travel highlights while breaking sun bread — bread baked from the direct sunlight of the desert and then browned in the oven. What an adventure it’s been!