9 Days of Ancient Exploration in Egypt

Indulge in a welcome drink at Mena House.

Then, enjoy a whole new experience of the Pyramids of Giza by watching the Sound and Light Show, one of the best evening activities around Cairo. Learn about the history of the pyramids throughout the entertaining show and get close to the Sphinx (and other pyramids) for pictures. Include a Cairo hotel pickup and drop-off to make this a seamless experience.

Start your tour of Egypt and the Nile at the Giza Plateau. View the site of Cheops, Chefren and the Mycerinus pyramids, built in the fourth dynasty (approximately 2550 BC).

Explore the interior of one of these legendary pyramids and ride like a local on
camel back (at your leisure). Visit the Solar Boat Museum, site of King Cheops funerary boat and finish the adventure off by seeing the great Sphinx.

Tip: Have your pictures taken aboard a camel with the pyramids as your backdrop, or jump on a four-wheel vehicle and take a ride around the awe-striking sites.

Begin your day of exploring with a trip to the Temple of Karnak, where
generations of pharaohs wished to record their names. Walk through the great
hypostyle hall which is a veritable forest in stone. It’s expertly aligned 134 colossal
papyrus columns surge into the sky in an impressive array of ancient workmanship.

Continue to visit Luxor Temple. The front of the temple was built by Rameses II, while the oldest and the rear part was begun by Amenhotep III and completed by the young pharaoh Tutankhamen. Fun fact, Luxor Temple has been in (almost) a continuous use as a place of worship til now. Afterward, transfer to your M/S. Blue Shadow Nile Cruise.

Have lunch and dinner on-board the cruise and spend a night in Luxor.

Tip: Check out the Karnak Light and Sound Show.

In the early portion of the morning, enjoy a hot air balloon journey over the Valley of the Kings and Queens, then explore the Necropolis of Thebes on the west bank of the Nile.

The Valley of the Kings was used as a burial ground for a period of 500 years beginning in the 16th century BC. Tombs were cut along this valley for pharaohs and nobles, including that of the boy king Tutankhamen. Founded in 1922 by British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter, the tomb of Tutankhamen is yours to discover, as you set foot inside its 35-century-old walls.

Later, stop at the lovely Temple of Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt’s first female pharaoh and regarded today as one of its most successful. Also, enjoy a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon. Back to your Nile Cruise and set sail to Edfu via Esna.

Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, dedicated to the falcon-headed god of the sky. Built between 257 to 57 BC, the temple was once buried in sand and debris. This stunningly preserved and colorful structure reveals what temple worship in ancient Egypt was like.

Afterwards, head back to your cruise and travel to Kom Ombo.

Disembark at Kom Ombo (mound of gold) to visit the Greco-Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god), considered the creator of the world by some ancient Egyptians. Whilst here, view the mummified remains of several crocodiles that once basked along the ancient Nile shore, just as their descendants do today.

Then, go back to the cruise ship and sail to Aswan.

At 4:30 AM, start your journey to visit the Abu Simbel Temples. You will drive for almost three hours to discover Abu Simbel Temple, the commanding twin temples of Ramses II and his wife, Queen Nefertari. The Great temple façade was dominated by four statues of the pharaoh, each nearly 21 meters high. Perhaps even more impressive, was the fact that this entire site was disassembled and moved to save it from the floodwaters caused by the Aswan High Dam. After lunch on board, enjoy Egypt and the Nile with a ride around Elephantine islands, weather permitting!

Tip: Make sure to visit Aswan Botanical Garden & Nubian Village.

Disembark after breakfast. Today, start your Nile Tour with a visit to the
impressive granite quarry and site of the unfinished obelisk. This monolith is one-third taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk, illustrating the skills of Egypt’s stonemasons.

Proceed with a motor boat ride to Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika. This sacred complex dedicated to the Goddess Isis and reflects a fusion of three great civilizations, Egyptian, Greek and Roman. The temple was dismantled and then painstakingly reassembled after the building of Aswan high dam. The high dam built across the Nile River in Aswan in the 1960s, and incorporating 16 times the amount of material that went into the Great Pyramid at Giza. It provides irrigation and hydroelectric power to much of Egypt.

Late afternoon, fly back to Cairo transfer to Kempinski Nile Hotel.

Visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, home to the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. Including the treasures from Tutankhamun tomb, discovered by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor. View its famed mummy room, featuring the remains of Egypt’s pharaohs, including Ramses II.

After lunch, explore the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, built in 1356 AD and counted among the finest examples of early Mamluk architecture.

Next, walk from the twin-towered Bab el-Fotouh, a fortified gate in Cairo’s Old City
walls to Khan el-Khalili, one of the city’s major souks (open-air marketplaces). Browse the tightly packed stalls displaying everything from spices and leather goods to jewelry and vegetables, all on a street that has hardly changed for centuries. Bargaining is expected, so prepare to negotiate.

After breakfast, drive to Memphis, capital of the old kingdom of ancient Egypt and
now home to an open-air museum and a giant statue of Ramses II. Continue to Saqqara Necropolis, the site of hundreds of tombs and 14 pyramids, including the Step Pyramid of King Djoser. This evening, gather with your fellow guests to reflect on your journey through Egypt and the Nile with a farewell dinner on a Nile Cruise.