Best of Egypt 10-Day Tour: Pyramids & Nile River Cruise

Arrive in Cairo, where you are met by our representative and transferred to your historic hotel ideally situated near the last remaining Ancient Wonder of the World — the Great Pyramid of Giza. •Pyramids Park hotel or something similar • Enjoy your first night in Egypt Over Night In Cairo.

After having breakfast and checking out, you'll meet your local Egyptologist Tour Guide who will accompany you on a full day of exploring the most famous ancient sites. The Giza Plateau: Wonders of Antiquity (Morning) Your day starts at the Giza Plateau, which is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Your guide will give you a detailed overview of the three huge Pyramids of Cheops (Khufu), Chephren (Khafre), and Mycerinus (Menkaure). Take in the amazing sight of these structures, which have stood as a symbol of ancient engineering for more than 4,500 years. Your visit continues with an exploration of the Valley Temple of King Chephren, an essential part of the funerary complex, followed by an up-close encounter with the legendary Great Sphinx, the mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man. Cultural Immersion at the Grand Egyptian Museum (Afternoon) The journey continues as you delve into Egypt's magnificent heritage at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). Explore the world's largest archaeological museum dedicated to a single civilization, housing countless artifacts and showcasing the history of ancient Egypt with unparalleled grandeur.

Breakfast will be served in your train compartments. Upon arrival at Luxor train station, you will be picked up & transferred to visit the Karnak Temple, one of the most impressive of the entire ancient Pharaohs’ monumental works. Karnak is a house of the gods that was built over a period of some 2000 years. Your tour guide will accompany you through this vast temple, walk along the Avenue of Sphinxes, pylons, hall of columns, obelisks, and chapels, which will reveal its finest sections. Continue to Luxor Temple, once joined to the Temple of Karnak by a three-kilometer-long Avenue of Sphinx, a portion of which still marks the entrance to the temple of Luxor. Dominated by statues of the great warrior pharaoh Ramses II, the inner walls and columns are decorated with intricate hieroglyphics, which your guide will help you decipher. Find out how Alexander the Great wrote himself into Luxor Temple’s history, and see one of the original pair of obelisks, the second of which now stands on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. After finishing, you will be transferred to embark on your Nile Cruise for 4 Nights to Aswan. Lunch will be served on board, and you will enjoy free time to relax in Luxor.

Breakfast on board and then your tour guide will escort you to visit the Luxor west bank. Your first stop will be at the two Colossi of Memnon, which mark the site of the funerary temple of Amenhotep III. These two giant statues standing tall and proud are all that remain of the ancient complex. Then head out to the Valley of the Kings, the largest burial ground in ancient Egypt. Here are over 162 tombs of pharaohs, Nobles, and Queens that are richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. With your tour guide, explore this sprawling and spectacular place, where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (16th to 11th century BC) were secretly interred for all eternity, and where discoveries are still being made. You will visit 3 of the best-preserved tombs. Your Egyptologist tour guide will explain the history and legends of these remarkable people, their funerary rites, and the significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics, still well-preserved in the deepest tombs. Whilst here, you will have the chance to visit the tomb of Tutankhamun (Extra ticket on spot). Continue to the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut – a stunning colonnaded building set against high cliffs that create a spectacular natural amphitheater. The legendary Hatshepsut had this mortuary temple built to signify her importance and honor her ancestors. After finished, return to your Nile Cruise ship for lunch on board and free time to relax and enjoy the spectacular view of the Nile Valley while sailing to Edfu via Esna lock. Optional: A spectacular hot air balloon flight over the west bank of the Nile is available this morning (expect an early start 04:30 to 05:00 to catch sunrise as the balloon rises). Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast on board, you will enjoy a return way Horse and Carriage ride to visit Edfu temple, consider one of the best preserved of all the Egyptian Temples. The temple is dedicated to the falcon god Horus, son of Isis and Osiris. The stunning Temples of Horus in Edfu were built during the Ptolemaic times and were completed over a 180-year period. Afterwards, return to the ship and leisurely cruise upriver, with free time relaxing on the sundeck and taking in the surrounding sights – desert hills forming a backdrop to lush riverbanks, fishermen casting their nets and farmers working their land, this is living. Afternoon, stop at Kom-ombo Temple, north of Aswan. Built on a high dune overlooking the Nile, the complex sits picturesquely ruined on the river’s edge and dates back to the second century BC. The complex is unique because it has a mirror-image design, divided down the middle, with either side dedicated to a different set of gods. One half is known as the Temple of Sobek (the crocodile-headed god of fertility), and it includes details on the Ancient Egyptian’s relationship with crocodiles, whom they revered and feared in equal measure. The other half is dedicated to Haroeris (also known as Horus the falcon god), and the whole temple is full of fascinating reliefs. After finishing, return to your Nile Cruise and continue sailing to Aswan. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, spend the morning at leisure, or join the optional Abu Simbel Temple tour. A bus ride from Aswan transports you back in time to the mighty Temple of Abu Simbel (almost 9 9-hour tour). In the afternoon, you will enjoy a Felucca Ride (almost 1 hour). Enjoy a relaxing sailing aboard a Nile felucca, the traditional sailboat of Egypt, used along the Nile, “Weather permits!” Return to the Nile cruise boat & free time to relax or join the optional Nubian Village trip by a motorboat and get an insight into the culture, history, and lifestyle of one of Africa’s oldest civilizations. Enjoy a drink at one of the colorful rural houses, nestled amongst the natural scenery. Walk through the local market to get a taste of the unique culture and traditions (almost 3-hour tour). Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Check out after Breakfast on Board, start to visit the unfinished obelisk that lies in the ancient stone quarry, where most of the famous obelisks were cut. Then drive to see the Aswan High Dam, an engineering miracle when it was originally constructed in the 1960s. The dam brought an end to the Nile’s devastating floods. Continue with a motorboat ride to visit Philae Temple Island, located in the Nile River between the old Aswan Dam and Aswan High Dam. The Island was sacred to the goddess Isis, mother of Horus and wife of Osiris. Your tour guide will take you on a walking tour through the temple, and then enjoy free time to explore at leisure. Keep in mind that tonight you’ll board an overnight sleeper train from Aswan back to Cairo (approximately 12 hours), and dinner will be served aboard the train in your private twin-berth compartments before the steward sets your beds up for the night. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Breakfast aboard the sleeper train before arriving at the Giza train station, where your tour guide will pick you up to start today tour to visit the Egyptian Museum of antiquities, home to one of the world’s largest collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts. Wander the masses of gleaming artefacts recovered from the tomb of King Tutankhamun are an impressive sight – from jewellery to the famous golden death mask and his gilded sarcophagi, this pharaoh was certainly prepared for the afterlife. You will also have time to visit the Museum’s royal Mummies hall for a close encounter with some of the country’s most important queens and pharaohs (extra ticket on spot). Proceed to visit the Citadel of Saladin, a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, built by Saladin in 1176. You will explore the Mohamed Ali Mosque due to its prominent features. The mosque was built on the summit of the Citadel of Saladin between 1830 and 1848. Continue to Coptic Cairo, a part of old Cairo which includes the Babylon fortress, the Hanging church, Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga), and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Then drive to Islamic Cairo and marvel at Cairo’s largest market, the Khan el Khalili Bazaar. You’ll enjoy free time to stroll through the maze of streets. After finishing, transfer to your hotel in Cairo and Free time to relax. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Begin the day with a journey to Saqqara (Sakkara), one of Egypt's most significant and sprawling necropolises. This vast site holds hundreds of tombs and the ruins of 14 pyramids, most famously the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Marvel at this pivotal structure, considered the world's oldest monumental stone building, which marked a revolutionary development in ancient Egyptian architecture.

After breakfast at your Cairo hotel, you will be seamlessly transferred to Cairo International Airport (CAI) in a private, air-conditioned vehicle for your outbound departure. Transfer: Your pre-arranged transfer will ensure a hassle-free journey from your accommodation directly to your respective terminal.