8 Days Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan Luxury Vacation

Achieve your life dream and enjoy an excursion to the Giza pyramids of Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinus. Then proceed to visit the Great Sphinx with a lion’s body, dating back to the time of Chephren. Your Egyptologist guide will introduce each of the 3 pyramids: Cheops, Khafre, and Menakaure. You will have free time to enter one of the pyramids (at an additional cost). You can go on a camel ride (at an additional cost). A short drive to the city side of the plateau finds you standing at the feet of the Sphinx, you will visit the valley temple to learn about mummification. Your next stop is the famous Egyptian Museum. The Egyptian Museum attracts millions of visitors a year. The highlight is the priceless treasures of King Tutankhamun. Your Egyptologist guide will introduce you to the most important pieces before allowing you to have free time to explore the museum at leisure. Then you will discover the ancient sites and culture of Coptic Christians where you will learn about Christian life in Egypt. You will first visit the Hanging Church is built into the walls of the water gate of the Roman fortress and is possibly the oldest Christian church in Egypt. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it is one of Cairo’s most beautiful churches. Continue to the Monastery and Church of Saint George. You will then tour Ben Ezra Synagogue, which is one of the oldest synagogues in Egypt. Your final stop will be the Khan el Khalili bazaar tour where your guide will introduce the famous markets, which claim to have inspired Christopher Columbus to discover the Americas. Here you will have free time to stroll through the maze of streets and shops and try your luck bargaining with the shop owners for a souvenir or two of your trip to Egypt or have a cup of Egyptian tea at the famous coffee shop “El Fishawy” to enjoy the atmosphere of the bazaar. You will then go back to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo

Check out from the hotel in the morning then transfer to Cairo Airport for a flight to Luxor where you will be met and assisted, then taken by an air-conditioned vehicle to board your 5-star Egypt Nile cruise tours to check-in. After lunch on board, enjoy a visit to the impressive Karnak Temple, the largest place of worship ever built. Its ancient name I pet-it means “the most sacred of places.” The temple, or, more correctly, the complex of temples, was built over more than 2,000 years by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, you will find the great “Hypostyle Hall,” which is an incredible forest of giant pillars. After this, you will be transferred to Luxor temple, which was built by Amenhotep III, and Ramses II for rituals and festivals dedicated to the god Amen. Dinner and overnight on board the Nile cruise

After breakfast on your Nile cruise, you will visit the West Bank of the River Nile to visit the two colossal statues (Colossi of Memnon). Following this, you will visit the Valley of the Kings, where the magnificent pharaonic tombs were discovered. Continue the tour to visit the Hatshepsut temple at El Deir El Bahary, dedicated to Queen Hatshepsut. Then you will visit the Valley of the Queens. You will head back to your cruise ship for lunch. After having afternoon tea on the ship, you will have free time at leisure. Enjoy a leisurely dinner aboard the cruise. Overnight on board Nile Cruise

After breakfast on the Nile cruise, visit the well-preserved Ptolemaic Temple dedicated to Horus at Edfu Temple. Sail to Kom Ombo to see the Temple of Sobek, the crocodile god. Lunch aboard. Continue sailing to Aswan. Dinner and overnight on board your Nile Cruise

Early morning in Aswan, you will enjoy a day’s sightseeing. Start with the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk then on to the beautiful Temple of Philae, which is devoted to the goddesses Isis and Hathor. Sail and move around Elephantine Island by a local felucca boat. Dinner and overnight on board Nile Cruise

Today, you will fly to the impressive Temples of Ramses II in Abu Simbel Temple. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Nubian Monuments,” which runs from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his alleged victory at the Battle of Kadesh, and to intimidate his Nubian neighbors. Abu Simbel remains one of Egypt’s top tourist attractions. With your qualified Egyptologist as your guide, you will enjoy a personalized visit to the temples of Abu Simbel. Then return to Aswan Airport to Cairo to be met and assisted at the airport and be taken to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo

After breakfast at your hotel, transfer to Cairo International Airport for final departure