Egypt, Cairo

The Nile and the Pyramids 5^*

Arrival in Cairo, one of the largest cities in the world, which spans both banks of the Nile.

Group transfer to your hotel.

Breakfast.

Group transfer to the airport for your flight to Luxor in Upper Egypt.

Arrival in Luxor, transfer to the port and settle in.

Lunch on board.

Set off to visit the left bank of the Nile, Thebes, where the tombs of pharaohs from the 18th to the 20th dynasty can be found, and the Valley of Kings where you'll visit three tombs. From the 18th dynasty onwards and throughout the New Empire, the pharaohs were no longer buried in temples or monuments dedicated to their last journey. Thutmose I and all the pharaohs who followed him decided to be buried on the other side of the Nile, on the West Bank - the land of the afterlife. Colossal monuments, such as the pyramids, and even the Mastabas used during the Old Kingdom ceased to be used. Instead, vaults were dug into the rock and access to them was strictly closed and hidden. Perhaps the main reason for this was to avoid grave robbers.

Visit the temple at Medinet Habu, also known as the Temple of Ramesses III. This temple is like a castle. It is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular funerary temples. Your visit to Egypt would not be complete without visiting the gigantic monumental site of Ramesses. Ramesses III sought to restore the greatness of Egypt and equally immortalise the name of his famous ancestor. He began to build his jubilee temple as soon as he acceded to the throne, and it has remained one of the largest in the necropolis of Thebes. Visitors are always captivated by this vast ancient fortress built by Ramesses. It is incredible in both size and splendour. It is one of the few that still has beautiful colours.

On the way back, there will be a photo opportunity at the Colossi of Memnon: two giant twin statues carved in sandstone, witnesses to the past splendours of the temple of Amenhotep III.

Sail towards Esna.

Dinner and night spent on board the five-star boat (local standards).

Breakfast.

Sail to Edfu.

Set off to visit the splendid Temple of Horus in Edfu. This masterpiece of architectural balance and elegance is one of the best-preserved sites in all of Ancient Egypt, a great example of Ptolemaic art from the Graeco-Roman period. Enter the temple through the great pylon decorated with large, raised images of the king and the gods, and head towards the courtyard with walls depicting the various rituals performed by the king. There are two large black granite falcons, representing the God Horus, which guard the entrance of the temple.

The cruise continues to Kom Ombo.

Dinner and night spent on board the five-star boat (local standards).

Breakfast.

Visit the Temple of Kom Ombo in the morning, which is just a 5-minute walk away: set alone on a promontory along the Nile, this is the only temple of its kind in Egypt. It dates from the Graeco-Roman era and has two superb sanctuaries, one dedicated to Sobek, the Crocodile God, and the second to Horus, the Falcon God. It was built in the Ptolemaic period on the site of a New Kingdom temple. It is located on a 15-metre-high hill overlooking the Nile. Its most surprising feature is that it is consecrated to two different gods: the Falcon God Haroeris, "Great Horus", sometimes called "Horus the Elder" and Sobek, the Crocodile God.
Duality is everywhere in this temple: it has two entrances, two parallel corridors, and symmetrically arranged rooms on either side of these corridors, which all lead to the double sanctuary.

Sail to Aswan, the capital of Nubia.

Lunch on board.

Next, visit the Philae Temple: after the construction of the Aswan High Dam by President Nasser in the 1960s, the island of Philae, upstream from the first waterfall of the Nile, was completely submerged by water. With UNESCO's support, work was undertaken to dismantle the monuments of Philae piece by piece and to reassemble them on the neighbouring island, 400 metres downstream. Philae was entirely consecrated to Isis. This temple of the Ptolemaic period (Ptolemaic dynasty, Graeco-Roman period), has kept its Naos, the stone tabernacle which housed the statue of the God. Visit the Papyrus Institute.

Dinner and night spent on board the five-star boat (local standards).

Breakfast on board.

Free morning.

Lunch on board.

Felucca Mini Cruise and Kitchener Botanical Garden. The only way to reach the left bank and the Kitchener or Elephantine Islands, real gems of the river. Enjoy the breeze while you sail along the calm, blue waters of the ancient Nile. Stop off at Kitchener Island and visit the botanical gardens.

Optional activity to be booked and paid for on-site with our local representative:
An exceptional site, located 260 km south of Aswan, this great temple was saved by UNESCO in 1969. The Colossi of Ramesses, the largest in Egypt, are built directly into the cliff. They are consecrated to the most famous gods of Pharaonic Egypt: Amon-Re, Ramesses and Ptah. The great temple is consecrated to God Amon-Re, the Temple of Hathor

Late afternoon free.

Dinner and night spent on board the five-star boat (local standards).

Breakfast.

Free day on the boat.

Lunch on board.

Sail to Esna

Dinner and night spent on board the five-star boat (local standards).

Early in the morning, passage of the lock.

Breakfast on board.

A visit to the Karnark Temple, the most historically significant religious site in the region. For over 2000 years, the temple has served as a place of worship for numerous followers of the deity Amun. The most prominent rulers have held the position in turn. The name Karnak, which means 'fortress', was first used after the Islamic conquest.

Lunch on board.

Visit of the Temple of Luxor, it was built to glorify the God Amon Ra who celebrated every year with his wife Mut the anniversary of their marriage. The procession left the temple of Karnak and went along the banks of the Nile to reach the temple of Luxor. The construction of the latter dates from the reign of the two pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramses II. (It is possible to visit Luxor temple at night)

Dinner and overnight on board the 5-star boat (local standards)

Breakfast on board.

Flight to Cairo, where you'll visit the Giza Plateau and its incredible pyramids:
Kheops (the largest of the three, built around 2650 B.C.), one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to have withstood the test of time. For more than 40 centuries, it was the highest monument built by man at 146 m high.
Khafre: the Pyramid of Khafre looks taller than Giza, but in reality it is slightly smaller. The tilted angle is more emphasised, and it sits on slightly higher ground which is what creates the illusion.
Menkaure: the tomb of King MenkauIt. At a height of 66 m, it is much smaller than the other two pyramids.
The Sphinx: a lion's body with a Pharaoh's head. Its role was to guard the entrance of the tomb against pillagers. It is 73 m long and 20 m high.

Lunch near the pyramids.

Depending on your return flight time, group transfer to the airport.

Tips: "baksheesh"! A word that you will soon get to know! If it is easy to refuse to the solicitors, on the other hand it is part of the customs and comes to reward a work and a service well done. The reward of the guides is never included. It is left to the appreciation of each one.

A fee paying connection may be available throughout the boat. However, we cannot guarantee the quality of the connection during your stay.

The baggage allowance for the domestic flight is 23kg in the hold per person, and a small bag in the cabin of 7kg maximum. Any additional kilo will be charged on the spot.

Accommodations are according to local standards.

The level of control at the airport in Egypt can be important and random depending on the number of tourists, which is why the guide anticipates the schedules as much as possible.

Because of the traffic that can be dense in Cairo, the travel time can be long.

During the excursions you will be grouped with other participants.
This package includes free time during which you can walk around at your convenience. However, you will be responsible for any transfers you make.

The options are extra, to be paid on the spot with your guide or local representative.

The order of the visits may be modified due to local imperatives (navigation time, passage of locks but the visits mentioned are respected)

The order of the visits can be modified due to local imperatives (navigation time, passage of locks but the visits mentioned are respected)

The rhythm of the visits can be important (see all the visits included in the detail day by day), which implies waking up very early in the morning (outside the periods of navigation of the boat)

Egypt is a cultural destination

PLEASE NOTE: For people booking the "hotel only" package (without international flight), please send us your flight details as soon as possible via the contact form located in "Help and contact" at the bottom of the page, so that we can organise your transfers.