Egypt, Cairo On the trail of Cleopatra 5*

Arrival in Cairo.

Cairo is one of the biggest cities in the world and spans the length of both sides of the Nile.

Welcome on arrival, assistance with entry formalities and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Set off to visit the Giza Plateau and its incredible pyramids: Khufu (the largest, built around 2650 B.C. 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 metres high.

Khephren: the Pyramid of Khephren or Khafre looks taller than Giza, but in reality, it is slightly smaller. It appears bigger because it is steeper and sits on slightly higher ground.

Menkaure: the tomb of King Menkaure. At a height of 66 metres, 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 to the tomb against pillagers. It is 73 metres long and 20 metres high.

Lunch near the pyramids.

The afternoon will be spent visiting the sites of Memphis and Saqqarah. Memphis, in the south of Cairo, is now a palm grove where several stone blocks, tablets and statues lie, including the iconic Alabaster Sphinx. Memphis was the capital of the Old Egyptian Empire and was founded by King Menes around 3000 B.C. Next is Saqqarah and the famous Step Pyramid, built around 2700 B.C. for the pharaoh Djoser by the architect Imhotep.

Optional activity to be booked and paid for on-site with our local representative: Sound & Light at the Pyramids

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast.

Transfer to the airport and flight to Luxor, in Upper Egypt.

Arrival, transfer to the port and settling into your cabin for the cruise.

Lunch on board.

Free afternoon.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast on board before setting off to visit the left bank of the Nile, Thebes, where tombs of pharaohs from the 18th to the 20th dynasty can be found.
The Valley of the Kings where you will 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. There were no more colossal monuments, such as the pyramids, or even the Mastabas used during the Old Kingdom, but instead, vaults were dug into the rock and access to them was strictly closed and hidden. Perhaps the main reason 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 and monumental site of Ramesses.
Ramesses III sought to restore the greatness of Egypt and at the same time to immortalise the name of his famous ancestor. As soon as he acceded to the throne, he began to build his jubilee temple, which 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: 2 giant twin statues carved in sandstone, witnesses to the past splendours of the temple of Amenhotep III.

Lunch on board.

Sail towards Esna.

Dinner and overnight stay on board

Breakfast, sail down to Edfu.

Lunch on board.

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. You enter the temple through the great pylon decorated with large raised images of the king and the gods, 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.

Cruise continues to Kom Ombo.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast. Morning visit to the Temple of Kom Ombo.
Just a 5-minute walk away: isolated on a promontory on the banks of the Nile, this temple, the only one of its kind in Egypt, dates back to the Greco-Roman era and brings together two superb sanctuaries, one dedicated to Sobek, the Crocodile God, and the other to Horus, the Falcon God. It was built in Ptolemaic times on the site of a New Kingdom temple. It stands on a hilltop 15 meters above the Nile.
Its most astonishing feature is that it is dedicated to 2 distinct divinities: the falcon god HAROERIS, "Horus the Great", and Sobek, the crocodile god. The temple is all about duality: it has two entrances, two parallel corridors, symmetrically arranged halls on either side of these corridors, all meeting at the double sanctuary.
On the esplanade in front of the entrance, sculpted columns reveal shimmering colors. The small building to the right of the entrance is Hathor's chapel, housing a number of crocodile mummies.

Sailing to Assuan, capital of Nubia.

Lunch on board.

After the construction of the Aswan High Dam by President Nasser in the 1960s, the island of Philae, upstream from the Nile's first cataract, was completely covered by water. With UNESCO's help, work was undertaken to dismantle Philae's monuments piece by piece and reassemble them on the neighbouring island, 400 metres downstream. Philae was entirely dedicated to Isis.

Visit to a Papyrus Institute, where it is possible, but not obligatory, to make purchases.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast on board, free morning.

Mini-cruise in a felucca, the only way to reach the left bank and the unmissable Kitchener or Elephantine Islands. Enjoy the breeze while you sail along the calm, blue waters of the ancient Nile.

Stop on Kitchener Island, and visit its botanical garden.

Optional activity to be booked and paid for on-site with our local representative:
- Excursion to Abu Simbel by coach
- Sound & Light show at Philae

Late afternoon free.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast.

Free day on the ship.

Lunch on board, then sail to Esna.

Dinner and overnight stay on board

Early morning, lock passage.

Breakfast on board. Then visit the Karnak Temple, the most theological temple ever built. Here, over 2,000 years, the faith of mankind has paid homage to the same god: Amon. The greatest kings ( followed one another.

Lunch on board.

Visit Luxor Temple, built to glorify the god Amun Re, who celebrated the anniversary of their marriage each year with his wife Mut. The procession left Karnak temple and followed the banks of the Nile to Luxor temple. Construction of the latter dates back to the reign of the two pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramses II. Two obelisks adorned the entrance: they were donated to France in 1831 by Mehemet Ali. It is possible to visit Luxor Temple at night

Return to the boat. Free time.

Optional extra activities to be booked and paid for on site with our local representative:
- Sound and light show at Karnak temple

Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast on board.

Domestic flight to Cairo.

Lunch.

Explore Cairo and visit the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which features a large clock in the centre of the courtyard gifted to Muhammad Ali by the King of France Louis Philippe. The Belvedere commands a panoramic view of the city of Cairo.

Walk around the colourful Khan El Khalili souk, built in the 14th century and selling traditional goods, gold and silver jewellery, and a selection of North African handicrafts.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast.

Visit to The Egyptian Museum where treasures dating from the prehistoric age to the Roman period can be viewed. You will see the well-known Tutankhamun, among other treasures. It has over 250,000 items and is one of the largest museums in the world. It helps visitors discover the history of Ancient Egypt through 5 millennia.

Lunch during the visit.

Set off to visit Coptic Cairo. The Christian religion was introduced by Saint Mark around 45 AD and this is how the Coptic community began to develop. The Coptic area in Cairo is best known for having many churches within a very small area.
The Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church is one of the oldest Christian churches, built around the 3rd or 4th century AD. The Church was named Saint Sergius in homage to a former war general who converted to Christianity. The Christians built a church on this very spot because it is believed that the Holy Family took refuge here when it used to be a cave.
The Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, or the Hanging Church, is a stunning building. It is accessible via stairs preceded by a corridor with mosaics depicting biblical scenes. This church is nicknamed the Hanging Church, as it is built on palm tree trunks, which support it like stilts. The interior is lavishly decorated. In the main church, there is a Coptic icon depicting the Virgin Mary with Jesus in her arms. It feels like she's following you with her gaze as you walk around her.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast.

Morning departure to explore Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. who also gave it its name. Alexandria was the regional capital in ancient times and was Egypt's biggest port and a major cultural hotspot.
Tour of the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa considered to be the largest Roman burial site known to date; Pompey's Pillar built in honour of the emperor; the Roman theatre, the only one of its kind in Egypt; Qaitbay Citadel built in the 15th century on the site of the old lighthouse; and the Library (exterior).

Lunch during the visit.

Return to Cairo at the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast.

Transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule

Assistance with check-in before your flight home.

Tips: 'bakchich'! A word you'll soon be familiar with! It's easy to say no to a solicitor, but it's a way of rewarding work and service well done. Gratuities for guides are never included. It is at the discretion of each individual.

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

The luggage allowance for domestic flights is 23 kg per person in the hold and one small bag of up to 7 kg in the cabin. Any additional kilos will be charged locally.

Accommodation is in accordance with local standards.

The level of screening at Egypt's airports can be high and random depending on the number of tourists, so the guide will plan ahead as much as possible.

As traffic can be heavy in Cairo, journey times can be long.

On excursions, you will be grouped with other participants.
This package includes periods of free time during which you can wander around at your leisure. However, transfers are at your own expense.

Optional extras are subject to a supplement, payable on site to your guide or local representative.

The order of the visits can be modified to take account of local requirements (navigation time, passage of locks), but the visits listed will be carried out.

The pace of visits can be quite long (see all the visits included in the day-by-day details), which means waking up very early in the morning (outside the boat's navigation periods)

Egypt is a cultural destination

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