Best of Egypt - Cairo & River Nile Cruise

Assemble at Mumbai International airport as per your flight timing (late night) to board flight to Cairo.

Overnight on transit.

Reach Egypt by morning/afternoon & get received by our representative at the airport. Post meet & greet at the airport, transfer to your hotel (standard check in time is 1400 hrs). Rest of the day is free at leisure to recover from the jet lag caused by the overnight journey. Alternatively, in the evening, we can visit the local market to experience life the Egyptian way.

Overnight at Cairo. (D)

Breakfast at your hotel. Start your holidays in Egypt visiting the Egyptian Museum of antiquities. It displays the largest and most precious items of the Egyptian art in the world. It exhibits a rare collection of over 250,000 genuine artifacts that date as far back as 5000 years, including an exclusive exhibit dedicated to the youngest pharaoh Tutankhamon - A collection of treasures, gold, and jewelry that were buried in his tomb for over 3,500 years before they were discovered in the 1920s when his tomb was excavated. Visit the Great Pyramids - Cheops, Chephren & Mykerinos and have a close-up look at the Sphinx - The legendary guardian that stands by the huge funeral complex with its lion body and the head of king Chephren. Visit the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. The innumerous shops in this district are known for trading fine brassware, copper, perfumes, leather, silver, gold, antiques and much more. In the evening, experience the Dinner on the River Nile cruise.  Few can complete with the romantic setting of dinner on a Nile cruise ship. These cruisers float for 2 hours and bring you and your party tasty meals, excellent entertainment and an unforgettable evening of stargazing along the Nile banks. The tour includes belly dance shows and live music of all styles, Arabic as well as Western, and Sufi or even acrobatic performances.                     

Overnight at your hotel in Cairo.  (B, D)

After breakfast, start your full day tour visiting Sakkara, located only 27 km southwest away from Cairo. Visit the Step Pyramid (Built for king Zoser), it is considered an important part in the process of the pyramid evolution, which were made from the simple mastaba to its widely known form. Then visit to the pyramids of Unas & Oser-Kaf, the tomb of Mereruka, Ti & Pta-Hotep (Carved and painted tombs). Visit Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, where the colossal statue of Ramses II and the great Alabaster Sphinx are located. Continue the tour to the old part of Cairo, the Church of Abu-Sergah and St. Barbara, the hanging church, and the old Jewish synagogue – Ben Ezra Synagogue. Return to Cairo by evening. Later in the evening transfer to the railway station to board an overnight train to Luxor. Enjoy the marvelous train journey from Cairo to Luxor in the best train of Egypt – The Watania Express. (Light dinner will be provided on board – however if you wish to take something more filling, we have an option to arrange a packed dinner for you upon prior request.)

Overnight on transit. (B, D)

On arrival at Aswan, indulge in a day long excursion of Aswan. Visit the Philae Temple (The Temple of Isis is one of the greatest Temples in Egypt and it occupies about a quarter of the island. It is the main Temple on the island, with its huge, complete, pylons and beautiful scenes), High Dam (One of the most outstanding architectural achievements of the twentieth century. It was constructed to replace the old Aswan dam built in 1902. The High dam was constructed to protect Egypt from the floods as well as providing irrigation and electricity all over Egypt) and Unfinished Obelisk (The beautiful red granites that were used in building the temples and monuments in the ancient days were brought from the quarries of Aswan. Check in to your 5star Nile Cruise and enjoy different activities in the cruise during the evening time.

Overnight on Cruise. (B, L, D)

Today we will start very early in the morning for an unforgettable tour to the Abu Simbel temple. A 3 hours journey from Aswan will bring you to Abu Simbel, where stands the two temples of Ramses the second and the Queen Nefertari. These were carved out of the Mountain on the west bank of the Nile between 1274 and 1244 B.C. The Great Temple was dedicated to Ramses the second, Ra-Harakhty, Amun Ra, and Ptah, with 4 colossal statues, The second temple was dedicated to The Queen Nefertari and Goddess Hathor. The two temples were dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt on higher ground, the preservation of the two temples of Abu Simbel must Rank as the greatest Achievement of the Unesco. Return to Aswan by afternoon and Visit the Kom-Ombo Temple - located in Kom Ombo town, 45 km north of Aswan. It is built on a hillside overlooking the Nile. This temple was constructed in the Ptolemaic Roman era for the worship of god Haroeris and Sobek, the crocodile god. It is noted for relief engravings on its walls which show ancient surgical tools, bone saws and dentistry tools.

Overnight on cruise. (B, L, D)

This morning, after breakfast, visit The Edfu Temple which lies in Edfu town, 123 km north of Aswan on the west bank of the Nile. It dates to the Ptolemaic period. It was dedicated to the worship of god Hours represented as a falcon. It is one of the most beautiful Egyptian temples, distinguished by its huge splendid structure that blends Pharaonic and Greek architecture. Its grandeur competes with Luxor temples. It is the second largest temple after Karnak. Sail onwards to Luxor and visit the Luxor temples on the east bank of Nile. These temples, largely built by the New Kingdom Pharaoh Amenhotep the Third and Completed by King Tutankhamun and the Great King Ramses the second. The First pylon was raised by Ramses the second and decorated with his Military Battle of Kadesh.

Overnight on Cruise. (B, L, D)

After breakfast, check out of the cruise and visit the West Bank including: Valley of the Kings. It is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, across from Thebes (modern Luxor), within the heart of the Theban Necropolis. Visit the Colossi of Memnon - The two colossi are made of sandstone, which during ancient times was brought from Gabal El Silselah. Each colossus, including the pedestal and the crown, is about 21m tall and represents King Amenhotep III seating on his throne, wearing the Memes, or royal headdress, with the divine cobra protecting his forehead. On the sides of the colossi there is a representation of the Nile god Hapi, bending together the lotus and the papyrus plants, symbolizing the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. Also visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut who was the fifth Pharaoh of the18th-dynasty and was one of the handful of female rulers in Ancient Egypt. Her reign was the longest of all the female pharaohs. Her funerary temple still stands as a tribute to her incredible rise to power. After lunch, back to the East Bank to see the largest temple ever; Karnak Temple built through 2000 years, covering an area of about 63 acres. Have nice pics between its huge pillars and obelisks. Later in the evening, transfer to airport to board return flight to Cairo. Reach Cairo & transfer to the

Overnight on Cruise. (B, L, D)

[You will have an optional tour to experience hot air balloon ride during sunrise to experience viewing Luxor from a different angle while drifting silently over Luxor, not only seeing ancient sites and ruins but also villages waking up in the early morning – Price: Approximately 80 USD pp (Rs.6000/-)]

After breakfast, depending on your flight timing, transfer to Cairo airport to board return flight to India. Reach Delhi by late night or early next day morning. (B)