Footsteps of Tutankhamun

Arrive in Cairo airport and private transfer to your hotel Marriott Mena House located at the foot of the Pyramids offering one of a kind accommodation experience with unmatched views of the Giza (accommodation in a Deluxe Partial View room). After check in enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Evening welcome reception at your hotel.

After breakfast visit the necropolis of Sakkara and the impressive museum of Imhotep. Continue to Memphis the see the colossal statue of Ramses II and the great alabaster Sphinx being the second largest in Egypt. Lunch provided to experience the local cuisine. On to the 4,500-year old Pyramids of Giza, built for Pharaohs Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus. The Great Pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence. Just to the east lies the legendary Sphinx. Visit the papyrus factory and learn the history of the papyrus symbolising lower Egypt as well the procedures of preparation and drawing. Return to your hotel for overnight. Optional Sound and Light show Pyramids. (B, L)

Morning transfer to Cairo airport for a short flight to Luxor. On arrival transfer to pier for embarkation on Sonesta St. George Nile Cruise. Enjoy lunch onboard your cruise. In the afternoon an unforgettable excursion to the Luxor Temple, which was built by two great pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramses II. Travel along an avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, extending for about two miles, which link Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple. No site in the world makes a more overwhelming and lasting impression than this “Temple of all Temples”. On your way back to the port visit the local school of Fraciscan Sisters and the Orphanage. Return back to the port and board your cruise for diner and overnight onboard. (B, L, D) 

After breakfast join a tour to the West Bank including visits to the Valley of the Kings housing many of the tombs of pharaohs from the New Kingdom including access to three tombs. Continue to Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple, the only woman pharaoh to reign in ancient Egypt, followed by stop near Colossi of Memnon - two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III rising majestically about 18m also known as the singing statues. Return to your vessel for lunch. Sail to Esna. Enjoy an afternoon tea time on the top deck while swimming and relaxing cruising along a scenic agricultural landscape by the Nile sores. Enjoy captain's welcome Cocktail and dinner onboard. Overnight in Esna. (B, L, D)

We strongly recommend that you wake up early walk the top deck and see the sunrise before breakfast. Today visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, having escaped destruction from Nile floods, is the most completely preserved and most atmospheric of ancient Egyptian temples. Return on board the cruise and sail to Kom Ombo In ancient Egypt the city was important to the caravan routes from Nubia and various gold mines. Up on arrival in Komombo disembark the cruise and walk to the Temple of Kombo dedicated to two gods the local crocodile god Sobek and Haroeris (Horus the older). After finishing the Temple visit continue to the New crocodile museum well worth a visit for its beautiful collection of mummified crocodiles and ancient carvings. Return back onboard for diner. Tonight dress up with Gallabya, a traditional Egyptian garment and join the Gallabya party while sailing to Aswan. Overnight on board. (B, L, D)

Today take a motorised boat to Philae Temple on the island of Agilika Visit the legendary Philae temple dedicated to the goddess Isis and reflects a fusion of three great civilisations — Egyptian, Greek and Roman. The temple was dismantled, and then painstakingly reassembled when the Aswan High Dam was constructed. Visit the High Dam an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. It contains 18 times the material used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Continue to the Northen Quarries where the large Unfinished Obelisk is located. The site provided valuable insight into how those monuments were created, although the full construction process is still not entirely clear. Return on board the cruise for lunch and in the afternoon sail by traditional felucca boat around Kitchener’s island and Agha Khan Mausoleum. Today join a special visit to Sofitel Old cataract hotel where you will enjoy famous afternoon tea. Its captivating atmosphere inspired Agatha Christies’ famous work, “Death on the Nile” . Return onboard for dinner and enjoy a Nubian party with life music. Overnight in Aswan. (B, L, D)

After breakfast transfer to the airport for your short flight to the Abu Simbel temples of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari at Abu Simbel - moved stone by stone in 1964 to higher ground to escape the rising waters of Lake Nasser. After visiting the temple transfer to the airport for your flight back to Cairo. Here you are met and transferred to the Kempinski Nile hotel. Tonight experience a private home hosted dinner with a traditional Egyptian local family, where you’ll get a to meet the family members and see how they live, and chat while tasting delicious Egyptian homemade dishes. Return to your hotel for overnight at Kempenski Nile in Deluxe Nile View room. (B, D) 

After breakfast visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, one of the most famous museums in the world. See numerous priceless treasures discovered over the years from many different periods of Egyptian History, including the golden mask of Tutankhamun. Continue to the Citadel and Bazaar. Inside the Citadel you can see the splendid Mosque of Mohamed Ali. Experience the excitement and chaos of the Khan Al Khalili Bazaar, one of the earliest and greatest markets of the Middle East known for its jewellery, leather goods and souvenirs. You can collect a real bargain if you are prepared to haggle! Enjoy traditional lunch at a local restaurant. Return to hotel for overnight. (B, L)

After breakfast transfer to Cairo Airport. (B)