Egypt Adventure

Day 2: Giza

Your first full day in Egypt is packed with historical interest. First, we’ll head to Memphis – the original capital of ancient Egypt, with roots tracing back more than 5,000 years to 3200 BC. Visit the vast Pyramid Fields that contain over 100 individual structures with weathered intricate stone carvings, worn statues, and the ruins of ancient courtrooms of the civilization’s first true city.

Then, we go to the striking Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara (the oldest of all the pyramids built by the pharaohs) before heading to Giza, the most epic section of the pyramid zone and arguably the most iconic ancient complex on the planet. You’ll see the soaring Great Pyramid, walk beneath the Great Sphinx, and even duck inside an ancient tomb.

Day 3: Cairo

Get ready for the sprawling city of Cairo – the largest urban area in the whole of Africa. We’ll begin at the Citadel of Saladin, which was once the home of Egypt’s medieval Islamic rulers, and see the majestic Mosque of Muhammad Ali.

Next, we’ll hop over to the pulsating streets of old Cairo to the Khan El Khalili market where trading traces back to the 1300s. It’s a maze of perfumed spice sellers, copper lantern shops, silk emporiums, and more!

Finally, we’ll explore the acclaimed Egyptian Museum which houses the largest and most prestigious collection of Egyptology and Pharaonic antiquities anywhere in the world. See the famed haunting Mask of Tutankhamun and lesser-known masterworks from the Old Kingdom period.

Day 4: Luxor & Karnak

Today starts with an early flight to Luxor, a town known as the “world’s largest open-air museum” and where the pharaohs made their power base between the 16th and the 11th centuries BC. Monuments, temples, relics, ruins – they’re everywhere.

We’ll tour the Karnak Temple Complex (the largest conglomeration of ancient shrines in the country) and visit the Precinct of Amun-Re, where 33-foot (10-meter) high columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall display some of the most iconic hieroglyphic inscriptions. In the evening, we board our river cruiser for visions of the blazing sunset kissing the oasis palms and the glistening waters of the Nile.

Day 5: Cruise to West Bank of Luxor

Welcome to the West Bank of Luxor, where the largest group of pharaonic mortuary tombs and shrines on the globe.

We begin at the legendary Valley of the Kings and its 63 individual burial sites. This is where you’ll enter the mystical resting place of Tutankhamun. Be stunned by the intricate interiors of the Tomb of Tausert and Setnakht and other tombs adorned with eye-watering mural stories from more than 3,000 years ago. Later, we head to the Valley of the Queens, where you can what some experts hail as the best-preserved tomb in Egypt.

Day 6: Edfu & Kom Ombo

You’ll wake having spent the night sailing south down the meandering Nile to Edfu. After breakfast on board, you’ll disembark for a trip to one of the most celebrated relics of the ancient world: the Temple of Horus. Considered the single most intact temple left from the Ancient Egyptian era, the site was miraculously preserved after being buried in layers of desert sand.

Your journey continues down the Nile from Edfu toward the incredible temple ruins of Kom Ombo. This temple dates from the Ptolemaic dynasty (180-47 BC), making them contemporary to Hellenistic Greece and the Roman Republic. Accordingly, they showcase a curious intermingling of ancient African, Egyptian, and Mediterranean styles throughout their shrines.

Day 7: Aswan

We’ll finish our cruise down the Nile in Aswan, a town that houses a true feat of human engineering called the High Dam. You’ll be guided to local Aswan quarries that were used by the ancients to source stone for some of the most magnificent tombs at Giza and Saqqara. Later, we hop over to the islands that rise above the water between the High Dam and Low Dam to the enthralling Philae temple complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s a layer cake of historical interest from the Ptolemaic, Roman, and Pharaonic eras. Your final evening on the Nile will be spent sailing between the palm-topped isles on a traditional Egyptian felucca boat.

Day 8: Return to Cairo

We fly back to Cairo today for more time in the enthralling Egyptian capital. There’s plenty left to do. We’d especially recommend people watching in Al-Azhar Park or exploring the streets of Coptic Cairo. In the evening, sample some local cuisine and teas before settling in for your last night in Egypt.