Arrival in Cairo on Saturday, welcome, assistance with customs formalities and support, then accompaniment and installation in your hotel (subject to availability) in the city center, 4* luxury Steigenebereger el Tahrir, or in the city of October 6, 15 km from the pyramids of Giza, 5* Hilton Pyramids Golf, or near city center, 4* Novetel el Borg or 5* the Sofitel el Gezireh. Night at the hotel.
Departure for the giza plateau, visit the exterior of the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos as well as the mysterious Sphinx.
Then, departure off the beaten track, you will visit the very modest remains of High Temple, where only the basalt soil remains, within which the 42 priests used to perform the ceremony of opening the mouth of the royal mummy before burying it in the pyramid, then visiting of empty pits gigantic hollows dug into the rock, which were intended to welcome solar boats of the king during his journey into the afterlife.
Then you will visit the small low temple of the pyramid of King Chephren, whose walls and ceilings are made of granite, and the floor is covered with white alabaster. In the middle of the room is the famous "well", it is here where the statue of Chephren, unique of its kind, was discovered in 1860.
Barbecue lunch in a restaurant in the pyramids district.
Departure off the beaten track to reach the typical village of Dahshour for the discovery of the beautiful and lesser-known pyramids of Dahshour, discovery of the exterior of the rhomboidal pyramid – the only one in Egypt which still retains its exterior covering, then you enter the pyramid rhomboidal open very recently for the first time to the public. Continue with a visit to the Red Pyramid, entrance into the Red Pyramid.
Evening transfer to Cairo airport and flight to Luxor, upon arrival, escort to your hotel (subject to availability), 5* Winter Luxor Pavilion, Where Steigenberger Resort Achti, Where Pretty City, Where Sonesta St. George. Night at the hotel.
Departure for a in-depth tour of temples of Karnak… The Karnak religious complex—incorrectly called the Temple of Karnak or simply Karnak—comprises a vast collection of ruins of temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings located north of Thebes, today the city of Luxor.
Departure off the beaten track for a visit to one of these little-known temples: for example the one dedicated to the goddess healer there lioness highly appreciated by the ancient Egyptians. We will first cross - an impressive spectacle - thousands of pieces of stones from the excavation fields undertaken on the site, where you will be almost the only ones.
Continuation through the discovery of the more confidential sites of Karnak, dedicated to the hidden god Amon: visit the wonderful Red Chapel of Queen Hatshepsut, and the magnificent alabaster chapel of King Sesostris.
Boarding your boat. Your cruise on the centuries-old Nile including the 3 meals of the day will be carried out on one of the following 5* boats (boarding on Monday) on one of the boats Princess Sara, Where Nile Story, Where Royal Ruby II, Where Nile Style.
Finally, at the end of the afternoon, visit the fully illuminated Luxor Temple, under an extraordinary lighting that makes it appear in all its beauty. Dinner and night on board.
We will visit part of the grandiose necropolis of Thebes where the sovereigns of the New Kingdom were buried in hypogea, dug into the mountain, possessing luxurious and abundant funerary furniture. In-depth visit to the Valley of the Kings, or we will visit three remarkable tombs in which they still preserve magnificent exceptional painted reliefs thanks to the freshness of the colors and the particular care taken during their creation, visit of the tomb of Rames IV, Sethi II and Taousert (if they are open during your trip).
Then visit one of the most beautiful monuments of Egypt unknown to mass tourism..
Departure to go to the Valley of the Nobles ; grouping tombs arranged for the notables of the New Kingdom. In fact, they house the highest dignitaries of the country (viziers, governors, mayors or viceroys of Nubia), and important officials (royal scribes or general inspectors).
Also sometimes, notables of less influence are among the owners: architects, supervisors, small administrators, secondary scribes, astronomers, doctors...
We start with the visit of tomb of Rekhmire, the mayor of the City (Thebes) and vizier – that is, the most important personage in the State after Pharaoh – during the last nineteen years of the long reign (53 years) of Thutmose III, and again at the beginning of that of Amenhotep II.
The main episodes of his professional life are profusely illustrated in his tombstone, as if he had wanted to leave precise testimony to all the details of his various offices and, above all, those of vizier.
Continuation with the visit of the tomb of Sennfer'' the famous tomb of the vines''. By the originality of its decor, its freshness and the masterful orchestration of funeral rituals.
The “tomb with the vines” is one of the great masterpieces. The craftsmen exploited the irregularity of this one to decorate it with vines.
A real initiatory journey of the Egyptian beyond is restored to us.
Visit Colossi of Memnon. At the end of the morning, return to the boat for lunch. Navigation to reach the locks of Esna. Dinner and overnight on board.
At the end of the morning, return to the boat for lunch. Sailing (about 4 hours) to the town of Esna, passing through the lock, then continuation to Edfu. Dinner and overnight on board.
After breakfast. First, ofdeparture to reach the small town of Edfu. Visit the temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus, son of Isis.
In fact Edfu owes its fame to the colossal temple which rose in the Ptolemaic period. It is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt and the second largest building after Karnak. In fact, this temple is remarkable for its harmonious plan of perfect proportions.
Continuation of navigation; you will admire the scenes of daily life, fishermen, boats that transfer people, cars, and animals between the two banks of the Nile. Thus the magnificent passage! Mixtures of sands, mountains and green fields, fruits and vegetables, agricultural activities.
Then lunch on board, navigation to reach the small town of Kom Ombo, on arrival, we visit the temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the two deities: the god Haroeris (Horus the great) and the crocodile god Sobek. Then continuation of the navigation to reach Aswan. Dinner and overnight on board.
After breakfast, departure by car and then by boat to visit the temple of Philae, which is undoubtedly the "Pearl of the Nile", built on an island submerged in the 1970s by the rise in the level of the reservoir of the old Aswan Dam following the construction of the High Dam. The temples and monuments built on the island during the Pharaonic and Greco-Roman eras were moved to the new island, also called Philae.
You will visit among others, the temple of Isis, which is obviously the main construction of Philæ. So it is one of the major shrines of the goddess in Egypt. After that visit the Kiosk of Trajan which is the main feature of the site.
Lunch on board, then a felucca ride, a moment of pure relaxation, while letting yourself be lulled by the light breeze and sailing in calm blue waters.
In the evening, you will also have the possibility of a free walk in the very colorful popular souk with its baskets (baskets) filled with spices and its pyramids of fruit. Dinner on board.
Breakfast on board, departure by car to reach Abu Simbel, on arrival, installation (depending on availability) on one of the 2 cruise ships (5* Grand Deluxe) on Lake Nasser, the Steigenberger Omar Khayam where Mövenpick M/S Prince Abbas, includes 3 meals. (Embarkation on Fridays).
Lunch on board, then visit two rock-hewn temples of Abu Simbel located near Abu Simbel north of Lake Nasser on the Nile. Infact these temples are built by Pharaoh Ramses II to commemorate his victory at the battle of Kadesh. They were intended for his worship as well as that of Egyptian gods and his wife Nefertari. Lunch on board.
After that, departure at the end of the afternoon to participate in the fabulous "Sound and Light" show of the temples of Abu Simbel, (the most beautiful in all of Egypt). Dinner and overnight on board.
Breakfast will be served during the navigation towards Kasr Ibrim (4 hours of navigation). In fact, it is the only vestige – not moved – where we will see the ruins of an ancient fortress and a basilica (the comments will be made from the deck of the boat, due to the fact that the site is closed to the public).
Then lunch on board during the navigation to Amada (2 hours and a half of navigation).
In the afternoon, we will visit Amada – a very well preserved small temple dating from the 18th dynasty. Also we will visit the temple of Derr – whose bas-reliefs are identical to those of the great temple of Abu Simbel. Thereafter, we will continue with the visit of the tomb of Peinout (general in chief of Nubia), dug in the rock.
Back on the boat. At the end of the afternoon we will enjoy a moment of relaxation during the navigation, and that until Wadi el Seboua (4 hours of navigation). Dinner and overnight on board.
After breakfast, we will visit the temple of Wadi el Seboua (Valley of the Lions). In fact it served as a resting place for the sacred boat during its descent of the Nile. Then the Arabs, inspired by the lion-bodied stone sphinxes that guarded the central aisle, baptized the place Ouadi es-Seboua, the valley of the lions.
In 1964, on the initiative of the Egyptian antiquities service, the temple of Ramses II was dismantled and rebuilt at a higher level four kilometers further west on the site of the new Seboua.
Then departure to visit the temple of Dakka dedicated to Thoth. Then, we will also visit the Greco-Roman temple of Meharakka. Back on the boat.
Lunch on board. Dinner served during the navigation towards Aswan (9 hours of navigation). Dinner and overnight on board.
After breakfast, we will be invited to visit the magnificent unknown temple of Kalabsha – dedicated to the Nubian God Mandoulis. In fact built during the Greco-Roman era, we will also visit the small chapel of Beit el Wali – carved into the rock dedicated to the young king Ramses II – and we end this tour by the kiosk of Kertassi where you will see these bas-reliefs prehistoric, believed to be among the oldest in the ancient world.
Departure by car from the port of the High Dam to reach the city of Aswan Aswan. Upon our arrival, transfer to Aswan airport, and flight to Cairo, Welcome, then accompaniment to your hotel on, Passage Heliopolis from Cairo airport (5*).
Breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Cairo airport, and assistance with customs formalities according to your flight schedule.
Price per person
2 – 3 attendees
Per person in a double room € 3,490 / $ 3,490 (*)
Single room/cabin (one person only) € 3,990 / $ 3,990 (*)
4 participants or more
Per person in a double room € 3,390 / $ 3,390 (*)
Single room/cabin (one person only) € 3,890 / $ 3,890 (*)
* An increase of 40 % to the prices mentioned during the All Saints' Day school holidays from October 10 to November 15, the end-of-year school holidays from December 15 to January 10, the Easter from March 27 to April 18.
(*) Price per adult (from 12 years old)
