Day 1: Arrival in Cairo, Airport Pick-up
After landing at Cairo’s airport, meet our local representative and transfer to the hotel carefully selected for you. After check-in, enjoy your free time for the rest of the day. You may either have a rest to recover from the jet lag or go out to have a look of the city on your own. Accommodation: Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo (5 stars) ► Arrival Note： ● As Egypt grants visa-on-arrival at Cairo’s airport for most nationalities, there is no need to obtain a visa in advance, but please make sure your passport is valid at least for 6 months. ● It’s an Egyptian etiquette to tip. While exchanging currency, you might want to exchange for a good amount of small notes with you, of which EGP10 and EGP20 would be especially useful for tipping. ● Even if Egyptians do not drink alcohol as they are Muslims, you can still find booze legally sold at supermarket, restaurants, and bars. If you are going to strike a conversation with locals on food and drink, remember not to talk about alcohol, as well as pigs and dogs. ● Although Wi-Fi is available at most hotels and restaurants, it may upset you with its unstable connection. The best way to deal with this is to purchase a local SIM card at the airport. If you are to travel in common tourist cities, choose Orange; if you are going to visit remote places like desert, choose Vodafone instead, which is popular for its great network coverage. It’s suggested you buy a card at the airport, as it’s sold for the cheapest price at official retailers running their business 24 hours.
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Day 2: Cairo Highlights with Pyramids & Egyptian Museum
After one night’s good rest, our professional local guide will offer you a full-day sightseeing today. Your guide will escort you to visit Giza Pyramid Complex first, which consists of the world’s three most famous pyramids - Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. After appreciating them from outside, you will also enter the Pyramid of Khufu to discover what’s inside. Next, we are going to see Great Sphinx up close, as well as Valley Temple, where burial ceremonies of pharaohs were held in the past. ► Insider Tip:It’d be a memory of a lifetime to explore the secrets inside the pyramid for yourself, but we have to mention that it’s not an experience for everyone. You will have to stoop down often to navigate narrow passages, and be prepared to sweat a lot for the still and sultry air inside. Another thing of note is that you will walk a one-way route once inside, so you can’t come back mid-way and must stick it to the end. After lunch, continue to visit Egyptian Museum. After scanning the general artefacts categorized by age on the first floor, let’s climb to the second floor to witness more than 1,700 exhibited treasures unearthed from Tutankhamun's tomb, including the famous Tutankhamun golden mask. After the visit, the guide will accompany you to experience a traditional felucca ride on the Nile River for an hour, during which you will watch a sunset prepared by the nature. When it’s late, the guide will send you back to the hotel. ★ Privilege of Our Guests: Free Upgrade to Grand Egyptian MuseumIt’s estimated the Grand Egyptian Museum, which has taken over 10 years and 1 billion dollars to build, will officially be opened to the public this year. The specific time is said to be announced by the president of Egypt. At that time, most of treasures that have been slumbering at the safes of the current Egyptian Museum will appear again before the world. You will marvel at not only the famous Tutankhamun golden mask, but also other treasures of about the same value of the pharaoh. If the Grand Egyptian Museum is already open by the time you join us, we will upgrade the tour and take you to visit it for free. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo (5 stars)
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Day 3: Fly to Luxor and Explore Its West Bank
After breakfast, the driver will transfer you to the Cairo International Airport and help you catch a flight to Luxor, the starting point of the coming Nile cruise. Luxor is reputed as a vast open-air museum for many temples and relics it boasts, so before boarding the cruise ship, follow your guide to visit some most famous ones. While in Luxor, the guide will firstly lead you to visit Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile River, where pharaohs and nobles in ancient Egypt were buried. By now, over 60 tombs have been discovered there, and we will go inside three of them to have a look. Then, proceed to the Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh in Egypt's history and ruled Egypt for 22 years, great enough to kick off a golden age of trade. But she was not loved by her successors, which was proved by the fact that her temple had suffered damage for centuries. First, her successor Thutmose III, whom Hatshepsut had co-reigned Egypt with and overpowered, ordered to erase everything about the Queen, including her mummies, statues, and murals. Then Pharaoh Akhenaten's religious reformation destroyed the statues and reliefs of Amun in the temple. Later, early Christians turned the temple into a monastery and destroyed more reliefs of non-Christian beliefs... That said, we can still see a large number of marvelous statues and murals, thanks to generations of archaeologists who pieced tiny pieces together from the sand and restored the temple to what it is today. Let’s salute them! The next stop will be the Temple of Ramesses III, a well-preserved temple at Medinet Habu. Finally, the guide will escort you to the Colossi of Memnon to see two giant stone statues of Amenhotep III, before sending you to the hotel to have a good rest. Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Steigenberger Nile Palace (5 stars)
Tomb of Sety I, KV17 Medinat Habu
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Day 4: Explore the East Bank of Luxor, Embark on Nebyt Dahabiya Nile Cruise
In the morning, the guide will accompany you to visit Temple of Karnak and Luxor Temple. They are the most popular attractions in Luxor, with the former being the world’s largest temple supported by stone pillars. After that, the guide will transfer you to Esna 50km (31mi) south of Luxor, or around an hour’s drive away, to embark on the Nebyt Dahabiya Nile Cruise. Today, the cruise will sail to El Kab Village. Approaching El Kab Village, have a big dinner and stay overnight onboard. ► Insider Tip: What Set Dahabiya Boat apart from Modern Cruise? ● Dahabiya Boat holds fewer passengers. The biggest Dahabiya has no more than 20 cabins and ordinary ones have less than 10, while there are at least 100-150 cabins on an international cruise ship. If you prefer a less-crowded environment, Dahabiya would be your best choice. ● Dahabiya is propelled forward by wind power. Unlike modern cruise ships that burns diesel or gasoline, Dahabiya is a masted ship sailing under wind power; and, like its modern counterparts, it’s equipped with infrastructure for lighting, illuminating, hot water, etc. ● Dahabiya can dock at interesting places cruise ships can’t access. For the smaller hull, Dahabiya can moor by islets and small piers to drop you off at villages to experience Egyptian countryside, or historical sites that are less travelled and tranquil. ★ Note: There are a number of Dahabiya boats for you to choose, and each Dahabiya Boat sails on fixed date. Don’t worry if today doesn’t fall on the date your booked boat is scheduled to leave; your travel consultant will adjust the itinerary or change the boat to cater to your demand. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Nebyt Dahabiya Nile Cruise (5 stars)
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Day 5: Sail to Edfu, Visit the Temple of Horus; then to El Fawaza Island
After breakfast, the guide will escort you to disembark to visit El Kab Temple. Then, return to the cruise ship and sail to Edfu. On arriving, disembark again to visit the Temple of Horus, which is dedicated to Horus, the god of the sky, and well-preserved because it is located on a high plateau and has never been threatened by the flooding of the Nile. After return, the ship will sail to El Fawaza Island while you are having dinner. Tonight, have a good rest onboard. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Nebyt Dahabiya Nile Cruise (5 stars)
Nebyt Dahabiya Cruise Temple of Horus
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Day 6: Sail to Gebel el-Silsila, then to Beshir Island
On the sixth day of this Egypt tour, the ship will sail to Gebel el-Silsila, where the guide will lead you ashore to visit the Temple of Gebel el Silsila. Then, return to the cruise and sail to Beshir Island, where you will enjoy a delicious barbecue and some free time to have fun. You will chew succulent kebabs and roasted vegetables, and of course get the chance to try the local staple food of Aish Baladi, a whole-wheat hollowed-out flatbread. The name alone - Aish means “traditional” and Baladi “flatbread” and “life” - would tell you how they are important to Egyptian life. You can dip it in Ful Medames, paste of broad bean mixed with spices, before munching it, just as both ancient and modern Egyptians did or do. Add some cream cheese to it, and you will create a simple traditional Egyptian dinner. Enjoy it without any knife and fork - your hands are already a perfect set of eating tools. Afterwards, go back to the cruise to stay overnight. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Nebyt Dahabiya Nile Cruise (5 stars)
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Day 7: Sail to Kom Ombo, Visit Kom Ombo Temple; then to Herdiab Island and Aswan
Enjoy breakfast onboard and the cruise will take you to Kom Ombo to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, unique and known as the "Double God Temple" for honoring both Horus, the god of falcon, and Sobek, the god of crocodile. This temple was built in the Ptolemaic dynasty (332 – 30 BC) and the reliefs of the gods can be found everywhere on the walls. Then, go back to the cruise and sail to Herdiab Island. Have lunch on the beach of the island and enjoy some free time. In the evening, return to the cruise and have dinner onboard while heading to Aswan. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Nebyt Dahabiya Nile Cruise (5 stars)
Enjoy Your Nile Cruise Temple of Horus
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Day 8: Side Trip to Abu Simbel, Fly to Cairo
In the early morning, disembark and go on a 3-hour drive with your cruise guide to Abu Simbel. On arrival, visit the twin temples of Abu Simbel. Carved directly out of hills next to each other, the temples are a testimony to Ramesses II’s love of his beloved queen Nefertari. After the visit, go back to the Aswan. Then, move on to the Temple of Philae by ferry, which was built for the goddess Isis. Located on Agikia Island, it is one of the three best-preserved Ptolemaic-style temples in the world. Finally, go back to Aswan and drive to the airport for a flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival in Cairo, meet our local representative and transfer to the hotel. ► Insider Tip: Get up at 4:00 to See Abu Simbel Temple. Worth it?Yes, definitely worth it! The Abu Simbel temple complex is an architectural wonders to behold, and here’s why: First, you will marvel at a rock temple cut into a sandstone hill, with 4 colossal seated statues of Ramesses II (20 meters or 65.6 feet tall) facing you at the façade. Second, Abu Simbel temple complex is a combination of ancient Egyptian astronomy, mathematics, architectonics, and physics. It’s especially known for the Sun Festivals on February 22 and October 22, when the sunlight would illuminate the statues sitting in the inner sanctuary. Third, the temples you see were moved in the 1960s from a lower area to where they are today, to prevent it from being submerged by floodwaters from the Nile when the Aswan High Dam was built. Engineers and archeologists have made sure they are kept as what they were before being relocated, so let’s wonder at their wisdom and miraculous work! The temple complex was discovered after being hidden by sands for thousands of years, and we should thank a shepherd boy for this, whose sharp eye has led archeologists to bring it to light. Just follow your guide to see the wonder for yourself! Your trip will be worth it! Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo (5 stars)
Abu Simbel Temple Temple of Philae
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Day 9: Private Tour to Alexandria
After breakfast, travel 221km (137mi) by private motor vehicle to Alexandria, the second largest city of Egypt and known as the “Pearl of the Mediterranean”. Upon arrival, first visit Pompey Pilar and Amphitheater of Alexandria. Head for Catacombs of Kom El Shuqafa next, an underground cemetery to find carvings and murals influenced by Hellenistic and Roman art. We will then take you to New Library of Alexandria, which would fascinate you with characters or symbols of 50 ancient languages inscribed on its outer walls, including Indus script, Cuneiform of Mesopotamia, oracle bone script of ancient China and Papyrus script of ancient Egypt. Lunch at a local restaurant. Later, you will visit the Fortress of Quitbai, which is based on the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, whose main structure has lost to earthquakes and sunk into the Mediterranean Sea. After the tour, return to the hotel at Cairo. Overnight in Cairo. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Steigenberger Pyramids Cairo (5 stars)
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Day 10: Depart from Cairo, Airport See-off
According to the schedule of your departure flight, your driver will send you to Cairo International Airport. It is our pleasure to serve you in Egypt and hope you have had a good time with us! Meals: Breakfast
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