8-Day Pharaohs Nile Cruise Adventure with Giza & the GEM

Your trip starts in the arrivals hall at Cairo International Airport. A member of our team meets you there and drives you to your hotel, so you do not need to deal with taxis or transfers after the flight.

There is no sightseeing planned today. Use the time to check in, rest and adjust to the time difference. If you have energy left, a short walk near the hotel or an early dinner is plenty, because tomorrow is a full day at Giza and the museum.

If you want more time in Cairo before the tour starts, we can book extra nights and the matching transfer for an additional charge. No meals are included today. A local SIM card or an eSIM set up before you fly makes it easy to stay in touch with our team from the first evening.

After breakfast your Egyptologist guide takes you to the Giza Plateau. The Great Pyramid of Khufu rose to about 481 feet when it was finished, and it shares the site with the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure. It is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world still standing. Your guide explains who built these tombs and how.

You then walk down to the Great Sphinx and the Valley Temple beside it. There is time here for photos with the pyramids in the background.

In the afternoon you visit the Grand Egyptian Museum with your guide, who leads you through about 5,000 years of Egyptian history. Key stops include the Grand Staircase lined with royal statues, the colossal statue of Ramses II, the Hanging Obelisk and the royal regalia. Lunch is included today. You return to your hotel in the evening.

After breakfast you transfer to Cairo Airport for the short flight to Luxor. On arrival you board your Nile cruise ship, which is your home for the next four nights. From here on, breakfast, lunch and dinner are served on board.

With your guide you visit Karnak Temple, the vast temple complex of the god Amun. You walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall and its forest of carved columns, past statues of Ramses II and the obelisks raised for Queen Hatshepsut and Thutmose III. Later you see Luxor Temple, known for its tall columns and huge royal statues.

The evening is yours. Two optional extras are available tonight at extra cost: a horse-carriage ride around Luxor and the sound and light show at Karnak.

Today you cross to Luxor's West Bank. In the Valley of the Kings, 64 tombs and chambers have been found, from plain shafts to one tomb with more than 120 chambers. Your guide explains how the pharaohs planned their journey into the afterlife and what the wall paintings show.

Next is the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, built in terraces against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. On the way back you stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two giant seated statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III.

Back on board, the ship sets sail south toward Edfu, and dinner is served while you cruise. For an early start with a view, you can add an optional sunrise hot air balloon flight over Luxor before the tour.

In the morning you visit the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god Horus and one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. Its roof, walls and carved reliefs are largely complete, which gives you a clear idea of how an Egyptian temple looked when it was in use.

You return to the ship for lunch while it continues upriver. In the afternoon you stop at Kom Ombo, a temple shared by two gods: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus. Your guide shows you how the building is split into two matching halves.

Dinner is on board as the ship sails on to Aswan, where you spend the night. This is a good afternoon to sit on the sun deck and watch the farms and villages along the river.

Today has no scheduled tours, so you can plan it your way. All meals on the ship are still included, and you are back on board before dinner.

The most popular choice is an optional early-morning trip to Abu Simbel near the Sudanese border. Ramses II built the two great temples there, one for himself and one for his queen Nefertari. In 1968 the temples were moved to higher ground to save them from the rising water of Lake Nasser, a rescue your guide can explain on site.

In the afternoon you can add an optional visit to a Nubian village, known for its brightly painted houses. If you prefer a slower day, stay on board, use the sun deck and watch the river traffic in Aswan.

After breakfast you check out of your cabin and start the Aswan tour. Philae Temple was a pilgrimage center for followers of the goddess Isis. When the Aswan dams raised the water level, the whole temple was moved, stone by stone, to its current site on Agilkia Island.

You then visit the Aswan High Dam, built between 1960 and 1970 to control the Nile flood and generate hydroelectric power. From the top you can see Lake Nasser on one side and the river on the other.

In the evening you transfer to Aswan International Airport for the flight back to Cairo, and a driver takes you to your hotel for the night. Only breakfast is included today, so plan a meal at the airport or in Cairo.

Have breakfast at the hotel, then check out at the time agreed with our team. A driver takes you to Cairo International Airport for your flight home, with the transfer timed around your departure.

If your flight leaves late in the day, ask about a late checkout or an extra night in Cairo when you book. Both can be arranged at an additional cost, subject to availability. An extra night also gives you time for sights this itinerary does not cover, such as the old markets of Islamic Cairo.

Before you leave, keep some Egyptian pounds for tips and small purchases at the airport, and allow plenty of time for the security checks at the terminal entrance and again at the gate.