Description

9 Days Cairo, Nile Cruise with Dahabiya and Old Cataract Aswan

 Day 1 Arrival and check-in

For your Egypt luxury tour Cairo, Nile cruise with Dahabeya fly to Cairo today. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by our guide and assisted with immigration and visa formalities. During the subsequent transfer to your 5-star hotel, you will get a first impression of the lively life of the metropolis, the largest city in Africa. Upon arrival at the hotel, your guide will help you check in, after which you can enjoy your first evening in Cairo in the luxurious ambience of your hotel.

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 Day 2 The Pyramids of Giza / Egyptian Museum

This day begins with a visit to the greatest highlight of Cairo – after breakfast, you will drive with your guide to the fabulous

Pyramids of Giza
The 3 famous Pyramids of Giza are the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. They were built around 2600 BC on a large limestone plateau.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids and is therefore also known as the “Great Pyramid”. It is the highest pyramid in the world, 147 m high and was built as a tomb for the Egyptian King Cheops.
This largest pyramid in the world is the first thing we will admire. This is followed by a visit to the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Mykerinos.

We will then drive to a plateau where you will have a beautiful panoramic view of the three pyramids of Giza.

The Sphinx
The Sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a man and is located in front of the Pyramid of Khafre with a length of about 73 m and a height of about 20 m.

After visiting the pyramids and the Sphinx, refuel with an oriental lunch at a local restaurant. Afterwards, the afternoon is again dedicated to the pharaohs – you will visit the impressive

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) – Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza, near the pyramids, impresses with its modern architecture, including an 800-metre-long translucent stone wall and a monumental staircase, and offers a fascinating insight into Egyptian history. It houses a unique collection of finds from 5000 years of Egyptian history. Particularly impressive are the famous golden treasures of Tut-Ankh-Amun.
After the museum visit, you will be escorted back to your hotel.

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 Day 3 Flight to Luxor / Thebes East

Today your stay in the immortal city of Cairo ends. After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to Cairo Airport, then fly to your next destination on this Egypt tour: Luxor, the “City of Palaces”. At Luxor Airport, you will be met by our guide and escorted to your dahabiya and embark.

Note: Your travel in Egypt Tour guide, a qualified English-speaking Egyptologist, will accompany you on board the ship during the entire Nile cruise and will also conduct the sightseeing.

After lunch on board, your guide and your guide will first visit the enormous

Karnak Temple
It is the largest temple complex ever built. It was here that the ancient Egyptians immortalized the Holy Family of Thebes, Amun-Re, his wife Mut and son Chonsu. The complete construction time of the temple took over 2000 years. One of the most important areas of the temple is the large hall of columns with 134 papyrus columns, built by Seti and completed by Ramses II.

Then it’s on to the incomparable

The Luxor Temple
In the heart of the city of Luxor, you will find the Luxor Temple, which was built by Amemophis III and Ramses II. Alexander the Great also built a chapel for the ancient Egyptian gods. At that time, the ancient Egyptians celebrated the most important festival in Thebes, the Opetfest, here. In 1989, archaeologists accidentally found an underground chamber with very well-preserved statues, which are now on display at the Luxor Museum. At the Luxor Temple you can see a part of the Sphinx Avenue, which connected the Luxor Temple with the Karnak Temple at that time.

After sightseeing, the first day in Luxor will end and you will be returned to your dahabiya.

Enjoy your dinner and the first-class service on board in a comfortable atmosphere and look forward to the rest of the program of the next few days.

Tip of the day: In the evening, you will have the opportunity to experience the fascinating sound and light show at Karnak Temple. ( optional )

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 Day 4 Thebes-West

After a leisurely breakfast on board, you will drive to Thebes West with your guide. The first highlight of the day awaits you

The Valley of the Kings
Let yourself be enchanted by the over 3000-year-old, wonderful murals in the tombs of the pharaohs. So far, 64 tombs have been found in the Valley of the Kings, three of which you can visit. In the Valley of the Kings are the tombs of the kings of the New Kingdom (ca. 1550 to 1069 BC, 18th to 20th dynasty). In 1922, the Englishman Howard Carter discovered the tomb of TutAnkhAmun with the golden treasures.

We leave this unique valley and the magical atmosphere and go to another magical place –

The Hatshepsut Temple
The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut dates back to the 18th dynasty, 1470 BC. She had her impressive terrace temple built by the architect Senenmut. She was always depicted as a man, which can be clearly seen in the very well-preserved statues in the temple. In Christian times, a monastery was built on the temple, which was used until the 11th century. In the 19th century, the monastery ruins were demolished.

Enjoy the view of Luxor and the Nile Valley from the temple’s terraces, then continue with the drive and a stop. You will visit

The Colossi
of Memnon The Colossiof Memnon are two ancient Egyptian colossal statues sitting next to each other, about 18 m. high from the 14th century BC. Both statues represent Amenhotep III and were located at the entrance to his temple.

After the last item on the program, you will be escorted back to your Dahabiya ship.

After lunch on board, the dahabiya departs for the lock of the city of Esna.

( In the afternoon there is no program, just enjoy the ride with the dahabiya from Luxor to Esna. You will have plenty of time to relax on your luxury dahabiya. Find your favorite place on the Dahabeya and let the typical Egyptian Nile landscape work its magic on you 🙂

Tip of the day:Today you have the opportunity to enjoy the unique view of the ancient treasures of Luxor during a hot air balloon ride at sunrise over Thebes-West. ( optional )

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 Day 5 Edfu / El Ramady Island

Today you will have a hearty breakfast on board, then a visit to one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt is on the agenda. You will visit

The Edfu Temple
It was built by the Ptolemies for the falcon god Horus Behdeti from 237 to 57 BC. Until 1860 AD, the temple was hidden under the sand and Nile mud, only then was it uncovered by the Frenchman Marriette. The wedding of Horus of Edfu with Hathor of Dendara was celebrated here every year, as well as the feast of Horus’ victory over Seth.

After the Edfu Temple, your dream journey continues to El Ramady Island, where the Dahabiya docks and you will receive your dinner and overnight.

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 Day 6 Kom Ombo / Sheikh Fadel Island

After a leisurely breakfast during the trip, you will enjoy the fantastic landscape along the Nile to Kom Ombo and in the afternoon you will visit the Nile River, which is located directly on the banks of the Nile

Kom Ombo Temple
It is the only double temple in Egypt where the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus were consecrated. For a long time, more than half of the ruins of the temple were buried by sand. They were not uncovered and restored until 1893. The temple was built in the Greek period from 304 to 31 BC and hundreds of mummified crocodiles have been found around the temple.

After visiting the Kom Ombo Temple, we continue by boat to Sheikh Fadel Island, where the Dahabiya docks.

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 Day 7 Aswan Program / Old Cataract Hotel

In the early morning we continue upstream by boat to Aswan. After your last breakfast on board the Dahabeya, where you can enjoy the view of the beauty and atmosphere of the city of Aswan with its green islands and red granite rocks, you will check out. Afterwards, you will take a trip to the surroundings of the city.

The first item on the program is a boat trip to the Nile island of Agilika. There you will find the last great sanctuary of the ancient Egyptian religion, the enchanting

Philae Temple
The Philae or Isis Temple stood on Philae Island south of Aswan and after the construction of the high dam, the temple was under water for several months of the year. For this reason, the temple was moved to the neighboring island of Agilika from 1977 to 1980. In 553 AD, the temple served as a church, so large parts of the relief in the temple were destroyed.

Afterwards you will visit the imposing dam, which dams the Nile to Lake Nasser, and whose construction had many positive but also negative effects.

The construction of the high dam
was initiated by President Nasser and lasted from 1960 to 1971, creating one of the largest reservoirs in the world, 500 km long and 32 km wide, at its widest point. The dam is more than 3800 meters long and 111 meters high, 980 meters wide at the bottom and about 40 meters wide at the crown.

After your program in Aswan, you will be transferred to the legendary Old Cataract Hotel, where you will check in.

Tip of the day:This afternoon you will have the opportunity to visit the beautiful botanical garden on Kitchener Island and a Nubian village and get to know the hospitality of the locals. ( optional )

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 Day 8: Optional excursion to Abu Simbel

Today you have the unique opportunity to take an unforgettable private excursion to Abu Simbel – or you have a free day in Aswan.

The two temples of Abu Simbel were built by Ramses II in 1260 BC and were under the sand until 1817, when the Italian Belzoni freed the two temples from the sand. The Ramses Temple reaches 60 m directly into the rock and has a height of 30 m. The temple of Nefertari is 21 m deep and 12 m high. After the construction of the dam, both temples were moved about 62 m higher between 1964 and 1968 to protect them from flooding by the reservoir.

The excursion to Abu Simbel starts early in the morning. You will travel through the desert in a private vehicle and your private English-speaking guide and experience the sunrise during the outward journey – on the way back from Abu Simbel you will be able to admire the mirage.

After the excursion, you will receive lunch, after which you will have free time. You can explore Aswan on your own or relax by the pool of your luxury hotel.

Enjoy the last day and evening of your luxury Egypt trip in the magical atmosphere of Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city.

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 Day 9 Flight back home

Today it is unfortunately time to say goodbye to Egypt and the magical Nile! You’ll be picked up from your hotel by private transfer and escorted to Aswan Airport, then fly back home from Aswan via Cairo.

 

Route Summary

Cairo → Luxor → Dahabiya Cruise (Esna → Edfu → Nile Islands → Kom Ombo) → Aswan → (Optional Abu Simbel) → Departure