Grasp Egypt in Style

Your journey begins with a flight to Egypt,
Arrive in Cairo and relax in splendor at your deluxe Nile hotel
Upon arrival, transfer to your deluxe hotel, located in the heart of the city on the banks of the Nile River. you’ll be met inside the airport arrivals area and your hotel transfer will be waiting. Tonight, you toast the beginning of our Egyptian journey with a Welcome Drink and Briefing, followed by a Welcome Dinner at the hotel, accompanied by live entertainment.

Included meals:
Dinner

Nile Ritz-Carlton or similar

An audience with King Tut at the Egyptian Museum
This morning you’ll visit Cairo’s new state-of-the-art Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza — home to the world's largest collection of pharaonic antiquities. Among the museum’s spectacular displays are numerous fine examples of art and statuary from ancient dynasties, including the golden treasures of King Tutankhamun’s tomb and the mummies of many of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs.

After lunch at a local restaurant, you’ll see some modern-day masterpieces in the making when we visit a carpet school. Egypt is traditionally the epicenter of carpet making in the Arab world, and carpet weaving in Egypt is believed to date back to the 15th century.
You’ll make an excursion to the Giza Plateau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the southwest outskirts of the city to marvel at the Pyramids of Giza. The Great Pyramid — or Pyramid of Khufu — is the oldest and largest of the three, dating to 2580–2560 BC and towering at 455 feet high. You’ll also see the Great Sphinx, the massive statue carved from the plateau’s limestone bedrock, in the shape of a reclining lion with the head of Pharaoh Khafre.



Dinner tonight is at another of Cairo’s vibrant local restaurants. Stand in the shadows of the Pyramids and gaze on the Great Sphinx




Included Feature:
• Grand Egyptian Museum
• Visit Giza Plateau excursion featuring the Pyramids and Sphinx

Cultural Connection:
• Carpet school visit

Included meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Nile Ritz-Carlton or similar

Fly to Luxor to embark the m/s Steigenberger or similar and visit the Valley of the Kings
After breakfast, you’ll transfer to the Cairo airport for your flight to Luxor — the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. Upon arrival, drive through lush farmlands to the Nile waterfront, After a safety briefing, you’ll enjoy lunch on board and settle in to your spacious and stylish suites.

This afternoon, drive across the river to a range of low mountains. A series of rugged ravines in these hills are known today as the Valleys of the Kings . Part of the greater Theban Necropolis UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Valley of the Kings encompasses more than 60 tombs and burial chambers cut deep into rock cliffs over a 500-year span. Exploring some of these sacred chambers, you’ll see elaborate hieroglyphs and paintings that are almost as vivid now as when they were painted 3,000 years ago.

Before returning to the ship for dinner, we’ll also visit the magnificent multi-terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, built for Egypt’s longest-reigning female pharaoh — the queen who ruled as a man.

Included Features:
• Valley of the Kings visit
• Temple of Hatshepsut visit

Included meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Nile cruise Steigenberger Legacy

Today, you’ll explore two of Egypt’s most illustrious shrines: the Karnak and Luxor temple complexes. Said to be the world’s largest religious structure in area, the vast Karnak Temple complex was built and used over a period of 2,000 years. You’ll be awed by the Great Hypostyle Hall, where a monolithic forest of 134 huge columns is laid out in 16 rows. The largest are 33 feet around and soar to 80 feet in height.

A walkway lined with rams-head sphinxes leads all the way from Karnak to the 3,500-year-old Luxor Temple complex. Dedicated to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, Luxor’s graceful inner courtyards are lined with Ramesside colossi and graceful columns covered in carvings and hieroglyphics.


Serene Nile cruising to Edfu
After Lunch , the m/s Steigenberger proudly sets sail. As Luxor dwindles into the distance, you’ll join a procession of other stately cruise ships, amongst which Steigerberger . This is the ideal opportunity to luxuriate in the peaceful rhythm of life on board ship. In between sumptuous meals, cool off in the sparkling pool, sip cocktails in the shade on the deck, curl up with a good book, or just watch the Nile’s lush fertile banks drift by.

As you pass tiny riverside villages and groves of date palms, you’ll feel as if you’re witnessing scenes straight out of biblical stories. Glimpses of sand dunes and bare cliffs just beyond the slender strip of agricultural land attest to the life-giving importance of the Nile to this desert land. Enjoy opportunities for birdwatching as you sail toward Aswan — be sure to step out onto the deck with your camera to capture some of the action.

Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu
Horse-drawn carriages will be waiting for us along the waterfront at Edfu this afternoon for the ride through this small river city to the famously well-preserved temple of Horus. The largest temple dedicated to the falcon god, it is notable for the two stone falcons at its entrance and the huge relief figures on its façade.

The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC, but was literally lost beneath the sands of time as drifting desert sand and river silt deposited by the Nile buried it to a depth of 40 feet. Local inhabitants built their homes over it and, by 1798, when the temple was discovered by a French expedition, only the upper portions of the pylons were visible.

This evening, don traditional galabiyas for a fun costume party on board. Dressed like an Egyptian, you’ll be ready to dance like an Egyptian, too, as a vibrant Oriental show with lively music sets the mood for a festive night like no other.



Included meals:
• Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Cultural Connection:
• Visit Horus Temple
• Galabiya party

Nile cruise Steigenberger Legacy

Visit the unique Temple of Kom Ombo and cruise to Aswan
Today you continue cruising up the Nile, arriving late morning at the Temple of Kom Ombo, beautifully situated on a small hillside right beside the river. Discover its unique “double” design, with symmetrical halves dedicated to two different gods.

The southern half of the temple is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and protector against the dangers of the Nile, while the northern part of the temple is dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris, or "Horus the Elder,” patron god of the pharaohs. The path out of the temple complex leads to the Crocodile Museum, which houses a fascinating collection of mummified crocodiles and ancient carvings. We’ll return to the ship for lunch and sail onwards to the city of Aswan.

Enjoy cruising toward Aswan, Upper Egypt’s most beautiful location, with its views of the West Bank tombs lit up in the evenings and the sails of traditional feluccas.

Included Feature:
• Temple of Kom Ombo visit

Included meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Nile cruise Steigenberger Legacy

Fly south to see the twin temples of Abu Simbel and sail on a traditional felucca
You’ll get an idea of the vastness of Egypt’s ancient dynasties as we fly 175 miles south from Aswan to visit the great twin temples of Abu Simbel. Along with the Temple of Isis at Philae, they are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known collectively as the Nubian Monuments. Here, imposing 70-foot statues of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari overlook the Nile. Originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC to commemorate Ramses II’s victory against the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh, the huge rock relief figures at their entrances have become famous icons, and the sight of them is well worth the extra flight.

What makes them even more interesting, however, is that these enormous temples were not always found here. Between 1964 and 1968, a famous rescue mission — overseen by UNESCO — was undertaken to save them from the waters’ inexorable rise behind the Aswan High Dam. In an epic feat of engineering, the entire complex was carefully cut into large blocks, dismantled, lifted and reassembled in a new location.

After marveling at the architectural ingenuity of both the past and present, fly back to Aswan in time to enjoy lunch on board the ship. This afternoon, climb aboard a traditional felucca sailboat and sip Karkade in the glorious sunshine. Listen to the laughing calls of pied kingfishers as they skim the water alongside, and to the beautiful adhan (Muslim call to prayer) floating up from the minarets of mosques lining the banks. Enjoy dinner back on board this evening.


Included Feature:
• Abu Simbel temple visit
Cultural Connection:
• Traditional felucca ride on the Nile

Included meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Nile cruise Steigenberger Legacy

Discover Aswan’s treasures
Today you’ll explore the area around Aswan, beginning with the massive Aswan High Dam. This 13,000-foot-long and 3,200-foot-wide wall was built across the Nile between 1960 and 1970 with Soviet support. It supplanted the British-built Low Dam of the 1900s and created the vast reservoir known today as Lake Nasser. Standing atop its ramparts, you’ll learn how it transformed the economy and culture of Egypt.

Later, take a short boat ride across the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam to visit the elegant Temple of Philae, another of UNESCO’s Nubian Monuments that had to be rescued from flooding. Philae was originally located near the First Cataract but was flooded after the construction of the Aswan Low Dam. As part of the UNESCO Nubia Campaign project, the temple complex was moved to a nearby island to protect it before the completion of the Aswan High Dam. You'll also see the granite quarries of Aswan, where high-quality stone was sourced for sculptures and structures throughout ancient Egypt, and visit some of the monuments here.

After lunch on board ship
Included Features:
• Tour the Aswan High Dam
• Visit the Temple of Philae
• Visit the granite quarries of Aswan

Included meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner




Continue overland to coastal Hurghada
It's time to bid farewell to the Nile and the crew of the M/S Steigenberger as you continue to the city of Hurghada , you arrive in time for dinner — the perfect opportunity to indulge in some of the city’s famous seafood. After checking into your sumptuous shorefront hotel, you’ll have the evening and dinner at leisure.

Included meals:
Breakfast, lunch & Dinner

Steigenberger el dau or similar

Hurghada & Return to Cairo

After breakfast, you'll experience sea activities; Snorkeling trips , Diving
Desert Safari trips
Evening flight to Cairo
Meet & assist in Cairo airport, transfer to your hotel.
Upon arrival, check into your deluxe hotel, located in the upscale Cairo suburb of Heliopolis, conveniently close to Cairo Airport.

Included Features:
Diving
Sea trip
Desert Safari

Included meals:
Breakfast, lunch & Dinner

Steigenberger el dau or similar


JW Marriott Hotel Cairo or similar

Depart Cairo and fly home;
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to Cairo airport for your flight home


Included meals:
Breakfast