Arrive into Cairo today and check in to the hotel. Check in time is from 3:00PM. Guests arriving earlier than this may leave baggage securely at reception and use the hotel facilities until their room is ready.

There are no set activities today until the group meets for the first time this evening for dinner around 7pm. Afterwards, your guide will advise what time to meet tomorrow morning.

*Please note, if you book your own flights, we can organize a transfer for you to meet any flight (private transfer charge applies).

Overnight: Marriott Mena House, Giza  | Meals: D

An early start today to avoid the crowds for as long as possible.  A short transfer takes the group to the famous Pyramids of Giza, which includes the Great Pyramid (Khufu) and the Pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure. There will be time to explore the plateau, and for those who wish, there is an option to go inside Khufu’s Pyramid*.

Move on to visit the enigmatic Sphinx nearby.  Special access has been arranged for our group to go inside the Sphinx enclosure, where the general public is not permitted to enter. Standing between the paws of the awe-inspiring Sphinx, one can view the Dream Stele, something most visitors miss.

Continue to the new Grand Egyptian Museum (set to open in 2024, but no date has yet been announced and there may be further unexpected delays). Located in Giza, it will house the world’s largest antiquities collection belonging to a single culture’s heritage, with huge exhibition halls surrounded by gardens. If the museum has not yet opened, visit the original museum on Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo instead. With new displays, the museum still contains a wealth of exciting finds, including King Tutankhamun’s treasures until they are moved to the new museum**.

Dinner is at leisure (not included) this evening to allow each group member to make independent plans or retire early if feeling jetlagged. The hotel has four dining outlets offering a choice of Arabic cuisine as well as Italian, International and Indian options.

*The passageways inside Khufu’s pyramid are narrow with reduced head height and dank, stale air – not for the claustrophobic. We’re enquiring as to whether Khafre’s pyramid can be accessed as well.

**Tutankhamun’s relics will need to be moved between the two museums at some point which will mean a short period when they aren’t on display, but there isn’t a date for this.

Overnight: Marriott Mena House, Giza  | Meals: B, L

Transfer by road to the vast necropolis of Saqqara, one of Egypt’s most important ancient, elite burial grounds, that was used for more than 3,000 years. The site is home to 11 pyramids in varying states of preservation, and is littered with additional tombs and funerary monuments. The largest and best preserved of the pyramid complexes is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, thought to be the earliest stone building complex known in history.

Other treasures at Saqqara include the Serapeum, an underground 100-meters long corridor filled with the burial chambers of sacred Apis bulls, and the mastaba of Ti, the richly decorated tomb of a high court official from the Fifth Dynasty.  New finds are being unearthed constantly at Saqqara, making it one of the most interesting, and active, archaeological sites in Egypt.

Return to the hotel for a chance to freshen up, then meet the guide and driver to head into downtown Cairo to visit the city’s walled historic quarter. Enjoy dinner near the Khan el-Khalili souq at Naguib Mahfouz Café followed by a stroll along vibrant al-Mu’izz street (one of Cairo’s oldest) at night. Afterwards, return to the hotel for overnight.

Overnight: Marriott Mena House, Giza  | Meals: B, L, D

A full day out of the city today, journeying south by road, with the first stop being at Dahshur. Here, pyramids are built with smooth sides for the first time, and visitors can see early attempts, including the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu.

Continue south along the Nile to visit the partially collapsed Meidum pyramid and continue to Hawara to see the second pyramid built for Amenemhet III.

Next, enjoy a 4×4 safari to Wadi al Hitan to visit the Valley of the Whales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Western Desert. The shifting desert sands, which 37 million years ago formed the bed of the prehistoric Tethys Ocean, contain fossil remains of over 1000 whale skeletons, including some complete specimens of the earliest, and now extinct, suborder of whales, Archaeoceti.

Return to Giza and meet Dr. Strong for a pre-dinner talk about the sites we will see in Luxor, followed by dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Marriott Mena House, Giza  | Meals: B, L, D

Check out of the hotel this morning and transfer to Cairo airport for a short domestic flight to Luxor, known in antiquity as Thebes, and by the ancient Egyptians as Waset. On arrival, transfer to the hotel and check in. Free time to settle in, use the lovely Nile-side pool, or explore independently.

In the early evening, meet up with the group and guide for a transfer to Luxor Temple, which is surrounded by the modern town of Luxor. After the sun has set, the temple monuments are spectacularly illuminated, including the two huge, seated statues of Ramesses II flanking the entrance, and the 25m pink granite obelisk (one of a pair, the other taken to France in 1836 where it still stands in the Place de la Concorde, Paris).

A transfer back to the Hilton Hotel afterwards is included, or you can stay in the area to dine independently at one of the local restaurants or the historic Winter Palace hotel, making your own way back later (dinner not included).

Overnight: Hilton Luxor Resort  | Meals: B, L

A full day to visit the highlights of the West Bank, with some very special inclusions arranged just for our group.

Start at the Valley of the Kings, to see inside the tomb of Tutankhamun, where Howard Carter made his spectacular discovery of ‘wonderful things’ in 1922. The tomb is the only one in the valley to have been discovered nearly intact.

Also visit the tomb of Seti I (KV17), one of the longest, deepest and most richly decorated in the valley. Seti I ruled some 70 years after the death of Tutankhamun and the walls of his tomb are covered in colourful high and low reliefs depicting images from the Litany of Ra, Book of the Dead and other ancient texts.

We have obtained special permits to access one of the tombs which are currently closed to the general public: either that of Thutmose III (KV34) or Horemheb (KV57), the last pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty.

After visiting the valley, transfer to the nearby Marsam Hotel in the village of Qurna, for a light lunch.

Feeling refreshed, stop to visit a small pottery school run by two brothers from Faiyum who teach local pupils how to acquire the skills needed to become independent potters. The handmade and hand decorated bowls, platters, vases and decorative objects are made using clay powder brought from the quarries of Aswan.

Continue to the nearby Ramesseum, the ruined mortuary temple of Ramesses II, considered to have been one of the two most powerful rulers of the New Kingdom (Thutmose III being the other). One of the great statues that once adorned this temple, now located in the British Museum, likely inspired Percy Shelley’s poem “Ozymandias”.

The Colossi of Ramesses II which once adorned this temple may not have survived intact but, before returning to the hotel, we will stop to see the remains of the vast mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, including the Colossi of Memnon. These two seated statues of the ruler and his family  used to flank the temple entrance and are covered with graffiti from early visitors to the site – including ancient Romans.

Return for dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Overnight: Hilton Luxor Resort  | Meals: B, L, D

A full morning on the East bank today, with an extensive visit to Karnak Temple, one of the largest temple complexes ever constructed. Built and re-built over a period of a thousand years between the 12th and 20th dynasties, there are temples within temples, shrines within shrines, and dozens of rulers have added to its construction, oftentimes re-using blocks from the older temples.

Free time at leisure after lunch. Those who wish might like to use this time to visit the excellent Luxor Museum (this is around 15 minutes by taxi from the hotel) which does not require a guide as its well-labelled displays of finds gathered from the Theban temples and necropolis are easy to navigate on your own (entrance fee at own expense).

The group is free to make independent plans for dinner this evening (dinner not included).

Overnight: Hilton Luxor Resort  | Meals: B, L

This morning, travel back to the West bank to the lesser-visited Valley of the Queens, designed as a resting place for the wives of the kings of Egypt, but also home to the tombs of their children (both princes and princesses) and numerous nobles. The visit will include the tomb of Nefertari (QV66), the Great Royal Wife of Ramses II, and considered to be the most spectacularly decorated of all the tombs in Luxor.

Next, visit Deir el-Medina/Workmen’s Village, where many of the craftsmen and artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens lived and were buried.

This afternoon, continue to visit the nearby Tombs of the Nobles, located in the foothills opposite the Ramesseum, which contains some of Luxor’s most rewarding, but least-visited, tombs.

The final visit of the day is to Hatshepsut’s magnificent mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, a vast and almost modern looking edifice cut into rugged limestone cliffs, directly across the Nile from Karnak Temple. Despite several attempts to change or erase decorations in the temple in antiquity, starting with her successor Thutmose III, the temple remains awe-inspiring, and still contains significant statuary and reliefs, albeit little to no trace of Hatshepsut herself.

This evening, meet Dr. Strong for a pre-dinner talk about the sites we’ll see tomorrow and an overview of the history of interaction between Egypt and Nubia.

Overnight: Hilton Luxor Resort  | Meals: B, L, D

Check out of the hotel this morning and transfer by road to Aswan, for many centuries the southernmost outpost and a primary point of interaction with ancient Egypt’s neighbor, Nubia.

Just 135 miles from Luxor/Thebes, Aswan was a garrison town positioned at the First Cataract of the Nile, a natural river barrier which made the town an important trading outpost and militarily stronghold. The town was also known for its superior quarries in ancient times, with the granite used for burial chambers, sarcophagi, and columns throughout Egypt.

Spend a relaxing afternoon experiencing the sights and sounds of the Nile aboard a traditional felucca, a wooden boat with one or two lateen sails. There’s no better way to see Aswan’s Nile islands, including Elephantine Island, home to two Nileometers which historically measured the levels of the Nile, and the ruins of the Temple of Khnum and the small partially restored Temple of Satet.

Step off the felucca to stroll around Kitchener’s Island, often hidden by its larger neighbor and so missed by many visitors to Aswan. Gifted to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s when he was Consul-General of Egypt under British Colonial rule, Kitchener planted an array of exotic trees and plants (many from India and Malaysia) and landscaped the island with picturesque walkways, which today is the Aswan Botanical Garden.

Enjoy a group dinner at the hotel this evening.

Overnight: Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel  | Meals: B, L, D

This morning, visit the Philae Temple, originally located on a sacred island south of Aswan in what was Nubia, and dedicated to Isis, who was worshipped by Egyptians and Nubians alike. This largely Ptolomeic temple features some of the last monumental hieroglyphic inscriptions in the country, and was an important place of pilgrimage for visitors from as far afield as Anatolia (modern day Turkey).

Philae Temple, along with several other buildings, were part of a UNESCO campaign to preserve ancient structures that faced damage or submersion from rising Nile water levels. This project, which lasted from 1960 to 1980, involved cleaning, measuring, dismantling, and moving many temples piece by piece. Philae Temple was moved and reconstructed on the higher ground of Agilkia Island, 500 meters away from its original location.

Visit the Aswan High Dam, one of the world’s largest embankment dams, built 111m high across the Nile to control flooding of the Nile between 1960 and 1970. The creation of the dam’s reservoir (Lake Nasser) necessitated the relocation of the temple complex of Abu Simbel, as well as 90,000 Egyptian and Sudanese (Nubian) inhabitants.

This afternoon, visit the excellent Nubian Museum, which showcases the history, art and culture of Nubia and is surprisingly little-visited.

The last visit of the tour is to Aswan’s Northern granite quarry, to see the Unfinished Obelisk. This monument is believed to have been commissioned by Hatshepsut for the Temple of Amun at Karnak. If it had not been abandoned due to flaws, it would have stood 42 meters in height – taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk.

Return to the hotel for a final dinner together as a group.

Overnight: Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel  | Meals: B, L, D

The tour ends today.  Breakfast is included in your room rate. Those who have booked flights departing this evening from Cairo will have a morning at leisure to enjoy free time at the hotel or strolling around Aswan before checking out of the room at 12:00.  A group transfer to Aswan Airport is included this afternoon, as well as a domestic Egyptair flight at 3:40pm (15:40) to Cairo, arriving 5:10pm (17:10).  After this, our tour services end. Lunch and dinner are not included today.

Please check timings with us before booking onward connections departing from Cairo (we recommend leaving 4 hours layover in Cairo as a minimum).  Should you require an earlier flight to Cairo we can alternatively book one departing Aswan 8:15am arriving 9:45am. A supplement may apply depending on availability/rates of this flight, and a private airport transfer will be required at extra cost, but we are happy to arrange this should any client require the earlier timings.

Guests who opt to add the optional Abu Simbel side-trip will be transferred to Aswan Airport separately this morning to catch a 45 minute flight (hand-baggage only) at 9:30am to the village of Abu Simbel in the far south of the country.  On arrival in Abu Simbel, a very short shuttle bus journey brings guests to the awe-inspiring Abu Simbel temples,  carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile.  There is around two hours to explore independently, which is plenty (guides aren’t permitted inside) before heading back to the airport on the shuttle bus and catching a 1.30pm (13:30) flight back to Aswan with onward connection to Cairo (arrival time in Cairo 5.10pm (17:10). Your baggage will be looked after by our team in Aswan during your excursion and you will have it when you return to check in for the connecting flight to Cairo. Supplement for the Abu Simbel add-on flights is $200-$300 per person based on flight availability.

For those staying on in Aswan or joining a Nile or Lake Nasser cruise, standard check out time at the hotel is 12:00. The hotel will be happy to store baggage and allow you to continue to use the public facilities after check out, if departing later in the day. Private airport transfers can be arranged to correspond with any flights, at extra cost.

We are offering an optional four-day Nile cruise to Luxor, or morning fly-in visit to Abu Simbel by air as pre-arranged additions to this tour – please see Extensions tab or enquire for full details.

We can also arrange tailor-made extensions such as pre or post tour hotels, Lake Nasser cruises or additional sightseeing and hotels anywhere in the region (including Jordan, UAE, Oman etc).  Simply contact Temple World’s group operations team (Alice or Lia) on info@templeworld.com  for a tailormade quote.

Overnight: –  | Meals: B