Egypt, Cairo

In Cleopatra's steps 5^*

Arrival in Cairo.

Cairo is one of the biggest cities in the world and spans the length of both sides of the Nile.

Welcome on arrival, assistance with entry formalities and transfer to your hotel.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Set off to visit the Giza Plateau and its incredible pyramids: Khufu (the largest, built around 2650 B.C. B.C.), one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to have withstood the test of time. For more than 40 centuries, it was the highest monument built by man at 146 metres high.

Khephren: the Pyramid of Khephren or Khafre looks taller than Giza, but in reality, it is slightly smaller. It appears bigger because it is steeper and sits on slightly higher ground.

Menkaure: the tomb of King Menkaure. At a height of 66 metres, it is much smaller than the other two pyramids.

The Sphinx: a lion's body with a Pharaoh's head. Its role was to guard the entrance to the tomb against pillagers. It is 73 metres long and 20 metres high.

Lunch near the pyramids.

The afternoon will be spent visiting the sites of Memphis and Saqqarah. Memphis, in the south of Cairo, is now a palm grove where several stone blocks, tablets and statues lie, including the iconic Alabaster Sphinx. Memphis was the capital of the Old Egyptian Empire and was founded by King Menes around 3000 B.C. Next is Saqqarah and the famous Step Pyramid, built around 2700 B.C. for the pharaoh Djoser by the architect Imhotep.

Optional activity to be booked and paid for on-site with our local representative: Sound & Light show at the Pyramids

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast.

Transfer to the airport and flight to Luxor, in Upper Egypt.

Arrival, transfer to the embarkation port, and check-in to the ship’s cabins.

Lunch on board.

Afternoon at leisure.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast on board before setting off to visit the left bank of the Nile, Thebes, where tombs of pharaohs from the 18th to the 20th dynasty can be found.
The Valley of the Kings where you will visit three tombs. From the 18th Dynasty onwards, throughout the New Kingdom, pharaohs were no longer buried in temples or monuments dedicated to their final journey. Thutmose I and all his successors decided to be buried on the West Bank, the land of the afterlife, on the other side of the Nile. Instead of the colossal monuments, such as the pyramids or the mastabas used during the Old Kingdom, vaults were dug into the rock, with access strictly controlled and hidden. This was perhaps mainly to avoid grave robbers.

Visit the Temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu. This temple resembles a castle. It is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular funerary temples. A visit to Egypt would not be complete without seeing the gigantic and monumental site of Ramses III.
He sought to restore the greatness of Egypt while also immortalising the name of his famous ancestor. As soon as he ascended the throne, he began construction of his jubilee temple, which remains one of the largest in the Theban necropolis. Visitors are always captivated by this vast ancient fortress. It is both enormous and magnificent. It is one of the few sites that still has beautiful colours.

On the way back, there will be a photo opportunity at the Colossi of Memnon: 2 giant twin statues carved in sandstone, witnesses to the past splendours of the temple of Amenhotep III.

Lunch on board.

Sailing towards Esna.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast, sail down to Edfu.

Lunch on board.

Set off to visit the splendid Temple of Horus in Edfu. This masterpiece of architectural balance and elegance is one of the best-preserved sites in all of Ancient Egypt, a great example of Ptolemaic art from the Graeco-Roman period. You enter the temple through the great pylon decorated with large raised images of the king and the gods, towards the courtyard with walls depicting the various rituals performed by the king. There are two large black granite falcons, representing the God Horus, which guard the entrance of the temple.

Cruise continues to Kom Ombo.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast, followed by a visit to the Temple of Kom Ombo in the morning.

Located about a 5-minute walk away: perched on a promontory overlooking the Nile, this temple – the only one of its kind in Egypt, dating from the Greco-Roman period – comprises two magnificent sanctuaries, one dedicated to Sobek, the Crocodile God, and the other to Horus, the Falcon God. It was built during the Ptolemaic period on the site of a New Kingdom temple. It stands atop a hill overlooking the Nile from a height of 15 metres.
Its most remarkable feature is that it is dedicated to two distinct deities: the falcon god HAROERIS, ‘Horus the Great’, and Sobek, the crocodile god. Everything about this temple is dual: it has two entrances, two parallel corridors, and halls arranged symmetrically on either side of these corridors, all converging at the double sanctuary.

On the esplanade in front of the entrance, the carved columns reveal shimmering colours. The small building to the right of the entrance is the Chapel of Hathor; it houses a few crocodile mummies.

Sailing to Assuan, capital of Nubia.

Lunch on board.

This is followed by a visit to the Temple of Philae. After President Nasser built the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, the island of Philae, situated upstream of the First Cataract of the Nile, was completely submerged. With the support of UNESCO, work was undertaken to dismantle the monuments at Philae piece by piece and reassemble them on the neighbouring island, 400 metres downstream. Philae was entirely dedicated to Isis.

Visit to a Papyrus Institute, where it is possible, but not obligatory, to make purchases.

Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast on board, morning at leisure.

Lunch on board followed by a Mini-cruise in a felucca, the only way to reach the left bank and the unmissable Kitchener or Elephantine Islands. Enjoy the breeze while you sail along the calm, blue waters of the ancient Nile.

Stop on Kitchener Island, and visit of its botanical garden.

Optional activity to be booked and paid for on-site with our local representative:
- Excursion to Abu Simbel by coach
- Sound & Light show at Philae

Late afternoon at leisure.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Breakfast.

Day at leisure on the ship.

Lunch on board, then sailing to Esna.

Dinner and overnight stay on board.

Early morning, lock passage.

Breakfast on board. Then a visit to Karnak Temple, the largest religious complex ever built here; for 2,000 years, people have worshipped the same god: Amun. The greatest kings have reigned here one after another.

Lunch on board.

Visit of Luxor Temple, built to glorify the god Amun-Re, who celebrated the anniversary of his marriage to his wife Mut each year. A procession would leave Karnak Temple and follow the banks of the Nile to Luxor Temple. Construction of the latter dates back to the reigns of the pharaohs Amenhotep III and Ramses II. Two obelisks adorned the entrance, and they were gifted to France by Mehemet Ali in 1831. You can also visit Luxor Temple at night.

Return to the boat. Time at leisure.

Optional extra activities to be booked and paid for on site with our local representative:
- Sound and light show at Karnak temple

Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast on board.

Domestic flight to Cairo.

Lunch.

Explore Cairo and visit the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, which features a large clock in the centre of the courtyard gifted to Muhammad Ali by the King of France Louis Philippe. The Belvedere commands a panoramic view of the city of Cairo.

Walk around the colourful Khan El Khalili souk, built in the 14th century and selling traditional goods, gold and silver jewellery, and a selection of North African handicrafts.

Overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast.

Then, located close to the Pyramids of Giza, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the largest museum in the world dedicated to ancient Egypt. This vast, modern complex houses more than 100,000 artefacts spanning over three millennia of history. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by the impressive colossal statue of Ramses II.

The museum also showcases the entire treasure of Tutankhamun, displayed for the first time in a single location. A spectacular visit to the heart of one of the most fascinating civilisations in history.

Dinner and overnight stay at a 5-star hotel. (local standards)

Breakfast.

Morning departure to explore Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. who also gave it its name. Alexandria was the regional capital in ancient times and was Egypt's biggest port and a major cultural hotspot.
Tour of the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa considered to be the largest Roman burial site known to date; Diocletian's Pillar (also known as Pompey's pillar) built in honour of the emperor; the Roman theatre, the only one of its kind in Egypt; Qaitbay Citadel built in the 15th century on the site of the old lighthouse; and the Library (exterior).

Lunch during the visit.

Return to Cairo at the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast.

Transfer to the airport according to your flight schedule.

Assistance with check-in before your flight home.

Tips: 'bakchich'! A word you'll soon be familiar with! While it’s easy to refuse those who ask for tips, tipping is part of local custom and serves as a reward for a job well done and good service. Tips for guides are never included. They are left to each person’s discretion.

Paid Wi-Fi access may be available throughout the ship. However, we cannot guarantee the quality of the connection during your stay.

The luggage allowance for domestic flights is 23 kg per person in the hold and one small bag of up to 7 kg in the cabin. Any additional kilos will be charged locally.

Accommodation is in accordance with local standards.

Security checks at Egyptian airports can be extensive and unpredictable depending on the number of tourists, which is why the tour guide will do their best to anticipate schedules.

As traffic can be heavy in Cairo, journey times can be long.

On excursions, you will be grouped with other participants.
This package includes periods of free time during which you can wander around at your leisure. However, transfers are at your own expense.

Optional extras are subject to a supplement, payable on site to your guide or local representative.

The order of the visits can be modified to take account of local requirements (navigation time, passage of locks), but the visits listed will be carried out.

The pace of the visits can be quite intense (see the full list of visits included in the day-by-day itinerary), which means getting up very early in the morning (except when the boat is sailing)

Egypt is a cultural destination.

PLEASE NOTE: For those booking the ‘hotel only’ package (without an international flight), kindly provide us with your flight details as soon as possible via the contact form under ‘Help and Contact’ at the bottom of the page, allowing us to arrange your transfers.