Our original Signature Tour! Enjoy the highlights of Egypt in just two weeks, including the Great Pyramids and Sphinx, the Temple of Philae, High Dam at Aswan, Temples at Abu Simbel, a Nile Cruise, Temples of Karnak and Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Coptic and Muslim Cairo, historic Old Cairo, and beautiful Alexandria.
14 days/13 nights (includes Nile Cruise)
B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner
DAY 1: Cairo
From your international flight, arrive in Cairo International Airport. Our agent will meet you at the airport and assist you through immigration, baggage claim, and customs, and will obtain your visa to enter the country ($25 cash). Transfer to the hotel. Settle in and enjoy the hotel, or try an exciting optional excursion. Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 2: Cairo
Enjoy a delicious breakfast and then enjoy a visit to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World — the Pyramids of Giza. Also gaze upon the Great Sphinx, one of the most famous monuments in the whole world. Travel by private A/C bus to Memphis, capital of ancient Egypt, and to see the famous step pyramid of Pharaoh Zoser at Sakkara (Saqqara). Finish the day at a carpet school to learn how carpets have been made since the time of the Pharaohs. Overnight at hotel. B
DAY 3: Cairo / Aswan
Enjoy breakfast, then check out of the hotel and enjoy an exciting optional excursion. Take an overnight train to Aswan. B, D (train)
DAY 4: Aswan
Breakfast on the train; arrive in Aswan and check into your hotel. In the afternoon visit the Temple of Philae and High Dam of Aswan. Overnight in the hotel. B (train)
DAY 5: Aswan / Abu Simbel
We begin early this day with breakfast and a trip through the desert by A/C bus to Abu Simbel Temple. Enjoy this beautiful double temple, then return to Aswan, where you will check in on the Nile Cruise. Enjoy lunch on board ship on the way to Kom Ombo temple. Overnight on the ship. B, L, D
Day 6: Kom Ombo / Edfu
Visit this fascinating “dual temple” in Kom Ombo honoring Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility, and Horus the falcon god (also called “Horus the Elder”). Return to your cruise ship for lunch and sail to Edfu, where you will visit the best-preserved temple in Egypt, also dedicated to Horus. Sail overnight to Luxor. B, L, D
DAY 7: Luxor
Arrive at Luxor, the modern name for ancient Thebes, once the capital of Egypt, which consisted of two cities lying on the west and east banks of the Nile. We begin on the West Bank with a visit the Necropolis of Thebes and the famous Valley of the Kings, where 64 of Egypt’s Pharaohs had their tombs carved out of solid rock, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, and the Colossi of Memnon. Return for lunch on board ship. Enjoy free time this afternoon to shop, see the town, or roam the ship. Dinner and overnight on the ship. B, L, D
DAY 8: Luxor
Breakfast and check out of your Nile Cruise and into your hotel in Luxor. Cross to the East Bank and visit the amazing Temples of Karnak and Luxor. Optional excursions are available this day. Overnight in the hotel. B
DAY 9: Cairo
Breakfast and check out of your hotel. Enjoy a day at your leisure to see many of the other sights of Luxor (optional excursions available). Take the sleeper train back to Cairo this evening (overnight on the train). B, D (train)
DAY 10: Cairo
Breakfast on the train just before arriving back in Cairo and checking into your hotel. Then enjoy a city tour of the Egyptian Museum, where you will find the greatest collections of Egyptian antiquities in the world and the home of King Tut treasures. Visit the Citadel, the Mohamed Ali Mosque, and historic Old Cairo, including the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Overnight in the Hotel. B
DAY 11: Alexandria
Breakfast and check out of hotel. During this full day, you’ll be transported to Alexandria by private A/C bus. Upon arrival at Alexandria, check into your hotel, then come right back out to visit Qaitbay Citadel, the Catacombs, Pompey’s Pillar at Kom El Shugafa, and the stunning Library at Alexandria. Overnight in the hotel. B, L
DAY 12: Cairo
Breakfast and check out of the hotel. Transport by private A/C bus back to Cairo and check into your hotel. Enjoy a free day exploring this amazing city or enjoy an optional excursion. Overnight in the hotel. B
DAY 13: Cairo
After breakfast take a leisure day or enjoy an optional excursion in Cairo. Overnight in the hotel. B
DAY 14: Cairo
After breakfast (and depending on the time of your flight), bid farewell to this unforgettable country as you transfer to the Cairo International Airport for your return flight home. B