Egypt - Cairo Egypt 360 5*

Arrival in Cairo.

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

Settle in for your overnight stay at the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Set off to visit the Giza Plateau and its incredible pyramids:
The Great Pyramid of Giza (the largest of the three, built around 2650 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 m high.
Khafre: the Pyramid of Khafre looks taller than Giza, but in reality, it is slightly smaller. The tilt angle is more emphasised, and it sits on slightly higher ground, which is what creates this impression.
Menkaure: the tomb of King Menkaure. At a height of 66 m, 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 of the tomb against pillagers. It measures 73 m long and 20 m high*

Lunch during the visit

You will spend the afternoon exploring the sites of Memphis and Sakkara. Memphis, in the south of Cairo, is now a palm grove where several stone blocks, tablets and statues lie, including the iconic Alabaster Sphinx, capital of the Old Egyptian Empire, and was founded by King Menes around 3000 B.C. Continue to the site of Sakkara and the famous Step Pyramid, built around 2700 B.C. for the pharaoh Djoser by the architect Imhotep.

Dinner and overnight stay at the five-star hotel (local standards).

Breakfast.

Visit the National Museum of Antiquities, whose treasures range from the prehistoric age to the Roman period. You will see among others the famous treasure of Tutankhamen. It houses more than 250,000 pieces, it is one of the largest museums in the world. It allows visitors to discover the history of ancient Egypt through 5 millennia.

Lunch during the visit.

Departure for the visit of the Coptic quarter of Cairo. The Christian religion was introduced by St. Mark around 45 A.D. and thus a Coptic community (Coptic being a term specifically referring to the Christians of Egypt) began to develop. The Coptic Quarter is best known for having a large number of churches in a very small area.
St. Sergius Church is one of the oldest Christian churches, built around the 3rd or 4th century AD. The church was named St. Sergius in honor of a former war general who converted to Christianity. The Christians built a church on this very spot because it is believed that the Holy Family took refuge in this place, where a cave was located before.
The Church of Saint Mary or Hanging Church is a very beautiful monument. It is accessed by stairs preceded by a corridor where there are mosaics depicting biblical scenes. This church is nicknamed the Hanging Church because it is built above the trunks of palm trees that support it like stilts. The interior is richly decorated, in the main room, a Coptic icon, shows the Virgin Mary with Jesus in her arms. One has the impression that she follows us with her eyes when we go around her.

Night at the hotel 5* (local standards)

Breakfast.

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

Arrival in Luxor, transfer to the port and settling into the ship's cabins.

Lunch on board.

Afternoon free.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the five-star ship (local standards)

Breakfast on board.

Set off to visit the left bank of the Nile, Thebes, where the 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 Eighteenth Dynasty onwards and throughout the New Kingdom, the pharaohs were no longer buried in temples or monuments devoted to their final journey. Thutmose I and all the pharaohs who followed him decided to be buried on the other side of the Nile, on the West Bank - the land of the afterlife. There were no more colossal monuments, such as the pyramids, or even the Mastabas used during the Old Kingdom, but instead, vaults were dug into the rock and access to them was strictly closed and hidden. Perhaps the main reason was to avoid grave robbers.

Visit to the temple at Medinet Habu, also known as the Temple of Ramesses III. This temple is like a castle. It is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular funerary temples. Your visit to Egypt would not be complete without visiting the gigantic and monumental site of Ramesses. Ramesses III sought to restore the greatness of Egypt and, at the same time, to immortalise the name of his famous ancestor. He began building his jubilee temple as soon as he acceded to the throne, and it has remained one of the largest in the necropolis of Thebes. All visitors love this large, ancient fortress by Ramesses. It is incredible in both size and splendour. It is one of the few 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.

Sail to Esna.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the five-star ship (local standards)

Breakfast.

Sail 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 Ancient Egypt, a great example of Ptolemaic art from the Graeco-Roman period. You enter the temple through the great column decorated with large raised images of the king and the gods, and walk towards the courtyard with walls showing 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.

The cruise continues to Kom Ombo.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the five-star ship (local standards)

Breakfast.

Visit to the Temple of Kom Ombo in the morning: isolated on a promontory along the Nile, this unique temple in Egypt dating from the Greco-Roman era includes two superb sanctuaries, one dedicated to Sobek, the Crocodile God, and the second to Horus, the Falcon God. It was built in the Ptolemaic period on the site of a New Empire temple. It is located on the top of a hill, 15 metres above the Nile.
The most surprising feature is that it is consecrated to two different gods: the falcon god Haroeris, "Great Horus", sometimes called "Horus the Elder", and Sobek, the crocodile god. Duality is everywhere in this temple: it has two entrances, two parallel corridors, and symmetrically arranged rooms on either side of these corridors, which all lead to the double sanctuary. Sculpted columns display shimmering colours in the esplanade in front of the entrance.

Sail to Aswan, the capital of Nubia.

Lunch on board.

Next, visit to the Philae Temple.

Visit of a Papyrus Institute.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the five-star ship (local standards)

Breakfast on board.

Free morning.

Lunch on board.

Felucca mini cruise and Aswan Botanical Garden. The only way to reach the left bank and the Kitchener or Elephantine Islands, real gems of the river. Enjoy the breeze while you sail along the calm blue waters of the ancient Nile.

Stop off at Kitchener Island and visit the botanical garden

Late afternoon free.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the five-star ship (local standards)

Breakfast.

Free day on the ship.

Lunch on board.

Sail to Esna

Dinner and night spent on board the five-star ship (local standards)

In the early morning, the boat passes through the lock.

Breakfast on board.

Visit to the Karnak Temple. The most theological temple ever built here over a period of 2000 years, the faith of men has paid homage to the same god: Amun. The greatest kings followed one another. The name "Karnak", meaning "fortress", dates back to the Muslim conquest.

Lunch on board.

Visit to the Luxor Temple, built to glorify the god Amun-Re who celebrated his wedding anniversary with his wife Mut each year. The procession left the Karnak Temple and travelled along the banks of the Nile to Luxor. Construction dates back to the reign of the two pharaohs, Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.

Return to the ship. Free time to spend how you like.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the five-star ship (local standards)

Breakfast on board.

Transfer by bus to Hurghada and time to settle in at the hotel.

Lunch.

Afternoon spent relaxing on the beaches of the Red Sea. Discover stunning sea beds, coral reefs and multicoloured fish.

Overnight stay at the five-star hotel (local standards)

Free day on an all-inclusive package

Free day on an all-inclusive package

Breakfast

Transfer to the airport for a domestic flight to Cairo

Visit to the Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, featuring 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.

Lunch during the visit.

Stroll through the Khan El Khalili souks, a bazaar built in the 14th century. It is highly colourful and has traditional goods, but also offers a fabulous choice of gold, gold thread and silver jewellery and a selection of oriental handicrafts.

Overnight stay at the five-star hotel (local standards)

Breakfast, and transfer to the airport depending on your return flight schedule

Tips: "baksheesh"! A word you'll soon get to know! While it's easy to refuse solicitors, on the other hand, it's part of the customs and rewards work and service well done. Gratuity for guides is never included. It's up to each individual to decide.

Wifi is available only at reception and at a charge during the cruise

The baggage allowance for domestic flights is 23kg in the hold per person, and a small bag in the cabin of 7kg maximum. Any additional kilos will be charged locally.

Accommodations are up to local standards.

The level of control at the airport in Egypt can be high and random depending on the number of tourists, which is why the tour leader anticipates schedules as far as possible.

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, you will be responsible for any transfers you make.

Optional extras are extra and must be paid for on site with your guide or local representative.

The order of visits is subject to change due to local imperatives (navigation time, passage of locks, etc.)

The pace of the visits can be quite long (see all the visits included in the day-by-day details), which means waking up very early in the morning (outside the boat's navigation periods)

Egypt is a cultural destination

PLEASE NOTE: For those booking the "hotel only" package (without international flights), please let us know your flight details as soon as possible via the contact form in "Help and contact" at the bottom of the page, so that we can organize your transfers.