Best of Egypt

Welcome to Cairo, Egypt’s dynamic capital and the start of your journey through the land of the Pharaohs. After your airport transfer, take time to unwind and get settled. Later, meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers over a drink. It’s your first chance to connect and get a feel for this extraordinary city.

Early this morning you'll meet your Travel Director and fly to Luxor and connect with the remnants of ancient Thebes during a visit to the Temple of Amun and the imposing Avenue of the Sphinx. Board your cruise ship in time for lunch, then visit the Luxor Museum before returning to your cruise ship for dinner.

Journey to the final resting place of Egypt’s Pharaohs, immersing yourself in the ancient history of Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. Visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and the Grand Temple of Luxor. Connect With Locals as you enjoy a traditional Be My Guest bite to eat of freshly baked bread with honey and mint tea in the archaeological paradise that is Luxor's West Bank.

Sail upstream to Kom Ombo, where life remains much as it was a thousand years ago. Standing at the threshold of the imposing Temple of Kom Ombo on the banks of the Nile, you’ll imagine visitors over the centuries arriving to pay homage to the gods Horus the Elder and Sobek. Tour the Temple and learn about its ‘double’ and perfectly symmetrical design for the duo, one side dedicated to the crocodile god, the other to the falcon god. After a captivating encounter with the ancients, enjoy a traditional Egyptian dinner on our cruise boat. Watching the sun set over the shimmering Nile, don your galabeas and toast to legends of the past and new friends.

Set sail on a traditional felucca across the mighty Nile to voyage around the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener’s Island. On arrival explore the Aswan Dam, built to curb the periodic flooding of the Nile. Our next stop is the Temple of Isis, followed by a visit to the Unfinished Obelisk, lying semi-carved in the solid bedrock.

Enjoy a morning at leisure, or perhaps join a once-in-a-lifetime Optional Experience to Abu Simbel, carved into a solid rock cliff in Egypt’s Nubian Valley. As you approach the Great Temple, marvel at the four-seated colossi on either side of the entrance and the elaborate engravings depicting great victories and tributes to the gods. Later this afternoon, fly back to Cairo.

Take in sweeping views over Cairo from the site of the old Citadel before heading inside the Alabaster Mosque. With its elegant domes and Ottoman design, this landmark built by Muhammad Ali Pasha is one of Egypt’s most iconic. Then step inside the Hanging Church of St. Mary, one of the oldest Coptic churches in the country, built over the ruins of a Roman fortress. Enjoy some free time to explore and grab lunch at your own pace. Later, join an Egyptologist at the Grand Egyptian Museum to uncover over 100,000 artifacts, including Tutankhamun’s full tomb collection, from gold jewelry to the famous funerary mask.

The Great Pyramids of Giza beckon today and you have an opportunity to embark on a soul-stirring encounter with its treasures – the Colossus of Ramses II, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara and the enigmatic Great Sphinx. Be mesmerized by the intricate art of Egyptian carpet weaving as you meet the skilled artisans of a local weaving school during a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. This evening, gather with your Travel Director and fellow travelers over a drink and snacks to mark your final night in Egypt.

Our epic journey at its end, we say farewell to newfound friends.