Day 1: Arrival In Cairo
On arrival at Cairo International Airport, you will be welcomed by our local representative, who will assist you with the formalities and accompany you to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 2: Pyramids, Sphinx And The Grand Egyptian Museum
Full day of guided sightseeing. Depart for the Giza Plateau to discover the three great pyramids of Khufu (Cheops), Khafre (Chephren) and Menkaure (Mykerinos), the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. You will also admire the Great Sphinx, the site's age-old guardian, carved directly from the limestone bedrock.
Visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), one of the largest archaeological museums in the world, home to an exceptional collection of artefacts spanning the entire history of ancient Egypt, including the treasures of Tutankhamun. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 3: Free Day In Cairo
Breakfast, then a free day to discover Cairo at your own pace (souks, historic districts, the banks of the Nile) or simply relax at the hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 4: Cairo – Bahariya Oasis – Black Desert – White Desert
After breakfast, depart by road across the Western Desert to Bahariya Oasis. Continue by 4x4 through the Black Desert and its volcanic hills, with a stop at Crystal Mountain.
Arrive at the White Desert National Park in time to watch the sunset over its astonishing wind-sculpted chalk formations. Bedouin dinner around the campfire and a night under the stars in a desert camp.
Day 5: White Desert – Farafra – Dakhla Oasis
Wake up to sunrise over the White Desert and breakfast at the camp. Drive via Farafra Oasis to Dakhla Oasis, one of the most beautiful in Egypt.
Discover Al-Qasr, a medieval mud-brick town with narrow lanes overlooked by its old mosque, then visit the Roman temple of Deir el-Hagar. Check in at the hotel in Dakhla, dinner and overnight.
Day 6: Dakhla – Kharga Oasis
After breakfast, drive to Kharga Oasis. Visit the Temple of Hibis, the best-preserved temple of the Persian period in Egypt, then the early Christian necropolis of El-Bagawat and its painted chapels. Check in at the hotel in Kharga, dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Kharga – Luxor – Valley Of The Kings – Karnak – Embarkation
Early breakfast, then cross the desert to Luxor. You will discover the legendary Valley of the Kings, final resting place of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom, carved into the limestone of the West Bank of the Nile, with a visit inside richly decorated tombs.
You will continue with a visit to the Temple of Karnak, the largest religious complex ever built in ancient Egypt. For nearly two thousand years, this sanctuary was the heart of the cult of the god Amun: you will discover the famous Hypostyle Hall with its 134 giant columns and the pink granite obelisks.
Then transfer to Luxor or Esna to board your dahabiya. Settle into your cabin, dinner and overnight on board.
Day 8: Sailing – Nile Island – Edfu
A peaceful morning sailing along the Nile. Stop on an island in the Nile: a walk through the surrounding countryside, among fields and palm groves, to meet the inhabitants and discover the traditional life of the riverside villages.
The dahabiya continues towards Edfu. Dinner and overnight on board.
Day 9: Edfu Temple – Kom Ombo – Traditional Evening
After breakfast, visit the Temple of Edfu, one of the best preserved in all of Egypt thanks to having been gradually buried under the sand for centuries. Dedicated to the falcon god Horus, this Ptolemaic temple impresses with its monumental pylon and its hypostyle halls.
Return on board and sail towards Kom Ombo. Visit Kom Ombo Temple, an architectural rarity dedicated to two gods: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, the falcon god. Each has his own half of the temple, in perfect symmetry.
In the evening, dinner on a Nile island with a traditional Egyptian show. Overnight on board.
Day 10: Sailing To Aswan – Philae Temple And The High Dam
Breakfast on board while sailing towards Aswan. On arrival, visit Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, one of the last major centres of pharaonic worship to remain active, saved from the waters and rebuilt on Agilkia Island.
Then visit the Aswan High Dam, the colossal structure that created Lake Nasser. Return on board for dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Free Morning Or Optional Abu Simbel – Flight To Cairo
Breakfast on board. Free morning to enjoy Aswan.
You will have the option of leaving early in the morning for an excursion to the temples of Abu Simbel, about 280 km south of Aswan. Built by Ramesses II around 1260 BC to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh, these two monumental temples are among the most impressive remains of ancient Egypt. In the 1960s they were entirely cut into blocks and rebuilt higher up to save them from the rising waters caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam, one of the greatest archaeological rescue operations in history.
Disembarkation, then transfer to Aswan airport for your domestic flight to Cairo. Meet and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 12: Cairo – Departure
Breakfast, then transfer to Cairo International Airport for your return flight.
