Egyptian Discovery

As our airport representative will meet you upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, you’ll be assisted through passport control/visa formalities (including the cost of a single-entry tourist visa), customs, and luggage pick-up, ensuring a VIP experience. A private driver will bring you to your hotel in downtown Cairo, a striking mix of history and modern with donkeys clopping alongside luxury vehicles, while the world’s most famous pyramids lie on the outskirts. As most flights arrive at midday, there won’t be time for sightseeing, but you can enjoy dining at one of the outstanding on-site venues offering everything from juicy steaks to refined Singaporean fare.

A full day of exciting exploration lies ahead. Traveling with your expert driver/guide, head to the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that still survive: the Great Pyramids of Giza, with the Great Sphinx guarding them the oldest known monumental sculpture, still standing after more than 4,600 years. After your visit, you’ll visit the Egyptian Museum at Tahir Square in downtown Cairo. The oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, it displays the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities. This evening, enjoy the spectacular Sound and Light show at the Pyramids, bringing to life the stories of the ancient Egyptian civilization.

After breakfast, discover the highlights of Alexandria on a full-day private tour with an Egyptologist guide. You’ll get to marvel at Pompey’s Pillar, a Roman triumphal column and the largest of its kind outside of Rome and Constantinople. A visit to the catacombs at Kom el Shoqafa is included too. Considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages, the huge necropolis and royal cemetery lie deep underground and includes an eerie Roman-style dining hall. See the library of Alexandria and the statues of Alexander and Ptolemy that keep watch outside, as well as the 15th-century Citadel of Sultan Qeitbay.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel before checking out, taking a private transfer back to Cairo’s airport to catch your flight to Aswan. Your tour today brings you to Philae, built around 280 BC, featuring walls that contain incredible scenes from Egyptian mythology. Marvel at the Aswan High Dam, one of the biggest dams of its kind in the world. You’ll visit the Northern Quarries to see the unfinished obelisk, the source of the finest granite in ancient Egypt, used to make many of the monuments. It’s the largest known ancient obelisk and has provided valuable insight into how the pyramids, temples, and statues were created.

Before cruise embarkation time, you can choose to take an optional tour of Abu Simbel, an ancient temple complex dating to the 13th century BC featuring two vast rock-cut temples. Widely regarded as the most beautiful built by Ramses II, they contain sanctuaries and hieroglyphs. After checking into your cruise, lunch will be served on board the ship with the remainder of the day offering time to relax after a busy few days. Take advantage of the facilities, perhaps unwinding with a refreshing cocktail at the bar or soaking up the sun in a comfy lounger on the spacious terrace while digging into a good book.

Two intriguing visits will be enjoyed today, the first after we reach Kom Ombo, famous for the unusual double Kom Ombo Temple, built around the 1st century BC, dedicated to two different deities. Once everyone is back onboard the ship, you’ll sail to Edfu to visit the Temple of Edfu along the West Bank of the Nile. It sat buried under centuries of sand and stilt before being rediscovered in the 19th century and is considered one of the most impeccably preserved shrines, complete with walls featuring many legible inscriptions. The inscriptions are important information on myths, religion, and the language during Egypt’s Hellenistic period.

As we sail to Luxor, enjoy breakfast and lunch aboard the ship. Arriving at the East Bank, you’ll enjoy a visit to the magnificent Luxor Temple, a large temple complex constructed around 1400 BC. Still used as a place of worship today, it’s one of the world’s best-preserved ancient sites, much of it still existing as it did centuries ago. Karnak Temple, a city of temples that date all the way back to 3200 BC, is just a couple of miles away and features sphinx statues that proudly guard its entrance. The 13th-century BC Hypostyle Hall is a highlight, featuring over 140 tall papyrus pillars.

After breakfast aboard the ship, you’ll soon disembark, meeting your private driver/guide for a tour that visits the West Bank, including the Valley of the Kings, a royal burial ground for pharaohs like Tutankhamun and Ramses II from the 16th to the 11th centuries BC. Discover Hatshepsut’s Temple, a masterpiece of ancient architecture, built by Queen Hatshepsut who became pharaoh lying directly across the river from Karnak. The Colossi of Memnon is on your itinerary too, consisting of two monumental statues facing the Nile at the front of the Theban Necropolis’ largest temple. Afterward, continue to your hotel in the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada. Alternatively, discuss adding a flight and hotel stay in Sharm El Sheik with your consultant.

Enjoy two full days in Hurghada to relax and play as you wish. Located along the Red Sea, a wide range of activities are on offer here. The colorful underwater world that lies offshore, inhabited by abundant marine life and coral, is what first brought the town worldwide attention. Divers arrive from all corners of the globe and there are many dive schools catering to them. Snorkeling is outstanding too, with boat trips that will bring you to the top spots, including the Giftun Islands. Fishing, sailing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, horseback riding, dirt biking, ATV tours and more are all available too.

Use your second day of leisure to unwind or experience another activity. If you spent time in or on the water, you might be ready to explore the desert, with dune buggy trips, Jeep expeditions, quad biking, and more that can bring you into the sand dune hinterland. It’s the perfect way to explore the acacia tree-dotted valleys that are hemmed in by the red-hued mountains that characterize much of the landscape in the Eastern Desert. Or simply enjoy a relaxed day on the private beach at your resort. There’s a large heated pool, a spa, and multiple dining options on-site too.

After 10 unforgettable nights, it’s time for your Egyptian Discovery trip to come to an end. Your driver will meet you upon checkout at your hotel to provide a private transfer to Hurghada’s airport where you’ll catch a flight to Cairo International Airport. From there, you’ll continue with an international flight back home or to head out on further travels. Wherever you go, we wish you safe travels and hope to host you on another trip again soon.