Egyptian Nile Cruise And Desert Oases Tour

Arrive Cairo and check-in at hotel. Cairo is a vibrant, exhilarating, exotic, fascinating and welcoming city. Home to the best Pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic sights in Egypt, this city is where you never know what incredible, half-forgotten monument you might stumble across while wandering around. Catch your first glimpse of the mighty Nile river, visit the capital's medieval markets by Khan El-Khalili, or walk down the Nile promenade. There are also plenty of cinemas, theatres and modern malls.

Overnight Standard Hotel

Cairo is Africa’s largest capital city and is known as the city of a thousand minarets. Driving to Giza we see the Pyramids and Sphinx, among the most impressive man-made spectacles in the world. The Great Pyramid of Cheops is the largest of the group (originally 145m high with a square base 232m). Second is the Pyramid of Chephren (136m high, width 210m). The complex includes the Sphinx, a crouching lion with a human head carved from solid rock, and the splendid Granite Temple. We also visit the Egyptian Museum which contains the treasure of Tutankhamun.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today is a free day for optional trips to Saqqara the impressive step pyramid/necropolis of Zozer (Djoser) – the earliest of the pyramids of Egypt and the recently opened Red and Bent Pyramids at Dashur. Or an optional trip to Islamic Cairo to visit the illustrious Citadel, one of Saladin’s many strongholds during the Crusades period. There will also be the opportunity to enter one or more of the medieval mosques of Cairo. Alternatively you could use this free time to revisit the vast Egyptian museum. This evening we will have our flight to Luxor and transfer to our Riverboat.

Overnight Standard Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we have free time to explore a little of what Luxor has to offer before returning to the boat and setting sail around late morning. We sail upstream (south) heading towards Kom Ombo and spend the afternoon and evening soaking up the views of the Nile Valley as we sail past the small villages that scatter the river banks.

Overnight Standard Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Swimming available

This morning we disembark to visit Edfu the largest Egyptian temple after Karnak. The falcon-headed god Horus guards the temple dedicated to him which is in almost perfect condition, in fact the temple is unusual in that its roof has survived intact. We re-board our boat and continue upstream to Kom Ombo,situated on the bank of the river this temple is particularly unique because it is dedicated to two gods; Haroeris and Sobek the crocodile god. It is thought that this part of the Nile used to have a large crocodile population hence the dedication to Sobek. We continue to Aswan, arriving late tonight.   

Overnight Standard Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we disembark our Boat and head for shore amongst the Nubians. Aswan is Egypt’s most southerly city, traditionally regarded as the frontier post of Upper Egypt. Sited on the east bank, it stands just below the First Cataract and is the meeting point of Arab culture with Nubia and black Africa. Today we have the chance to travel by bus or air to the fabulous rock-hewn temple of Abu Simbel. Cut into the rock face, this enormous structure was raised 61m to save it from inundation by the artificial lake created by the Aswan High Dam. The 20m high statues represent Ramses II, known as the great builder. Alternatively wander the streets of this fascinating city, where stalls laden with colourful spices line the streets.

Overnight Standard Cabin Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we will disembark the boat for the final time and check into our hotel situated overlooking the Nile. Today we have time to explore more of Aswan and the surrounding area. A popular optional excursion is the camel trek to the deserted coptic monastery of St. Simeon. One of the largest Coptic monasteries in Egypt, St Simeon’s was built in the 7th century and finally abandoned in the 13th. It now sits in splendid isolation at the end of a desert valley, an impressive sight, looking more like a desert fortress than a place of worship.You may wish to take an excursion to Philae Temple, situated on a picturesque island in the Nile.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we drive to Luxor and check into the hotel and this afternoon we have our included visit by ‘calesh’ (horse drawn carriage) to the stupendous Temple of Amun at Karnak, the labour of numerous pharaohs. Begun about 2000 BC, this vast temple was still being added to in Cleopatra’s time (1st century BC).There may also be the option in the afternoon to visit Deir-el- Medina and Medinet Habu - relatively little visited sites and for many a real highlight of the tour.  Or you could enjoy an optional Donkey Trek in the West Bank, through villages and fields before watching the sun set over the Nile.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

After breakfast we cross the Nile to visit the extraordinary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s only female Pharaoh, who usurped the throne from her son, the future Tuthmoses III. The scale of the temple and its magnificent setting are breathtaking, but perhaps even more remarkable are the details - look out for the fine carving of the ‘Expedition to the Land of Punt’. We then take a short bus ride to the Valley of the Kings’ to explore some of the more important sites made famous in 1922 by the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter. We visit three tombs. The remainder of the day is left free for personal exploration in Luxor, during which you may like to take a calesh tour of local villages, or visit the Explore sponsored Sunshine Orphanage.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Today we spend the day heading west, entering the Western Desert, part of the Great Sahara. Christian in its early history, the Western Desert then fell to the Muslims and the Berbers. Finally, in the 11th century, it became part of Egypt. The first of the four major oases we visit is Kharga whose main wealth comes from date palms. We visit El Bagawat necropolis dating back to the second century AD.  We visit the chapel of exodus and the chapel of peace along with the Kharga museum. We will go to both a date and a carpet factory and head to the spice market after dinner to soak up the atmosphere and stop off at a local coffee shop.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast we head to Dakhla Oasis; we visit the Old Covered City with its oil press, school, courthouse and dwelling chambers. Later on we discover the tombs of El Muzawaka and deir el Hagar. As the sun goes down we take a camel ride amongst the sand dunes and have a relaxing bath in the warm springs.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We continue north and as we approach Farafra the terrain becomes a white limestone ‘moonscape’. Farafra is the smallest of the four major oases, the desert scenery is at its best here – steep cliffs ring the oasis on one side and the wind forms dunes from the sand on the other. We tour the city before striking out to explore the extraordinary and spectacular geology of the White Desert. We visit the most dramatic parts of the desert, marvelling at the wind-eroded chalk outcrops, before reaching our overnight camp.

Overnight Basic Camping Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our desert exploration continues as we move on to Bahariya. We go off road and head to the black desert and its dunes. We will climb sand dunes, visit the crystal mountain and soak up the wonders of the stunning scenery. We will bath in warm springs.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast we walk to the English Mountain and then enjoy the environs of Bahariya which holds many sites of archaeological interest we will visit the temple of Alexander the Great, the tombs of the nobles and the Golden Mummies, one of the most important finds in Egypt since the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. After all this we drive to Cairo.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Your tour ends in Cario after breakfast.

Included meals: Breakfast