Incredible Egypt

Day 1 | Home - Cairo

Hotel: Hyatt Regency Cairo West

Welcome to the trip of a lifetime! Board your flight to Egypt and prepare to be spellbound by the ancient wonders of the Pharaohs.

Salaam Aleikum! Welcome to Egypt!
A buzzing metropolis, home to at least 19 million people, Cairo gives you a great feel for Egyptian street life. It’s busy – almost frantic – and among the hustle and bustle, it’s an exciting blend of old world and new. Arabs call this city Umm al-Dunya (the mother of the world). There are many beautiful mosques to visit, like the Mohammed Ali Mosque in the Citadel. Or head to the oldest part of Cairo, the Babylon Fortress, to see ancient ruins. For stunning panoramic views of the capital, go up the 187-metre-high Cairo Tower.

Try some street food – lamb shawarma, anyone? – or get a taste of Egyptian street life by visiting a cafe. Sit in an ahwa and sip traditional mint tea. The shisha pipe can be found in many ahwas and restaurants across Cairo.

Day 2 | Cairo

Hotel: Hyatt Regency Cairo West

Meal: Breakfast

This morning, meet your guide and head out to see some of the world’s most iconic sights – the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Explore these structures that have stood tall for some 4,500 years and learn about the ancient history of the monuments. The oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact, the pyramids are a sight to behold.

Afterwards, visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is one of the world’s most renowned museums, housing the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. Located in Tahrir Square, the museum was established in 1902 and features over 120,000 items, including the treasures of Tutankhamun, royal mummies, and intricately carved statues. Its vast halls showcase the grandeur and complexity of ancient Egyptian civilization, offering visitors a journey through thousands of years of history, art, and culture.

Day 3 | Cairo - Luxor

Hotel: Steigenberger Resort Achti - Luxor

Meal: Breakfast

Today, enjoy a free day at leisure.

Later this afternoon you'll be transferred to the airport to board your included flight to Luxor.

Day 4 | Luxor - Embark on Nile Cruise 

Hotel: M.S Nile Premium

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then we'll explore the magnificent Karnak Temple, which is perhaps the most impressive of all the ancient pharaohs' monumental works. One of the world's most celebrated temple complexes, Karnak was built over some 200 years and was once known as the 'Chosen of Places'. Your guided tour of this vast temple of impressive pylons, obelisks and chapels will reveal its finest sections, such as the Avenue of Sphinxes and the Great Temple of Amun.

Then it’s time to embark on your luxury Nile cruise that will be home for the next 4 nights. You’ll cruise between Luxor and Aswan on this elegant ship, with all the comforts you would expect from a 5-star floating hotel.

Day 5 | Luxor - Valley of the Kings - Luxor - Edfu 

Hotel: M.S Nile Premium

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we'll discover some of the many wonders of ancient Thebes. Our first stop is the Colossi of Memnon – two 17-metre-high statues on Luxor's west bank. Carved from granite blocks, they represent the Pharaoh Amenhotep III and were once part of an impressive colonnade.

Continue on to the spectacular royal burial site of the Valley of the Kings. Buried under the arid hills here are the tombs of more than 60 pharaohs, many richly decorated with reliefs and paintings. Explore this sprawling and spectacular place with your guide, where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (16th to 11th century BCE) were secretly interred for all eternity, and where archaeological discoveries are still being made. Your guide will explain the history of and legends surrounding these remarkable people, their funerary rites, and the significance of the many paintings and hieroglyphics, still well-preserved in the deepest tombs.

After paying a visit to three of the most interesting royal tombs we'll continue to the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a stunning colonnaded building of sharp lines that contrasts beautifully against the craggy high cliffs behind it, creating a spectacular natural amphitheater. One of Egypt’s greatest queens, this temple was built to prove her importance among the ancestors.

Enjoy lunch upon your return to the boat. There is time to relax on deck, or in your cabin, before we set sail for Edfu. Generally, the journey from Luxor to Edfu takes place between 1pm and 11 pm, though the departure time may vary, depending on river traffic. En route to Edfu we pass through the Esna Lock and head upstream.

Day 6 | Edfu – Kom - Ombo - Aswan 

Hotel: M.S Nile Premium

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we will moor near Edfu – home to ancient settlements and temples, as well as a bustling town centre and a bazaar.

Later we'll return to the boat where we’ll continue travelling upriver, with plenty of free time for relaxing on the sundeck and taking in the surrounding sights – from fishermen casting nets and farmers working their land to the desert hills that frame the lush riverbanks.

This afternoon we'll arrive at Kom Ombo Temple. Set dramatically on the bank of the Nile, 47 kilometres north of Aswan and 168 kilometres south of Luxor, the soaring, chunky columns of the double temple are a magnificent sight to behold as you arrive from the river.

Dedicated to the gods Sobek and Haroeris, the temple's finely carved reliefs give a sense of this area's prominence as capital over the surrounding region during the Ptolemaic era. Today, Kom Ombo may be a sleepy agricultural backwater surrounded by sugar cane fields, but its prime position along the Nile meant it was once one of Upper Egypt's most important centres. Wander through the temple's colonnades, gazing up at scenes of kingly propaganda, and you'll get a sense of this rich history for yourself.

Return to the cruise boat where you’ll continue travelling upriver towards Aswan.

Day 7 | Aswan - Abu Simbel - Aswan 

Hotel: M.S Nile Premium

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today you will awake before sunrise for an early morning start. Sit back and relax as you drive to the ancient Abu Simbel temples, near the southern Egyptian border. You will have an early arrival into Abu Simbel to view one of the most incredible sights you will see. The two enormous sandstone structures were built in the 1200s BCE by Ramses II to serve as lasting monuments to himself and his favourite wife Nefertari. The larger temple, dedicated to three major Egyptian deities, features four large statues of Ramses II on its façade, while the smaller temple is dedicated to the goddess of love, Hathor, with statues designed to embody Nefertari.

Set on the banks of the artificial Lake Nasser, the structures were once in danger of being flooded with the construction of the Aswan High Dam but were saved via an extensive project to cut the temples into pieces and move them to higher ground, where they are seen today.

On our return to Aswan the rest of the day is free for you to make your own discoveries.

This afternoon, we'll enjoy a sailboat ride around the Nile River islands in a traditional felucca (a small, traditional Egyptian sailboat).

Day 8 | Aswan - Cairo

Hotel: Sonesta Hotel, Tower & Casino Cairo

Meal: Breakfast

Today we will leave Aswan and make the short flight back to Cairo. On our return to Cairo enjoy your free time relaxing or doing some last-minute sightseeing.

Day 9 | Cairo - Home

Unfortunately, today marks the end of your incredible tour through Egypt. At the appropriate time you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home. 

Day 10 | Arrive Adelaide