Treasures Of Egypt - Pyramids And A Nile Cruise

What's Included

• Return flights from Heathrow with Egyptair (via Cairo on return)​
• 3 nights in a 4-star hotel in Cairo and 4 nights on board 5-star ship MS Tamr Henna
• 18 meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners
• Welcome cocktail and daily Afternoon Tea on board and welcome drink at your hotel
• Travelsphere Tour Manager and Specialist Local Guide
• Overseas transfers, internal flights, other transportation and porterage

• Visit Giza to see the Pyramids and Sphinx
• Discover Memphis and Sakkara
• Visit the Egyptian Museum and tour Coptic and Islamic Cairo
• Tour Luxor, including Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple
• Tour of the West Bank of the Nile including Valley of the Kings
• Horse-drawn carriage ride to Edfu
• Visit Aswan including the Aswan Dam and Temple of Isis at Philae​

Not Included

Itinerary

• Day 1 UK - Cairo
• You will fly to Cairo from the UK today. On arrival, you'll be transferred to your hotel.​
• Day 2 Giza & Memphis
• Breakfast will be served in the hotel, after which you'll travel to Giza. Be amazed by the only remaining wonder of the ancient world, the Pyramids of Giza, and the mysterious Great Sphinx, which is more than 4,000 years old. You'll then head to Memphis, the first ancient capital of Egypt, to see the colossal statue of Rameses II and the eight-metre-long Alabaster Sphinx. Your day of sightseeing comes to an end in Sakkara, an ancient bu​rial site and home of the Step Pyramid, said to be the world's earliest stone monument. ​In the evening, you can choose to join an optional excursion to see the famous Sound and Light show, where the pyramids are illuminated at night.​​
• Day 3 Cairo
• After breakfast, you'll explore the Egyptian Museum, home to the world's largest collection of Egyptian artefacts. Afterwards, on a stroll through Khan el-Khalili, Cairo's buzzing bazaar, you can practise your haggling skills.​
  On a tour of Coptic and Islamic Cairo this afternoon, you'll discover an array of important cultural and historical sites, including the Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue, the citadel of Salah El Din and the famous mosque of Mohamed Ali. The tour ends as you walk through the exotic streets of Cairo, including Islamic El Moez Street, with its ancient mosques.​​​
• Day 4 Cairo - Luxor
• After breakfast, you will check out of the hotel and be transferred to the airport for your flight to Luxor. On arrival, you'll be transferred to your ship where you will enjoy lunch on board. Then it's on to Luxor, location of the most astonishing treasures of Egypt and one of the highlights of this trip. You'll explore the awe-inspiring Karnak Temple complex with its Avenue of Sphinxes, and the Luxor Temple, which formed part of the ancient city of Thebes. You'll return to the ship for dinner. In the evening, join our optional excursion to the sound and light show at the Karnak Temple, or simply relax on board and take in the beauty of the river Nile​.
• Day 5 Luxor - Esna
• Today you'll explore the West Bank of the Nile. The first excursion is to the Valley of the Kings, another of Egypt's must-see sites, where you'll go inside some of the tombs that are covered in hand-painted hieroglyphics. Then, you'll visit the astonishing Temple of Hatshepsut which is carved into huge limestone cliffs. Finally, you'll visit the Colossi of Memnon, two 60-ft-high statues which mark the entrance to the funerary temple of Amenophis III. After all that, it's time for a well-earned rest on board the ship. Lunch will be served as you sail south to Esna, followed by Afternoon Tea on the sun deck. In the evening, there will be a cocktail reception and dinner.​
• Day 6 Esna - Kom Ombo
• Today is another day packed full of fascinating sights. After breakfast on board, you'll enjoy a horse-drawn carriage ride to the temple complex of Edfu, one of the most well-preserved Egyptian temples in existence today. In the afternoon, the ship will sail south to Kom Ombo and there will be time to observe life on the Nile during Afternoon Tea on the sundeck. On arrival, you'll visit the temple of Kom Ombo, a mysterious temple on the riverbank dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek. On board the ship this evening, you are invited to a traditional dinner of Egyptian specialities.​
• Day 7 Kom Ombo - Aswan
• If you would like to visit the Temples of Abu Simbel, some of the most spectacular monuments in Egypt, join our optional excursion departing early this morning. You'll visit this amazing site and tour its highlights before returning in the early afternoon for lunch. 
  If you choose to stay in Aswan, you'll see the Aswan High Dam, an engineering marvel that took ten years to build.
  Later, enjoy a trip in a traditional Felucca on the Nile.
• Day 8 Aswan - UK
• After breakfast you'll disembark the ship and visit the Temple of Isis at Philae. It was moved block by block to its present location, so that it wouldn't be submerged as a result of the Aswan High Dam. You'll also see the Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient Aswan quarry before transferring to the airport for your flight to Cairo. On arrival at Cairo, you'll board your flight to the UK.​

Accommodation

• • Helnan Dream Hotel & Conference Centre
  • For travelers visiting Giza, Helnan Dreamland Hotel is an excellent choice. Guest rooms offer amenities such as a flat-screen TV, air conditioning, and a minibar, and guests can go online with free wifi offered by the hotel. The property also boasts a pool and breakfast.
• • Steigenberger Minerva
  • Luxury in its purest form awaits you on the Steigenberger Minerva, on your Nile cruise. In the comfortable suites and cabins you can relax and enjoy the unique views of the river panorama to your heart''s delight On board, the expansive sun deck with pool is perfect for sun-bathing, while you can complete your usual workout in the ship''s own gym. Facilities - 77 cabins, including 73 double cabins and 2 suites, 4 decks. Restaurant, lounge and bar. Souvenir shop. Extensive sun deck, Pool with pool bar, Fitness gym, Beauty salon

Optional Excursions

• Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids, Giza
• Sound and Light Show at the Karnak Temple, Luxor
• Abu Simbel

Further Information