Luxury Dahabiya Cruise and Cairo

Welcome to Egypt, the land of Pharaoh! Today, once upon your landing at Cairo International Airport, our local representative will meet you and assist you with relevant entry formalities, such as checking your passport, exchanging currency, buying a local SIM card, and going through the customs. You will then be transported to the hotel in a clean and air-conditioned private vehicle. After assisting with check-in, the local representative will introduce you the hotel facilities, the schedule for the next few days, and the specific time to pick you up the next day. The rest of the day is free for you.

► Activities Suggestions:
● If a long flight makes you tired, perhaps a walk in the garden, a dip in the pool or a read on the balcony of your room is a good way to relax.
● The Grand Egyptian Museum is not far from your hotel. It is said that it will officially open to the public this year. You may take a look if interested.
● If you are more interested in Cairo's historical architecture, a visit to downtown Cairo is also a great option, and you can take a taxi there. The hotel is about 17 km (10.6 miles) from Cairo city center and about 30 minutes by car.

Accommodation: Marriott Mena House

After breakfast, our local guide will lead you to visit the renowned Pyramids of Giza this morning. As the landmark of Egypt, it houses three most famous pyramids of the country, which are actually three tombs belonged to three Pharaohs in ancient Egypt, namely Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Among the three significant mausoleums, the Khufu Pyramid is the largest. Later, we will admire the Great Sphinx nearby. This is a roughly 20-meter-high (66 feet) statue with a man's face and lion's body, and it has guarded the Great Pyramids of Giza for over 4,500 years. Then you will be transferred to Sakkara to have a glimpse of the world's oldest Step Pyramid dating back to the 27th century BC. Ambling around the pyramid, you will discover a lot of ruins of temples and stone pillars.

After lunch, we’ll head to Memphis, a capital of the ancient Egyptian kingdom. The guide will accompany you to capture the exquisite Statue of Ramses II and discover the clear 3,200-year-old pictographs on it. You will also see the statue of Amenphis II who has the head of a human and body of a lion on the site.

Today’s guided sightseeing will come to an end here, and the guide will transfer you back to the hotel. Good night!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Today we're firstly going to visit the Egyptian Museum near Tahir Square in Cairo. It contains some 120,000 cultural relics and most of them are finest archaeological objects found in Egypt. More than 1,700 treasures from Tutankhamun's tomb, such as his golden mask have long been on display. Egyptian Museum also displays many royal mummies and their humanoid coffins. You can notice that, the faces and names on some of the coffins seem to have been intentionally defaced. Ancient Egyptians mummified the dead mainly for resurrection, and one of the keys to resurrection is that the coffin must be clearly carved with the face and name of the dead. If the face and name on the coffin are destroyed, then the soul of the deceased could not find its own body, let alone be resurrected. Therefore, the ancient Egyptians considered the defacement to be the harshest revenge on an enemy!

Next we'll visit the Citadel of Saladin, which was built in the 12th century by the Egyptian hero Saladin to fight against the crusaders. The main building in the citadel is the Mosque of Muhammad Al. Located high, it offers a panoramic view of Cairo. Finally before transferring back to the hotel, we will travel around the oldest bazaar in Egypt, Khan El-Khalil to catch a glimpse of locals’ life.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning, our driver will send you to the airport so you can catch the flight to Aswan. Upon your arrival, our local representative will escort you to embark the Luxury Nebyt Dahabiya Nile cruise, and lunch is served on board. Since the time of Pharaohs, the Nile River had been the main artery of travel and leisure for the royal family and aristocrats, and the boat they took was the Dahabiya, a luxury wooden sailboat that is almost entirely powered by the wind. More fortunately than the Pharaohs, your Dahabiya not only offers comfortable rooms, fine food, and plenty of entertainment, but also is equipped with air conditioning, flush toilet, shower, WIFI, and other modern facilities.

After a short break, follow the guide to visit the world-renowned High Dam across the Nile, and the Unfinished Obelisk lying in the ruins of the ancient Egyptian stone quarry. There is a ladder beside the obelisk for you to climb up. Finally we will visit the Temple of Philae, which is located on Agikia Island. It is reputed as the most beautiful temple in Egypt due to the delicate carvings and murals. Afterwards, return to the cruise to have dinner and stay overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Cruises: Nebyt Dahabiya Nile Cruise

After breakfast, the cruise guide will take you to some attractions rarely covered on other cruise lines, including the Aswan Botanical Garden and Gharb Sohail village. In addition, you can also choose a morning optional tour to Abu Simbel Temples. As a part of the Nubian site, Abu Simbel Temple has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It mainly consists of two large and exquisite structures carved directly out of the cliffs: a large one for Ramses II, and a smaller one for his queen Nefertari. It is 230 km (143 miles) from Aswan, taking a 3.5-hour drive one way. Since your cruise will depart promptly at 2:00 pm, you may have to start off around 4:30 am. Please note that the Abu Simbel Tour is not included in our offer.

The cruise will continue sailing to Herdiab Island, and you can have some refreshments and watch the sunset on the deck before dinner. The setting sun stains the Nile water golden, children are playing in the river, and egrets rise from the papyrus flowers on the banks... Miraculously, it seems that nothing has changed for thousands of years! Later, the cruise will dock at Herdiab Island tonight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we will spend some time on Herdiab Beach, where you can take a walk on the soft sand or go swimming. Then the cruise will sail on to Kom Ombo, and a while later after lunch, we will get to Kom Ombo. Your guide will lead you to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, which was built during the Ptolemaic dynasty (305 - 30BC). What makes it special is that it has two completely symmetrical gates, one for Horus – the eagle god, while the other for Sobek – the crocodile god. Thus, it is also known as the “Double Gods Temple”.

Then the ship will continue sailing to Beshir Island, which is also a quiet and beautiful island where only Dahabiya are permitted to dock. A delicious BBQ is served for dinner and you will be arranged to dine at Beshir Island Beach.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, BBQ Dinner

Today, the Dahabiya cruise will continue to sail to Gebel el-Silsila. On arrival, you’ll be guided to visit the Temple of Gebel El Silsila, which is built for solar worship. Gebel el-Silsila is situated in a remote quarry, and most tourists won’t visit it because large ships can’t dock there due to its special location. Fortunately, our small and flexible Dahabiya can take you on a tour of this important historical site. Also, it is remarkable that Karnak Temple, the largest temple complex in the world that you are about to visit in Luxor, derived most of its rocks from the quarry here.

Afterwards, we will cruise down to Edfu for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, disembark and follow the guide to visit Temple of Edfu, the second largest temple in Egypt. It honors the god of sky Horus, so it is also called Temple of Horus. Even more specially, we will arrange a traditional horse-drawn ride for you to and from the temple and the shore.

We will return to Dahabiya for lunch, and then go on the cruise to El Kab Village. For the shore excursion in the afternoon, you’ll be escorted to visit the El Kab Temple, with many reliefs displaying daily life of ancient Egyptians 3,000 years ago. El Kab, Nekheb in Egyptian, is the name of the goddess of egret, who has a human body and the head of an egret. You could see her in many murals and carvings in the country. After the visit, we will go back and sail to Hegz Island near Esna, and the Dahabiya will stop in shore by Hegz Island tonight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the early morning, the cruise will start sailing again and pass by Esna Lock. After breakfast onboard, we will go ashore to visit Esna Temple, also called the Temple of Khnum, which is dedicated to the god of the flood and is famous for unique architectural style and frescoes. From inscriptions on the wall of this temple, we can know that ancient Egyptians had to go through strict procedures when they were going to the temple. They should clean the body with a natural salt, cut fingernails and toenails, wear linen clothes, and could not have sex for a few days before entering the temple.

After the visit, go back to Dahabiya for sailing to Luxor. In the afternoon, you may take a seat on the deck and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Nile. The cruise will berth in Luxor tonight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning, you will be aroused by the delicious breakfast. After that, the cruise guide will lead you to explore West Bank of Luxor, to visit Valley of the Kings firstly. It served as the main mausoleum area from 1539 to 1075 BC, where more than 60 pharaohs and nobles were buried. We will go inside three of them for detailed observation. Besides, we will also visit Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon on the way.

Next, go back to the Dahabiya cruise for lunch. After a short break, follow the cruise guide to visit Temple of Karnak on the east bank of Luxor. It is the largest temple in Egypt and dedicated to God of Sun Amon, his wife Mut, and their son Khonsu. Next we’ll also go to Luxor Temple not far away. After the onshore sightseeing, you’ll be escorted back the cruise to have dinner and stay overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, your 8-day/7-night Dahabiya Cruise will be over. After check out, we will take you to Luxor Airport for your flight back to Cairo. Your driver will pick you up from Cairo airport and escort you to the hotel. The rest of this day is your free time.

► Activities Suggestions:
● To make your stay in Cairo convenient, we have selected the hotel in the center of Cairo. If you want to stay in the Giza area or near the airport, we would also be glad to arrange that for you.
● If you're a museum buff, don't miss the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. It presents a comprehensive view of Egyptian culture from prehistoric age to the present day.
● If architecture is your thing, the Hanging Church, Synagogue of Ben Ezra, and nearby old street and buildings could not be missed.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Kempinski Nile Hotel, Cairo

According to your flight schedule, the driver will pick you up from the hotel, send you to Cairo International Airport and see you off. Thanks again for choosing our Egypt tour! We also offer service in other destinations around the world. If you have any travel plan in the future, please feel free to contact for the details.

Meals: Breakfast