ANCIENT EGYPT
Departure on Friday | Itinerary subject to change until departure date
Day 1 Aswan
Arrival, visa procedures and transfer to the cruise ship. Time at leisure to start discovering Egypt, a fun country with friendly people and tasty cuisine, as well as being enriched by its impressive historical and cultural heritage. Dinner and accommodation on board.
Day 2 Aswan / Kom Ombo / Edfú
Visit to the temples of Abu Simbel by road. Picnic breakfast. Visit of Aswan, with the unfinished obelisk and the great dam. Lunch and sailing to Kom Ombo. Visit the temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and to Horus the Elder. Sailing to Edfu. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 3 Edfu / Esna / Luxor
Breakfast. Visit to the temple of Edfu, built by Ptolemy III in 235 BC, remarkable for its conservation and its solid sloping façade. It is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god. Return to the cruise ship. Lunch, passage through the Esna lock and sailing to Luxor. Dinner and accommodation.
Day 4 Luxor / Valley of the Kings / Temple of Hatshepsut / Colossi / Karnak / Cairo
Breakfast. Departure for the Valley of the Kings, where 62 pharaohs are buried. Visit to the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari, one of the most beautiful monuments in the country. On the way back, pass by the Colossi of Memnon. Visit to the temple of Luxor, built by Amenophis III and Ramses II in the 18th century BC. The temple was connected to the temple of Karnak by the famous Avenue of the Sphinxes. Visit of Karnak with its columns, obelisks and statues. Lunch. Transfer to Luxor airport for flight to Cairo. Arrival, transfer to the hotel, dinner and accommodation.
Day 5 Cairo / Giza / Cairo
Breakfast. Departure for Giza. Visit the mythical pyramids and the Sphinx. Lunch. Visit to the step pyramid of Zoser in Sakkara and the necropolis of Memphis. Return to the hotel. Night tour of Cairo, with a panoramic view of the main districts and their illuminated monuments. Dinner in a local restaurant. Return to hotel. Accommodation.
Day 6 Cairo
Breakfast. Visit to the Egyptian Museum, with jewels over 5,000 years old, including Tutankhamun's treasure. Lunch. Visit to the Citadel of Saladin, the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali and the Coptic Quarter with the Hanging Church, the Church of Abu Serga and the Ben Izra Synagogue. Finally, a visit to the Jan el Jalili Grand Bazaar. Return to the hotel. Sound and light show at the pyramids of Giza and dinner in a local restaurant. Return to the hotel. Accommodation.
Day 7 Cairo
Breakfast. Day at leisure in Cairo. Optionally (not included), full-day visit with lunch to Alexandria, one of the most important cities of the ancient world. Accommodation.
Day 8 Cairo
Breakfast. At a time to be arranged locally, transfer to the airport.