Mysteries of Ancient Egypt

Upon your arrival in Cairo, you will be greeted by your local guide and transferred to your hotel to freshen up before going out for some tasty local cuisine with your guide.

Your guide will be with you for the duration of your visit and will share with you essential local cultural customs as well as safety tips. If you arrive early in the day, you will have time to explore the city at your leisure before embarking on an international travel excursion you will long remember.

A stroll along the riverwalk is a great way to stretch your legs as well as see the diversity of the city after a long flight.

This morning you will visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. The museum draws thousands of visitors daily with its variety of tombs, mummies, statutes, and jewels, including several Tutankhamun treasures.  If you spent just six seconds at each exhibit, it would still take you six months to see everything in this museum!

Next, you will board a bus for a tour around the city. Your first stop will be Giza, home of the renowned papyrus paper makers. Here you will see the process of making papyrus into paper and have the opportunity to support the local artisans through purchases at their shop.  The intricate colors and details of the designs are impressive.

After visiting the papermakers, you will continue to the “City of the Dead,” Fatimid City, a great place to grab a bite to eat.  You can also wander through the Khan El Khalili Bazaar to buy some fresh spices, handcrafted jewelry, Egyptian clothing, or local pottery/baskets.

Depending on timing, you may also want to visit the Citadel. This temple is full of intricate carvings, stained glass windows, and marble statues.

In the evening, you may choose to experience the Egyptian History Sound and Light show projected over the pyramids and sphinx. The show starts at dusk, but you will want to arrive early enough to get a good viewing spot. 

Early this morning, you will explore Cairo once again. The destination this time is the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx.  It’s best to arrive early, as it is sweltering by midday. You may also opt to ride a camel around the pyramids for a different kind of adventure.

The Great Sphinx stands guard nearby. You will have the opportunity to get up close to the sandstone structure to see how amazingly well it has survived for over 3,000 years.

The afternoon is free. Your guide will suggest some activities of interest.

Early this morning you will fly to Luxor.

Here you will visit Karnak Temple. The entrance to the temple includes statues of prominent figures in Egyptian history. Inside the portal, you will find 134 columns covered from top to bottom with carved hieroglyphics, many of which are still very clear despite the years. Don’t forget to visit the statute to the beetle god – people walk around the statue for luck (three times for good luck, seven times for fertility). 

Your next stop will be an Egyptian Carpet School. Here local students learn the craft of carpet weaving while working on a variety of carpets. You may even try your hand at weaving. 

It is time to board your ship for your Nile River cruise – the best way to see this part of the country. 

Dinner will be served onboard before you visit one more local site, the Luxor Temple at night. While the architecture is much the same as the Karnak Temple, seeing the statues and carvings lit up at night gives the site a totally different feel.

This morning you will board a bus to Valley of the Kings and Queens, stopping at the Statute of Ramses II and the Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut on the way.  Along the drive, there are several areas of excavation revealing a variety of “entrances” along the sides of the cliffs. These are tombs where, over the years, people have buried their loved ones.  

At the Valley of the Kings and Queens, you will have time to explore the layers of tombs and temples excavated – many more tombs and temples continue to be discovered even today. Near the Valley of the Kings and Queens, you may have the opportunity to stop at an alabaster factory where the craftsmen demonstrate how the stone is mined and processed to create the final product.

Back onboard ship, you set sail for Edfu. You have the afternoon to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Nile River.

In the morning, you will visit the Temple of Horus.  The temple is one of the best preserved; it is a sandstone temple dedicated to the Falcon God – Horus.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Temple of Sobek and Haroeris in the town of Kom Ombo. The Nile has been harsh to this temple, flooding it frequently.  There is an ancient Egyptian calendar still evident as well as a carving of medical/surgical tools. In ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked on the riverbank.  

Take a break at one of the riverside cafes to try the waterpipe – a pipe filled with apple flavored “hubbly bubbly” before heading back to the ship.

Start the morning at a granite quarry within the city limits of Aswan to visit the Unfinished Obelisk.  Walking around the obelisk, you can see both the chisel marks left by workers as well as the smooth granite from years of tourists visiting the monument. 

From the quarry, you will transfer to a local boat for a visit to the island of Agilika, the Temple of Philae.  This temple has been relocated many times from one island to another and was the center of the cult of the Goddess Isis and her connection with Osiris, Horus, and the Kingship.

Before returning to the ship, you may visit an essence factory to learn how the oils are processed as well as to have a massage with the oils if desired. Alternatively, you may visit a local cotton factory to see how the high-quality Egyptian cottons are made.

Following lunch onboard your ship, you may elect to take a felucca (small sailboat) up the Nile to one of the rural Nubian villages. In the Nubian village, you may be invited into a local home where you can see how they live. You may also have the opportunity to visit the local school and have a numbers and letters lesson in Arabic and Nubian by a local teacher.  

This morning ends your river cruise. After disembarking, you will take a quick flight to Abu Simbel to see your final two ancient temples. 

Then you will board a flight back to Cairo for your last afternoon in the city and your farewell dinner.

It’s time for your trip home. We hope you had an amazing journey back in time to see the marvels of the Egyptian culture.