Detailed Narrative Itinerary

Ahlan wa sahlan, welcome to Egypt!

You’ll be met inside the Cairo airport where one of our welcoming Egyptian teammates will help guide you through the immigration process and collect your luggage. You’ll be driven to Giza to begin this magical journey through time.

Your home base in Giza will be the historic Mena House hotel. This 5-star luxury hotel at the base of the pyramids was originally built in 1869 as a royal retreat and hunting lodge. Once it was converted into a hotel in 1886, The Mena House became the hot spot for any celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries visiting over the years, including Prince Albert Victor, Arthur Conan Doyle, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, and Frank Sinatra–and now you! This is a perfect place to relax and get ready for our thrilling adventure together. 

Cairo, Saqqara & Giza

On January 17th, we’ll head into Cairo proper to visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization & the Royal Mummies’ Hall.  This new museum is small but mighty, showcasing stunning pieces from throughout Egypt’s long history. You’ll marvel at the Royal Mummies’ Hall which houses 20 mummies, including Hatshepsut and Seti I. We’ll round out our time in Cairo with a visit to the Sultan Hasan mosque and madrasa, a gorgeous complex built in the mid-1300s.

Tomorrow we’ll drive a short distance to see Saqqara. Saqqara is incredibly rich in history and artifacts because it served as the necropolis of ancient Egypt’s capital, Memphis. Today you’ll see firsthand that the iconic pyramids on the Giza plateau were the culmination of more than a century of designing and refining.

The first architect, Imhotep, designed the Step Pyramid of Djoser in 2630 BCE, starting the pyramid craze across the plateau. The Step Pyramid is the first freestanding stone building in history and the first pyramid ever built. You’ll also see the so-called “Bent Pyramid,” another experiment in building the perfect royal tomb.

The entire area of Saqqara is a hotbed for architectural achievements and findings, with more and more tombs being uncovered every year. (There’s a great 2020 documentary about Saqqara on Netflix currently.)  We’ll explore these noble tombs as our expert guide explains their significance and deciphers the domestic stories told in the beautiful hieroglyphics lining the walls.

Although you’ve already been admiring them from our hotel, tomorrow you’ll get up close and personal with the Giza pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Valley temple. The Great Pyramid is the only remaining wonder of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and it has attracted the curiosity of tourists for thousands of years. We’ll enter one of these grand pyramids and appreciate these structures from a completely different perspective!

We’ll marvel at the Great Sphinx of Giza and take in details that photos just can’t capture—its enormous paws, its tail, its noble gaze—as we can imagine what the Sphinx has gazed upon for millennia.

Luxor & Valley of the Queens

After our Giza Plateau visit, we’ll take a short flight (~70 minutes) on January 19th to Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes. Luxor is sometimes called “the world’s greatest open-air museum” due to the enormous amount of priceless treasures here, from the grand temples of Luxor and Karnak to the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens in the Necropolis across the Nile River.

Our home base in Luxor will be the Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa, set on the bank of the Nile River. With two pools, a phenomenal spa, and one heck of a view, it may difficult to peel yourself away from our hotel.

On January 20th, we’ll visit Hatshepsut’s temple. Hatshepsut is an intriguing, powerful character, and one of the only female pharaohs to have reigned. She initially ruled as regent for her step-son Thutmose III, but she became a clever, successful ruler for nearly 20 years during a critical time in Egypt’s history. Fittingly, her temple is one of the most striking monuments in ancient Egypt.

We’ll spend time in the Valley of the Queens, with a coveted entrance into Queen Nefertari’s tomb. Often called “The Sistine Chapel of Ancient Egypt,” this stunning tomb belonged to Ramesses II’s favorite wife. We’re thrilled to bring you inside this extremely special, heavily protected site!

Afterward, we’ll visit the Memnon Colossi, two of the most imposing ancient Egyptian statues still standing, on the way back to the east bank of the Nile. The statues are an incredible 60 feet tall and are thought to weigh around 700 tons each. This evening we’ll round out our day with a visit to Luxor Temple (~1400 BCE). We’ll spend time there during the magical hours of dusk, watching the sky become purple behind the towering pillars and statues.

Dendera Temple

On the 21st, we’ll make a day trip to explore the breathtaking temple of Dendera, dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of joy, dance, and love. Hathor was also believed to have had healing powers, and ancient Egyptians often brought the sick here to be cured. Dendera Temple is one of the best-preserved temple complexes in Egypt.

The ceiling of the Hathor Temple has recently been cleaned meticulously, removing hundreds of years of black soot without harming the ancient paint underneath. As a result of this cleaning, spectacular ceiling paintings have been exposed in the main hall, and some of the most vibrant and colorful paintings dating from antiquity are now visible.

Valley of the Kings & Karnak

Tomorrow we’ll discover the Valley of the Kings, where we’ll explore the colorful tombs carved out of rocky cliffs to safeguard the mummies and treasures from grave robbers.

You’ll enter the tomb of Tutankhamun, as British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter did in 1922—although you’ve already seen his treasures at the Grand Egyptian Museum! Not only have we included a visit to King Tut’s tomb, but we’re also taking you to the tomb of Seti I.

Seti I, the father of Ramses II, has one of the best-preserved tombs in the Valley of the Kings. This burial chamber marks the first time that decorations covered every part of the tomb, a style followed by every succeeding tomb through the rest of the valley’s history.

This afternoon we’ll check in to our Nile cruise and enjoy lunch. For the next four nights, we’ll call the 5-star MS Mayfair our home, as we cruise between Luxor and Aswan on the Nile River. Each day we’ll visit temples dotting the Nile’s riverbanks, and in the evening we’ll have time to catch up with each other, reflect on what we saw, and participate in cultural activities on board the cruise.

On the morning of January 23rd, we’ll explore the massive grounds of Karnak Temple. Karnak is actually a complex of temples surrounded by one enclosure wall that is dedicated to the god Amon-Ra. Approximately 30 pharaohs contributed to these buildings. It was completely buried in sand for many centuries, allowing it to be one of the most well-preserved temples in Egypt.

The temple has many beautifully decorated columns, a huge open court, a massive façade, a huge pylon, and two seated statues of Ramses II. The Great Hypostyle Hall is a humbling site, indeed; this hall of 134 massive columns is one of the most impressive places in all of Egypt–make sure you have your wide-angle lens!

Our Luxury Nile Cruise

After our Karnak visit, we’ll set sail for Edfu in our stylish home-away-from-home, the MS Mayfair. This luxury Nile cruise is the perfect way to see rural Egypt; as we glide past the papyrus lining the shores of the Nile River, you’ll think you’ve been transported back a few millennia. That is, if it weren’t for the swimming pool, jacuzzi, and bar on the rooftop deck! The sundeck is a perfect place to unwind, connect with new friends, and enjoy a cold beer or a hot tea.

On the morning of January 24th, we’ll visit the stunning temple at Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god Horus. It is a shockingly well-preserved temple because it was covered by almost 40 feet of silt and sand over the centuries, only being “rediscovered” in the 19th century. The Horus Temple at Edfu has some of our favorite hieroglyphs in all of Egypt.

From Edfu, we’ll sail on to Kom Ombo and visit the very special riverside temple there. It is the only temple in Egypt that is dedicated to two gods: Horus the Elder and the crocodile-headed Sobek.  Nearby there is a museum that houses crocodile mummies recovered locally along with some gorgeous statues of Sobek. In the Old Kingdom, Sobek was established as one of the most significant gods, frequently mentioned in the funerary texts.

There is a fascinating carving in this temple that carefully depicts medical and surgical devices of the day, a testament to the advanced medicine in Egypt at the time. The image also contains two goddesses sitting on birthing chairs.

Aswan & Philae

After our exploration at Kom Ombo, we’ll sail on to Aswan, just north of Aswan High Dam. On January 25th, we’ll visit Philae temple, considered to be the most beautiful temple in the Nile Valley. This Isis and Osiris temple became submerged in the Nile after the first Aswan Dam was built, but with the help of UNESCO, the Philae temple was moved to its new location. The temple was dismantled and transferred, stone by stone, from the submerged Philae Island to the redesigned Egilica Island. Each and every stone had to be numbered and then replaced in the same position in the new location. It was a massive project and took over 9 years to complete.

Next, we’ll head to the Unfinished Obelisk, which lies on the ground in its original location in a granite quarry. It was abandoned when cracks appeared in the rock during its construction. Had this obelisk been completed, it would have been the largest obelisk ever cut and would have weighed the same as 97 school buses! It’s a fascinating insight into how obelisks were shaped and quarried in ancient Egypt.

This afternoon we can take a speed boat around the Nile to see more of the picturesque area. We can also visit the Aswan Market in the early evening together before heading back to the Mayfair.

Abu Simbel

On the morning of January 26th, we’ll say goodbye to our cruise ship and fly to Abu Simbel (~45-minute flight) to explore this jaw-dropping site.  Abu Simbel is one of the most iconic ancient sites in Egypt, nestled on the west bank of the Nile River between the first and second cataracts (the shallow areas of rapids).

Flanking the entrance of the Great Temple are four seated colossal figures, each a towering 65 feet tall. Built during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II in the 13th century BCE, the temple complex consists of two massive temples dedicated to Ramses II and his wife, Queen Nefertari. One remarkable feature is the alignment of the temple’s entrance, allowing sunlight to illuminate the inner sanctums on two specific dates: October 22, believe to be Ramses II’s birthday, and February 22 believed to be his coronation day. 

This temple, too, was meticulously moved in 1968 to keep it safe from the rising Nile after the Aswan High Dam was built. The temples were painstakingly dismantled, moved, and reconstructed on higher ground, ensuring their preservation for future generations.

After our Abu Simbel visit, we’ll fly back to Cairo via Aswan, for a total of 2.5 hours of flight time.  On our return to Cairo, we’ll stay in a comfortable hotel adjacent to the airport and relax for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow we’ll head back to Giza for the cherry on top of our fantastic Egyptian adventure!

Grand Egyptian Museum

On January 27th, we’ll visit the newly opened GEM, the Grand Egyptian Museum (*pending its grand opening! The museum is 13 years behind schedule but we are confident it will be open in early 2024. We had a guided preview of the common areas in early 2023 and it was magnificent!)

This GEM of a museum has been a long time coming, with the cornerstone placed all the way back in 2002. Moved from the original location in downtown Cairo to the Giza plateau, the GEM is the largest archaeological museum in the world. The new museum showcases over 100,000 artifacts, about 3500 of which belong to the famous King Tutankhamen.

After our exploration of the museum, we’ll head back to our home base near the airport to make our departure tomorrow a bit more relaxed. Let’s enjoy our final dinner together tonight and recount all that we’ve experienced together during our unforgettable Egyptian exploration!

Tomorrow you’ll be taken back to the airport to head home or on to your next adventure. We can connect you to our partners in Jordan if you wish to extend your adventure to visit Petra, the Dead Sea, and Wadi Rum!