Day-by-Day-Itinerary:

1^st Day: Luxor – Nile Cruise Day 1

We will meet you in your hotel or at the airport anywhere in Egypt and take you to the cruise ship in Luxor for your embarkation. After this you will visit Luxor’s West Bank, the ancient Thebes. You will marvel at the huge Colossi of Memnon, once guardians of a no longer existing temple, and the colored Pharaonic tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Then you will visit Medinet Habu with its colossal statues, well preserved pylons and walls and more than 7,000 m² of decorated and inscribed wall reliefs before you will have lunch. And finally you will see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a fascinating mortuary temple which is unique in its architecture. In the evening you can discover Luxor on your own or book an additional activity. Dinner will be served aboard.

Optional activities (against supplement):

• Sound and Light Show at the Temple of Karnak
• Shopping on Luxor’s biggest bazaar
• Carriage Ride through Luxor

Lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

2^nd Day: Luxor & Esna – Nile Cruise Day 2

You will have breakfast aboard. Then you will visit Luxor’s East Bank with the Temple of Karnak, one of the largest and most fascinating temples in the world; as it is still in an amazingly good state with giant pillars and colored reliefs, you can really get a feeling of the ancient Egyptians’ architecture and religious cult. Finally you will visit Luxor Temple, a fascinating ancient edifice uniting building activities of various eras. After lunch you can enjoy some leisure time at your own disposal. Then your cruise will move to Esna where you will visit the remains of a beautiful temple dating back to the Greco-Roman period, featuring magnificent columns with varying lotus-leaf capitals and a pronaos decorated with great relief.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

3^rd Day: Kom Ombo & Edfu – Nile Cruise Day 3

After breakfast aboard you will visit the amazing double temple of Kom Ombo, a sanctuary symmetrical along its main axis, one side dedicated to Haroeris, the other to Sobek, with impressing reliefs. Then you will sail to Edfu and enjoy lunch en route. The Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the falcon-god Horus whose statues flank the portal, is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt; its completion once took almost 200 years, and its beautiful decorated walls provide precious information about the ancient religious myths.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

4^th Day: Aswan – Nile Cruise Day 4

After breakfast aboard you will get to know Aswan. You will visit the giant High Dam, one of the greatest achievements in architecture and engineering of the 20^th century, and the Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient granite quarries. Then you will have lunch before you will sail to the amazing botanical garden on Kitchener’s Island, an unexpected green and calm oasis amidst the busy city, and visit Elephantine Island with the famous nilometer, the ancient ruins and the Nubian villages. And finally you will see the enchanting Nubian Temple of Philae which was once saved from disappearing in the floods of the Lake Nasser reservoir by dismantling and rebuilding it on a higher location.

Optional activity (against supplement):

• Sound and Light Show at the Temple of Philae

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

5^th Day: Abu Simbel – Nile Cruise Day 5 / Lake Nasser Cruise Day 1

You will disembark after breakfast and we will take you to Abu Simbel where you will embark your lake cruise ship. After lunch you will visit the Twin Temples of Abu Simbel. The Temple of Ramesses II is 30 meters high and four enthroned colossal statues of the pharaoh guard the portal. The interior of the temple was dug into the rock on a length of more than sixty meters and beautifully decorated with pillars, colored reliefs and rock cut figures. The Temple of Nefertari, Ramesses’ wife, is a simplified version of the Great Temple. Please be aware that you see here something unique in ancient Egyptian art – the statues of the king and the queen adorning the façade are equal in size. The rest of the day is at your own disposal.

Optional activity (against supplement):

• Sound and Light Show at the Temples of Abu Simbel

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

6^th Day: Lake Nasser Cruise Day 2 – Qasr Ibrim, Amada, Derr, Tomb of Pennut

You will have breakfast aboard. On our way we will pass by an island with the remains of the old town of Qasr Ibrim. Tourists are not allowed to enter it, but we will be close enough to give you an impression. Later you will visit the New Amada area with different remains which were transferred to this location as they were threatened by the rising water of the Lake Nasser reservoir. You will see the Temple of Amada which was replaced in one piece (!) to its new location. Its well preserved interior features wonderful finely cut reliefs with Pharaonic scenes with lively bright colors. It is the oldest Egyptian temple in Nubia. Then you will visit the Temple of Derr, a rock-cut temple built by Ramesses II. It contains unusually bright and vivid relief decorations unique for ancient Egyptian temples. Further you can see the rock cut Tomb of Pennut, the only tomb of this kind saved from floods. Inside the burial chambers you can see various reliefs showing both the life of the buried man and depictions of the afterlife. The rest of the day will be spent on your cruise.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

7^th Day: Lake Nasser Cruise Day 3 – Temples in the Wadi Es Sebua

After breakfast you will visit the Wadi Es Sebua with its temples. The Temple of Amun, a temple in the Nubian style built by Ramesses II, partly rock cut, partly built outside. You can see here one remaining pylon, statues, a pronaos, a hypostyle hall (once transferred by Christians into a church) and three chapels; everywhere numerous reliefs can be found, among them depictions from the Ptolemaic and Roman era. The Greco-Roman Temple of Dakka, dedicated to Thoth, the god of wisdom, was initially a small one room shrine built in the 3rd century BC which has been enlarged by different later rulers. It contains among others a 12 meters high pylon in nearly perfect condition, decorated in high relief and bearing numerous graffiti from its ancient visitors. The Temple of Maharraqa was built in the Roman period and dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis. It was never fully completed nor inscribed. You can visit a court surrounded on three sides by columns. It is the only temple in Nubia featuring a winding spiral staircase formerly leading to its roof. You will spend the rest of the day relaxing on our cruise while we sail back towards Aswan.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

8^th Day: Lake Nasser Cruise Day 4 – Kalabsha Temple, Beit El Wali, Kiosk of Qertassi & Nubian Museum 

After breakfast on your ship you will disembark. Now you will move to the so-called New Kalabsha area where some ancient temples stand now after their replacement due to the High Dam project. First of all there is the famous Temple of Kalabsha, originally built out of sandstone in around 30 BC, dedicated to Mandulis, a Nubian sun god. Although it has actually never been completely finished, it is regarded as one of the best examples of ancient Egyptian architecture in Nubia. Then you will see the small Temple of Beit El Wali, built by Ramesses II. It features many interesting reliefs showing the great era of Ramesses II, and especially inside there is still a large amount of the original color to be seen. Finally there is a tiny elegant kiosk from the Roman era to be seen, the charming Kiosk of Qertassi. Now it is time to have lunch in a local restaurant, before you will head to the Nubian Museum in Aswan which provides its visitors an exhibit of around 3,000 Nubian antiquities of all eras. Then we will take you, depending on your further plans, to your hotel, airport or train/bus station in any part of Egypt. This concludes our program and services.

Breakfast and lunch included.

Included:

• All mentioned transfers in high-class air-conditioned vehicles
• Private guided tours in your language
• Entrance fees for the above mentioned sights
• 4-days-cruise Lake Nasser Abu Simbel – Aswan 5* with full board
• 5-days-cruise Luxor – Aswan5* with full board
• Mineral water and soft drinks

Not included:

• Gratuity (tips) for drivers, tour guides
• Personal items, meals, drinks or services not mentioned
• Drinks aboard and in the restaurants
• Listed optional activities
• International and domestic flights
• Visa