1^st Day: Cairo – Al Bahariya Oasis

In the early morning we will pick you up at the reception of your hotel in Cairo and you will travel to Al Bahariya Oasis. If you stay in any other part of Egypt such as Luxor or the Red Sea we can of course organize the transfer to Cairo for you.

Al Bahariya is one of the biggest and most important oases in the Western Desert. Visit the town of Al-Bawiti where you can see the oasis’ fruit-growing and lifestyle, and discover remains of the region’s history. A necropolis of the Greco-Roman contained countless different mummies, among them numerous gold-plated ones, the so-called ‘Golden Mummies’. You will see some of them here in the museum. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant. Further you can see the remains of Ain Al-Tibniya, a temple dating back to the reign of Alexander the Great who is said to have passed by this oasis, the Tomb of Banentiu where you can see well preserved colored hieroglyphs and paintings, and the temple area of Ain Al-Muftella with four around 2,600 years old chapels whose walls are preserved up to a height of around two meters, showing various beautiful decorations. The rest of the day will be at your own disposal and gives you time to relax in your hotel or to walk around on your own to enjoy the landscape. You will have dinner in your hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in a hotel in the Bahariya Oasis.

2^nd Day: Al Bahariya – Abu Muharrik – Al Djara Cave 

After an early breakfast you will travel in a 4×4 jeep along an old caravan route towards Ghurd Abu Muharrik, a giant shifting sand dune – its actual size (it is 500 km long and covers a surface of around 6.000 m²!) couldn’t be measured but with the help of satellite pictures… Enjoy the great views en route. We will have a picnic lunch during a stop. Then we will head to the famous Al Djara Cave. The Al Djara (also Al Gara) Cave is a large splendid flowstone cave, 80 meters long and up to 17 meters deep. It features countless stalactites and stalagmites, many of them around six meters long! But it is not only a fascinating piece of nature – you can also find prehistoric cave paintings depicting animals and even a man. After exploring the widespread cave system we will set up camp and have dinner.

Breakfast, lunch (picnic) and dinner included. Overnight in the desert.

3^rd Day: Al Djara Cave – White Desert

After breakfast you will travel back through the desert and see the fascinating Karaween sand dunes. Lunch will be enjoyed as a picnic en route at the idyllic Magic Spring. Then you will collect first impressions of the wonderful White Desert landscape. You will have dinner and spend the night in a camp.

Breakfast, lunch (picnic) and dinner included. Overnight in a camp in the White Desert.

4^th Day: White Desert

After an early breakfast you will explore the White Desert National Park. Once the seabed of an ocean it features myriads of white chalk sediments, formed by the rough desert weather to spectacular shapes. Enjoy this unique landscape, see the famous Crystal Mountain, a ridge laced with sparkling crystal, and the scenic Valley of Al-Agabat where white cliffs meet sand dunes and yellow limestone rocks. Lunch will be served as a picnic. You will spend the evening in Al Bahariya where you will have dinner and spend the night in a hotel.

Breakfast, lunch (picnic) and dinner included. Overnight in a hotel in Al Bahariya.

5^th Day: Al Bahariya – Black Desert – Cairo

After breakfast you will drive into the Black Desert with its countless rock formations and witness buttes covered by black basalt. In the afternoon you will travel back to Cairo. In the evening you will take the night train from Cairo to Luxor. Dinner will be served in the train.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in the train’s comfortable sleeping car.

6^th Day: Luxor – Nile Cruise Day 1

You will have breakfast in the train; our guide will pick you up at Luxor’s train station and take you to your cruise 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. Lunch will be enjoyed in a local restaurant. In the evening you can discover Luxor on your own. 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

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

7^th 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.

8^th 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.

9^th Day: Abu Simbel & Aswan – Nile Cruise Day 4

You will arrive in Aswan in the early morning and we will take you to your visit of 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.

After returning to your cruise you will have lunch. The rest of the day is at your own disposal. If you need to refresh, just relax on the ship and enjoy its facilities. Or have a walk in Aswan or book an additional visit.

Optional activities (against supplement):

• Sound and Light Show at the Temple of Philae
• Visit of the Temple of Kalabsha
• Visit of St. Simeon’s Monastery

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight aboard.

10^th Day: Aswan – Nile Cruise Day 5

You will disembark after breakfast. Now 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. In the evening you will take the night train to Cairo. Dinner will be served in the train.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight in the train’s sleeping car.

11^th Day: Cairo

You will have breakfast in the train; our guide will pick you up at Cairo’s train station and transfer you to your hotel. This concludes our program and services.

Note: If you would like to extend the program and visit Cairo with us, we can organize this for you.

Breakfast included.

Included:

• All mentioned transfers in high-class air-conditioned vehicles
• Train rides Cairo – Luxor, Aswan – Cairo
• Guided tours in your language
• Entrance fees for the above mentioned sights
• Hotel accommodation in Al Bahariya with half-board
• Camping in the desert
• 5-days-cruise Luxor – Aswan with full board
• Mineral water and soft drinks during the excursions

Not included:

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