Day 01:

We will pick you up directly from the entrance door of your hotel in Marsa Alam; you will recognize our driver by a sign with your name in his hand. You will be transferred in an air-conditioned vehicle to Cairo.

First of all you will visit Giza. Your guide will tell you the history of the Pyramids which served as the tombs of the ancient Pharaohs Cheops, Chephren, Mykerinus. You will have time to enter one of the Pyramids (additional cost). Also you will find yourself standing at the feet of the enigmatic Sphinx. It is the largest monolith statue in the world. The Great Sphinx is a national symbol of Egypt. It has the body of a lion and the face of a man, probably an ancient king. The age of the Sphinx is not known, with guesses varying between six-thousand and even thirteen-thousand years old. Also in Giza you may visit theSolar Boat Museum (optional), home to the remarkably well preserved boat of the pharaoh Cheops in which he wanted to sail through the underworld. The tour also includes a visit to the Valley Temple. After this visit you will have lunch in a local restaurant.

Cairo‘s famous Egyptian Museum, your next stop, houses more than 120,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts, and the priceless treasures of King Tutankhamen are its highlight, a unique collection of treasures, gold and jewelry which was enclosed in his tomb for over 3.500 years before its discovery in the 1920s when his tomb was excavated. His six gilded coffins dominate the main hall, while his magnificent death mask is the star attraction.

If there is enough time left, you will further enjoy a walk on the famous Khan el Khalili bazaar – stroll through the maze of streets and bargain for a souvenir of your trip. The souk dates back to 1382 (if there’s enough time), one of the most famous and oldest bazaars in the Middle East. In addition to the countless shops, there are several coffeehouses, restaurants and street vendors distributed throughout the market. The coffeehouses are generally small and quite traditional, serving Arabic coffee and usually offering shisha.

Then you will be transferred to Cairo Airport to fly to Luxor where you will be taken to your hotel. If you like, you can visit the famous Karnak Sound and Light Show (against supplement).

Day 02:

After breakfast you will start your sightseeing tour in Luxor!

You will first of all make a short stop en route to have a look at the 3,400 years old Colossi of Memnon, the gigantic statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III who were once standing guard in front of his no longer existing memorial temple complex that had been even larger than the Temple of Karnak.

After this stop we will show you the Valley of the Kings where during a period of 500 years the ancient Egyptians buried their kings and powerful nobles and where the mummies of some of the most famous and glamorous persons of the Pharaonic time were found. You can descend to the tombs of great Egyptian rulers and discover the well preserved colorful paintings and hieroglyphic stories on the walls. The king’s formal names and titles are inscribed in his tomb along with his images.

Now we are ready for another highlight – the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut who was one of the most fascinating rulers of ancient Egypt, a female Pharaoh who proved her ability to successfully reign over an empire and finally created for herself an architectonically extraordinary mortuary temple with colonnaded terraces, a hypostyle hall and lots of statues, paintings and reliefs. A tree lined avenue of sphinges lead up to the temple, and ramps lead you from terrace to terrace. The porticos and colorings on the lowest terrace are out of all proportion to what can be seen in the rest of the building. They were restored in 1906 to protect the celebrated reliefs depicting the transport of obelisks to Karnak and the birth of Queen Hatshepsut. Reliefs on the south side of the middle terrace show the queen’s expedition to the Land of Punt, the land of incense.

Now we are ready for another highlight – the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a female Pharaoh who proved her ability to successfully reign over an empire and finally created for herself an architectonically extraordinary mortuary temple with colonnaded terraces, a hypostyle hall and lots of statues, paintings and reliefs. They were restored in 1906 to protect the celebrated reliefs depicting the transport of obelisks to Karnak and the birth of Queen Hatshepsut. Reliefs on the south side of the middle terrace show the queen’s expedition by way of the Red Sea to Punt, the land of incense.

After this visit you will move across the majestic Nile on a felucca with a stop for lunch.

Next you will see the the Temple of Karnak, for sure one of the most extraordinary temples – maybe no site in Egypt is more impressive than Karnak. It is the largest temple complex ever built by human beings and represents the combined achievements of many generations of ancient builders. The Temple of Karnak consists actually of three main temples, smaller enclosed temples and several outer temples located about 3 kilometers north of Luxor on 100ha (247 acres) of land. After thousands of years it is still in an amazingly good state – so with a bit of imagination you will find yourself easily back in the past of this impressive sacral monument. You will have a lot of time to stroll around, explore the entrance area where you get an impression of how the immense pylon was built, walk through the avenue of ram-headed criosphinges, discover the hypostyle hall with its more than one hundred huge well preserved pillars, admire the hieroglyphs and paintings, see the holy lake and have a look at the various chapels, temples and statues. And if you like, approach the holy scarab close to the lake and surround it three times clockwise – according to the legend, offspring will follow soon…

Inclusions:

• Transfers from/to your hotel in Marsa Alam and between the mentioned locations in a private air-conditioned vehicle
• Domestic flight Cairo – Luxor
• Guided tours in your language
• Entrance fees to all mentioned sights
• Felucca ride
• Accomodation in Luxor for one night in a hotel – 3, 4 or 5*, it’s up to you!
• Mineral water and soft drinks
• Lunch in different local restaurants on the 1st and the 2nd day
• Dinner on the 1st and breakfast on the 2nd day in your hotel
• All services charges and taxes

Exclusions:

• Gratuity (tips) for drivers, guides
• Personal items, meals, drinks or services not mentioned
• Egypt entry visa