Egypt Luxury and Private Tour Package

Today you arrive in Cairo International Airport and meet with the tour coordinator and driver. They will help you navigate your way through the airport and escort you to your hotel. Once at the hotel, the tour coordinator will provide details regarding Day 2 Excursions. You will spend the night in the hotel and awake for a day full of adventure.

After eating breakfast at your hotel, you will be met by the Egyptologist who will provide your full day of touring. The adventure begins west of the Nile River in a town called Giza. It is here you will witness Egypt’s most visited attractions—the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. They were built for three kings of the Fourth Dynasty. The pyramids were designed to be the tombs of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. In addition to the three main pyramids, you will see the queens’ pyramids and the Great Sphinx.

The next stop for today will be the ancient city of Saqqara. It is an amazing display of how tomb and pyramid-building progressed. Saqqara is a necropolis containing burials from different dynasties. It includes both royal and nonroyal tombs, mastabas, and cemeteries. We continue to the Serapeum of Saqqara where we will enter a series of tunnels to see the sarcophagi of the Apis bulls, sacred to the god Ptah.

The driver will then take you back to your hotel for a short break and come back in the evening for your sound and light show at the pyramids. Overnight in the hotel at Giza.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch

Be ready for an early flight this morning as we head to Luxor, the site of the famous Thebes and the World’s Largest Outdoor Museum. Whereas Egypt holds thirty percent of the world’s antiquities, Luxor alone holds thirty percent of Egypt’s antiquities. The importance of this city in Egypt’s history is unparalleled. Upon arrival to Luxor we will begin our day of touring in the East Bank where we will find the Karnak and Luxor temples. The Karnak temple, also known as the Temple of Amun-Ra, honored not only Amun-Ra but Osiris, Montu, Isis, Ptah, and other Ancient Egyptian Gods. The area of Karnak Temple is around 200 acres, so it is immense. As we leave Karnak, we will begin our trip to the Luxor temple. At one time there were sphinxes that lined a path from Karnak to Luxor, but it is not fully excavated. You will, however see a portion of the sphinx as it leads to the Luxor temple. Luxor temple is one of the most intact temples, so you will see many interesting statues, hieroglyphs, and rooms. Later in the afternoon, you will be picked up by your horse carriages and driver for a little adventure city tour through Luxor. At the conclusion of this fun tour, you board the cruise ship for the evening.

 Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

We could not leave Luxor before we visit the west bank of the Nile. Be prepared for a very early start this morning to take your ride to the takeoff site for your sunrise balloon ride over Luxor. Your guide, van and driver will be waiting for you on the west bank at the balloon landing site.  Today we will take the time to visit several sites. One of the sites we will visit is the Valley of the Kings. After pyramid building began to wane, the kings still needed a final resting place to preserve themselves and store all their treasures. The Valley of the Kings houses nearly all the tombs for the kings of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties. It was designed to help hide the burial places of the kings to prevent looting. One of the most famous tombs here is the tomb of Tutankhamen. We will have the opportunity to explore some of the tombs. Next, we move to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the wife to Thutmose II but became pharaoh after he died. This mortuary temple was modeled after Mentuhotep’s but at a much larger scale. We will explore this beautiful temple which is set into the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari. As we continue our sightseeing, we will move to Deir el-Medina, which is the ancient village of the craftsmen of the Valley of the Kings. Our last site to visit will be the Colossi of Memnon where you will see two (nearly 60 feet tall) seated statues of Amenhotep III. These statues were once the entrance to Amenhotep’s mortuary temple. As our day concludes, we will return to our cruise ship sailing for an overnight in Edfu.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Welcome to the Edfu temple. Located on the Nile River between Luxor and Aswan, the Edfu temple, also known as the Temple of Horus, is the tallest and best-preserved temple in Egypt. This temple was designed to honor the divine birth of Horus and the pharaoh. We will take some time to explore this temple before we return to our cruise ship. It will then set sail for the Temple of Kom Ombo. It is an unusual double temple built for the falcon god Horus and the crocodile god Sobek. Kom Ombo also contains an engraving which is thought to depict the first use of medical and surgical instruments. Once we complete our tour of this fascinating place, we will board the cruise ship and head for Aswan.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

 Today is our tour in the beautiful city of Aswan where we visit the high dam, the Philae temple, one dedicated to Isis, the wife of Osiris and mother to Horus. It, too, was moved from its original location to one that was free from flooding. To get to the Philae temple you will take a water taxi. We will then board a felucca boat for a relaxing ride through the Nile River in Aswan with a stop in a Nubian Village and meet with a Nubian Family. You will have the opportunity to not only enjoy the scenery but also to experience a very important culture in the Egyptian history. You will then be back to enjoy your final night on the boat. 

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Today we say goodbye to all the wonderful people we met on the cruise ship. Early in the morning we will drive to Abu Simbel. You may be given a boxed breakfast( if needed). Abu Simbel is not only an amazing site built for Ramses II and his wife Nefertari, but it also presents the amazing feat of ingenuity. In the 1960s the Egyptian government began construction on Aswan High Dam. Its purpose was to prevent the annual flooding of the Nile River and to bring electricity to all people of Egypt. The trouble with the High Dam was it would permanently flood many of the antiquities. As a result, massive projects were begun to help preserve these sites. Abu Simbel was one of them. Over the course of several years, Abu Simbel was cut apart and reconstructed on a higher plane, so visitors would still be able to stand in awe of ancient Egyptian ingenuity. You will then drive back to Aswan to fly to Cairo. Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you will be transferred to your Cairo hotel for overnight.

Meals included: breakfast

Enjoy breakfast in your hotel as you prepare for a wonderful day in Alexandria, a city with many Roman and Greek influences. We begin with one of the Seven Wonders of the Medieval World, the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. This catacomb is a mixture of Greco, Egyptian, and Roman art. It is believed to have been built for one family, but eventually transformed into a community catacomb.

Next, we will drive to the Pompei Pillar. It is hard to imagine that this pillar weighs approximately 285 tons and was carved out of one piece of red granite. It is located on the grounds of the Serapeum of Alexandria and has two sphinx statues near its base. Our tour continues to the Alexandria National Museum. The museum is located in an Italian styled mansion and was the former home to the American consulate. Today, it has an extensive collection of artifacts that tell the story of Alexandria in Egypt.

We will stop for lunch at one of the most popular seafood restaurants in Alexandria with a beautiful view of the Mediterranean. 

We can not leave Alexandria without visiting the Great Alexandria Library. At one time in history, Egypt was known to have one of the largest libraries of the ancient world. It housed many papyrus scrolls and became regarded as the capital of knowledge and learning. As we visit the library, we will not only see many parts of history, but we will see how it has continued to remain a modern place for learning.

At the conclusion of our touring day, we will head back to Cairo for overnight.

Meals included: Breakfast and Lunch

Today in Cairo, we will have a full day of sightseeing. One of our first stops will be the Egyptian Museum. This museum houses over 120,000 artifacts from Egyptian history. Some of their most famous include the entire collection of Tutankhamen. Your guide will introduce some of the many important pieces as well as allow you some time to wander through the museum to peruse the collections.

Once we finish with the museum, we will head to Abu Tarek for lunch. Abu Tarek is a multi-story restaurant that serves wonderful Koshary, the beloved Egyptian dish. It is a special treat.

You might have noticed a wall in parts of Cairo. This wall served to protect ancient Cairo and another city called Ayyubid from the Crusaders. Sala-Al-Din (Saladin) was the leader of the Ayyubid. He decided to fortify both his city and ancient Cairo with this wall. It proved to be quite formidable as the Citadel of Saladin was nearly impenetrable. Today, as we learn about the history of the Citadel, we also venture inside the walls to the highest point, the Mohamed Ali Mosque. This ancient mosque is quite beautiful and will provide greater insight into Egypt’s main religion, Islam.

Next up is the Khan el Khalili Bazaar. It is a wonderful depiction of an ancient outdoor shopping center. You will have the opportunity to wander the narrow alleyways and see many items unique to the Egyptian markets. As you continue to wander, you will have the opportunity to traverse Cairo’s oldest street—el-Moez Street. This pedestrian only street, just beyond Khan el Khalili, is an open-air museum and runs over half a mile. Moez Street is less touristy and provides those who travel it a unique look at Islamic architecture.

The driver will return to your hotel for a short break and to get ready for your farewell dinner Nile Cruise. Overnight in your Cairo hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner

**Ladies please consider bringing a scarf with you on our tour today. It will be needed to enter the Mohamed Ali Mosque. Also, conservative dress is required while inside the mosque.

Today will be the final day of our tour of the amazing Egypt. We will take you back to Cairo International Airport to catch your flight. Thank you for spending the time with us.