Sonesta Amirat Dahabiya Nile Cruise

Day 1:

Ancient Egypt Tours representative will meet and greet you at the provided pick-up location within Aswan city. Check-in is not before 14:00 so you will make use of the excess time by going on an amazing tour to:

Karnak temple; Karnak is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban triad but also to the greater glory of pharaohs. The site covers more than 2 sq km; it’s large enough to contain about 10 cathedrals. At its heart is the Temple of Amun, the earthly ‘home’ of the local god. Built, added to, dismantled, restored, enlarged and decorated over nearly 1500 years, Karnak was the most important place of worship in Egypt during the New Kingdom.

Luxor Temple; Largely built by the New Kingdom pharaohs Amenhotep III (1390–1352 BC) and Ramses II (1279–1213 BC), this temple is a strikingly graceful monument in the heart of the modern town. Also known as the Southern Sanctuary, its main function was during the annual Opet celebrations, when the statues of Amun, Mut and Khonsu were brought from Karnak, along the Avenue of Sphinxes, and reunited here during the inundation.

Embark by lunch time

Meals Included:  Lunch & Dinner

Day 2:

Disembark and visit Valley of the kings; The west bank of Luxor had been the site of royal burials since around 2100 BC, but it was the pharaohs of the New Kingdom period (1550–1069 BC) who chose this isolated valley dominated by the pyramid-shaped mountain peak of Al Qurn (The Horn). Once called the Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh, or the Place of Truth, the Valley of the Kings has 63 magnificent royal tombs.

Queen Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple; At Deir Al Bahri, the eyes first focus on the dramatic rugged limestone cliffs that rise nearly 300m above the desert plain, only to realize that at the foot of all this immense beauty lies a monument even more extraordinary, the dazzling Temple of Hatshepsut. The almost-modern-looking temple blends in beautifully with the cliffs from which it is partly cut – a marriage made in heaven. Most of what you see has been painstakingly reconstructed.

Colossi of Memnon; The two faceless Colossi of Memnon, originally representing Pharaoh Amenhotep III, rising majestically about 18m from the plain, are the first monuments tourists see when they visit the west bank. These magnificent colossi, each cut from a single block of stone and weighing 1000 tonnes, sat at the eastern entrance to the funerary temple of Amenophis III, the largest on the west bank. Egyptologists are currently excavating the temple and their discoveries can be seen behind the colossi.

Sail By lunch time towards Edfu

 Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3:

Arrival at Edfu and visit Edfu Temple; This Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 and 57 BC, is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt. Preserved by desert sand, which filled the place after the pagan cult was banned, the temple is dedicated to Horus, the avenging son of Isis and Osiris. With its roof intact, it is also one of the most atmospheric of ancient buildings.

Sail to Kom Ombo.

Upon arrival, visit the temple of Kom Ombo; Standing on a promontory at a bend in the Nile, where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank, is the Temple of Kom Ombo, one of the Nile Valley’s most beautifully sited temples. Unique in Egypt, it is dedicated to two gods; the local crocodile god Sobek, and Haroeris (from har-wer), meaning Horus the Elder. Sail to Aswan

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4:

Philae Temple; Built to honor the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshipped. The cult of Isis continued here until at least AD 550. The boat leaves you near the Kiosk of Nectanebo, the oldest part, and the entrance to the temple is marked by the 18m-high first pylon with reliefs of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos smiting enemies.

The Unfinished Obelisk; Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in the Northern Quarries has provided valuable insight into how these monuments were created, although the full construction process is still not entirely clear. Three sides of the shaft, nearly 42m long, were completed except for the inscriptions. At 1168 tonnes, the completed obelisk would have been the single heaviest piece of stone the Egyptians ever fashioned.

High Dam; Egypt’s modern example of construction on a monumental scale, the controversial Aswan High Dam, 13km south of Aswan, contains 18 times the amount of material used in the Great Pyramid of Khufu and created Lake Nasser, one of the world’s largest artificial lakes. Transfer back to the cruise ship

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5:

Disembarkation

Meal Included: Breakfast

NB: Itinerary in Upper Egypt could be subject to some changes in time and order of visits but you will visit all the sites listed in your itinerary and you will be notified by your guide

Day 1:

Ancient Egypt Tours representative will meet and greet you at the provided pick-up location within Aswan city. Check-in is not before 14:00 so you will make use of the excess time by going on an amazing tour to:

Philae Temple; Built to honor the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshipped. The cult of Isis continued here until at least AD 550. The boat leaves you near the Kiosk of Nectanebo, the oldest part, and the entrance to the temple is marked by the 18m-high first pylon with reliefs of Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos smiting enemies.

The Unfinished Obelisk; Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in the Northern Quarries has provided valuable insight into how these monuments were created, although the full construction process is still not entirely clear. Three sides of the shaft, nearly 42m long, were completed except for the inscriptions. At 1168 tonnes, the completed obelisk would have been the single heaviest piece of stone the Egyptians ever fashioned.

High Dam; Egypt’s modern example of construction on a monumental scale, the controversial Aswan High Dam, 13km south of Aswan, contains 18 times the amount of material used in the Great Pyramid of Khufu and created Lake Nasser, one of the world’s largest artificial lakes.

Embark the cruise ship by lunch time

 Meals Included:  Lunch & Dinner

Day 2:

Sail by lunch time to Kom Ombo.

Upon arrival, visit the temple of Kom Ombo; Standing on a promontory at a bend in the Nile, where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank, is the Temple of Kom Ombo, one of the Nile Valley’s most beautifully sited temples. Unique in Egypt, it is dedicated to two gods; the local crocodile god Sobek, and Haroeris (from har-wer), meaning Horus the Elder.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 3:

Arrival at Edfu and visit Edfu Temple; This Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 and 57 BC, is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt. Preserved by desert sand, which filled the place after the pagan cult was banned, the temple is dedicated to Horus, the avenging son of Isis and Osiris. With its roof intact, it is also one of the most atmospheric of ancient buildings.

Visit Luxor and Karnak Temple if the cruise arrives early enough to Luxor or will be added to the next day’s visits

 Karnak temple; Karnak is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban triad but also to the greater glory of pharaohs. The site covers more than 2 sq km; it’s large enough to contain about 10 cathedrals. At its heart is the Temple of Amun, the earthly ‘home’ of the local god. Built, added to, dismantled, restored, enlarged and decorated over nearly 1500 years, Karnak was the most important place of worship in Egypt during the New Kingdom.

Luxor Temple; Largely built by the New Kingdom pharaohs Amenhotep III (1390–1352 BC) and Ramses II (1279–1213 BC), this temple is a strikingly graceful monument in the heart of the modern town. Also known as the Southern Sanctuary, its main function was during the annual Opet celebrations, when the statues of Amun, Mut and Khonsu were brought from Karnak, along the Avenue of Sphinxes, and reunited here during the inundation.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4:

Disembark and visit Valley of the kings; The west bank of Luxor had been the site of royal burials since around 2100 BC, but it was the pharaohs of the New Kingdom period (1550–1069 BC) who chose this isolated valley dominated by the pyramid-shaped mountain peak of Al Qurn (The Horn). Once called the Great Necropolis of Millions of Years of Pharaoh, or the Place of Truth, the Valley of the Kings has 63 magnificent royal tombs.

Queen Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple; At Deir Al Bahri, the eyes first focus on the dramatic rugged limestone cliffs that rise nearly 300m above the desert plain, only to realize that at the foot of all this immense beauty lies a monument even more extraordinary, the dazzling Temple of Hatshepsut. The almost-modern-looking temple blends in beautifully with the cliffs from which it is partly cut – a marriage made in heaven. Most of what you see has been painstakingly reconstructed.

Colossi of Memnon; The two faceless Colossi of Memnon, originally representing Pharaoh Amenhotep III, rising majestically about 18m from the plain, are the first monuments tourists see when they visit the west bank. These magnificent colossi, each cut from a single block of stone and weighing 1000 tonnes, sat at the eastern entrance to the funerary temple of Amenophis III, the largest on the west bank. Egyptologists are currently excavating the temple and their discoveries can be seen behind the colossi.

Meal Included: Breakfast

NB: Itinerary in Upper Egypt could be subject to some changes in time and order of visits but you will visit all the sites listed in your itinerary and you will be notified by your guide

Some might be already included in your tour itinerary

Aswan:

• Abu Simbel Temples (pick-up time at 4:00 am)
• Nubian Museum
• Felucca in the Nile
• Nubian Village
• Sound & Light Show in Philae Temple (pick-up time at 18:00)
• Kitchener Island
• Edfu & Kom Ombo
• Kalabsha Temple & Nubian Museum
• Saint Samoun

Luxor:

• Hot Air Balloon (Pick-up time at 4:00 am)
• Carriage ride around the city
• Mummification Museum & Luxor Museum
• Ramesseum & Madinat Habu Temples
• Workers Village & Valley of the Queens
• Sound & Light Karnak Temple
• Dandara & Abydos Temples (Pick-up time at 7:00 am)