Signature Egypt: Nubia and the Nile 2023/2024

Cairo arrival- Giza pyramids
Arrive in Cairo, where you are met by your tour representative and transferred to your hotel. After settling in, depart with your Egyptologist for an afternoon visit to the Giza Plateau, the site of the ancient pyramids of Mycerinus, Chefren, and the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Explore the interior of one of these legendary pyramids. Ride like a Local on camelback, continuing to explore the funerary boat exhibit of the Solar Boat Museum. Then, view the Great Sphinx, the ancient world’s largest monumental sculpture, carved from a single ridge of limestone.

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Cairo city tour
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is one of the largest museums in the world. Your Egypt tours will take you on a 4 hours tour to explore the treasures of the museum (opened in 1901). Look at the amazing monuments and artifacts in its different halls in a guided tour. Although the museum has tens of thousands of artifacts in this short tour, your Egyptologist guide will focus on the highlights and masterpieces of the museum
Visit the Tut Ankh Amun Wing on the first floor and see his wonderful collection of historically important artwork. The treasures are mainly golden and they cover a quite large section of the museum. This area of the museum includes significant statues, furniture, and gold sculptures. After enjoying the guided part of the tour, take some free time to browse the museum with the option of visiting the royal mummy room.

The next stop will be at Sultan Hassan Mosque and Madrasa which dates back to the 14th Century. It is a unique mosque with its tall arches, beautiful multi-chromatic marble floor, and unique style.
Enjoy some free time at Khan El Khalili, the biggest market in Cairo. In Khan el Khalili bazaar, you will enjoy strolling through the maze of streets and bargain for a souvenir of your trip to Egypt. You can spend some time having a local drink in one of the oldest Coffee shops in Cairo El Fishawy (1763).


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Aswan
visit the Tombs of the Nobles by camel. The tombs mark the final resting places of powerful governors and priests who controlled commerce between Aswan and Nubia
Ride a camel to the southern tip of Elephantine Island where you will find St Simeon's Monastery, an ancient, abandoned fortress-monastery mostly built during the 7th century and located near Aswan. The monastery was given the name St Simeon by archaeologists and travelers, but earlier Arabic and Coptic sources called it Anba Hedra, after an anchorite who was consecrated a bishop of Syene (now Aswan) by Patriarch Theophilus (385-412 AD). Anba Hatred married at the age of eighteen. Tradition says that just after the wedding, he encountered a funeral procession which inspired him to preserve his chastity and later become a disciple of Saint Baiman. After eight years of ascetic practices under the supervision of his teacher, he retired to the desert and applied himself to the study of the life of Saint Antony. He died during the time of Theodosius I.
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Aswan
Cruise across the Nile to visit a traditional Nubian village and meet a local family. Learn about their lifestyle and culture, gaining insights into enduring traditions spanning thousands of years
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Abu Simbel
Fly to Abu Simbel, where you visit the twin temples of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari. In Aswan, board your luxurious Nile cruise for the next three nights. After lunch on board, join your Egyptologist to explore a granite quarry that supplied the ancient Egyptians. Take in an enormous monolith known as the “Unfinished Obelisk,” a fine example of ancient Egyptian stone masonry. Return to Nile cruise for afternoon tea. Later this evening, enjoy cocktails and dinner aboard.
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Philae temple and Kom Ombo Edfu
Enjoy a relaxing day tour of Aswan to the temple of Philae. The magnificent Temple was dedicated to the Cult of the Goddess Isis, but it became submerged after the first Aswan dam was built in 1902, and it was not until the sixties that many countries attempted to save the Temple. All these countries, together with UNESCO moved the temple to the Agilika Island. The Egyptians built the temple and during the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine eras; every ruler was keen on adding and expanding the temple to show his reverence to the Egyptian deities. Your Egyptologist guide will explain all the different reliefs, courts, and pylons of the temple before you ride a motorboat back to your cruise.
Arrive at the temple of Kom Ombo. This is one of the unique temples of Egypt. The temple was dedicated to two Egyptian Deities: Horus with the falcon head and Sobek with the crocodile head. The temple has two entrances, one for each of the two gods. The temple is beautifully located on a high mound. This location gives the visitor the chance to enjoy the view of the Nile.
The temple at Edfu was dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed. The temple of Edfu is the most well-preserved among ancient temples. Your private guide will give you a detailed history of the temple and its reliefs,
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Karnak temple and the west of Luxor
The Karnak temple is a complex of temples. The temple is dedicated to Amun Ra, the chief god in Egyptian mythology. Enjoy the Great Hypostyle court and the reliefs and murals that were added through the generations. Feel astonished at the tall obelisks 70 feet high and cut from a single piece of granite. Look at the statues of the different pharaohs who want to show their loyalty to RA. Keep an eye on the magnificent tall columns and their papyrus and Lotus capitals while their shafts are loaded with hieroglyphics
You will cross the Nile to the West bank where you will visit the Valley of the Kings. The Pharaohs were hiding their mummies and treasures in this barren desert area. Many of these treasures were found in these beautiful colored tombs. You can visit three tombs to enjoy the colors and murals on the walls. The tombs were craved deep in the mountain rock; you have the option to visit other royal tombs such as Tut Ankh Amun
Continue your tour on the west bank and drive to the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. She is the first female pharaoh in ancient Egypt who ruled the kingdom for 20 prosperous years. This temple is called El Deir el Bahari as the early Christians used the Northern monastery, as it was a Coptic monastery. Unlike the other temples, this one was built of limestone and partly hewn in the mother bedrock. It has three terraces and its focal point is to tell the story of the Divine birth of the Queen.
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Sakkara and Memphis
Sakkara is home to Egypt's oldest pyramid, built-in 2800 B.C. Your guide will provide a brief history of the famous Step Pyramid and you will have free time to walk around and visit the painted tombs of the nobles
Memphis is the oldest capital of Egypt after the unity in 3100 B.C. You will visit the open-air museum in the city. In Memphis, you will see the second-largest Sphinx in Egypt, the lying colossus of Ramses II, and many more monuments dug in this great city.
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Cairo - departure
After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart.