Egypt, Cairo

Nefertiti the Perfect Tour has arrived 5^*

Welcome on arrival and assistance with entry requirements.

Cairo is the capital of Egypt (also known as Oum el-Dounia: "Mother of the World"). It is the most populous city in Africa. Despite its slightly old-fashioned appearance, which makes you feel as if you've travelled back in time, you quickly fall under Cairo's charm and that of its inhabitants. Your journey to Egypt begins in the capital, where you'll discover a wealth of cultural treasures!
On arrival, you will be greeted by an assistant for entry formalities. Afterwards, an English-speaking Egyptologist guide will take over and accompany you for the duration of your stay (except in Hurghada).
Enjoy a group transfer to your hotel.
Overnight stay in a 5-star hotel (local standards).

Breakfast.

Visit to the Giza Plateau, symbol of Ancient Egypt, with the famous pyramids of:
Khufu (the largest, built around 2650 B.C.), one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World and the only one to have withstood the test of time. For more than 40 centuries, it was the highest monument built by man at 146 m high.
Khafre, the Pyramid of Chephren or Khafre may look taller than Khufu's, but in reality it is slightly smaller. Its tilt angle is more emphasised, and it sits on slightly higher ground, which is what creates this impression.
Menkaure, the tomb of King Menkaure. At a height of 66 m, it is much smaller than the other two pyramids.
The Sphinx (a lion with the head of a Pharaoh), the enigmatic guardian of the tombs and the temple. It faces towards the east to protect the tombs from plunderers. It is 73 metres long and 20 metres high and was carved from a single block of stone.

You will then visit a Papyrus Institute, where you can buy papyrus (although it is not compulsory to do so) and watch a demonstration of how it is made. The papyrus stem is peeled and cut into strips, which are then soaked in water for six hours to soften. Then, they are intertwined and pressed. The sugar and starch in the stalks solidify into a soft and resistant material, reputed to be tear-proof. Once dry, the papyrus is ready to be used as a medium for writing or painting.

Lunch during the excursion.

Visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, whose treasures range from the prehistoric age to the Roman period. Among the treasures on display is the famous treasure of Tutankhamun. Home to more than 250,000 items, it is one of the largest museums in the world. It allows visitors to discover the history of ancient Egypt over 5 millennia.

Transfer to Cairo station, board the train in a first-class sleeper cabin (local standards).

Dinner and accommodation on the train.

Please note: The train journey between Cairo and Luxor offers a travel experience with basic comfort facilities.
Depending on the day and time of arrival, it is not always possible to take the train between Cairo and Luxor. It is also possible to make the journey by plane.

Breakfast on board.

Arrival, transfer and boarding of your cruise.

Set off for the Nile cruise and a trip to the Theban Necropolis. The incredible Valley of the Kings where you will visit the tombs of two kings and a queen. From the Eighteenth Dynasty onwards and throughout the New Kingdom, the pharaohs were no longer buried in temples or monuments devoted to their final journey.
Thutmose I and all the pharaohs who followed him decided to be buried on the other side of the Nile, on the west bank: the land of the afterlife. Gone were the colossal monuments such as the pyramids, or even the Mastabas used during the Old Kingdom, and in their place were vaults dug right into the rock, with access scrupulously blocked up and concealed. The main reason for this was undoubtedly to escape tomb robbers.

Stop at the Colossi of Memnon, the only funerary monuments of Amenophis III. Known for their imposing architecture, these remains have been visited by emperors and travellers of all eras. Standing 18 metres tall and weighing 1,300 tonnes, the Colossi of Memnon were named by the Greeks after the legend of the Oracle of Memnon.

Lunch on board.

Overnight stay on the 5-star ship (local standards)

Optional activity to be booked and paid for on site with our local representative:

• The temple of Medinet Habu and Luxor Temple

Breakfast

Sail to Edfu

Lunch on board

Departure by horse-drawn carriage or bus for a visit to the majestic Temple of Horus at Edfu. This masterpiece of architectural balance and elegance is one of the best-preserved sites in all of Ancient Egypt, a great example of Ptolemaic art from the Greco-Roman period. You enter the temple through the great pylon, decorated with huge reliefs showing the king and the gods, into the courtyard, whose walls tell of the various rites performed by the king. Two large black granite falcons, representing the god Horus, guard the temple entrance.

The cruise continues to Kom Ombo

Dinner and overnight stay on board the 5-star (local standards) ship

Breakfast on board

Visit the Ptolemaic Temple at Kom Ombo. Two temples built within the same temple, unique in ancient Egypt. It was built during the Ptolemaic period (Ptolemaic dynasty, Greco-Roman period) on the site of a New Kingdom temple (dedicated to Thutmose III, 18th dynasty). It stands on a hilltop 15 metres above the Nile.
Its most astonishing feature is that it is dedicated to 2 distinct divinities: the falcon god Haroeris, “Horus the Great”, sometimes called “Horus the Ancient”, and Sobek, the crocodile god. Duality is everywhere in this temple: it has two entrances, two parallel corridors and symmetrically arranged rooms on either side of these corridors, all leading to the double sanctuary. Carved columns in shimmering colours line the esplanade in front of the entrance. The small building to the right of the entrance is the Chapel of Hathor; it contains several crocodile mummies.

Lunch on board

Sail to Aswan

Dinner and overnight stay on board the 5-star (local standards) ship

Breakfast on board

Morning at leisure on the boat

Overnight stay on a 5-star ship (local standards)

Optional activity to be booked and paid for on site with our local representative:
- Abu Simbel: An exceptional site 160 miles south of Aswan, with a great temple that was saved by UNESCO in 1969. The Colossi of Ramesses, the largest in Egypt, are built directly into the cliff. They are dedicated to the most famous gods of Pharaonic Egypt: Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as the deified Ramesses II. The Great Temple is dedicated to these four, while the Small Temple is dedicated to Hathor and Nefertari. Lunch on board.

-Mini cruise in a felucca and the Kitchener Garden: This mini-cruise in a felucca is the only way to reach the left bank and the Kitchener or Elephantine islands, real jewels of the river. Let yourself be lulled by the breeze and sail through the calm blue waters of the age-old Nile. Stop off on Kitchener Island for a visit to its famous botanical garden, where the finest varieties of plants and trees attract countless birds. You'll marvel at the royal palms, sycamores and ebony trees in this sumptuous floral park.

- Sound and Light Show at the Philae temple complex. Dinner and overnight stay on board the ship

Breakfast on board.

Visit to the Philae temple complex on the island of Agilka, known as the "Pearl of the Nile". After Nasser built the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, the island of Philae, upstream from the Nile's first cataract, was completely covered by water. With the help of UNESCO, work was undertaken to dismantle Philae's monuments piece by piece and reassemble them on the neighbouring island, 400 metres downstream. This landmark was entirely dedicated to Isis. This Ptolemaic temple has preserved its Naos, the stone tabernacle that housed the statue of the divinity.

Stop off at a jewellery store. Gold, silver and semi-precious stones such as lapis lazulis abound. Discover jewellery depicting scarabs, Ankhs, cartouches, eyes of Horus and more.

Lunch on board.

Sail to Edfu.

Free time on the boat.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the 5-star (local standards) ship

Breakfast on board

Day at sea and free time on the boat

Lunch on board

Dinner and overnight stay in the 5-star (local standards) ship

Breakfast on board.

You will discover ancient Thebes, the city of the hundred gates of the god Amun, the capital of Upper Egypt and of the whole country during the 18th dynasty.

The day will be devoted to a visit to one of the two world-famous temples dedicated to the god Amun-Ra, master of the gods and lord of the Theban triad: the temple of Karnak. This temple is unique in that it is dedicated to so many gods and was built over a period of 2,000 years. Yet from the beginning, Amun was always worshipped as the main god. The greatest Pharaohs (Seti I, Ramesses II, Thutmose III, Ramesses III) succeeded each other here. Visit to an alabaster sculpture workshop.

In ancient Egypt, alabaster was highly prized and used for everyday objects such as jars for ointments or perfumes, but also for canopic jars containing the organs of the deceased, extracted during the mummification process. Alabaster is easy to work with and produces beautifully transparent objects. Cut into thin sheets, it is transparent enough to be used as glass for small windows.

Optional activity at extra cost, to be booked and paid for on site with our local representative:
- The temple of Medinet Habu and the Luxor period. Visit to the Luxor Temple. It was dedicated to the God Amun Ra, who celebrated his wedding anniversary every year with his wife Mut. The procession left the Karnak Temple and travelled along the banks of the Nile to Luxor. The construction of the latter dates back to the reign of the two pharaohs, Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.

Lunch on board.

Afternoon at leisure.

Dinner and overnight stay on board the 5-star (local standards) ship

Breakfast on board.
Disembark your cruise.
Transfer by local bus to Hurghada (between 4 and 5 hours) and check into your 5-star hotel (local standards).
Lunch.
Afternoon spent relaxing on the beaches of the Red Sea. Discover stunning sea beds, coral reefs and multicoloured fish.
Dinner and overnight stay at the 5-star hotel (local standards)

Day at leisure

Day at leisure

Breakfast at the hotel.

Departure to the airport for your domestic flight to Cairo

Lunch on the way.

Stroll through Khan el-Khalili, a 14th-century bazaar. It is colourful and sells traditional goods made of copper, mother-of-pearl inlaid wood and clothing embroidered with beads, gold and silver thread, as well as a wide range of North African handicrafts.

Arrival and check-in at a 5-star hotel (local standards)

Breakfast

Visit to the Citadel of Saladin and the Muhammad Ali Mosque (built between 1830 and 1849; it is so white that it is nicknamed the "Alabaster Mosque"). In the centre of the courtyard is a large clock, a gift from King Louis Philippe of France to Muhammad Ali of Egypt. The Belvedere offers a panoramic view of the city of Cairo.

Lunch during the visit

Set off to visit Coptic Cairo. The Christian religion was introduced by St Mark around 45 AD and this is how the Coptic community (Coptic being a term specifically referring to the Christians of Egypt) began to develop. The Coptic area of Cairo is best known for housing a large number of churches in a very small area. The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus is one of the oldest Christian churches and was built around the 3rd or 4th century AD. The church was named St Sergius in honour of a former warlord who converted to Christianity. The Christians built a church on this site because it is believed that the Holy Family took refuge here when it was a cave.
Saint Virgin Mary's Church, or the Hanging Church, is a particularly remarkable monument. It can be accessed via a staircase that leads to a corridor with mosaics depicting biblical scenes. This church is called the Hanging Church because it is built on palm tree trunks that support it like stilts. The interior is richly decorated. In the main room there is a Coptic icon of the Virgin Mary with Jesus in her arms. It's as if she's following you with her gaze as you walk around her.

Dinner and overnight stay at the 5-star hotel (local standards)

Breakfast,
Depending on flight times, you will be transferred as a group to the airport.

A local English-speaking Egyptologist guide will accompany you throughout your entire stay.

Tips: "Bakchich"! A word you'll soon be familiar with! It's easy to turn down a random solicitor, but it's a way of rewarding work and service well done. Gratuities for guides are never included. It is at the discretion of each individual.

A paying connection accessible throughout the boat may be offered. However, we cannot guarantee its quality and reliability throughout your stay.

The baggage allowance for domestic flights is 23 kg in the hold per person, and a small cabin bag of 7 kg max. Any extra kilos will be charged at the airport.

Accommodation is rated according to local standards.

Please note: The train journey between Cairo and Luxor is a travel experience with basic comfort facilities.

There can be a lot of random, extensive checks at the airport in Egypt depending on the number of tourists, which is why the tour guide advises arriving as early as possible.

Because traffic can be heavy in Cairo, journey times can be long.

The excursions are in groups, with other participants.
This package includes free time to wander around at your leisure. However, you are responsible for paying for any transfers.

Optional excursions are subject to a supplement, payable on site to your guide or local representative.

The order of the visits may be modified due to local imperatives (travel time, passing through locks, etc.) however, all the visits listed will take place.

The pace of the visits can be quite intensive (see all the visits included in the day-by-day itinerary details), which means waking up very early in the morning (outside the ship's sailing periods)

Egypt is a cultural destination

PLEASE NOTE: For those booking the "hotel-only" package (without international flights): please let us know your flight details as soon as possible via the contact form located in the “Help and contact” section at the bottom of the page, so that we can organise your transfers.