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Visit the great pyramids of Egypt.

Nile Package: Cruise and Land

Example 9 Day Cruise aboard Sanctuary Sun Boat IV
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This luxury Egyptian tour combines a Nile River Cruise with additional time in Cairo, exploring the region's most impressive ruins for a complete Egyptian adventure. Begin your journey in Cairo, visiting attractions such as the Great Pyramids of Giza and the enigmatic Sphinx. Fly to Luxor to embark on the luxury river ship, the Sanctuary Sun Boat IV, for a 4-night cruise to Aswan. Conclude your journey by returning to Cairo for additional sightseeing.
Sleepy camels at the Pyramids of GizaA view of the Citadel from the parkPhilae TempleThe pyramids of GizaVisit the great pyramids of Egypt.
Highlights
  • Discover the highlights of Cairo, including Pyramids & the Egyptian Museum
  • Tour the ancient city of Memphis, Sakkara's Step pyramid, and Islamic Cairo
  • Spend five days cruising on the Nile aboard the Sanctuary Sun Boat IV
  • Join optional Abu Simbel excursion to temples built by the Great Ramses II
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Arrive in Cairo

Arrive at the Cairo International Airport and meet the Tour Coordinator after customs. Spend the night at the Fairmont Nile City Hotel in Cairo.

Day 2: Memphis, Sakkara and Pyramids

  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch
Spend the day exploring ruins and attractions in Cairo.

Founded around 3,100 BC during the Old Kingdom, Memphis is the legendary city of Menes, the King who united Upper and Lower Egypt. According to tradition, he first created dikes to protect the area from Nile floods and then started building. Much of what we know of Memphis comes from its necropolis, texts and papyrus from other parts of Egypt, and Herodotus, who visited the city. Early on, Memphis was probably a fortress from which Menes controlled the land and water routes between Upper Egypt and the Delta. Later, this great city became the administrative and religious center of Egypt, was home to a cosmopolitan community, and most likely was one of the largest and most important cities in the ancient world.

Across the Great Court of the Pyramid Complex of Zoser in Sakkara stands the Step Pyramid, the oldest known of Egypt’s 107 pyramids. Sakkara was built by Imhotep, one of the world’s most famous historical figures. This architect of the world’s first freestanding stone structure is often also recognized as the world's first doctor, as well as a priest, sage, poet, and astrologer. Although the original structure was a burial chamber 28 meters underground, Imhotep enlarged it several times to eventually reach a six-tiered rectangle 60 meters high. Sakkara seems to have been the first area where limestone was employed, not only for the outer casing of the pyramid but also to cover interior walls.

Savor lunch at Khan El Khalili restaurant, named after the famous Cairo market, which serves light Egyptian and continental meals. Next visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The pyramids were built about 4500 years ago as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, who were a father, son and grandson (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus are the Greek forms of their names). In the ancient Egyptian religion, the sides of the pyramids were likened to sun rays on which the Pharaoh ascended to heaven. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest, Khufu's, made of over 2 million blocks. The pyramids were not built by slaves but by Egyptian peasants who paid their taxes to the Pharaoh through this labor, and were fed, clothed and housed by him.

Nearby sits the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. About a thousand years after the Sphinx was built, it was covered in sand until a young prince had a dream in which the Sphinx told him that if he cleared the sand away, he would become Pharaoh. This story is told on the "Dream Stela" that was placed between the Sphinx's paws by King Tuthmose IV.

Overnight at the Fairmont Nile City.

Day 3: Fly to Luxor | Embark the Sanctuary Sun Boat IV

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Transfer to the Cairo International Airport via the Tour Coordinator to board your Egypt-Air flight to Luxor.

Upon arrival at the Luxor Airport, meet your Tour Coordinator and transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to the Sanctuary Sun Boat IV. Enjoy lunch on board followed by a visit to the West Bank of Luxor to explore the Valley of the Kings. Have the chance to visit at least one tomb in the Valley of the Queens and visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. On the way back to the Nile River, pass by the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn. In the evening meet your Boat Manager for a cocktail reception and review your cruise program for the upcoming days. Enjoy cocktails and a selection of canapés, followed by a gourmet dinner.

Day 4: Temple of Hathor and Luxor Temple

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
A breakfast buffet is served on board as you cruise northwards to Qena. Enjoy a morning visit to the Ptolemaic Temple of Goddess Hathor in Denderah, complete with a massive stone roof, dark chambers, underground passages, and towering columns inscribed with hieroglyphs. Hathor was the goddess of pleasure and love, often associated with Aphrodite. Return to the boat for lunch as you sail back to Luxor.
 
Afternoon tea is served on board. Next, your Egyptologist guides you on a tour of the East Bank of Luxor to the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor dedicated to the God Amun. Enjoy dinner on board, followed by a belly dancer and whirling dervish show.

Day 5: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Breakfast is served on board as you cruise to Edfu, followed by a morning visit to explore the extraordinary Temple of Horus. Enjoy lunch and afternoon tea on board and take part in an Egyptian cooking lesson as you continue cruising to Edfu. In the afternoon visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.

Tonight's dinner on board is an "Egyptian Night" costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian "galabeyya". Dinner is a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by oriental music and dancing for everyone.

Day 6: Philae Temple and Felucca Sailing

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Cruise to Aswan and take a short motorboat ride to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilka. Proceed to the Granite Quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples, and still hold a huge unfinished obelisk. After lunch on board, take a ride on a felucca (a typical Egyptian sail boat) around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Gardens, and the Agha Khan Mausoleum (weather permitting, life jackets provided). Afternoon tea is served in the lounge.

Tonight’s farewell dinner is a gala dinner (jacket required) with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine.

Day 7: Disembark in Aswan | Fly to Cairo

  • 1 Breakfast
A buffet breakfast is served on board before check-out. Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to the Aswan Airport.

An optional Abu Simbel Excursion by flight is offered. Abu Simbel Temples, built by the Great Ramses II, Egypt’s longest ruling pharaoh, are some of the most recognizable images in the country. Actually two temples, namely the Great Temple of Ra-Harakhte, fronted by the four colossal statues of Ramses II, and the Temple of Hathor, dedicated to Ramses’ favorite wife Queen Nefertari, were moved to their current location when the creation of Lake Nasser threatened their existence.

Board a return flight to Cairo via Aswan. Upon arrival at the Cairo airport, meet with your Tour Coordinator. Overnight at the Fairmont Nile City.

Day 8: Egyptian Museum of Antiquities | Citadel

  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch
At the Egyptian Museum, tour 7,000 years of history. This museum houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian art in the world, including treasures of the boy-king Tutankhamun. View his gold mask, the solid gold sarcophagus that held his mummy, and his beautiful throne.

Enjoy lunch at Al Azhar Park. Situated in the heart of Islamic Cairo, this beautiful park was created for the citizens of Cairo by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Next visit the Citadel, perched high on limestone hills above Cairo. The Citadel is a medieval fortress built by Salah El Din (Saladin) in 1176 to protect the city from Crusaders. The Citadel has always had a military use, and was expanded over the centuries by Egypt's rulers who often resided there. Today, the Citadel complex has mosques and museums, including the National Military Museum.

Proceed to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, completed in 1363. With its grand, soaring architecture and rich decoration, the Mosque is one of the finest in Egypt. In recesses around its open courtyard, each of the four schools of Sunni Islam was taught to students, and in its mausoleum, Sultan Hassan's sons are buried.

Complete the tour with a visit to the fascinating Khan El-Khalili Bazaar, reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Originally founded as a watering stop for caravanserai in the 14th century, the bazaar has now grown to vast proportions. As you wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets, find workshops and stalls selling all manner of things from woodwork, glassware and leather goods to perfumes, fabrics and Pharaonic curiosities.

Day 9: Return Home

  • 1 Breakfast
Transfer to the Cairo International Airport to complete this tour of the Nile River and ancient Egypt.

Ship/Hotel

Sanctuary Sun Boat IV

Sun Deck 2
Shaded Deck
Dining Room

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$4,481
Main Deck Cabin on the Sun Boat IV
Select a Date
Nile Deck Cabin
49.2- 59.1 ft². King or twin beds. A/C, window, private bath with shower & hairdryer, satellite TV & in-house movies, and mini-bar.
Nile Deck Cabin on the Sun Boat IV
Select a Date
Main Deck Cabin
49.2- 59.1 ft². King or twin beds. A/C, window, private bath with shower & hairdryer, satellite TV & in-house movies, and mini-bar.
Promenade Deck Cabin on the Sun Boat IV
Select a Date
Bridge Deck Cabin
49.2- 59.1 ft². King or twin beds. A/C, window, private bath with shower & hairdryer, satellite TV & in-house movies, and mini-bar.
Bridge Deck Cabin on the Sun Boat IV
Select a Date
Promenade Deck Cabin
49.2- 59.1 ft². King or twin beds. A/C, window, private bath with shower & hairdryer, satellite TV & in-house movies, and mini-bar.
Presidential Suite on the Sun Boat IV
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Presidential Suite
124.7 ft². King or twin beds. A/C, window, private bath with bathtub & hairdryer, satellite TV & in-house movies, and mini-bar.
Royal Suite on the Sun Boat IV
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Royal Suite
180.4 ft². King or twin beds. Balcony, A/C, window, private bath with bathtub & hairdryer, satellite TV & in-house movies, and mini-bar.

Notes

Children aged 3-15 inclusive pay child reduction rate when sharing with two paying adults.

Beverage packages:
Unlimited: covers local wine, local beer, soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee, and mineral water throughout the cruise. $85 pp/night.
Limited: covers a half bottle of wine or two bottles of local beer, mineral water, soft drinks, and juices during lunch and dinner. $55 pp/ night.
Children, upon request: covers mineral water, soft drinks, and juices throughout. $35 pp/night.
Included
  • 8 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches, 4 Dinners
  • 8 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • Taxes and Service Charges
  • Full board meal plan - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner with mineral water, tea and coffee served during meal times
  • All sightseeing, guiding and entrance fees as per itinerary
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • Drink Packages
  • All transfers to/from the boat from airports.
  • Any items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls and purchases from the gift shop
  • Medical services

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Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
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