Cairo / Nile Cruise

Option 1: 6 Nights Package (Cairo / Aswan / Luxor / Cairo)

Day 1:(21/12) Cairo Arrival / Old Cairo.

Upon arrival to Cairo Airport our Royal Way Tours representative will meet and assist you crossing the customs hall. Proceed to “The Coptic Cairo” where you will visit the “Hanging Church” which is dating back to the 3rd Century AD and was dedicated to Virgin Mary ,It’s called “Hanging” because of its location above the gatehouse of the ancient Roman fortress “Babylon” .It contains 110 Holy icons depicting beautiful religious scenes. Then visiting “Saint Sergius and Bacchus Church” which is believed to have been built on the spot where the holy family rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. And ending Coptic Cairo tour with a visit to the “Jewish Synagogue of Ben Ezra” which gained its importance from its Geniza (Store room) was found during the 19th century containing a treasure of abandoned Hebrew secular and sacred manuscripts, stop for lunch at a nice local restaurant before proceeding to your hotel for check-in and overnight.

Day 2:(22/12) Cairo Sightseeing / Train to Aswan.

Checking out the hotel in the morning, then Our tour guide will meet and transfer you from hotel to Giza Plateau to visit the impressive 3 Pyramids of Kings Cheops, Chephren, and Menkaure which are guarded by the rock-cut statue (The Sphinx). The Great Pyramid of King Cheops is the only wonder of the seven wonders of the ancient world that is still standing today, although it is 2,000 years older than any other wonder on the list. Then, you are going to continue your journey through the history starting with the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities which was built in 1902 and it exhibits a large number of items and treasures (exceeding 120,000 masterpieces) dating back to the ancient Egyptian period and Greco-Roman period including the marvelous collection of the child king Tut Ankh Amon. After that you will be transferred to Giza railway station to take the Sleeper Train towards Aswan and staying on the train overnight.

Day 3:(23/12) Aswan Sightseeing / Felucca Ride

Upon arrival to Aswan Railway Station in the morning, our Egypt Tailor Made tour guide will pick you up to visit Aswan’s High Dam which is one of the most important achievements of the last century in Egypt .It Contains 18 times the material used in the great pyramid of Cheops and It provides Egypt with the water and electricity and secures the country from the destructive inundation of the Nile River. Then you will visit the Temple of Isis at Philae which its construction started during the reign of Ptolemy II and completed by the Roman emperors. And it was dedicated to goddess Isis which was considered the mother of god and she is the mother god Horus and the consort of God Osiris. Afternoon you will go in A Felucca ride around the islands of Aswan and Kitchener’s Botanical Garden where you will see different beautiful types of subtropical, exotic, and rare plantings and Elephantine island which is the largest island of Aswan area, Elephantine is Greek for elephant as It is believed that the island received its name because it was a major ivory trading center. There are different monuments which were excavated in the island like the ruins of a temple dedicated to the ram god Khnum “God of water”. Elephantine was considered as cult center for god Khnum Then , you will be transferred for the Nile Cruise Embarkation. having lunch and dinner on board and enjoying some oriental or Nubian shows. And stay overnight on board on Aswan.

Day 4:(24/12) Abu Simbel Tour (Optional) / Sail to KomOmbo “Sightseeing”

Around 3.30 am you will go towards Abu Simbel “OPTIONAL” (Around 3 Hrs. Driving) to visit the location of the most famous temples (The Great and Small temples) of King Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertari. The most spectacular aspect of this temple is its setting in the solid rock above the banks of the Nile River. The complex is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Nubian Monuments,” which run from Abu Simbel downriver to Philae (near Aswan). It is believed that the axis of the temple was positioned by the ancient Egyptian architects in such a way that on October 22 and February 22, the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, the god connected with the Underworld, who always remained in the dark. These dates are allegedly the king’s birthday and coronation day. Then going back to Aswan at 1 pm Afternoon, Start sailing towards Kom-Ombo while having lunch. Upon reaching the area you will go to visit the unusual double built temple which is dedicated to the Falcon god “Haroeris”(the southern part) and the crocodile god “Sobek”(the northern part). It was built during the Ptolemaic era. The scene on the inner face of the rear wall of the temple is of particular interest, and probably represents a set of surgical instruments. After that getting back to the cruise in order to continue sailing towards Edfu while having dinner. and stay overnight in Edfu.

Day 5:(25/12) Edfu Sightseeing/ Sail to Luxor / Luxor “East Bank Tour”

In the morning , you will go to witness the most complete and well-preserved temple in Egypt flanked by beautiful granite statues of the falcon god Horus. The Ptolemaic temple was dedicated to the falcon god “Horus”. The reliefs that cover the walls, columns, and doorways of the temple constitute an extremely important source of information about ancient Egyptian religious and political thought. Among the most interesting of these reliefs tell the story of Horus exacting his revenge on Seth for the murder of his father, Osiris, an event that was re-enacted annually in the temple. Other reliefs recount the stages of the temple’s construction, and provide dates for the completion of different building elements. Ending our tour to Edfu temple and going back to the cruise, having the lunch and proceed to sail to Luxor .After reaching Luxor.you will be picked up to visit the two Massive temples on the eastern bank of the Nile. The first one is Karnak Temple Complex which comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Building at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic Period. It’s a vast open-air museum, and the second largest ancient religious site in the world. It’s mainly a place to worship the Theban triad (Gods Amun,his consort Mut, and their son Khunso). The Second Temple is Luxor Temple which is believed that one of the ancient Egyptian’s festivals was held inside the temple as there are different scenes on the walls representing the celebration of the festival. Its inner part was built by King Amenhotep III while the outer part was built by King Ramses II. After entering the temple you will find a mosque called (Abu Al-Haggag) was built on the ruins of a church which were built inside the temple. To the rear of the temple there are chapels built by King Thutmosis III and Alexander the Great. Then going back to the floating hotel to have dinner, enjoy folkloric show, and stay on board overnight in Luxor.

Day 6: (26/12) “West Bank Tour” / overnight train to Cairo

After breakfast, disembarkation Then heading to visit the archaeological sites of the ancient Egyptians on the west bank of the Nile including (Valley of the kings where you will see the well preserved tombs belonging to the kings of the new kingdom including the great ruler Ramses II and the child King Tut Ankh Amon, The Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut it’s called “the Holy of Holies”. It is one the best architecture buildings. It consist of three levels connected with each other by ramps and has different scenes on its walls depicting the divine birth of the Queen and her Commercial expedition to Punt Land. The temple is mainly dedicated to worship the supreme god Amon-Ra, and the 2 Colossi of Memnun which are two massive statues representing King Amenhotep III in a seating Position). After that going to Luxor railway station to take the Sleeper Train towards Cairo and staying on the train overnight.

Day 7:(27/12) Departure

Arrive Cairo, free time shopping before transfer to Cairo airport for outbound flight back home.