Pharaonic Egypt

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival in Luxor

  First day: Arrival in Cairo. Welcome and assistance at the airport by our French-speaking representative for your transfer to Luxor. Welcome and assistance at Luxor airport by our French-speaking representative. Transfer to the 5* boat and installation in your cabin. Dinner and overnight on board.

• day 2

  Luxor - Cruise with the Pharaohs

  Breakfast on board. Luxor, ancient city of Thebes, a true open-air museum. Visit of Deir El Medina, a village of ancient Egypt where the brotherhood of craftsmen responsible for building the tombs and funerary temples of the pharaohs and their relatives during the New Kingdom (from the 18th to the 20th dynasty) resided. Then, you will continue to the Valley of the Kings, where you will visit some tombs. You will stop to admire the Colossi of Memnon. Two colossal statues, standing alone in the middle of fields, mark the location of the entrance to the ancient funerary temple of Amenhotep III. Lunch on board. Visit of the Karnak temple. The temple, located near Thebes, the religious capital, is the largest and richest religious center in Egypt. At the end of the afternoon, visit of the Luxor temple at dusk to better appreciate its beauty. The Luxor temple is dedicated to the triad of Theban deities: Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. It was mainly built during the 18th and 19th dynasties. Dinner and overnight on board. Sailing towards Edfu. Optional: Sound and Light show at the Luxor or Karnak temple. Lunch, dinner, and overnight on board.

• day 3

  Edfu/Kom Ombo - Cruise with the pharaohs

  Arrival at Edfu. Visit to the Temple of Horus (Ptolemaic dynasty). Sailing towards Kom Ombo. Visit to the Temple of Kom Ombo, with its unique feature in all of ancient Egypt: these are two temples joined to form an indivisible temple dedicated to 2 distinct deities, the falcon god Horus and the crocodile god Sobek. Lunch, dinner, and overnight on board. Sailing towards Aswan. Arrival at Aswan.

• day 4

  Aswan - Cruise with the pharaohs

  Aswan. Breakfast on board. Departure by small boat to Algika Island to visit the Philae temple, dedicated to Isis. Visit to the granite quarries of Aswan with its unfinished obelisk. Lunch, dinner, and overnight on board. Optional: - Motorboat ride in the natural reserve of the first cataract of the Nile, bordered by the desert. You will land near a Nubian village, where you can taste a flavorful coffee with a secret recipe. - Sound and Light show at the Philae temple

• day 5

  Aswan / Abu Simbel optional - Cruise with the pharaohs

  Breakfast on board. Free morning to discover the city of Aswan. Optional: - Departure for Abu Simbel. These two majestic temples, saved from the waters, are dedicated to Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. They are classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the way there, you will have the chance to admire a sunrise in the desert. On the way back, you can enjoy the view of mirages for several kilometers. OR - Nubian Museum. The Nubian Museum houses the discoveries made during the excavations conducted as part of the UNESCO International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia, threatened by the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s. Opened in 1997, it displays many of the approximately 3,000 pieces unearthed during the excavations. The museum is also the custodian of Nubian history and culture. Its collections present Nubia from prehistory to the present day. Transfer to Aswan airport for Cairo. Overnight at the hotel.

• day 6

  Pharaonic Cairo

  Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to the necropolis of Giza: With its famous pyramids: Khufu, the only surviving wonder of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. For more than 40 centuries, it was the tallest monument ever built by man with its 146 meters. Khafre, the medium-sized one, and Menkaure, the smallest with its 66 meters. View from a panorama allowing you to take memorable photos of the three pyramids together. Visit to the vicinity of the Sphinx: 73 meters long, 14 meters wide, and 20 meters high, it represents the statue of a reclining lion with a human head (more precisely a royal head) and was erected between 2500 and 2600 BCE. Visit to the Valley Temple of King Khafre. This temple is in very good condition because, as it is a little lower than the pyramids, it remained buried until the 19th century, when it was discovered during excavations. Visit to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It houses more than 250,000 pieces, including the famous treasure of Tutankhamun. It is a true immersion into the history of ancient Egypt over 5 millennia. Visit to the mummy room at extra cost. Lunch at a restaurant during the tour (vegetarian meal available upon prior request). Return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 7

  Pharaonic Cairo

  Visit of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. According to tradition, Memphis was founded by the first ruler of Egypt, the legendary Menes. This king unified the country for the first time and brought it out of prehistory. With the great temple of Ptah, Memphis became the capital of the Egyptian Old Kingdom, from around -2780 to -2280: its location was privileged, on the western bank of the Nile, between the cultivated area and the desert plateau, at the meeting point of the delta and the valley. It thus occupied a strategic position of primary importance at the "balance of the two lands." A religious and administrative center, Memphis was also the residence of the kings. Visit of Saqqara, where you will discover the funerary complex of King Djoser with the step pyramid. The Serapeum of Saqqara is one of the most enigmatic places in this area. In the time of Ramses II, this long avenue was uncovered and, along its 80 m, on each side, one could stop, pray, and give offerings in the many chapels lined with ex-votos that bordered it. - Visit of the necropolis of Dahshur. Located 2 km from the southernmost monuments of Saqqara, the necropolis of Dahshur was opened to the public in 1996. There are five pyramids. Two were erected by King Snefru (4th dynasty). The other three by rulers of the 12th dynasty. Two of these pyramids are made of brick and the other three are made of stone. The pyramid of Amenemhat III was the last royal funerary monument built at Dahshur. Lunch at a restaurant during the visit (vegetarian meal available upon prior request). Return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

• day 8

  departure

  Breakfast at your hotel Transfer to the airport for your departure.