Egyptian Express for Families

Saturday. Welcome to the land of the Pharaohs! At Cairo airport your family will be met and transferred to our hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax at leisure.

Our day begins with a guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which houses over 100,000 artifacts, including monumental statues displayed along the Grand Staircase and will eventually showcase the treasures of King Tutankhamun, such as his golden funerary mask.

Then we head over to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which remains home to a vast collection of statues, jewellery, and sarcophagi. The museum also houses several well-preserved mummies, including those of Yuya and Thuyu, who were high-ranking nobles and the great-grandparents of King Tutankhamen. Some mummies are so well preserved there is even hair on their heads! Following the tour, we’ll return to the hotel the rest of the day is free for you to relax with your family by the pool.

Cairo - Aswan. Today, we visit the legendary pyramids and iconic Sphinx at Giza Plateau, the sole survivors from the ancient Greek-listed Seven Wonders of the World. Gaze in awe at the largest of the three great pyramids - Cheops. Constructed from over 2.5 million limestone blocks, it took more than 20 years to construct. We explore this area on foot and there's the opportunity to venture inside one of the great pyramids. The afternoon is free to relax by the hotel pool with your family or independently explore Cairo before we take the comfortable overnight sleeper train to Aswan.

We arrive into Aswan this morning and and take a boat out to Agilika Island to visit the beautiful Philae Temple and then make a stop at a perfume oil emporium. The rest of the day is free to independently explore or relax by the hotel pool. Scenically located on the Nile, a walk along the riverfront corniche to view the many boats is a real treat. This evening we'll visit the Aswan market and enjoy the smells of herbs and spices being traded by local merchants.

Sail onboard a traditional felucca as we enjoy a visit to Elephantine Island. Take a guided walk to many important archaeological sites and a local school (if open), before lunch on board the felucca. This afternoon is free for you to spend in Aswan as you please. You may wish to join our optional excursion to the Nubian Museum. The museum is home to more than 3,000 artefacts and scale models from across ancient Egyptian history, from the Pharaohs to the Romans.

Aswan - Luxor. This morning we take a motorboat across the river to the west bank of the Nile and enjoy a camel ride across the desert to the 7th century Monastery of St Simeon. We explore this site before bidding farewell to Aswan and travelling to Luxor, stopping en route to visit the temple of Kom Ombo. The northern half of this temple was dedicated to the falcon god Horus, whilst the southern half was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. The two are perfectly symmetrical and you’ll think you’re seeing double as we explore.

We visit Luxor’s legendary West Bank this morning - home to the famous Valley of the Kings, the imposing colonnaded temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the gigantic Colossi of Memnon. See how the ancient Egyptians confounded tomb robbers with the construction of elaborate catacombs, once filled with treasures and highly decorated to allow the pharaoh passage to the afterlife.

Later, visit the colossal Karnak Temple, which took around 1,500 years to complete. Imagine you’re a pharaoh as you stroll around Hypostyle Hall and see the impressive Avenue of Sphinxes. Return to the hotel and enjoy your last night in Luxor at leisure with your family. You may wish to join our optional tour of Luxor Temple, beautifully illuminated at night.

Saturday. Today your Egyptian adventure comes to an end. You will be transferred to Luxor airport for your onward flight.