Alexandria & Ancient Egypt

Tuesday. Welcome to Egypt! On arrival at the airport you’ll be transferred to our hotel to spend the rest of today exploring Cairo at leisure.

Cairo - Alexandria. Discover the port city of Alexandria today as we drive to the Mediterranean coast. We’ll explore the ancient Roman catacombs, the largest of its kind in Egypt. The catacombs were only rediscovered in 1900, when a donkey accidentally fell into the access shaft. Our tour will also visit Pompey’s Pillar and the impressive Library of Alexandria (exterior) before we arrive at the Citadel of Qaitbay. This fortress was built on the site of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The lighthouse was destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 1323AD and some of the same stones recovered from the ruins were used in the construction of this famous citadel.

Alexandria - Cairo. Today we visit the sobering Commonwealth War Graves of El Alamein. Two bloody battles were fought here during the Second World War, which eventually saw the Allied forces defeat the Axis powers. This victory eliminated the threat to Egypt and the strategically important Suez Canal. Around 13,000 Allied soldiers were killed in battle. We’ll pay our respects to the fallen soldiers and explore the El Alamein Military Museum to learn more about the battles fought here. The museum also houses original war vehicles, weapons and uniforms. After the visit, we return to Cairo.

Today is free to explore Egypt’s capital as you please. You may wish to join our morning Backstreets of Cairo tour, which will take you to some of the lesser known sights in the city. Visit the hub of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution in Tahrir Square, wander down El Moez Street and explore the famous cave church of St Simon.

Today we explore Egypt’s most famous attraction, with a visit to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. The only surviving of the Ancient Wonders of the World, the pyramids are also the oldest. Gaze in awe at the colossal structures - the largest of the pyramids, Cheops, was the tallest man-made building on Earth for 3,800 years. After our tour we continue to the necropolis of Saqqara to see the famous stepped Pyramid of Zhoser, which dates back to 2700BC. A visit to a government supervised Papyrus Museum will also be made at some point during today.

Cairo - Aswan. On today’s excursion we visit the Grand Egyptian Museum. This newly opened site is just 2km from the pyramids and is home to a vast collection of artefacts from across ancient Egypt’s diverse history. Many of the exhibits have never been on public display before and many more have been recalled to the museum from across Egypt and the rest of the world. There is a full exhibition dedicated to the treasures of Tutankhamun and the museum makes use of modern technology including virtual reality.

After our guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum we head over to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization to visit the fascinating Royal Mummies' Hall, where the mummies of ancient Egyptian kings and queens are on display. Then there's time to relax back at the hotel before we board the night train to Aswan this evening.

Please Note: the Grand Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open in late 2024, though an official opening date has yet to be released. If travelling prior to the opening of the new facility we'll visit the Egyptian Museum instead.

We arrive in Aswan this morning and visit the beautiful Philae Temple. We’ll take a boat out into the Nile and sail to Agilkia Island to explore the site. The temple was carefully relocated from its original location to Agilkia in the 1960s, as part of a UNESCO project to save it from rising water levels after the flooding of Lake Nasser. Our final stop today is a perfume oil emporium and this evening is free to explore Aswan at leisure - perhaps check out the vibrant market.

Aswan - Nile felucca cruise. This morning there’s an optional trip to Abu Simbel, the famous temple built by Ramses II and guarded by 4 colossal statues of the pharaoh himself. Later, we board our traditional felucca for a 2 night cruise down the mighty Nile. If sailing by felucca is not your style, consider upgrading to a 5 star luxury Nile Cruise, please see the tab above for prices. For more information about Nile Cruising please click here.

Nile felucca cruise - Kom Ombo. Relax onboard the felucca as it makes its way downriver. This afternoon we’ll dock near Kom Ombo and visit the famous symmetrical temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus and the crocodile god Sobek. We then return to the felucca for our final night onboard.

Kom Ombo - Luxor. Disembark the felucca today as we drive to Luxor, where the rest of the day can be spent at leisure. This evening, there’s an optional excursion to Luxor Temple, which is beautifully illuminated by hundreds of lights at night.

Luxor - Cairo. Enter the lavishly decorated tombs of famous pharaohs today as we visit the Valley of the Kings. Gaze at the towering Colossi of Memnon and explore the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut - Egypt’s second female pharaoh.

Later, discover the majestic Karnak Temple, one of the largest religious buildings in the world. The temple took 1,500 years to complete and features contributions from around 30 different pharaohs. Marvel at the giant columns of Hypostyle Hall before we return to Cairo on the night train this evening.

We arrive back in Cairo where today is free for you to relax or explore Egypt’s capital at leisure. You can opt to visit Khan el Khalili bazaar, the ideal place for some last minute souvenir shopping.

Sunday. Our tour ends today with an included departure transfer to the airport.