Luxury on the Nile (Luxor)

A Grand 10 Days tour of Egypt
including a 5 day Luxury Nile Cruise

Board in Luxor

Figures from Mark Twain to tycoons to heads of state have journeyed to Egypt for the adventure. Treasures and sights unfold at a stately pace: ancient columned temples, tombs containing inestimable riches, green fields irrigated by life-giving waters, looming desert ridges. Of course, there are excursions before and after to the mysterious Sphinx and to the venerable and modern wonders of Aswan.

Enjoy the ultimate version of this Egyptian adventure. You’ll journey to Egypt in the comfort of business class, enjoy the most luxurious steamer accommodation available, and even have the option of floating over the legendary Valley of the Kings in a hot air balloon, on this upscale package. Leave any day (Subject to availability of the Nile cruise). We have even included all the tips. No hidden charges. No additional taxes.

DAY 1 – CAIRO – Choose your own dates – daily arrival (subject to availability)
Our local Cairo rep. greets you and escorts you through the excitement and hubbub of the terminal, and onward to your hotel. Traditional sweets await you, with our compliments. Visa for Egypt maybe issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport for a limited number of citizens such as: American, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. Guests are to pay for it upon arrival (approx: $ 15 – subject to change). You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 months beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. After exiting the terminal, our local representative will escort you to the hotel. Private air condition car for your transfer. Private chauffeur.

DAY 2 – CAIRO (BLD)
Private air condition car for your tour today. Private chauffeur and Private Egyptologist. Your exploration of ancient Egypt begins today! We’ll start after breakfast with the Egyptian Museum. Here you’ll see the treasures of the ancient pharaohs: mummies, statuary, and precious stones and metals. Travelers have long come to Cairo just to gaze on these sights alone. But there’s more, we’ll motor to the mysterious Sphinx and the Pyramids on the edge of Cairo. Taking a camel ride is entirely your own choice! Lunch is included at the Mena House. Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant.

DAY 3 – LUXOR! (BLD)
We fly to LUXOR. Flight is in business class. Upon arrival at Luxor Airport we proceed to tour the gigantic Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and the mighty Temple of Luxor, then board your Nile cruiser in time for a delicious lunch. Complimentary welcome fruit basket awaits you in your cabin. After lunch we’ll tour Medinet Habu, the Ramesseum and the Ancient Workers Village at Deir El Medineh, the first known “Workers Village”. These were the true creative heroes who built the temples & tombs for the mighty Pharaohs of the Nile Kingdom.

Deir El Medinah is on Luxor’s west bank you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers’ settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we’ll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers’ paradise, we’ll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs.

Then it is off to tour the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings including Tut-Ank-Amon’s tomb and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon before we tour the charming Luxor Museum. In the evening your guide will call on your for a horse-drawn carriage ride to tour Luxor souks and water front. The order of sites/tours may change depending on the cruise ship confirmed, yet you will not miss any site/item listed here.

DAY 4 – LUXOR, We Include Esna Temple Tour – EDFU (BLD)
We sail to Esna and tour its temple, while the cruise ship goes through the locks, and on to Edfu where we dock for the night. In the evening, we’ll celebrate in Egyptian style, dressed in galabias, the flowing national costume (a galabya will be delivered to your cabin with our compliments). Afternoon tea will be served daily on deck on board the Nile cruise.

DAY 5 – EDFU, KOM OMBO (BLD)
We moor in Edfu, climb aboard horse-drawn carriages, and clip-clop through the town to the Temple of Horus, Egypt’s best-preserved temple. Re-embarking on our Nile cruiser, we enjoy lunch as we sail further south upriver. We disembark downstream at Kom Ombo to visit its twin temples of Haroeris, the sun god, and Sobek, the crocodile god, the continue our voyage to Aswan, while we party after dinner with music & dance.

DAY 6 – CAMEL CARAVAN, NUBIAN VILLAGE, ASWAN (BLD)
First we tour Aswan dams, then on to the new Nubian Museum then the awesome Aswan dams, and next an ancient granite quarry complete with an unfinished obelisk. Then we go by motor launch to the island temples of Philae.
In the afternoon we enjoy a leisurely sail by graceful felucca on the Nile. For those who are interested: a short camel caravan & ride is included (almost a half hour ride) to visit a local Nubian Village.

Our farewell dinner this evening is a buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by a show featuring oriental performers, including, of course, a belly dancer.

DAY 7 – ABU SIMBEL (B. Lunch Box)
Fly to Abu Simbel (economy class). Your private air conditioned car, your private guide and private chauffeur will be waiting for you at Abu Simbel airport. Ramses the Great’s huge desert temple at Abu Simbel marked the southern border of the pharaoh’s dominions. Rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser by an international effort, it is a marvel of sacred engineering. Twice a year‹and only then the sun penetrates to the Holy of Holies, illuminating the stone figures of Ramses and Nefertari. We explore the huge temple, admire its ancient aura and artistry, then retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments and to enjoy your lunch box. Then fly back to Aswan, and your hotel: the Aswan Mövenpick, or Old Cataract (closed now for renovations).

DAY 8 – CAIRO (BD)
We head back to the airport to catch our flight to Cairo (business class). Private air condition car for your transfer. Private chauffeur. In the evening, we will enjoy dinner at Zeituni at the Four Seasons Hotel.

DAY 9 – CAIRO (B)
One more day in Cairo, at leisure. You’ll have one more opportunity to experience the excitement of this great city and, of course, do some last-minute shopping.

Complimentary Dinner is included at a local home:
Meet the locals: This evening we’ll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread… right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo! You’ll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you’ll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they’re sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you’ll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, if you prefer, you may enjoy a quiet evening with your travel companions by letting us know your preferences. You may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family (T shirt, small souvenirs of your home town).

DAY 10 – DEPARTURE (aB)
Private air condition car for your transfer. Private chauffeur. Our Cairo local rep. escorts you to the airport, where you’ll begin your journey home. Bon Voyage!

Hotels: Ramses Hilton or similar

And accommodation in an outside cabin on board the Cruise: M/S Monaco, M/S Mojito, or similar (subject to availability)

Hotels or similar: Cairo Conrad. InterContinental Hotels Cairo. Cairo Sheraton. Cairo Marriott or similar

And accommodation in on board the Cruise: Movenpick Royal Lilly, Movenpick Royal Lotus, Sonesta M/S Moon Goddess, or similar (subject to availability)

Nile View Room at the Four Seasons Cairo and the Oberoi Hotel in Aswan or Garden view room at the Sofitel Cataract or similar Hotels.

And accommodation in a Suite on board the Cruise: Mozart Suite on the Sonesta Star Goddess or similar (subject to availability)

Rate includes:

• VIP Meet & Greet At Cairo Airport
  Our representative greets you at the airport and whisks you to your hotel. Visa will be issued upon arrival at Cairo Airport (photos are not required).
• Egyptian Visa will be issued for a limited number of citizens such as: American, Australian, NZ, EU, Canadian, EU Singaporean and Japanese citizens. You are responsible for having your passport in order valid at least for 6 months beyond the date of your arrival in Cairo. Our local rep. meets with a sign that carries your name and will be waiting for you with the prepaid visa stamps to proceed to the passports control to stamp your passports and then you claim your luggage. After you clear the passport and customs formalities and exit the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle) to the hotel. Welcome fruit basket & Egyptian pastry awaits you in your room in Cairo upon arrival with our compliments.
• Air transportation in Egypt, domestic flights in Egypt in business class, except for Abu Simbel, available only in economy class.
• All airport/cruise/hotel transfers, including airport greeting. Always on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle and private chauffeur.
• All guided sightseeing in Cairo and Abu Simbel on a private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle and private chauffeur, private Egyptologist, while on board the cruise you are part of a 10-15 English speaking group.
• Deluxe hotel accommodations, including tax based on your choice from the rates listed above.
• Nile cruise, with all meals and shore excursions, based on your choice from the rates listed above.
• Meals as indicated, with preset menu (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
• Private air conditioned vehicle for all Cairo touring and transfers.
• Complimentary welcome drink upon arrival on board the Nile Cruise.
• Complimentary welcome fruit basket on board the Nile Cruise.
• Large bottle of water (per person) delivered to you cabin daily while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
• Tea or coffee an bottled water with each / every meal while you are on board the Nile Cruise.
• We have even included all the Tips. No Hidden Charges No Additional Taxes.

Not included:

• International air fare and tax.
• Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
• Personal expenses, including excess baggage or shipping charges, beverages, and personal charges in hotels for laundry, telephone, or other services

• Days are warm, and sometimes hot, in Luxor and Aswan, while evenings and mornings can be cooler.
• Comfortable walking shoes and clothing of natural fabrics are suitable for shore excursions.
• On board, dress is relaxed for breakfast and lunch, smart casual for dinner. Take a sun hat and, of course, a swimsuit.
• All ships are fully air-conditioned. Typical amenities (which vary from vessel to vessel; inquire for details) include large view windows; in-cabin minibar, hair dryers and safes; and pools, boutiques, and dance lounges.