Journey Through the Nile Valley

Rise early for one of history’s greatest encounters — a visit to the Pyramids of Giza, the only surviving monuments from the ancient world’s Seven Wonders. These colossal structures have humbled and inspired visitors for over four thousand years, and standing in their shadow, it is easy to understand why. You’ll explore all three of the iconic pyramids — Cheops (the Great Pyramid), Chephren, and Mycerinus — as well as the inscrutable Great Sphinx, whose gaze has watched empires rise and fall across the centuries. The scale of these ancient engineering feats is simply incomprehensible until you are standing before them. After the plateau, we journey to the ancient necropolis of Saqqara, a vast sand-covered burial ground that predates even Giza. Here you’ll discover Djoser’s Step Pyramid, the world’s oldest large-scale stone structure, as well as a series of mastaba tombs decorated with remarkably preserved wall paintings depicting everyday life in ancient Egypt. The day also includes a visit to a government-supervised Papyrus Museum, where you can see how this remarkable ancient writing material was crafted and browse beautifully illustrated papyrus artworks.
Overnight: Cairo
Meals: Breakfast

Today unveils one of the ancient world’s greatest treasure houses — the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. Sprawling across an astonishing 490,000 square metres, this extraordinary complex is the largest archaeological museum on earth, housing artefacts from virtually every period of ancient Egyptian civilisation. The undisputed centrepiece is the breathtaking golden funeral mask of Tutankhamun — crafted from solid gold and weighing a remarkable eleven kilograms — which was discovered nestled within a series of three nested sarcophagi deep inside the young pharaoh’s tomb. Beyond Tutankhamun, the collection spans thousands of years of kings, gods, and daily life. We then visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation, where the Royal Mummies Hall brings you face-to-face with the remarkably preserved remains of some of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs, their features still astonishingly detailed — hair intact, fingernails visible — after thousands of years. It is both haunting and humbling. After a relaxing evening at the hotel, we board an overnight sleeper train bound for Aswan, gliding south through the Egyptian night toward the land of Nubia, temples, and the great river.
Overnight: On board Sleeper Train
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Arriving in Aswan, you’re immediately struck by how the mood shifts — the pace gentler, the light golden, the Nile broader and more serene. After settling into your hotel, we embark on a short and charming boat ride across the cool Nile waters to Agilika Island, home to the magnificent Temples of Philae. This sacred complex, dedicated to Isis — goddess of motherhood, magic, and healing — was painstakingly relocated stone by stone in the 1970s to save it from the rising waters of Lake Nasser created by the Aswan High Dam. The result is nothing short of miraculous: an intact ancient temple rising dramatically from a lush island, its pylons and colonnaded courtyards reflected in the still water below. Back on the mainland, we visit a perfume oil emporium, where you can explore a dizzying array of traditional Egyptian fragrances — rose, jasmine, lotus, and exotic blends — and perhaps pick up something uniquely aromatic to take home. The evening is entirely yours. Wander through the vibrant souq, sip hibiscus tea watching feluccas drift by on the Nile, or simply rest and absorb the timeless atmosphere of this beautiful Nubian city.
Overnight: Aswan
Meals: Breakfast

Early risers are rewarded with one of Egypt’s most spectacular optional experiences: a journey south to the Temple of Abu Simbel. Carved directly into a sandstone cliff by the order of Ramses II over three thousand years ago, this monumental temple is guarded by four colossal seated statues of the pharaoh himself, each twenty metres high, staring imperiously across the desert toward the Sudanese horizon. Like Philae, Abu Simbel was relocated in a remarkable feat of modern engineering to save it from the Nile’s rising waters. Few sights in the world are as otherworldly or as overwhelming. In the afternoon, the main adventure continues as the group boards a traditional wooden felucca to begin a two-night journey downstream along the Nile. The felucca — a vessel that has sailed these waters for thousands of years — is an experience of profound simplicity: the wind fills the triangular sail, the riverbank drifts slowly past, and time seems to slow to the rhythm of the current. En route, we stop at local villages and islands, meeting people and experiencing life along the great river. For those preferring more comfort, a luxurious 5-star Nile cruise is available as an upgrade.
Overnight: On board felucca boat
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Today is one of the trip’s most quietly magical days — a long, unhurried sail along the Nile, with nothing on the agenda but the river itself. Watch the landscape drift by: palm-fringed banks, herons picking their way through the shallows, farmers tending emerald fields, and the occasional distant minaret catching the morning light. The felucca’s deck is the perfect place to read, journal, nap, or simply gaze at the sky, and a refreshing swim in the Nile offers an experience few travellers ever have. There is a beautiful simplicity to felucca travel that strips away the busyness of modern life and leaves you fully present in one of the world’s most ancient landscapes. In the afternoon, we dock near the town of Kom Ombo and transfer by motorboat to visit the remarkable double temple on the riverbank, dedicated jointly to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of the Nile, and Haroeris, a form of the falcon-headed Horus. The temple’s twin layout — unusual in Egyptian architecture — is beautifully preserved, its walls covered in intricate carvings of gods, rituals, and medical instruments. We return to the felucca for our final night aboard, falling asleep to the sound of the river.
Overnight: On board felucca boat
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This morning we disembark the felucca and make our way to Luxor — a city that wears its ancient identity with extraordinary pride. Known in antiquity as Thebes, the great capital of Egypt’s New Kingdom, Luxor is essentially an open-air museum of incomparable scale, its streets threading between monuments, temples, and tombs that shaped the ancient world. The journey to your hotel offers glimpses of this remarkable urban heritage at every turn. After checking in, the afternoon is yours — rest by the pool, explore the corniche along the Nile, or browse the local markets. In the evening, you have the option to visit the Temple of Luxor, a breathtaking complex illuminated dramatically at night, its massive columns and statues of Ramses II glowing golden against the dark sky. The avenue of sphinxes that once linked it to Karnak has been partially restored, lending the temple approach a mysterious grandeur. Whether you join the optional visit or simply enjoy a quiet evening at the hotel, Luxor promises to linger in your imagination long after you leave.
Overnight: Luxor
Meals: Breakfast

Today delivers the most spectacular concentration of ancient monuments you are likely to encounter anywhere on earth. We begin on the West Bank of the Nile — the realm of the dead in ancient Egyptian cosmology — where the Valley of the Kings conceals the rock-cut tombs of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs. Descend into these painted underground chambers, their walls alive with vivid hieroglyphic scenes depicting the journey of the soul through the underworld, and feel history pressing in around you. Before the valley, we pause at the towering Colossi of Memnon — two enormous seated statues of Amenophis III that once flanked his vast memorial temple — and visit the extraordinary cliff-face Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, one of antiquity’s great architectural achievements, rising in elegant terraces against the golden escarpment. After lunch, we cross back to the East Bank for the crowning experience: the Temple of Karnak. Quite simply one of the largest religious complexes ever built, its hypostyle hall alone — with 134 enormous papyrus-shaped columns — staggers comprehension. Generations of pharaohs added to this sacred site over fifteen centuries, creating a layered, labyrinthine, utterly overwhelming monument to ancient Egyptian faith and power.
Overnight: Luxor
Meals: Breakfast

After an extraordinary week immersed in temples, tombs, and ancient history, today marks a delightful change of pace as we trade the Nile Valley for the Red Sea Riviera. Departing Luxor in the morning, we drive east across Egypt’s Eastern Desert — a stark, otherworldly landscape of rocky plains and arid mountains — before the deep blue of the Red Sea comes into view. It is a journey of genuine contrast: from pharaohs to beaches, from sandstone temples to coral reefs. Our destination is Hurghada, one of the Red Sea’s most celebrated resort towns and a world-renowned hub for water sports and marine adventures. Check into your beachfront hotel and take the afternoon simply to breathe, relax, and decompress. The Red Sea stretches before you in astonishing shades of turquoise and navy, its warm, clear waters beckoning. The next few days are yours to enjoy at your own pace — whether that means floating in the sea, ordering a cold drink poolside, or beginning to explore what Hurghada has to offer. After the intensity of ancient Egypt’s wonders, there is something profoundly restorative about simply sitting by the water as the sun goes down over the desert behind you.
Overnight: Hurghada
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Two full, gloriously unscheduled days to enjoy the Red Sea entirely on your own terms. Hurghada has earned its reputation as one of the Middle East’s premier aquatic playgrounds, and the range of activities available is exceptional. The optional day trip to Giftun Island is highly recommended — a protected national park just offshore where pristine reefs burst with colour and marine life, offering some of the finest snorkelling in the Red Sea. The water clarity and coral diversity here rival the very best in the world. Back in Hurghada itself, the options are equally appealing: try your hand at windsurfing or kitesurfing in the reliably breezy conditions, join a sailing excursion or deep-sea fishing charter, or book a SCUBA diving session to explore the offshore reefs at depth. Hurghada’s waterfront promenade lines up an excellent array of restaurants serving fresh seafood, and in the evenings the bars and cafés come alive.
Overnight: Hurghada
Meals: Breakfast:2, Lunch:2, Dinner:2

This morning we bid farewell to the Red Sea and make the long drive back across the Eastern Desert to Cairo, arriving in the early afternoon. You have the rest of the day entirely free to spend as you choose. For those who love to shop, a visit to Khan el-Khalili bazaar is unmissable — one of the oldest and most atmospheric markets in the Islamic world, a sprawling medieval souk where you can hunt for hand-beaten copper lamps, hand-blown glass, silver jewellery, embroidered textiles, spices, and all manner of beautiful and unusual treasures. Bargaining is expected and part of the fun. This is your chance to savour those last impressions — the sounds and smells and sights of a country that has been captivating travellers for longer than any other on earth.
Overnight: Cairo
Meals: Breakfast

This morning, after a final breakfast at the hotel, it is time to say goodbye to Egypt. Check out of your hotel, and prepare for your transfer to Cairo International Airport. Egypt has a way of taking hold of travellers deeply and permanently — it is a place of almost impossible scale and antiquity, where the gap between past and present feels unexpectedly thin. Our tour representative will ensure a smooth and timely transfer to the airport, with wishes for safe onward travels and the sincere hope that Egypt’s magic remains with you long after you land back home.
Meals: Breakfast