Taste of Egypt Group Tour

Half-Day Tour: The Cave Churches

Visit the Khan El-Khalili Bazaar

At Cairo Airport, our representative will assist you in completing all your passport control formalities and collecting your luggage before your transfer to your hotel in Cairo city. On arrival at the hotel, we will enjoy breakfast before we visit the Cave Churches in Mokattam. It is built in Mokattam Mountain and is a short drive through the so-called "Garbage City' (a large population of garbage collectors living here). There are seven cave churches carved into the nearby Moqattam Mountain. Beautiful engravings cover the walls inside the spacious caverns, each representing stories from the Bible. If you are looking for a unique experience while in Cairo, this tour is among the best for those who prefer to explore hidden treasures. We drive to visit the Khan El-Khalili Bazaar - its narrow, cobblestone streets and winding, interconnected alleyways create a magical atmosphere that feels like a trip back in time. The absolute joy of shopping in Khan el Khalili lies in the unique, handmade goods from local artisans found in the market. Late afternoon we drive back to our hotel.

Stay: Ramses Hilton Hotel (Standard City View Room)

Meals: Breakfast & dinner

FULL-DAY TOUR: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx & the Grand Egyptian Museum (with lunch)

After a short briefing, head off on a full day exploring ancient Cairo sites. The First stop is at the Pyramids of Giza - undoubtedly one of the best highlights in Cairo. Home to the Great Pyramids of Khufu, Kafre and Menkaure and the Sphinx - carved from a single block of limestone, the half-human, half-lion statue stands guard over the pyramids. Your experience will be enhanced by your guide, who will provide a fascinating insight into the history of this magical site, erected nearly 5,000 years ago from millions of blocks of limestone. 

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant (included) before our adventure continues to the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest archaeological museum complex in the world and host to more than 100,000 artefacts. 

Stay: Ramses Hilton Hotel (Standard City View Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Visit the East Bank: Temple of Luxor / Temple of Karnak / Avenue of Sphynxes

**OPTIONAL EXCURSION – Afternoon Luxor City Tour (on horse carriage)

Transfer to the airport for an early morning flight with Egypt Air to Luxor Airport (departing at 06h30, arriving at 07h35). Meet and greet upon arrival with a transfer to your Nile cruise boat. Embark you’re your cruise boat that will be our home for the next 4 nights of our journey. After settling in, enjoy lunch on board. The town of Luxor lies on the site of Thebes, the capital of Ancient Egypt, and has the highest concentration of temples and tombs in the world. 

During the afternoon, explore the East Bank of the Nile River with a first stop at the Temple of Luxor, one of the best-preserved temples of all the ancient monuments with large amounts of the structure, statuary, and relief carvings still intact, making it one of the unique visits in the Luxor area and all of Egypt. We also visit the Temple of Karnak, a vast open-air museum built over more than a thousand years by generations of Pharaohs. The great "Hypostyle Hall" is an incredible forest of giant pillars. The hall covers an area of 5,000 sq. meters and is filled with 134 gigantic stone columns, with 12 larger columns standing 24m high, lining the central aisle. As mentioned above, the Karnak & Luxor temples are separated by the Avenue of Sphynxes, a three-kilometer-long road lined with the sphynxes.

You can return to Karnak Temple for the evening Sound and Light Show (for your account). Or head back to Luxor Temple to watch the sunset. 

Stay: Sonesta Nile Goddess Nile Cruiser (Cabin)

Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

Visit the West Bank: Valley of the Kings / Valley of the Queens / Temple of Hatshepsut / Colossi of Memnon

**OPTIONAL EXCURSION – Luxor Hot Air Ballooning

**OPTIONAL - Tutankhamun grave – Valley of the Kings

Enjoy breakfast on board before we head off to the West Bank of Luxor for an incredible journey back into ancient Egyptian history. Our first stop is at the Valley of the Kings, where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, decorated richly, and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of Pharaohs. Also, visit the Valley of the Queens, where many royal women were buried. From here, we visit the impressive Temple of Hatshepsut (Ancient Egypt's only female Pharaoh), which merges with the sheer limestone cliffs surrounding it. Afterwards, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues, before we return to the boat for lunch.

After lunch, we sail along the Nile to Esna, where we'll cross the famous Esna Lock. The lock is designed to work at an elevation difference of 8 meters, and It takes 5 to 7 minutes to fill and empty the lock. We enjoy lunch on the boat while enjoying the unique landscape of the great Nile River as we continue sailing towards Edfu, where we'll drop anchor and spend the night.

Stay: Sonesta Nile Goddess Nile Cruiser (Cabin)

Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

Visit the Edfu Temple / Kom Ombo Temple / Crocodile Museum

Our first stop for today is a visit to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. Built in the time of Cleopatra about 2,000 years ago, it is recent by Egyptian standards and beautifully preserved. Enter through the massive gateways of the Temple, guarded by huge granite statues of Horus, and explore the halls and chambers of this colossal ode to the gods. 

We continue our journey along the Nile to arrive at the Kom Ombo Temple at midday. This Temple, unlike many others in Egypt, was dedicated to two gods; the Southern section is dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and the Northern section to the Falcon-headed god Horus. The Temple also has a nilometer used to monitor the Nile River's height and to bring fresh water to the Temple. Next to the Temple is the Crocodile Museum, where you can see the mummies of crocodiles discovered around the Temple (it is estimated that 300 crocodile mummies were found in this area). There is a local market where you can haggle for bargains.

Enjoy a leisurely afternoon on board as we head towards Aswan.

Stay: Sonesta Nile Goddess Nile Cruiser (Cabin).

Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

Visit the Granite Quarries / Temple of Philae / Boat trip to Nubian Village

Breakfast will be served on board before you disembark to explore some of Aswan’s most prominent sites. Visit the Granite Quarries to see the unfinished obelisk, which was supposed to be the tallest and the largest ever erected in Ancient Egypt (42m in length and weighing nearly 1100 tons). Continue the tour to the Temple of Isis on Philae Island. Dedicated to Isis, this Temple was moved to its current location on Agilkia Island after the High Dam's completion. Philae was one of the last pagan temples to operate after the advent of Christianity in Egypt, and in some places, you can see where crosses were etched into walls and where the gods’ images were defaced. 

Experience Nubian history, culture, and lifestyle in a Nubian Village on Soheil Island. We travel with a motorboat to the Island, where you will visit a traditional Nubian House to learn about the history and culture of the Nubian people over a glass of welcome tea. After your time at the house, explore the Island on your own, strolling through brightly painted villages and chatting with the locals.  

Stay: Sonesta Nile Goddess Nile Cruiser (Cabin).

Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

Visit the Temple of Abu Simbel with lunch

After breakfast, disembark from your Nile cruise boat. We travel to Abu Simbel to experience one of the most magnificent monuments of Egypt. A UNESCO-designated site was dismantled and rebuilt, saving the 3,500-year-old temples from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. Once we arrive at Abu Simbel, we'll enjoy a tour of the temples, accompanied by a local guide who will tell us the fascinating history of the complex. Four colossal figures are hewn from solid rock to guard the massive 31-meter-high facade of the Temple. They are 20 meters high and measure more than 4 meters from ear to ear, representing Ramses II. Enjoy lunch at Abu Simbel before we return to Aswan, where we spend the night.

Stay: Bama Aswan Hotel (Nile View Room)

Meals: Dinner & breakfast. Lunch at a local restaurant.

Enjoy a morning of leisure with lunch at the hotel before your transfer to the airport for your flight with Egypt Air from Luxor to Cairo Airport (departing at 15h25, arriving at 16h50). We end our tour with a special farewell dinner near Cairo Airport before your onward flight home.

OR extend your trip with a memorable optional extension to Alexandria, the Red Sea, or Jordan (Petra). 

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