Long Nile Cruise tour

We will meet you at Cairo Airport today and transfer you directly to your Nile Cruise boat. The remainder of today is free for you to settle in and relax on board. This evening will be spent moored up on the Nile in Cairo. Extra days in a hotel in Cairo are available if you would like to spend more time here.

Your Egyptian adventure begins today with tours to some of Egypt's most famous attractions. Your tour today will include the Pyramids and Sphinx in Giza, and the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo where you'll be able to view many of the treasures recovered from the tomb of King Tutankhamun. You head into central Cairo today to learn more about Pharaonic history in the Egyptian Museum, home to the treasures from King Tutankhamuns Tomb. This evening will be spent on board your Nile Cruiser in Cairo.

Today is a day for relaxation as we begin sailing south for Beni Suef. You'll have the whole day on board the Nile Cruise ship where you can witness rural Egyptian life along the banks of the Nile.

We have a number of important sites to visit today including the Hawara and Meidum Pyramids located close to the oasis town of Fayoum.

We'll begin sailing to Minya before breakfast today as the journey to Minya is a long one. We will aim to arrive in Minya shortly after lunch at around 2pm, where we'll have a full afternoon of tours. Your first tour this afternoon is to Tuna al Gebel where you'll be able to see the Tomb of Petosiris, which has a fusion of Greek and Egyptian styles. Later in the afternoon you'll also visit Ashmunein before rejoining the boat and spending the night on board in Minya.

Today is set to be one of the cruise highlights for the Ancient Egypt enthusiasts among us. After breakfast we'll visit the fabled city of Tel el Amarna. This ancient city, which was originally known as Akhetaton got its modern day name from the nearby village of El-Till and the name of a local Bedouin tribe. The ancient name, Akhetaton means 'the horizon of the solar disk' in the ancient Egyptian language. The heretic pharaoh, Akhenaten controversially moved the capital of Egypt to this location as a sign of devotion to the Aten god after establishing monotheism in Egypt. Following the death of Akhenaten his son, Tutankhamun moved the capital back to Thebes (modern day Luxor) and re-established the polytheistic religion, much to the delight of the local population. Akhetaton was then abandoned and almost completely forgotten. Today, archaeologists continue to work on the site and we eagerly await news on what treasures could be found. Whilst in the area today you'll visit the northern tombs, the ruins of the great palace and the small and great temples of the Aten. After returning to the boat for lunch we'll visit Beni Hassan in the afternoon. The tombs at Beni Hassan help to demonstrate the transitional period between the Old Kingdom style Mastaba tombs and the famous deep cut tombs which were prevalent throughout the New Kingdom (which you'll see later in the tour at the Valley of the Kings). You'll have the opportunity to visit 4 tombs whilst at Beni Hassan. Overnight on board in Minya.

Today you'll have the whole day on board the cruise whilst continuing to sail south to Asyut.

This morning we'll sail a little further south to Sohag, where we'll arrive at around 2pm. Our tour today will take us to Abydos, home to the legend of Osiris. The ancient Egyptian faithful believed that Osiris was resurrected at Abydos after he was killed by his brother Seth. Osiris was then given powers to become the lord of the Afterlife. Whilst at Abydos you'll also have time to visit the temple of Seti I, who founded Abydos. The temple was never completed during the lifetime of Seti, but his famous son Ramses II completed it after taking rule. This evening onboard the cruise, there will be a black and white party onboard.

Today whilst sailing south to Qena we'll pass through two interesting locks and under a railway bridge in the town of Nag Hammadi. This evening will be spent on board in Qena.

After breakfast on board this morning, we'll travel the short distance to to the important temple of Dendera, which is dedicated to Hathor - the goddess of joy, dance and love. The ancient Egyptians also believed that Hathor had healing powers, so often brought the sick here to be cured. After spending time exploring the temple we'll rejoin the boat and sail the rest of the way to Luxor. In the evening a belly dancer will join the boat for some traditional entertainment.

Luxor is often referred to as the world's largest outdoor musuem and this morning we start our tours to the West Bank of the Nile. Whilst here we'll visit the amazing Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Queen Hatchepsut.

We'll have breakfast on board today before visiting the huge temple complex at Karnak and also Luxor temple in the centre of town. In ancient Thebes these two temples we're linked by a huge avenue of sphinxes, much of which has been restored in recent years. You have a little more free time in Luxor before the boat begins to sail further south towards Edfu where we'll spend the night on board.

We visit the impressive Edfu Temple this morning, dedicated to the god Horus. The temple is often described as the best preserved temple in Egypt, so this visit is not to be missed. Continuing further south, towards Aswan, we'll visit the unusual double temple of Komombo which is dedicated to the gods Sobek and Horus. The unique design of the temple means that everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main temple axis. Whilst at the temple you may also have the opportunity to see one of the mummified crocodiles which are on display here. After your tours you'll sail the remainder of the way to Aswan where you'll spend the night on board.

This morning begins with a short boat trip to the beautiful island temple of Philae. We'll also have visits today to the Aswan High Dam which holds back the waters of Lake Nasser. After a break for lunch we'll visit the Nubian Museum in the afternoon where you can learn more about the Nubian people who inhabit much of southern Egypt.

Your tour will officially come to an end today after breakfast, but we do recommend you consider taking our optional tour to the temples of Abu Simbel, located on the shores of Lake Nasser. If you do choose to visit Abu Simbel this morning, you'll have an early start and should expect to arrive back into Aswan by 1pm. We recommend booking a flight out of Aswan no earlier than 6pm in case of any delays on the road back from Abu Simbel. We can assist with extra nights hotel accommodation in Aswan if required as well as international flights into Cairo and out of Aswan (these will return via Cairo with Egypt Air). Please ask for details.