Day 1: DEPART USA
Board your overnight flight (not included).

Day 2: CAIRO AT LEISURE
Welcome to Egypt - a land that abounds in ancient wonders and mysteries which has enthralled travellers for centuries! You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Day 3: CAIRO SIGHTSEEING
Join your Tour Director for a detailed pre-tour briefing. Then drive out to Memphis, to view the colossal statue of Rameses II and great alabaster sphinx. Nearby at Sakkara, view the Step Pyramid of Zoser; dating from 2686BC, it’s the oldest in the world. Now a guided tour of Giza shows you the enigmatic Sphinx and magnificent Pyramids, the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Included is a highlight visit inside one of these extraordinary creations!(Buffet Breakfast)

Day 4: CAIRO SIGHTSEEING
Start the day with breathtaking views over the city from the Citadel, and visit the alabaster mosque. Then test your bargaining skills in the famous Khan El Khalili bazaars. This afternoon, visit Tahrir Square, the sprawling urban space that became famous over 18 historic days of protests, that led to the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Next is the Egyptian Museum, an unrivaled warehouse of Pharaonic treasure, housing the golden treasure recovered from the tomb of King Tutankhamun.(Buffet Breakfast)

Day 5: CAIRO – ABU SIMBEL – JOIN CRUISE
Transfer to the airport for your flight via Aswan to the ancient Nubian lands near Egypt’s southern border. On arrival, board your comfortable cruise boat on Lake Nasser. Get your camera ready for your visit to the Great Temple of Abu Simbel. You are confronted by four towering statues of Rameses himself, carved out of a single slab of rock. The smaller Temple of Hathor, is also guarded by six 10 metre statues. Spend some time exploring inside the 3,200 year old walls, depicting scenes of Rameses and the Gods. Tonight, experience the monuments lit in all their glory at the sound and light show.(Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)

Day 6: ON BOARD SHIP
Enjoy the ever changing scenery as you cruise to the ancient ruined citadel of Kasr Ibrim, still occupying its original strategic high ground. Cruise on to Amada, noted for having the oldest surviving structure on Lake Nasser. Also, it has some of the finest carvings of any Nubian temple. Explore the temple dedicated to Amun-Re and Re-Harrakte and also visit the Tomb of Penniut, deputy of Nubia.(Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)

Day 7: ON BOARD SHIP
This morning you visit Wadi El Sebou, – the ‘Valley of the Lions’, named after the great Avenue of Sphinxes which led to the Temple of Rameses II. The temple today is situated four kilometres west of it’s original ancient site. Now time to relax and enjoy your superb cruise facilities as you continue on to exotic Aswan - where the Middle East overlaps with Africa!(Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)

Day 8: ASWAN – ON BOARD SHIP
Visit the Temple of Kalabsha, built by the Roman Emperor Octavius Augustus and dedicated to the local fertility god Mandulis. Disembark now and cross over the Aswan High Dam. Take a motorboat to the Temples of Philae, rising from the waters of the Nile. Aswan granite was used by many of the Pharaohs to build their temples and tombs and you visit one of the quarries on your way to your second cruise ship which will transport you up the Nile. This afternoon, enjoy high tea in English colonial style before sunset.(Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)

Day 9: ON BOARD SHIP
For a change of mood, embark on a traditional Nile sailing boat (felucca,) around Aswan’s Botanical Gardens. Cruise on to Kom Ombo to visit the only temple in Egypt dedicated to two gods - Horus the Elder and the crocodile headed Sobek. In fact, crocodiles were kept in the temple and some mummified remains are still on show. Set sail again for Edfu. Tonight celebrate in Egyptian style at an oriental dinner and galabeya party.(Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Highlight Dinner)

Day 10: ON BOARD SHIP
In Edfu this morning, two black granite falcons guard the entrance to the Temple of Horus, the Falcon God. After exploring the beautifully preserved wall reliefs, continue your Nile cruise to Luxor. On arrival, visit the fabulous Luxor Temple. The obelisk now occupying the centre of the Place de la Concorde in Paris originally came from this temple.(Buffet Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner)

Day 11: DISEMBARK LUXOR – CAIRO
Drive over to the west bank of the Nile for a photo stop at the towering Colossi of Memnon. Next, visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, blending into the cliff face above. Continue to the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of many of the New Kingdom Pharaohs. Venture underground into some of the royal tombs before returning to Luxor to the amazing temple complex of Karnak. Among its splendours is the vast Hypostyle Hall, the largest of any temple in the world. Later, transfer to the airport to board your flight back to Cairo.(Buffet Breakfast)

Day 12: RETURN TO USA
Your tour comes to a close with a transfer to the airport.(Buffet Breakfast)