Explore Al-Azhar Mosque, a living center of Islamic learning since the 10th century. Walk its serene marble courtyards and carved arches, observing modest-dress customs while the call to prayer ripples over Cairo’s skyline, connecting past devotion with contemporary faith.

Wander the lanes of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, where brass lanterns glow, spices perfume the air and artisans hammer patterns into copper and silver. This is the medieval heart of Cairo, a tapestry of trade, scholarship and street-life that has pulsed for more than a millennium.

Visit the monumental Pyramids of Giza and stand face-to-face with the Great Sphinx. From the panoramic plateau, take in these geometric giants rising from the desert, their limestone courses and sharp angles contrasting with Cairo’s distant skyline.

Unpack the legacy of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure as your Egyptologist explains royal tomb design, alignment with celestial cycles and the labor that built this desert-edge necropolis. Pause for photos and reflection as wind sculpts the sand around Egypt’s most iconic silhouettes.

Walk the avenues and halls of Karnak Temple, where the vast Hypostyle Hall lifts a forest of carved columns and obelisks toward the sky. Reliefs trace pharaonic triumphs while ram-headed sphinxes stand sentinel along processional ways.

Continue to Luxor Temple, a graceful riverside sanctuary linked by the revived Avenue of Sphinxes. Built and embellished by New Kingdom rulers, its pylons, statues and chapels reveal how ritual, kingship and Amun’s cult shaped the spiritual life of ancient Thebes.

Descend into the Valley of the Kings to view three royal tombs alive with vivid hieroglyphs and celestial scenes guiding pharaohs through the afterlife. Paintwork still glows across corridors leading to sarcophagi deep in the limestone hills.

Admire the elegant terraces of the Temple of Hatshepsut beneath towering cliffs, then pause at the monumental Colossi of Memnon. Your ticket includes three tombs; entry to Tutankhamun’s chamber is an optional, locally payable add-on for those seeking its intimate, historic ambiance.

Explore the remarkably preserved Temple of Edfu, dominated by a towering pylon whose reliefs still read like stone-carved epics. Pass through colonnaded courts to sanctuaries honoring Horus, the falcon-headed god and protector of kingship.

Built in the Ptolemaic era, Edfu’s crisp inscriptions, boat shrines and ritual chambers offer a vivid blueprint to daily temple life. Sheltered inner spaces, sharp relief carving and symmetrical design make this one of Egypt’s most complete sacred complexes.

Visit the riverside Kom Ombo Temple, uniquely devoted to twin sanctuaries honoring Sobek and Haroeris (Horus the Elder). Colonnades open to the Nile breeze while carvings portray healing rites, sacred calendars and Nile offerings.

Its late Ptolemaic architecture unfolds beside a gentle bend in the river—an evocative setting where crocodiles once basked. Reliefs of medical instruments and processions reveal how cult and community intertwined in this borderland of desert and fertile banks.

Cruise the Nile aboard a five-star vessel such as the Movenpick Royal Lily or Royal Lotus. Linger on the sundeck with pool and shade canopies as villages drift by and the light softens into a sunset over the river.

From palm groves to waterwheels and fishing skiffs, scenes echo millennia of river life. Comfortable lounges with panoramic windows frame passing temples and green fields, blending resort-style ease with day-to-day glimpses of Egypt’s timeless waterway.

Glide on a sunset sail on a felucca, the Nile’s classic craft. Recline on cushions beneath a canopy aboard this traditional wooden boat while a Nile breeze fills the white lateen sail and ripples trail in golden light.

Island silhouettes, granite boulders and desert hills set a tranquil scene as your captain works the wind and current. It’s an unhurried passage that reveals Aswan’s riverscape at its most photogenic and serene.

Boat across to Agilkia Island to visit the Temple of Isis at Philae, where pylons, sanctuaries and lotus-topped columns rise from the water’s edge. Carvings of royal rituals and deities animate this serene island complex.

Hear how a daring UNESCO relocation saved Philae from flooding after the Aswan High Dam created Lake Nasser. Then view the dam’s monumental embankment—modern engineering that reshaped Egypt—contrasting strikingly with the elegance of the ancient cult site.

Venture to Saqqara to see the pioneering Step Pyramid of Djoser, conceived by Imhotep as the world’s earliest large-scale stone monument. Explore mastaba tombs where vivid reliefs depict daily life along the Nile.

This vast Old Kingdom necropolis offers an intimate view of early royal and noble burials, artistry and belief. This optional tour is at additional cost and bookable on tour, subject to local conditions and availability.

Fly south to the desert masterpiece of Abu Simbel, home to the Great Temple of Ramses II and the neighboring Temple of Nefertari. Gaze up at 20-meter statues and finely carved interiors honoring gods and royal power.

Learn how a 1960s UNESCO relocation saved the temples from Lake Nasser’s rising waters, moving them stone by stone. This experience is at additional cost and can be reserved on tour, with early departures typical.

Visit Aswan’s quarry to see the colossal Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in its bed of pink granite. Tool marks and fissures reveal the ambition and challenges of carving Egypt’s tallest monoliths from living rock.

Interpret how workers leveraged wedges, abrasives and ancient quarrying techniques to free and shape sacred stone destined for temple forecourts. This visit is an optional, locally payable add-on, available to book on tour.

Cross the river to the Animalia Nubian House, a family-run museum and cultural space where hosts share traditions, music and daily life. Stroll past hand-painted houses and learn about Nile islands, birds and medicinal plants.

Conversations and exhibits open a window onto Nubian culture—its language, resilience and artistry—set against Aswan’s bright river light. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; proceeds support local community initiatives.

Discover the Grand Egyptian Museum in the company of an expert Egyptologist. Step into the Great Hall to meet the colossal statue of Ramesses II, then ascend the Grand Stairs that frame Egypt’s story in monumental form before exploring the shimmering Tutankhamun Galleries of gold shrines, chariots and funerary treasures.

Gain wider context in thoughtfully curated galleries spanning thousands of years, including boats, sculpture and everyday objects that illuminate royal and ordinary lives. The museum’s desert-edge design nods to the nearby pyramids, setting a scholarly yet dramatic stage for Egypt’s archaeological riches.

In the itinerary, we state which meals are included on which day. We suggest you allow 2,460-3,445 Egyptian dollars (approximately US$100-US$140) for meals not included. Food in Egypt involves such things as kebabs, chicken, stews, pitta bread, falafel, beans, aubergine (eggplant) and other vegetables, pickles and salads. Dishes tend to be simple and wholesome and vegetarians can be catered for if they accept the options may be somewhat limited. On board the cruise ship there is one complimentary bottle of water in your cabin and after this drinks are not included.