Take in panoramic views from Cairo’s Citadel, step inside the domed Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha and visit the Hanging Church of St. Mary in Coptic Cairo. These landmarks introduce different chapters of the capital’s religious history.

The Ottoman-style mosque stands within the medieval citadel, while the Hanging Church was built above the gatehouse of a Roman fortress. Together, they reveal the layers of belief and architecture visible across Cairo.

• 8 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Lunch (L)
• 4 Dinner (D)

• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star hotel and overnight cruise stays
• Deluxe coach and cruise travel, and select flights

• Luxor: Visit the Temple of Amun and the formidable Avenue of the Sphinxes where you can discover the remnants of ancient Thebes.
• Luxor: Spend the day discovering the wonders of the Luxor Museum.
• Valley of the Kings: Discover the ancient history behind the final resting place of Egypt’s Pharaohs and Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple at the Valley of the Kings.
• Kom Ombo: Discover the temple of Kom Ombo and discover the wonders of the duo gods Horus the Elder and Sobek.
• Temple of Philae: Enjoy a day filled of wonder at the Temple of Isis.
• Cairo: Spend your day enjoying the sights of the Hanging Church of St. Mary or embark on a journey to see the ancient Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque. 
• Cairo: See Tutankhamun’s treasures on full display at the Grand Egyptian Museum — from gilded beds and chariots to his iconic golden mask. Join an Egyptologist to explore over 100,000 ancient artefacts, including colossal statues, ornate coffins and the world’s oldest prosthetic. 
• Giza: Enjoy a day gazing at the Great Pyramids of Giza and its treasures – the Step Pyramid of Saqqara and the Colossus of Rames II.

Trafalgar

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a welcome drink in Cairo. It is a hosted opportunity to get acquainted and hear what to expect from your journey through Egypt.

In a capital shaped by pharaonic, Coptic and Islamic heritage, this relaxed gathering offers a chance to share your first impressions and connect with the people travelling alongside you.

Explore the Temple of Amun at Karnak and the imposing Avenue of Sphinxes with an Egyptologist in Luxor. Walk among monumental columns and stone figures that convey the scale of ancient Thebes, once a centre of royal and religious power.

Karnak’s vast temple complex grew over successive pharaonic reigns. The processional avenue linked its sacred precinct to Luxor Temple, giving ceremonial journeys through the ancient city a grand setting.

Visit Luxor Museum to examine artefacts from ancient Thebes in a setting that rewards close attention. Its collection offers a more intimate encounter with Egyptian craftsmanship, from carved stone and statuary to objects associated with life along the Nile.

Situated on Luxor’s East Bank, the museum provides context for the temples and tombs across the region. Look beyond the scale of the monuments to appreciate the skill of the people who made and used these objects.

Discover Luxor’s West Bank with an Egyptologist, visiting the Valley of the Kings, the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. See how royal tombs were concealed in the desert hills and how temples proclaimed a ruler’s legacy.

Hatshepsut’s terraced temple rises against sheer limestone cliffs, while the two colossal seated statues once guarded the entrance to Amenhotep III’s mortuary complex. Together, these sites reveal contrasting expressions of pharaonic power.

Visit Luxor Temple, the grand sanctuary at the heart of ancient Thebes. Walk among its colossal statues, carved walls and towering columns to see how generations of rulers contributed to this ceremonial landmark.

Built principally under Amenhotep III and Ramesses II, the temple was connected to Karnak by the Avenue of Sphinxes. Its surviving architecture brings the city’s religious processions into focus while placing you within the bustle of modern Luxor.

Meet the El Boerey family on the banks of the Nile in Luxor for a hosted glimpse of village life. Hear your hosts’ stories and enjoy freshly baked local bread with honey and mint tea, shared in a welcoming, informal setting.

Beyond the temples and tombs of the West Bank, this encounter centres on the people who call the area home. It offers a personal perspective on family traditions in a landscape closely tied to the river.

Cruise the Nile for four nights between Luxor and Aswan, watching riverbank villages, cultivated fields and desert horizons pass from the ship. Travelling by water offers a distinct perspective on the landscape that sustained ancient Egyptian civilisation.

On board, enjoy a traditional Egyptian dinner and galabeya evening. The long, loose-fitting galabeya is a familiar garment in Egypt; wearing one adds a playful cultural touch to an evening overlooking the river.

Tour the Temple of Kom Ombo on the Nile’s east bank and examine its unusual, nearly symmetrical plan. Two parallel sets of courts and sanctuaries honoured Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder, the falcon-headed god.

Standing beside the river, the temple evokes the arrival of worshippers by boat. Its carved reliefs and paired design offer a clear view of how ancient Egyptians expressed devotion to two deities in one sacred place.

Sail a traditional felucca across the Nile at Aswan, circling the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener’s Island. Feel the river breeze and watch the changing shoreline from the deck of this distinctive sailing boat.

Feluccas have long been part of life on the Nile. Their quiet pace makes this a scenic way to appreciate Aswan’s islands, waterside greenery and desert backdrop without the rush of a motorised crossing.

See the Aswan High Dam and visit the Unfinished Obelisk, two sites that illuminate very different approaches to shaping the Nile region. Learn how the modern dam was built to control the river’s flooding and generate hydroelectric power.

At the ancient granite quarry, the enormous obelisk remains attached to its bedrock. Its unfinished form reveals the ambition of pharaonic builders and offers a rare, tangible look at their stoneworking methods.

Visit the Temple of Isis at Philae, an island sanctuary near Aswan dedicated to one of ancient Egypt’s most revered goddesses. Explore its courts and carved walls while taking in the temple’s waterside setting.

The complex was relocated to Agilkia Island to protect it from rising waters associated with the Aswan High Dam. Its preservation makes it possible to appreciate both the artistry of its later pharaonic buildings and the modern effort to save them.

Explore the Grand Egyptian Museum with an Egyptologist near the Giza Plateau. Examine ancient artefacts and the treasures of Tutankhamun, from gilded objects and jewellery to his celebrated funerary mask.

The museum brings together material spanning thousands of years of Egyptian history. Expert interpretation helps connect the objects to the rulers, beliefs and craftsmanship behind them, making this a close-up complement to the country’s monumental temples and tombs.

Stand before the Great Pyramids of Giza and see the Great Sphinx on the desert plateau outside Cairo. Take in the scale of these ancient royal monuments and the enduring mystery of the lion-bodied guardian carved from limestone.

Built during the Old Kingdom, the pyramids remain among the clearest expressions of ancient Egyptian engineering and beliefs about kingship and the afterlife. Their setting at the edge of the modern city adds a striking sense of perspective.

Explore the ancient Memphis area to see the colossal statue of Ramesses II and an alabaster sphinx, and visit Saqqara to view the Step Pyramid of Djoser. These landmarks reveal the reach of Egypt’s early capital and the evolution of royal monuments.

At Saqqara, the stepped form marks a pivotal development in monumental stone architecture, centuries before Giza’s great pyramids. The surviving sculptures at Memphis offer a contrasting portrait of pharaonic power in a former royal centre.

Meet artisans at a local carpet-weaving school near Cairo and observe the patient work of creating patterns on wooden looms. Learn how silk and cotton threads and natural dyes become textiles made through a craft with deep roots in Egypt.

This MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® experience draws attention to the skills passed between generations. Visiting the school supports the safeguarding of traditional weaving methods and offers a human-scale encounter alongside Egypt’s ancient monuments.

Gather with your Travel Director and fellow travellers over drinks and snacks in Cairo. This hosted final-night gathering offers time to share impressions of the temples, tombs and Nile landscapes encountered across Egypt.

Conversation, rather than a formal sightseeing programme, is the focus. It is a relaxed opportunity to reconnect with the group and mark the close of the journey before everyone goes their separate ways.

Visit Abu Simbel on an optional excursion from Aswan and approach the Great Temple’s four seated colossi of Ramesses II. Examine the monumental facade and carved scenes celebrating the pharaoh’s victories and devotion to the gods.

Cut into rock in southern Egypt, the temples were relocated in the 20th century to save them from the waters of Lake Nasser. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.