Journey south from Aswan to marvel at the Abu Simbel Temples, where colossal seated figures of Ramesses II front a cliff-carved sanctuary aligned to the sun. Step inside to see battle reliefs and the adjacent temple honoring Queen Nefertari.

Your guide recounts the dramatic UNESCO relocation that saved the site from Lake Nasser’s waters. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; travel is typically by coach in the early morning, with flight options sometimes available.

Head offshore to cruise the Red Sea, dropping anchor over coral gardens where you’ll snorkel above vibrant reefs teeming with angelfish, parrotfish and rays. Between swims, relax on deck and take in the crystal-clear water framed by tawny mountains.

Crew share tips on reef etiquette and the marine life you might spot, with ample time for sun and sea air. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; equipment is typically provided.

• 7 Breakfast (B)
• 5 Dinner (D)
• 3 Lunch (L)

• Cairo: Tipping’s a big deal in Egypt – it’s part of the culture and helps support locals (especially those working in tourism). During your trip, you’ll be expected to tip people like hotel staff, local guides, porters, and restaurant crews. To keep it simple (and avoid the awkward maths), your Trip Manager will organise a tipping kitty. They’ll let you know the suggested amount on Day 1, and collect it in USD or Egyptian Pounds to cover group service tips along the way. Heads-up: this doesn’t include a tip for your Trip Manager.
• Cairo: Complimentary transfers from Cairo International Airport (CAI) are available on arrival and departure days of the itinerary or in conjunction with a pre-trip or post-trip accommodation booked through Contiki.
• Cairo: Accommodation aboard the overnight train is two-berth cabins, which are comfortable and air-conditioned. All bedding is provided on board by the porter and western-style toilets are located in each carriage. Keep in mind general train cleanliness may not be to the same standards you are accustomed to. An included set dinner and breakfast are served inside your cabin. You may want to purchase something extra beforehand to supplement your meal, particularly if you’re a vegetarian. It is recommended to bring a jumper/sweatshirt as the train is always cold due to the AC.Heads up – if you’ve chosen a single supplement for this trip, you’ll be assigned a two-berth cabin for this overnight train journey.
• Cairo: Our Nile cruise boat is modern with many of the amenities of our comfortable hotels. Cabins are twin/double with central air-conditioning, private bathrooms, and large windows offering great views of the Nile. Facilities on board include a large restaurant, lounge with bar, sun deck with small pool, a billiards table, and WIFI (not available at all times due to poor reception at times). Often our cruise boats are referred to as “floating hotels” as the actual sailing distance covered is not great and Egyptian law requires that all boats dock overnight.
• Cairo: Please note that as a desert region, the Middle East can have extreme weather. Temperatures are generally hot with little rain. This can become extreme during the summer months of June to August. In the months of December to March it can be very cold, particularly next to the river or the ocean and out in the desert where night temperatures can drop dramatically.
• Cairo: While visiting mosques and other religious monuments you should dress modestly, cover your shoulders and you shouldn’t wear short shorts or skirts. Outside of capital cities and the more touristic centres, local dress is often more conservative and as a matter of respect we ask that both men and women are aware of this and recommend loose-fitting clothes with your shoulders covered. Ask your Trip Manager for more specific advice.
• Cairo: We recommend you don’t drink the tap water, even in hotels, as it contains much higher levels of different minerals than the water you may have at home.

• Giza: This needs no introduction! Marvel at the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. #bucketlist 
• Cairo: The world’s largest archaeological museum complex is no joke. You’ll find 100,000 artifacts here (including King Tut’s ENTIRE treasure collection). You don’t wanna miss this one…
• Aswan: Spend a few nights aboard a river cruise – with views out over the Nile and a sun deck on board. 
• Aswan: Sit back and chill as you drift down the famous river on a traditional felucca sailing boat   
• Luxor: Grab your camera and explore one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites. See the tomb of Tutankhamun from the outside (with the option to add on exploring it from the inside!) and many other Egyptian pharaohs. 
• Hurghada: Check out these towering Pharaoh statues. They’ve stood guard since 1350 BC, even surviving natural disasters. And apparently one even ‘sings’ in the wind. 
• Luxor: Stroll through the mighty mortuary temple built during the reign of Pharaoh Hatshepsut. Don’t forget to bring your camera! You’ll definitely want to capture the perfectly symmetrical poles of the Porticos. This is also the spot where the Beautiful Festival of the Valley (celebrated to meet your ancestors) used to take place back in the middle ages.

Contiki

Discover the ancient world at its most iconic as you join a guided visit to the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Wander the Giza Plateau, study the precise angles of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, and feel the desert breeze as the Sphinx’s enigmatic profile rises from the sand.

Hear how these 4th-dynasty monuments were raised from millions of limestone blocks, part of vast funerary complexes aligned to the stars. Your guide brings to life rituals of the afterlife and the audacity of Old Kingdom engineering, with time to pause for photos and reflection on this timeless panorama.

Explore the vast collections of the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza, the world’s largest archaeological museum complex. Move from predynastic artefacts to pharaonic masterpieces displayed with modern curation and natural light, culminating in highlights from the legendary Tutankhamun collection.

Admire colossal sculpture, including the colossal statue of Ramesses II in the atrium, and examine exquisite jewelry, chariots and ritual objects that illuminate daily life, belief and power in the Nile Valley. Engaging storytelling and state-of-the-art exhibits make Egypt’s 5,000 years of history vivid and accessible.

Cruise the river as you drift on a traditional felucca powered by a sweeping lateen sail. Glide past Elephantine Island and the Aga Khan Mausoleum, watching palm-lined shores, fishermen’s skiffs and ochre outcrops slip by to the rhythm of wind and water.

Your captain traces Nubian river lore while you settle into the hush of the Nile breeze. This unhurried sail reveals textures of everyday river life—from island gardens to granite quarries—that anchored ancient temples and still shape Aswan’s tranquil charm.

Settle into your floating base and cruise the River Nile for three nights, taking in shifting scenes of temple towns and palm groves from the comfort of your cabin and the sun deck with small pool. Watch feluccas skim the water and villages glow in late-day light.

Between ports, relax in the lounge and trace the river that stitched Egypt together for millennia. Evenings bring sunset over the water and the soft hush of the river, a contemplative counterpoint to the grandeur of the monuments you’ll explore ashore.

Venture into the desert hills of Luxor’s West Bank to join a guided tour of the Valley of the Kings, the fabled City of the Dead. Descend into hand-cut tombs where walls blaze with afterlife texts, celestial boats and deities guiding pharaohs to eternity.

Your expert explains carving techniques, pigments preserved by dry air, and royal symbolism from the New Kingdom. Selected tomb entries are included, with the option to add Tutankhamun’s chamber on tour, revealing intimate details of a boy-king whose story still captivates the world.

Walk the terraced approach to the Temple of Hatshepsut, a vision of soaring limestone terraces set against the sheer Deir el-Bahari cliffs. Colonnades, ramps and shadowed porticos create a play of light that underscores the temple’s elegant symmetry.

Learn how Egypt’s remarkable female pharaoh fashioned her legacy in reliefs of divine birth and the trading mission to Punt. Your visit reveals artistry as political statement, where architecture, ceremony and landscape fused to elevate a ruler’s image for eternity.

Pause for photos and reflection at the towering Colossi of Memnon, twin statues of Amenhotep III rising from fields on Luxor’s West Bank. Their weathered faces and monumental scale frame a striking contrast of stone and green Nile valley.

Hear about the ancient phenomenon of the “singing statues”, a dawn whistle noted by Roman travelers after an earthquake fractured one colossus. Today, they stand as guardians to a vanished mortuary temple—enduring symbols of royal ambition and the resilience of stone.

Explore the torch-lit precincts of Kom Ombo Temple, a rare double sanctuary to Sobek and Horus perched above the river. Carved columns and medical reliefs glow softly as evening settles over the quayside.

Visit the small museum of crocodile mummies and trace stories of healing cults and river gods that shaped local devotion. This atmospheric evening visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour, often timed to enjoy cooler air and dramatic shadows.

Join a guided tour through the monumental complexes of Karnak and Luxor Temples. Stand beneath the forest of the Hypostyle Hall—134 papyrus-topped columns—and trace the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes that once linked these sanctuaries.

Hear how successive pharaohs added pylons, obelisks and chapels, turning Karnak into Egypt’s most sacred stage. At Luxor Temple, sculpted colossi and refined reliefs reveal the power of ritual kingship. This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Cross the river by local craft on a gentle boat ride to the West Bank, watching feluccas skim past fields of fields of sugarcane and date palms. Step ashore to glimpse mud-brick lanes, waterwheels and everyday rhythms beyond the monuments.

Guides share insights into irrigation, harvest seasons and family life that still follow the Nile’s cadence. This low-key cultural encounter is at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering a glimpse of everyday rural Egypt.