Treasures of Egypt and Nile Cruise

Our journey starts at London Heathrow where we fly to Cairo. On arrival we transfer to our hotel, the five-star riverfront Cairo Sheraton, where we have dinner and spend the night. We are introduced to our tour guide, an Egyptologist, who will guide us as we visit Egypt's many sensational sights.

After an early breakfast we travel by train to the port city of Alexandria and transfer to our Hilton hotel. Our guide shows us the highlights of Alexandria, and we visit the catacombs, the Alexandria lighthouse, Roman theatre and the impressive monolith, Pompey's Pillar. We enjoy lunch at a restaurant overlooking the Mediterranean, then visit the ancient Library of Alexandria, the world's most famous library of Classical antiquity. The building is extraordinary, not only for its priceless collection of Classical literature, but also for its incredible architecture.

This morning we leave Alexandria and travel by coach to the site of El Alamein Battlefield, regarded as one of the significant victories of World War Two. We continue by coach towards Cairo, visiting the beautiful village of Wadi El-Natrun enroute, where we have a guided tour. Wadi El-Natrun is a desert valley and village with twelve lakes and a fascinating history which our guide expands upon. The site was important in ancient Egypt as the area was rich in mineral salts, that were widely used in the mummification process. Later it became a sanctuary for Christians fleeing Roman persecution and a monastic order was formed. Of the dozens of original monasteries here, only four have survived. We stay in West Cairo, close to the Great pyramids.

After breakfast we set out on a full day of touring the extraordinary pyramids, the city of Cairo and the Great Egyptian Museum. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to have survived modernity, remaining largely intact.

Our Egyptologist guide shares their knowledge of this spectacular tomb, and about the exquisite Great Sphinx - one of the most recognisable statues in the world which stands next to the pyramids it was built to protect. Our tour includes a visit to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, whose long-anticipated opening is expected in 2023. The archaeological museum is set to be the largest in the world and will house important artifacts of ancient Egypt, in particular the entire Tutankhamun collection.

This morning we embark on a train journey through the heart of Egypt from Cairo to Luxor, arriving in the evening. With a picnic lunch provided, from our windows we gain an insight into daily life along the Nile as we pass through bustling towns and view fertile fields and low-lying hills.

Arriving in Luxor, we check into our 5-star hotel overlooking the banks of the Nile for one night. Our hotel has excellent facilities including an outdoor pool and a restaurant which offers a good range of Middle Eastern and international cuisine. If you'd like to explore the city, Luxor's restaurants, shops and cafés are only a short taxi ride away.

After breakfast we are transferred to our elegant cruise ship, which combines comfort with a touch of luxury, to embark on a four night, full board cruise (excluding drinks), from Luxor to Aswan. Today we visit two of Egypt's most important sites on the East Bank. The ancient Karnak Temples complex is Egypt's largest and one of its most sacred sites, constructed nearly 2,000 years ago under the rule of several Pharaohs. The fantastic Luxor Temple is in the middle of the city.

Today we enjoy a relaxing day of cruising down the Nile, with breakfast, lunch and dinner on board. We explore the West Bank of the Nile: the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a beautiful mortuary temple dedicated to the longest ruling female of Ancient Egypt. After our guided tour we return to our ship and set sail to Edfu via Esna where we overnight. We enjoy lunch, afternoon tea and dinner aboard our cruise ship.

After breakfast on board this morning we arrive in the town of Edfu in Upper Egypt. Here we tour the beautiful Temple of Edfu, also known as the Temple of Horus (the falcon-headed God) with our specialist guide. The temple is a mixture of traditional Egyptian construction combined with Greek influences. We return to our ship for lunch then take an afternoon excursion, to the Kom Ombo Temple, an unusual double temple which is completely symmetrical. Dinner is served on board.

During breakfast this morning we sail to Aswan, enjoying views of the riverbanks from our ship. On arrival we tour the impressive High Dam, the fascinating Philae Temple which dates back to the cult of Isis, and the Unfinished Obelisk, an example of the incredible stone masonry of the ancient Egyptians. We return to enjoy a leisurely lunch on our cruise ship. This afternoon we join a traditional wooden sailing boat, known as a felucca, for a relaxing trip to Kitchener Island, presented to Lord Kitchener in the 1890s as a reward for leading the Egyptian army's successful campaigns in Sudan. He made the island his home and filled it with exotic flowers and rare plants from as far as India and Malaysia. This delightful island is less than 1 kilometre long and ½ kilometre wide.

We enjoy a last dinner on board the Movenpick MS Sunray .

We leave our cruise ship early this morning, with a pre-prepared breakfast box, for a short flight to the magnificent site of Abu Simbel. There we visit the colossal twin temples, cut from rock and situated on Lake Nasser. The temples were originally carved during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II and are a lasting monument to this ancient Egyptian king. After our tour we take a flight back to Cairo where we return to our first hotel, the central Cairo Sheraton.

Back in the buzzing capital, Cairo, we enjoy a final guided tour of the city sights. We visit the Coptic museum, which contains the world's largest collection of Coptic Christian artifacts and traces the history of Egypt. We also visit the intriguing Coptic Hanging church - also known as the Suspended Church - and the Jewish Synagogue. According to local folklore, the synagogue is located on the site where baby Moses was found. This evening we enjoy a final dinner with our group, overlooking the Nile.

After a morning at leisure we take an afternoon flight back to London Heathrow.