11 days Cairo and Nile Cruise Christmas itinerary

Marsa Alam   tours representative will meet & assist you at Cairo International Airport, Transfer to hotel by private air-conditioned vehicle

Free evening

Overnight in the Hotel

Depends on your arrival. If your flight arrives, If you have an early flight to  Cairo  you can contact us to make a tour suggestion 

You will be picked up from your hotel in Cairo by our tour guide to enjoy a great excursion to The   Pyramids of Giza   (   Cheops   , Chephren, and Mykerinus. Then proceed to visit the Great Sphinx, which dates back to the time of and visit   the Valley Temple  .

Lunch will be served during the Pyramids at the local restaurant in Giza

Then visit the Egyptian Museum

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Tahir

It exhibits a rare collection of over 250,000 genuine artifacts that date as far back as 5000 years, including an exclusive exhibit dedicated to the Tutankhamen - A collection of treasures, gold, and jewelry that were buried in his tomb for over 3,500 years before they were discovered in 1920 when his tomb was excavated.

 

 

If you wish to visit the mummies royal hall. You need to ask the tour guide to take the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and you pay for this. It will cost 50 Dollar

 

The New Grand museum is not open yet. It will be open soon maybe end of 2023

Overnight at the hotel 

You will be picked up from your hotel by   Marsa Alam   tour guide to enjoy Cairo Day Tour to Memphis Sakkara and Dahshur Pyramids.

You will start with the Step Pyramid at Sakkara, which is considered the world's oldest major stone structure. It was built in the 3rd Dynasty for King Djoser. Then Proceed to have your lunch at a local restaurant. After that transfer to Memphis which was founded by King Menes, and was the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it was considered to be a center of rule and culture for over 3000 years the first capital of Egypt, and see the Statue of Ramses II and the Alabaster Sphinx of Memphis.

Then drive to Dahshur, Two of the later pyramids constructed here have been completely destroyed by time and the elements and several others, such as the Black Pyramid (12th Dynasty, 1929-1885 BC), are badly damaged, but Dahshur also boasts two of Egypt’s best-preserved early pyramids. Both built during the reign of King Sneferu (2613-2589 BC), the founder of the 4th Dynasty, the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid at Dahshur are massive evidence of the architectural development that lead to the construction of the Great Pyramid and it companions at Giza. Then drive to your hotel.

Overnight at the hotel

You will be picked up from your hotel and drive to  Alexandria  (220 km/ 3 hours driving) facing the Corniche, Afterwards see some of the Graeco-Roman sites in  Alexandria  including

1-  The Catacombs Kom el Shoqafa  :

The Catacombs Kom el Shoqafa  are hewn from the rock on the southern slopes of a hill, in the Carmous district. Thought to date from the 2nd century AD, they offer an admirable example of the characteristic  Alexandria  n fusion of Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles. Discovered in 1900 (thanks to a donkey falling into them)

2-  Pompey pillar  :

A massive 30m column looms over the debris of the glorious ancient settlement of Rhakotis, the original township from which  Alexandria  grew. Known as Pompey’s Pillar, for centuries the column, hewn from red Aswan granite, has been one of the city’s prime sights: a single, tapered shaft, 2.7m at its base and capped by a fine Corinthian capital. The column rises out of the sparse ruins of the Temple of Serapeum , a magnificent structure that stood here in ancient times.

3-  The Roman Amphitheatre Kom el Dikka  :

Kom Al Dikka was a well-off residential area in Graeco-Roman times, with lovely villas, bathhouses, and a theatre. The area was known at the time as the Park of Pan, a pleasure garden where citizens of  Alexandria  could indulge in various lazy pursuits. Although the ruins aren't terribly impressive in scale, they remain a superbly preserved ode to the days of the centurion and include the 13 white-marble terraces of the only Roman amphitheater found in Egypt.

4- Lunch in one of  Alexandria  Egyptian restaurants/Fish Market or Tikka with a Great view to the Citadel and the Fishing Port.

Overnight in Cairo

Enjoy a fantastic orientation tour of  Cairo on an 8-hour excursion that takes in the major monuments of Old Cairo and the maze of streets and stalls of the historic Khan El Khalili Bazaar, you will drive up to the Saladin Citadel, constructed by Salah al-Din on the Moqattam Hills in 1183 AD as a defence against Crusader armies. Known for its fresh air and sweeping views of  Cairo, it is now a preserved historic site of mosques and museums, including the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha

Designed by the Turkish architect Yousif Boushnaq, who came to  Cairo especially from Istanbul to build the great building, the mosque's alabaster structure stands in beautiful contrast to the sandstone city.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant in Old Cairo

Then, visit Old  Cairo  to see major attractions such as the Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the Church of St. Barbara, and the Church of Abu Serga, one of the oldest Coptic churches in  Cairo

Continue to the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, one of the oldest bazaars in the Middle East

Overnight in Cairo

Pick up from the Airport and transfer to the Nile cruise Embarkation& Lunch on board of the Nile Cruise, proceed with the Visits to the Eastbank of the Nile Including

Karnak   temple:

Karnak   is more than A temple, is a spectacular Complex of Sanctuaries, Kiosks, Pylons, and Obelisks, All dedicated to the Theban gods and to the Greater Glory of Egypt`s Pharaohs,  Karnak  was the Most Important place for the worship of the Theban Triad(Amun, Mut, and Khonso) 

Luxor  Temple:

Largely built by the New Kingdom Pharaoh Amenhotep the Third and Completed by King Tutankhamon and the Great King Ramses the second, The First pylon was raised by Ramses the second and Decorated  with His Military Battle of Kadesh

Dinner &Overnight onboard the Cruise in  Luxor

Optional trip to the Balloon ride 80 Dollar per person

Breakfast on the board on the Nile cruise, Breakfast on the Nile Cruise, Visit the west bank of the Nile Including:

The valley of the Kings:

Once  called the great Place of the Truth, this valley is Called now the valley of the Kings, It is a Majestic domain of the Pharaohs who once lay in great stone Sarcophagi, awaiting immortality, The isolated valley behind Deir el Bahri is dominated by the Pyramid-Shaped Mountain Peak

The colossi of Memnon:

Massive  pair statues Known as the  Colossi of Memnon, Rising about 18 M from the plain, They are the remains of what once the largest  complex on the west bank, Built by Amenhotep the Third

The Queen  Hatshepsut  temple:

Rising out of the desert Plain, in a series of terraces, The temple of  Hatshepsut   Mergs with sheer limestone Cliffs of the eastern face of the Theban Mountain as if Nature herself had built this Extraordinary monument.

13:00 sail to Esna lock& lunch will be during the sail

18:00 arrive, Esna Lock, Sail to Edfu& Dinner

Overnight o board of the Cruise in Edfu
 

Breakfast on board the Cruise

07:00 Visit the temple of Edfu

Edfu temple  :

Upper Egyptian site dominated by a large well -Preserved temple, dedicated to the hawk-God Horus, The Construction of Ptolemaic temple of Horus, which was founded on the site of a much earlier temple, dated to the period between the reigns of Ptolemy the Third(246 B.c), The descriptions on the walls include the Myth of contending of Horus and Seth(Probably performed annually as a religious Drama.

09:30 Sail to Kom combo

12:30 lunch on board of the Nile cruise during the sail

15:30 arrive Kom Ombo, visit the temple of Kom Ombo

Kom Ombo temple  :

The temple and the associated settlement site located 40 K.m north of Aswan, the temple was dedicated to the deities Sobek and Horus  and date mainly to the Ptolemaic and Roman period(332 B.b -395 A.c)

17:30 Continue sailing to Aswan, Dinner will be during the sail

21:00 arrive Aswan and overnight on board the Cruise

Breakfast on Board the Cruise

08:00 Proceed with Visits of Aswan including the temple of Philae and tour by Felucca around Elephantine, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk

Phiala temple:

Built to honor the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshipped

The High Dam:

Aswan High Dam is a rock-fill dam located at the northern border between Egypt and Sudan. The dam is fed by the River Nile and the reservoir forms Lake Nasser. Construction for the project began in 1960 and was completed in 1968. It was officially inaugurated in 1971.

The Unfinished Obelisk :

Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids, and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in the Northern Quarries has provided valuable insight into how these monuments were created, although the full construction process is still not entirely clear. Three sides of the shaft, nearly 42m long, were completed except for the inscriptions. At 1168 tonnes, the completed obelisk would have been the single heaviest piece of stone the Egyptians ever fashioned. 

12:00 lunch on board of the Cruise

Dinner &overnight onboard the Cruise

Breakfast & Lunch on board the cruise.

You can book an optional trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan- cost 90 $ Extra per person

Abu Simbel temples

The two temples of Ramses the second and the Queen Nefertari were carved out of the Mountain on the west bank of the Nile between 1274 and 1244 B.c, The Great Temple was dedicated to Ramses the second, Ra-Harakhty, Amun Ra, and Ptah, with 4 Colossal statues, The second temple was dedicated to The Queen Nefertari and Goddess Hathor, the two temples were dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt on higher ground, The preservation of the two temples of Abu Simbel must Rank as the greatest Achievement of the Unesco

At 16:00 sailing trip with Felucca around Elphinatine island and Visit Lord Kitchener island

Optional trip Then visit the Nubian village+ 45 $ Per person

The Nubian village is one of Aswan's attractions. It's worth visiting and spending  2 hours. The place is very authentic and genuine, Colorful and artistic, the Nubian Village will surprise you in every corner! While walking in the village, you will straight away feel the soul of this place!

Take the flight to Cairo

Overnight at the hotel in Cairo 

The tour ends after breakfast at our hotel in Cairo, with transfers included to take you to the airport for your flight home. If you wish to extend your stay in Cairo, please contact us