Cairo & Nile Cruise Package with Guided Tours

After breakfast, your guide takes you to the Giza Pyramid Complex, where the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure rise from the desert plateau. You have time to walk around the main viewpoints, hear how the royal monuments were built, and see the Great Sphinx before leaving the plateau.

Continue into central Cairo for the Egyptian Antiquities Museum. Its galleries bring together statues, sarcophagi, jewellery and everyday objects from several periods of ancient Egyptian history. Your guide helps place the key pieces in context, while allowing time to explore at your own pace.

In the afternoon, travel south to Memphis Ancient City, the former capital known for its colossal statue of Ramesses II, then continue to the Saqqara Pyramid Site. The Step Pyramid of Djoser and its surrounding funerary complex show an earlier stage in pyramid design. Return to Cairo for your second night.

Use the morning for a relaxed breakfast and a final rest at the hotel. Depending on the confirmed rail schedule, there may be time for a quiet café stop or a short walk before your transfer to the station. Our team helps with the luggage and explains the boarding process.

The overnight sleeper train carries you south towards Aswan. Private sleeping compartments are compact and practical, with bedding provided on board. Dinner and breakfast arrangements follow the train service, and the journey gives you a chance to rest while the landscape changes beyond the window.

What to expect: station transfers are arranged around the rail timetable, and the train may make several stops during the night. Keep essential medication, valuables and a change of clothes in your hand luggage rather than in the larger cases stored away.

Arrive in Aswan and transfer to the cruise boat for breakfast, luggage drop-off and cabin arrangements. After some time to settle in, visit the Philae Sacred Temple, reached by a short boat ride across the reservoir. Dedicated mainly to Isis, the temple complex has carved courts, columns and sanctuaries that were carefully relocated to higher ground after the construction of the High Dam.

Continue to Aswan's Great Dam, a major modern engineering project that changed irrigation, electricity generation and the shape of the river around Aswan. Your guide explains the project from the viewpoint, where the scale of the reservoir is clear.

Finish with the Partially Finished Obelisk in the ancient stone quarries. Cracks in the granite show why the monument was abandoned, while the surrounding quarry marks reveal how workers shaped large blocks. Return to the boat for dinner and your first night on the Nile.

Set out early by road for the Abou Simbel Sacred Temples. The journey takes several hours each way, but the scale of the rock-cut temples makes the excursion a central part of the southern Egypt programme. At the site, your guide explains the four colossal figures at the entrance to the Great Temple and the smaller temple built for Queen Nefertari.

Walk through the decorated halls to see scenes of Ramesses II, the gods and royal ceremonies. Your visit takes place on foot over firm but uneven ground, so comfortable shoes, water and sun protection are useful. The return transfer brings you back to Aswan for a later meal and a quiet period aboard the boat.

As the cruise begins sailing towards Luxor, watch the riverbanks pass from the deck. Dinner is served on board, and the overnight stay combines the comfort of a cabin with the changing views of villages, farmland and desert edges.

The boat reaches Kom Ombo during the cruise, and you walk from the landing point to the Kom Ombo Temple Structure. Its unusual double design reflects worship of two gods, Sobek and Horus the Elder. Your guide points out the paired entrances, courts and reliefs, including details connected with medicine and temple ritual.

Back on board, lunch is followed by sailing time. The river is at the centre of the day: fields, palms and small settlements appear close to the water, while the dry hills sit farther back. You can remain on deck or use the quieter hours to rest in your cabin.

Later, visit the Edfu Religious Temple, reached by a short local transfer from the riverbank. Dedicated to Horus, it has a well-preserved entrance pylon, broad courtyards and detailed inscriptions. Return to the cruise boat for dinner and overnight sailing towards Luxor.

After breakfast, cross to the west bank and enter the Ancient Kings' Burial Valley. Your ticket normally allows access to a selection of open tombs, where painted scenes and hieroglyphs cover the walls. Your guide explains the funerary beliefs behind the decoration and helps you manage the walk between the tomb entrances.

Continue to Hatshepsut's Royal Temple, built in terraces against the cliffs, then stop at Memnon's Massive Twin Statues before returning across the river. These large seated figures are all that remains of a much larger temple complex.

In the afternoon, visit the Karnak Religious Complex, walking through its monumental gateways, columned hall and sacred precincts. End at the Luxor Temple Sanctuary, where the avenue and courtyards take on a different atmosphere later in the day. After the sightseeing programme, transfer to the sleeper train for the overnight journey back to Cairo.

Arrive in Cairo after the overnight train and transfer to the airport for your departing flight. The exact timing depends on the rail and flight schedules, so our team coordinates the transfer and allows practical time for collecting luggage, checking in and completing airport procedures.

If your flight leaves later, you may have a short period to freshen up or rest after the journey, subject to the day’s arrangements. Keep your travel documents, electronics and valuables with you while moving between the station, hotel facilities and airport.

Your eight-day Cairo and Nile cruise package ends at the airport. We can help confirm the transfer details in advance, including the meeting point and the recommended airport arrival time for your departure.