NILE CRUISE ITINERARY - 5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS - LUXOR TO ASWAN

Itinerary

1st Day: Luxor

Upon arrival to the Nile Cruise, your tour manager will arrange a time to sit down with you and go through your schedule whilst on the Nile Cruise. Shortly after lunch a qualified Egyptologist will meet you to guide you through this spectacular tour visiting the East Bank of the Nile River in Luxor. Enjoy the marvellous Karnak Temple or Temples of Karnak, which comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Then onto Luxor Temple, which was founded in 1400 BCE. Luxor Temple is the only temple where you will see a combination of religions during the years.Proceed to Luxor Museum, is very modern and with an uncluttered layout. Top exhibits include pink granite and black basalt statues from many dynasties.   After visiting the sites you will return to the Nile Cruise boat with some time to relax before enjoying your dinner.

Dinner – Include / Overnight in Luxor on Nile Cruise

2nd Day: Luxor, Esna & Edfu

Breakfast will be slightly earlier than usual today, as we want to take advantage of the beautiful early morning to visit some of the fascinating sites available on the West Bank of the Nile River in Luxor. After breakfast your qualified Egyptologist will be waiting in reception for you to start his tour for today. You will sample the relaxing journey over the famous modern bridge in Luxor which now connects the East and West Banks. Depending on how the Egyptologist plans the morning you will usually visit the Colossi of Memnon, are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Followed by the amazing Valley of the Kings, which was built inside the mountains and away from the city to ensure that the Pharaohs, had each, their own secret burial chamber. Here you will be able to visit 3 of the tombs as advised by your Egyptologist. You will then move along to Hatshepsut Temple, dedicated to the sun god Amon-Ra and is located next to the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II which was built by Queen Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmosis I, who ruled Egypt about 20 years during the 18th Dynasty. After visiting these historical sites you will return to the Nile Cruise boat for lunch. Enjoy your lunch on board and relax under the Egyptian skies as the boat sails to Esna. During the day the boat will pass through the famous Esna lock and continue its journey to Edfu. Upon arrival to Edfu the Nile Cruise will dock here for the night.

Dinner – Included / Overnight in Edfu on Nile Cruise

3rd Day: Edfu, Kom Ombo & Aswan

Enjoy your breakfast on board the Nile Cruise; the Egyptologist will accompany you to a horse-drawn carriage or bus for your visit to the popular Ptolemaic Temple of Horus at Edfu, otherwise known as Edfu Temple. When you return to the Nile Cruise you will have some time to sample the delights of the beautiful scenery along the Nile River whilst sailing to Kom Ombo. During the sailing lunch is served on board the Nile Cruise. In KomOmbo enjoy visiting the two temples of KomOmbo which consisting of a Temple to Sobek and a Temple of Haroeris. As the sunsets you will continue the journey down the Nile River to Aswan. Late at night the boat will dock in Aswan for the remainder of your stay.

Dinner – Included / Overnight in Aswan on Nile Cruise.

4th Day: Aswan

Before breakfast visit the top deck of the Nile Cruise and admire, what some people think, is the best part of the Nile River. Aswan is known for its superb colours at this part of the Nile River; truly spectacular. Then pop along to the main dining room for your breakfast. After breakfast your qualified Egyptologist will accompany you for the duration of this tour in a modern air conditioned vehicle. Your Egyptologist will be showing you some of the fascinating historical sites in Aswan. Enjoy visiting the significant construction which called the High Dam, Known as Saad el Aali in Arabic Aswan High Dam is one of the greatest engineering miracles of this world. Constructed in 1960's, was built to control the annual flood of the Nile River. Proceed to visit the Unfinished Obelisk, one of the most popular sites in ancient Aswan and provides immense insight into the stone working methods employed by the ancient Egyptians. Then move to visit the spectacular Philae Temple, which was dedicated to the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. Return back to the boat in time for lunch; during the course of the afternoon your Egyptologist will take you on a felucca trip around Elephantine Island returning to the Nile Cruise. In the evening you will have some free time to visit Aswan and the local bazaars.

Dinner – Included / Overnight at the hotel.

5th Day: Aswan

Today you can take full advantage of the add on options and visit the most amazing temples in Egypt; Abu Simbel Temples otherwise breakfast is served during the morning and after breakfast you will check out of the Nile Cruise.

Highlights

The highlights visited or experienced throughout this Nile Cruise:

Karnak Temple

It was dedicated to the God Amon, his wife Mut and their son Khonsu. It was constructed from the beginning of the Middle Kingdom to the Greco Roman Kingdom. The Karnak Temple complex contains a group of Temples such as the Great Temple of Amon Ra, the Temple of Khonso, the Ipt Temple, the Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Montho and the Temple of the God Osiris. These structures, built by different pharaohs during different years, are mostly in ruins. Beginning at the Avenue of Sphinxes, you will have the opportunity to visit the Unfinished Propylon, the Hypostyle Hall with its 134 gigantic columns, the Obelisks of Queen Hatchepsut and Tutomosis III, the temple of Amun adorned with lotus and papyrus designs, and the Granite Scarab of Amenophis III.

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple was known in the New Kingdom period as Ipt-Rsyt, which means the southern shrine. It was built by Amunhotep III in 18th Dynasty in the New Kingdom and it was completed by Ramses II during the 19th Dynasty. King Ramses II was the most famous king in the 19th Dynasty. He ruled Egypt for about 67 years.

Valley of the Kings

The Tombswere constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt.They choose a location, far from the messing hands, and carved them into the mountains. The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (modern Luxor), within the heart of the Theban Necropolis. The Valley of the Kings consists of two valleys, East Valley where the majority of the royal tombs are situated and West Valley. Famous tombs there belong to Tutankhamun, Ramses the Great and Tuthmosis III.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

It islocated beneath the cliffs at Deir el Bahari on the west bank of the Nile. It was built by Queen Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt for about 20 years during the 18th Dynasty. The mortuary temple was dedicated to the sun god Amon-Ra. It is considered one of the "incomparable monuments of ancient Egypt".

Colossi of Memnon

Are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. For the past 3400 years since 1350 BC, they have stood in the Theban necropolis, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor. The statues are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone which was quarried at el-Gabal el-Ahmar. The blocks used by later Roman engineers to reconstruct the eastern colossus may have come from Edfu (north of Aswan).

The original function of the Colossi was to stand guard at the entrance to Amenhotep's memorial temple (or mortuary temple): a massive cult centre built during the pharaoh's lifetime, where he was worshipped as a god-on-earth both before and after his departure from this world. In its day, this temple complex was the largest and most opulent in Egypt, even later rivals such as Ramesses II's  or Ramesses III's Medinat Habu were unable to match it in area; even the Temple of Karnak, as it stood in Amenhotep's time, was smaller.

The legend behind their name is interesting. After an earthquake (recorded by Strabo) in 27 BC, part of the northern colossus collapsed and from then on, each morning at sunrise, the statue produced a strange musical sound. Early Greek and Roman tourists came to hear the sound, and gave the statue the name of ‘Memnon’, a Trojan hero, the son of Eos and Titan, who sang to his mother each morning at dawn. In reality it is thought that the effect of the sun heating up the stone produced the sound.

Edfu Temple

It is an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Edfu which was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus-Apollo. It is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BCE. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during theGreco in ancient Egypt. In particular, the Temple's inscribed building texts provide details [both] of its construction, and also preserve information about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation.

Temple of Kom Ombo

It is an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic dynasty in the Egyptian town of KomOmbo. Some additions to it were later made during the Roman period. The building is unique because its 'double' design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris, also known as Horus the Elder.

High Dam

A witness of the significant architecture of Ancient Egypt and has had a significant impact on the economy and culture of Egypt. The High Dam, situated across the Nile River in Aswan,was constructed between 1960 and 1970 to control floods, provide water for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity were seen as pivotal to Egypt’s industrialisation.The Dam is 11,811 feet long, 3215 feet thick at the base and and 364 feet tall.  As a result of its construction, a great lake was formed, Lake Nasser, which is about 10 km wide in some places, and 500km long, extending between Egypt and Sudan.

Unfinished Obelisk (subject to boat itinerary)

The Unfinished Obelisk is considered the largest known ancient obelisk, located in the northern region of the stone quarries of ancient Egypt in Aswan. It is unknown which pharaoh created this structure. It is nearly one third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected.If finished it would have measured around 42 m (approximately 137 feet) and would have weighed nearly 1,200 tons. The obelisk's creators began to carve it directly out of bedrock, but cracks appeared in the granite and the project was abandoned. If finished it would have measured around 42 m and would have weighed nearly 1,200 tons. The unfinished obelisk offers unusual insights into ancient Egyptian stone-working techniques.

Philae Temple

It was built on the honour of goddess Isis the chief deity of the island. It is located in an island in Lake Nasser, Nubia. It was formerly an island in the First Cataract of the Nile River and the previous site of an Ancient Egyptian temple complex in southern Egypt. The legend says that the god Osiris is murdered and dismembered by his brother Seth. Isis searches for the fragments, collects them together and with her magic powers brings Osiris back to life. They then conceive the god Horus. Osiris becomes god of the underworld and judge of the dead - who must answer to him for their deeds on Earth. Meanwhile Isis gives birth to Horus and protects the young god. Later when Horus is grown he avenges his father by defeating Seth in combat. 

The beautiful and magnificent Temple of Philae was nearlysubmerged after the first Aswan dam was built in 1906, and it was not until the seventies that many nations attempted to save the Temple. All these countries, together with UNESCO, selected a suitable place, but they had to wait until the completion of the High Dam, in 1971, which would stabilize the level of the water around their chosen island.

Add On Options

While enjoying this tour why not try any of the following add on options:

Add on options prices are quoted is US Dollars and are per person, operating with a minimum of 2 passengers.

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