Description
Are you interested in exploring the historical sites of Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Dendera, Abydos, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan, and Abu Simbel? If so, you might want to check out the 12-day Egypt tour that’s available. This 12-day Cairo Abu Simbel Tour Package by Flight covers all of the main attractions of Egypt, including ancient temples and modern engineering wonders like the Aswan Dam. Plus, you’ll have your own private Egyptologist guide offering personalized attention and insider knowledge of Upper Egypt. The comprehensive tour includes hotel arrangements, plane tickets, and lunch reservations, so you won’t have to worry about organizing these details.
Day 1
Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, our English-speaking representative will assist you with all formalities and transfer you to your hotel for an overnight stay in Cairo.
Day 2
The day will commence with breakfast at the hotel, followed by a meeting with our English Egyptologist tour guide, who will lead you on your first-day tour. The tour will begin with a visit to the Pyramids of Giza, where the magnificence of three pyramids, “Khufu, Khafre & Menkaure”, will be embodied. A limestone statue of the Sphinx guards the area. After the tour, you will proceed to a local restaurant for lunch.
The next destination is the city of Sakkara, where you will explore the Step Pyramid of King Djoser. This pyramid has an intriguing story. King Djoser asked his chief Architect, Imhotep, to create something unique in which he could be buried. The famous Architect built the Step Pyramid, which amazed the king since it was considered a new achievement in that era.
Lastly, you will drive towards Memphis, where you can visit The Open Air Museum, including King Ramses II’s marvellous monuments. Upon completing the day tour, you will return to your hotel in Cairo for an overnight stay.
Day 3
Commence the second day of your Cairo tour with a morning meal at your hotel, followed by the arrival of your English-speaking guide. Expect a thrilling and distinct experience as you explore the most remarkable monuments in the region. Your first destination is the Egyptian Museum, one of Egypt’s most significant museums. It houses numerous Pharaonic monuments, including those belonging to the renowned King Tutankhamun. Enjoy a delectable lunch at one of our local restaurants before being transferred to the Old Cairo district.
Upon arrival, visit the Citadel of Salah El-Din, a vital structure that played a crucial role in safeguarding Egypt, serving as the seat of power for over 700 years. Following this, head to Khan El-Khalili, one of Egypt’s oldest and most intriguing markets, renowned as one of the most stunning bazaars in the Middle East. Conclude your day tour and be transferred back to your hotel in Cairo, where you can retire for the night.
Day 4
Upon completing breakfast, guests are expected to check out of their hotel. A representative will then be present to facilitate a transfer to Cairo Airport, from where guests can board their flight to Luxor.
Upon arrival, guests will be taken to the West Bank of Luxor to explore the ancient city of Thebes. This will include visiting the Valley of the Kings, where the Theban kings and rulers of ancient Egypt were buried. Here, guests will have the opportunity to enter the tomb of King Tut Ankh Amun.
Following this, guests will visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari. This temple, carved inside a mountain, is considered one of the most outstanding examples of ancient Egyptian architecture.
Guests will then visit the Colossi of Memnon, believed to belong to King Amenhotep III. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
In the afternoon, guests will be taken to the East Bank of Luxor to explore the Karnak Temples Complex. These structures are considered the largest ever built in human history, with the principal building being that of the god Amun Ra. The temple dates back to the Middle Kingdom, with some references indicating that earlier buildings date back to the 3rd Dynasty.
Guests will then visit the Temple of Luxor, built by a king of the 12th Dynasty and completed by the famous King Ramses II. This temple was located in the heart of ancient Thebes and, like Karnak, was dedicated to the principal/chief god Amun Re. After the tour, guests will be transferred to their hotel in Luxor for check-in and an overnight stay.
Day 5
The day’s itinerary commences with a hearty breakfast at your hotel, followed by a visit to the memorial temple of King Seti I at Abydos. Seti I and his son Ramses II built the temple for the deity Osiris, who represented the afterlife and resurrection. Abydos Temple is a remarkable religious structure in Egypt that boasts fine art reliefs, including the Abydos Kings list, which features the names of pharaohs from the First Dynasty to the 19th Dynasty. Additionally, seven chapels are dedicated to Horus, Isis, Osiris, Amon Re, Ptah, Seti I, and Re-Horakhty. Towards the back of the temple lies the enigmatic Osireion, believed to be Osiris’ tomb. After the tour, you will have free time to explore the temple.
Next, we will visit the Dendera temple, 99km south of Abydos. This temple complex is one of the best-preserved in Egypt, with origins dating back to the reign of Pharaoh Pepi I (2250 BC) and continued during the New Kingdom (1550-1080 BC). The remaining structures mostly date back to the Greco-Roman period in Egypt. Recently, the ceiling of the Dendera Temple has been cleaned, revealing spectacular ceiling paintings in the main hall of the Hathor temple, including some of the most vibrant and colourful paintings from antiquity. Visitors can explore the widely-known Dendera zodiac relief discovered during the Greco-Roman period; the crypts used to store cult equipment, archives, and magical emblems for the temple’s protection. The most significant object kept in the tombs is a statue of the BA of Hathor. Other highlights include the Isis Birth House (Mammisi), raised by Nectanebo II, and the temple’s sacred lake. On the rear outside wall of the temple, visitors can view scenes depicting the massive figure of Cleopatra VII and her son by Julius Caesar. Afterwards, visitors can enjoy free time to explore the temple at their own pace.
The tour concludes with a transfer back to your hotel in Luxor for an overnight stay.
Day 6
At the break of dawn, a Luxor and Aswan Travel Licensed Tour guide will collect you from your hotel. You will then be transferred by Private A/C Vehicle to the West Bank of the Nile, where you will embark on a tour of Medinat Habu. This archaeological location is near the foot of the Theban Hills on the West Bank of the River Nile, opposite the modern city of Luxor, Egypt.
Medinat Habu is synonymous with the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III, although other structures exist. The temple has an orthodox design, some 150m long, and closely resembles the mortuary temple of Ramesses II (the Ramesseum). It is well-preserved and surrounded by a massive mud brick enclosure that may have been fortified. The original entrance is through a fortified gatehouse, known as a migdol, which resembles an Asiatic fortress. Jean-François Champollion coined the name Rhamesséion in French after visiting the site in 1829 and identifying the hieroglyphs making up Ramesses’s names and titles on the walls.
The temple was originally called the House of millions of years of Usermaatra-steepen that unites with Thebes-the-city in the domain of Amon. Additionally, you can visit other temples inside Habu Temple, such as the Temple of Amun, which dates back to the 18th Dynasty. Queen Hatshepsut and Thutmose III built it, and it has undergone many alterations and modifications over the years, partially in the 20th, 25th, 26th, 29th and 30th Dynasties and the Greco-Roman period.
Following your visit to Medinat Habu, you will continue your day tour to Deir el-Medina, known as The Valley of the Worker. Deir el-Medina is an ancient Egyptian village home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th dynasties of the New Kingdom period (ca. 1550–1080 BC). The paintings appear so fresh.
Your tour will conclude with a visit to the Valley of the Queens, where wives of Pharaohs were buried in ancient times. In ancient times, it was known as Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning “the place of the Children of the Pharaoh,” because along with the Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties (1550–1070 BCE), many princes and princesses were also buried with various members of the nobility. The tombs of these individuals were maintained by mortuary priests who performed daily rituals and provided offerings and prayers for the deceased elite. The valley is near the better-known Valley of the Kings, on the west bank of the Nile across from Thebes (modern Luxor). This barren area in the western hills was chosen due to its relative isolation and proximity to the capital. The kings of the 18th Dynasty, instead of building pyramids as traditional burial chambers, decided to be interred in rock-cut tombs to preserve them as much as possible from tomb robbers. Lunch will be served at one of our local restaurants before returning to your hotel.
In the afternoon, you will embark on a tour of the Luxor Museum and the Mummification Museum. Our tour guide will collect you by air-conditioned vehicle to visit these two fantastic museums of Luxor. The Luxor Museum is located in a beautiful spot on the east bank of the Nile between Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple. The Museum displays a variety of collections of monuments such as “Jewelry, Furniture, Statues, Stelae, Pottery” from the Theban Temples and necropolis, especially from the new kingdom.
Then, continue your journey through ancient Egyptian history by visiting the Mummification Museum, which opened in 1997 and is located on the east bank. The Museum shows and explains the process of Mummification and the techniques used for humans and animals. It displays human and animal mummies and the tools used during the mummification operation. There are also examples of the types of objects that were traditionally buried with the dead in pharaonic times.
After completing your tour, you will transfer to your hotel overnight in Luxor.
Day 7
Following breakfast, you will check out from your hotel and be greeted by a tour guide who will accompany you on a day trip to the Temple of Edfu. This majestic temple, dedicated to Horus, is widely considered to be the most well-preserved cult temple in Egypt. According to Egyptian mythology, this was where Horus, the falcon-headed god, avenged the murder of his father, Osiris, by slaying Seth.
Subsequently, you will proceed to the city of Koum Oumbo to visit the Temple of Koum Oumbo. This temple is situated on elevated terrain that overlooks the Nile. It is unique in that it boasts a double entrance, each dedicated to a specific divinity: Haroeris, with his falcon head, and Sobek, with his crocodile head. The Temple of Kom Ombo was built to honour two deities: the crocodile-headed Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world, and Haroeris or the ancient falcon-headed Horus. Furthermore, the significance of Kom Ombo is further underscored by the vast sugar cane fields in the vicinity.
After this, you will reach Aswan, where you will savour a delicious lunch at a local restaurant before checking into your hotel and spending the night in Aswan.
Day 8
The day will commence with breakfast at your hotel, followed by a tour of the High Dam of Aswan, a remarkable engineering feat constructed in the 1960s. This structure, which boasts a length of 11,811 feet, a base thickness of 3,215 feet, and a height of 364 feet, is composed of more material than was used in the Great Pyramid of Cheops. Carved out of existing granite, the Dam serves as a source of irrigation and electricity for all of Egypt.
Next on the itinerary is a visit to the Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries of Aswan, where much of the red granite utilized in constructing ancient temples and colossi was sourced. The Unfinished Obelisk remains in the exact location where it was initially carved, as a fracture was discovered during the carving process.
The tour will conclude with a trip to the magnificent Philae Temple, which was relocated to its present position (approximately 500 meters from its original site) due to the rise in Nile waters brought on by the construction of the High Dam. Built in honour of the goddess Isis, the chief deity of the island, the Philae Temple is a testament to the architectural prowess of the ancients. After the tour, you will be escorted back to your hotel.
Day 9
Upon checking out of your hotel, you will be transported via a private air-conditioned van to the renowned Abu Simbel site. The area, known as Meha in ancient times, was first recorded during the 18th Dynasty by Ay and Horemheb, who oversaw the creation of rock-cut chapels in the adjacent hills.
Upon arrival at Abu Simbel, you can explore the awe-inspiring temples constructed by King Ramses II. The first and largest temple was built in honour of the god Rahorakhty, while the second, smaller temple was dedicated to the king himself and his illustrious queen, Nefertari.
Upon completing your site tour, you will be chauffeured to Aswan airport for a flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival, our representative will escort you to your hotel for a restful overnight stay.
Day 10
Enjoy a delectable breakfast at your hotel in Cairo before embarking on an unforgettable tour of Alexandria with the aid of our knowledgeable Egyptologist guide. Commence your tour by immersing yourself in one of the primary sources of ancient knowledge, the Alexandria Library, located on the old Pharaoh’s original site.
After visiting the library, relish a delicious lunch at a local restaurant before exploring the Roman Amphitheatre, one of the most renowned monuments of the Greco-Roman period. Your tour will culminate with a visit to Pompey’s pillar, erected in 292 AD, and a glimpse of the Sultan Qaitbay Citadel (exterior only), one of Alexandria’s most iconic landmarks.
Upon completing your day tour, we will transport you back to Cairo, where you will retire to your hotel for the evening.
Day 11
The day begins with a hearty breakfast and a tour of Islamic and Coptic Cairo at the hotel. This tour is of great significance as it provides an opportunity to delve into the rich history of Egypt, exploring both Islamic and Coptic traditions.
The tour commences with a visit to the Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo’s oldest intact and functioning Islamic monument. This remarkable structure is a rare example of the classical period of Islam, dating back to the ninth and tenth centuries.
Next, the group proceeds to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, considered the most compact and unified Cairo monument. The mosque was constructed in 1256 AD for Sultan Hassan bin Mohammad bin Qala’oun as a place of worship and religious education for all sects. The tour concludes with a visit to the El Refa’i Mosque, separated from the Mosque of Sultan Hassan by a pedestrian street. A local restaurant provides a delicious lunch.
Afterwards, the Coptic tour begins, starting with a visit to the Hanging Church, also known as the Church of the Virgin Mary. This church, dating back to the 4th century, is built into the walls of the Water Gate of the Roman fortress and is believed to be the oldest Christian church in Egypt.
The Church of St. Sergius, or Abu Serga, is next on the itinerary. According to legend, it was built atop one of the sites where the Holy Family rested during their flight from Herod. The tour concludes with a visit to the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the oldest in Egypt, dating back to the 9th century.
Upon completing this remarkable and unforgettable tour, guests will be transported back to their hotel for an evening of relaxation. Overnight accommodations are available in Cairo.
Day 12
Please note that our representative will be available after breakfast to assist you with your check-out. You will then be transferred to Cairo International Airport for your final departure. We hope you have had a pleasant stay with us and look forward to welcoming you back.
Inclusions
Our travel package includes a luxurious 6-night stay at a 5-star hotel in Cairo, three nights at a 5-star hotel in Luxor and two nights at a 5-star hotel in Aswan. Transportation will be provided by plane and private air-conditioned vehicle, with additional modes of transportation including a horse carriage at Edfu, a Taftaf at Valley of the Kings, and a motor boat to Philae island. Guests will enjoy 11 breakfasts and 10 lunches throughout their stay.
Our services include meeting and assisting by English-speaking representatives, entrance fees to all mentioned archaeological sightseeing locations, and a private Egyptologist English-speaking tour guide(s). Domestic flight tickets, complimentary 01 bottles of water per day per person in Cairo, all transfers by A-C vehicles with qualified driver(s), portage when needed, and all taxes and service charges are also included.
Our team of professionals is dedicated to providing a safe and memorable experience for our guests. We ensure that every detail is handled with the utmost care and attention. Thank you for considering our travel package for your upcoming journey.
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