Day 1 - Arrive in Cairo

Arrive at Cairo International Airport, and meet your Akorn Tour Coordinator who will be waiting to greet you and transfer you by air-conditioned vehicle to your hotel, to assist with your check-in.

Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.

Overnight: Overnight at your hotel

Meal Plan:

Day 2 - Giza

Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel to start your tour.

Begin your day with a visit Sakkara, the former necropolis (cemetery) for the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and the place where the very first pyramids were built as tombs for kings. Discover the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first pyramid ever built and the world's oldest freestanding stone structure. You could also admire the beautiful tomb art at Sakkara, which gives great insight into the lives of the ancient Egyptians.

OPTIONAL Entry to the Step Pyramid of Sakkara

Next, proceed to the Giza Plateau and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant overlooking the Great Pyramids.

Continue to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza. The only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World built over 4,500 years ago as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were father, son and grandson respectively. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest - Khufu's - constructed from over two million blocks.

OPTIONAL entry to Khufu’s pyramid      

Nearby sits the enigmatic Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, which workers may have based on King Khafre to guard his enormous funerary monument. 

At the end of your tour, you are transferred to your hotel.

The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

Dinner tonight is under your own arrangements.

Overnight: Overnight at your hotel

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 3 - Giza

Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel to start your tour.

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) complex is a cultural hub that includes one of the largest museums in the world displaying the diverse heritage of a single civilization.

The Museum contains over 100,000 artefacts, reflecting Egypt's past from prehistory up until the Greek and Roman periods. One of the most impressive exhibits is that of the boy King Tutankhamun which displays over 5,000 artefacts that were recovered from his tomb, including his gold mask. As you enter the museum, you can't miss the colossal statue of King Ramses II, nor the 87 huge royal artefacts exhibited at the grand stairs that lead up to an impressive 28-meter-high glass façade overlooking the pyramids of Giza.

Enjoy lunch inside the GEM complex.

At the end of your tour, you are transferred back to your hotel for some leisurely time.

In the evening, meet your Tour Coordinator in the lobby of your hotel to start a cultural walking tour down Al Moez Street, recalling the time when it was the main thoroughfare through the heart of Old Cairo. Proceed to the Khan Al Khalili bazaar and step back in time as you wander through the labyrinth of narrow streets to find workshops and stalls selling all manner of things from woodwork, glassware to leather.

Dinner tonight is at a local restaurant nearby.

Overnight: Overnight at your hotel

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 4 - Cairo

Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel to start your tour.

Start with the recently inaugurated NMEC, located on the archaeological site of El-Fustat in Old Cairo overlooking the Ain El-Seera Lake. The museum showcases Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present day, using a multidisciplinary approach that highlights the country’s comprehensive heritage the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant nearby.

Next, experience the times of Roman rule in Egypt with a visit to the ruins of the Fortress of Babylon in Old Cairo. Originally built in AD 100 by the Emperor Trajan, the fortress was built to defend the frontiers of Trajan's empire.  

Proceed to the Hanging Church, named so because it sits ""suspended"" on top of the Fortress of Babylon that the Romans built when they came to Egypt. Thought to originate in the seventh century, this church in basilica style was once the seat of the Coptic Patriarchate.  

Finally, visit the beautiful Coptic Museum, first completed in 1908 using property belonging to the Coptic Church in Egypt. It displays a wonderful collection of sculptures dating from Pre-Christian times up until the fifth Century AD, as well as bone carvings, frescoes, icons, relics, colorful textiles and more.   

At the end of your tour, you are transferred to your hotel.  

Dinner tonight is under your own arrangements.  

Overnight: Overnight at your hotel

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 5 - Luxor

This morning, your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo Airport by air-conditioned vehicle to board your flight to Luxor.

Upon arrival in Luxor, meet your Tour Coordinator and transfer to your Nile Cruise.

After lunch, visit the East Bank and explore the Luxor Temple and the Temple of Karnak.

Return on board for afternoon tea in the lounge.

Tonight, you will be greeted by your Boat Manager while you enjoy freshly prepared canapés with some complimentary Egyptian wine and local beer, followed by a gourmet dinner menu.

Overnight:

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 6 - Luxor

OPTIONAL Hot Air Balloon Ride

Get a spectacular bird's eye view of Luxor's ancient monuments and modern villages from the vantage point of a hot air balloon. This is a unique way to see the city's main sites and natural beauty as you'll never see it from the ground.

(A&K is committed to your safety but would like you to know that participation in this activity is at your sole discretion. If AT ANY TIME you do not wish to participate in any or all of the activity please let your Guide know)

Next, explore the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs, maintaining their richly painted hues and treasures for their use in the afterlife. Entry to the tomb of King Tutankhamun is included.

(Optional Entry to the Tombs of Seti I and Nefertari).

Afterwards, proceed to Hatshepsut Temple, rising out of the desert plain in a series of brilliant white terraces. This mortuary temple merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it.

Next, enjoy a brief stop at the famed Colossi of Memnon to behold the two immense statues of Amenhotep III which, in Pharaonic times, guarded the entrance to his once great temple.

Return on board for lunch while the boat sails to Esna. 

Afternoon tea will be offered in the lounge.

Tonight, a delicious dinner is served followed by a movie night on board.

Overnight: Nile Cruise

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 7 - Edfu - Kom Ombo

Enjoy breakfast on board while the boat sails to Edfu.

After breakfast, visit the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god.

Lunch will be served on board while cruising to Kom Ombo. You will also have the chance to take part in an Egyptian cooking lesson. 

Following afternoon tea in the lounge, visit the temple of Kom Ombo - dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.

Return to your Nile Cruise boat ready for the sailing to Aswan.

Tonight’s entertainment will be an “Egyptian Night” costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian “galabeyyas”. Dinner will be a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties.

Overnight: Nile Cruise

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 8 - Aswan

Enjoy breakfast on board while the boat sails to Aswan.

Embark on a short motorboat ride to the majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika.

Next, proceed to the Granite Quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples, and still hold a huge unfinished obelisk.

Following lunch on board, you will have a chance take a ride on a felucca (a typical Egyptian sail boat) around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Gardens, and the Agha Khan Mausoleum (weather permitting, life jackets will be provided). 

Afternoon tea will be served in the lounge while you enjoy the sounds of an Oud trio. 

Tonight’s farewell dinner will be a gala dinner, with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine.

Enjoy a Dervish show and belly dancer performance after dinner.

Overnight: Nile Cruise

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 9 - Aswan - Cairo

A buffet breakfast will be served on board, or a takeaway breakfast box will be provided.

OPTIONAL Abu Simbel Excursion by air

Abu Simbel temples built by the Great Ramses II, Egypt’s longest ruling pharaoh, it is one of the most recognizable images in the country. Two temples, namely the Great Temple of Ra-Harakhte, fronted by the four colossal statues of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor, dedicated to Ramses’ favourite wife Queen Nefertari, they were moved to their current location when the creation of Lake Nasser threatened their existence.

** Excursion includes flight Aswan-Abu Simbel-Aswan and Private local guide during the tour.

After your visit, board your return flight to Cairo via Aswan.

Upon arrival at Cairo Airport, you are transferred by air-conditioned vehicle to your hotel.

Overnight: Overnight at your hotel

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 10 - Departure Cairo

Transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Cairo Airport for your final departure.

Overnight:

Meal Plan: B