Day 1 - Day 1 - Arrive Cairo

Arrive at Cairo International Airport on, where your Tour Coordinator will meet you after customs.

You are transferred by air-conditioned vehicle to your hotel Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza.

Overnight: Four Seasons Nile Plaza

Meal Plan:

Day 2 - Day 2 - Giza

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

Begin at the Great Pyramids of Giza, the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built about 4,500 years ago, as giant tombs for the mummies of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, who were father, son and grandson. (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus are the Greek forms of their names.) In the ancient Egyptian religion, the sides of the pyramids were likened to sun rays on which the Pharaoh ascended to heaven. The pyramids are truly monumental in scale, with the largest, Khufu's, made of over two million blocks. 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.

(Optional Entry to Cheops Pyramids)

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

Just a short distance away from the Giza Plateau is the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), one of the world’s largest archaeological museums, showcases over 100,000 artifacts from Egypt’s rich past. Located near the Giza Pyramids, visitors are welcomed by the colossal statue of Ramses II, while the Grand Staircase, adorned with 87 royal artifacts, leads to a stunning glass façade overlooking the pyramids. More than a museum, GEM is a cultural hub offering immersive experiences that bring Egypt’s history to life.

“Disclaimer”: This is a soft-opening visit to the museum. Once fully open, the Grand Egyptian Museum will house the ‘golden’ treasures of King Tutankhamun as well as rest of his collection that will be shown in its entirety for the first time. At the moment, King Tut ‘golden’ treasures are still displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Downtown Cairo.

Then you will be transferred to your hotel.

Overnight: Four Seasons Nile Plaza

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 3 - Day 3 Cairo

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

Start your day visiting the first veritable museum of civilization in Egypt. The newly inaugurated NMEC is 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 collections are displayed in a core permanent exhibition of the principal achievements of Egyptian civilization, with six thematic galleries covering the Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

After lunch, wander through the vibrant Khan El-Khalili Bazaar, the largest and most historic marketplace in the Middle East. Originally a 14th-century caravanserai stop, it has evolved into a vast labyrinth of narrow alleys filled with workshops and stalls. Discover exquisite woodwork, glassware, leather goods, perfumes, textiles, and unique Pharaonic curiosities, all offering a glimpse into Egypt’s rich artisanal traditions.

Drive to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, completed in 1363, one of Egypt’s finest examples of Islamic architecture. Its vast courtyard once served as a center for teaching the four schools of Sunni Islam, while its mausoleum holds the tombs of Sultan Hassan’s sons. Nearby, the Al-Rifa'i Mosque, built in the 19th century, stands as a magnificent complement, housing the tombs of Egypt’s last royal family and even Iran’s last Shah.

After, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Overnight: Four Seasons Nile Plaza

Meal Plan: B,L

Day 4 - Day 4 - Aswan

Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Cairo Airport by air-conditioned vehicle to board your flight to Aswan.

Optional Abu Simbel Excursion by air:

Discover the commanding twin temples of Ramses II and his wife, Queen Nefertari. The former’s façade is dominated by four 70-foot-tall statues of the pharaoh looking out over Lake Nasser, carved from a single piece of rock. Perhaps even more impressive, this entire site was disassembled and moved here to save it from the floodwaters caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

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

Arrive in Aswan & transfer to your Sanctuary Nile cruise.

Board your 5-star deluxe Nile cruise boat, moored in a private dock in Aswan. You will enjoy a welcome Zaffa, with drums and flutes.

Lunch will be served on board.

This afternoon you will have the chance to take a ride on a felucca (a typical Egyptian sailboat) 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, you will be greeted by your Boat Manager as you enjoy a selection of canapés with some complimentary Egyptian wine and local beer. A gourmet dinner will be served on board.

Overnight: Sanctuary Nile Cruise

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 5 - Day 5 – Awan & Kom Ombo

A breakfast buffet will be served on board, followed by a short motorboat ride to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika.

This will be followed by a visit 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.

Enjoy lunch, while you cruise to Kom Ombo and visit the magnificent 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.

Afternoon tea will be served while you cruise to Edfu.

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

Overnight: Sanctuary Nile Cruise

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 6 - Day 6 – Edfu & Esna

A breakfast buffet will be served on board. This morning, explore the extraordinary Temple of Horus. According to Egyptian myths, Edfu was the place where the falcon-headed god Horus avenged the murder of his father Osiris by killing Seth.

Return on board for lunch while cruising to Esna, followed by an Egyptian cooking lesson presented by an on-board chef.

This afternoon, your Egyptologist will guide you round the Greco-Roman Temple of Khnum at Esna. The beautifully preserved Great Hypostyle Hall was built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius; it was excavated from the silt that had accumulated through centuries of annual Nile floods and is about nine meters below present-day street level.

Afternoon tea will be served while you sail to Luxor.

Tonight will be an “Egyptian Night” costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian “galabeyya”. Dinner will be a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by oriental music and dancing for everyone.

Overnight: Sanctuary Nile Cruise

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 7 - Day 7 Luxor

Breakfast is served on board.

This morning, explore the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in hidden tombs which have maintained their richly painted hues and were filled with treasures for use in the afterlife.

(Optional Entry to Extra tombs: King Tut, Seti I and Nefertari tombs).

Proceed to Hatshepsut Temple, Ancient Egypt's only female pharaoh. The temple rises out of the desert plain in a series of brilliant white terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. Forming a natural rock amphitheater, the temple was an important religious and funerary site.

On the way back to the river Nile, you will pass by the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn.

After lunch on board, your Egyptologist will guide you around the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor, dedicated to the god Amun - and then onwards to the Temple of Karnak.

Return your luxury Nile Cruise boat where afternoon tea will be served in the lounge.

Tonight’s farewell will be a gala dinner, with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine followed by a Dervish Show and belly dancer performance.

Overnight: Sanctuary Nile Cruise

Meal Plan: B,L,D

Day 8 - Day 8 - Cairo

Check out after breakfast on board.

Your Tour Coordinator will escort you to Luxor Airport by air-conditioned vehicle

to board your flight to Cairo.

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

Overnight: Intercontinental, Citystars

Meal Plan: B

Day 9 - Day 9 - Departure

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

Overnight:

Meal Plan: