Egypt; Nubian Discovery Tour
9 days
ATTRACTIONS
Start and end in Cairo! With the In-depth Cultural tour Nubian Discovery Tour, you have a 9-day tour package taking you through Cairo, Egypt, and 5 other destinations in Egypt. The Nubian Discovery Tour includes accommodation in a hotel as well as an expert guide, meals, transport, and more.
- Minimum Group Size of 2. Maximum Group Size of 45.
- Minimum Age of 8. While there is no maximum age set it is assumed the customer is fit enough to take part in the activity or tour. Health documents may be requested.
- Single travelers are obliged to pay a Single Supplement and will have the hotel room to themselves.
- Hotel Gala Dinners – Many of the hotels and Nile cruise boats, on this tour, arrange a very special gala dinner with entertainment in the evening on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Payment for these is often optional on Christmas Eve (24 Dec) but may be compulsory on New Year’s Eve (31 Dec), whether you attend or not. Prices can range from around US$50 to over US$150 per person. Final decisions on prices and whether dinners are compulsory are made relatively close to the time. We aim to always select hotels that make their Gala Dinners optional, though this is not always possible. Gala dinner prices are therefore not included in our tour prices but will be added to your booking if they become required. More information is available on request.
Itinerary
This 9 day tour, starts and ends in Cairo, Egypt. Discover the secrets of Egypt with this adventure tour which includes the Pyramids & Sphinx, antiquities of the Egyptian museum, romantic Philae Temple, Abu Simbel option, traditional felucca sailing, ancient Valley of the Kings.
Day 1: Arrival to Cairo
Welcome to Egypt!
Upon arrival, our staff will meet you at the airport, assist you with obtaining your visa and luggage, and then transfer you to your hotel close to the Pyramids for the start of your trip.
They will help you settle in, introduce you to the local area, and explain tomorrow’s arrangements. The rest of the day is free. If you arrive early you may like to take an evening dinner cruise on the Nile or enjoy a spectacular sound and light show at the pyramids (both available to book locally on arrival).
Overnight Cairo – 5 star
Day 2: - Pyramids, Sphinx & Museum
Our tour of Egypt begins with a trip to the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo. Home to the fantastic Tutankhamun exhibit, the museum hosts a huge number of other ancient Egyptian artefacts. One of our local Egyptologist guides will be accompanying you on this and all of your other sightseeing tours, and you’ll find them a wealth of knowledge and full of enthusiasm about Egyptian history, and their country in general. Following on from the museum we then head to Giza on the outskirts of Cairo to visit the Sphinx and the three great pyramids of Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), an awesome man-made structure constructed of giant stone blocks, together with the smaller pyramids of Khafre (Chephern) and Menkaure (Mycerinus), the majestic sight of these enormous structures rising out of the desert is a breathtaking spectacle. You will have the opportunity to climb down right inside the pyramids if you wish, though your guide cannot accompany you (a limited number of tickets are available for the Great Pyramid). This evening we transfer to the station for the overnight sleeper train to Aswan (approx. 12 hours).
Overnight Between Cairo – Aswan – Private Twin Berth Cabin – Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3: - Aswan, Nubian Village & Philae Temple
This morning we arrive in Aswan and transfer to our hotel overlooking the Nile which is at its most picturesque here, with cascading rapids, lush green islands, and feluccas sailing to and fro. Aswan itself is a melting pot of African and Middle Eastern cultures, most easily experienced by wandering through the busy markets. Many descendants of the Nubian people still live here and we’ll visit a local Nubian village to see their colorful houses, and simple way of life and to enjoy a traditional lunch. Our tour in Aswan continues this afternoon with a visit to the Temple of Philae, a beautiful island complex dedicated to Isis and reclaimed from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, which we reach by a scenic boat ride. The rest of the day is free. An option is also available to take a camel ride through the sands on the far bank of the Nile to St. Simeon’s monastery. If you’ve chosen the Abu Simbel option then head to bed early this evening to be ready for a very early start tomorrow morning.
Overnight Aswan – 5 star – Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: - Abu Simbel option. Nile Felucca Cruise
This morning we have the option of taking an early start for the drive to the UNESCO World Heritage site at Abu Simbel. These amazing temples built by Ramses II are one of Egypt’s main highlights and attractions. Those not visiting Abu Simbel can explore Aswan’s markets this morning, walk up and down the Corniche on the banks of the river, or visit the Nubian Museum which has a fascinating collection covering the development of the Nubian people in the region. We board our traditional Nile felucca at lunchtime to enjoy an afternoon sailing down the Nile. Floating down the Nile on a felucca is one of Egypt’s most enjoyable activities and you’ll be able to watch local rural Egyptian life pass you by on the banks of the river as you drift past. Our Nubian crew will sail the boat and entertain you on the way, as well as prepare meals for you. Our separate facilities boat will join us from time to time during the day and match up with us at night. This boat has a welcome toilet and showers on board as well as a hygienic kitchen where the crew will prepare a delicious evening meal. You sleep on the deck of the boat tonight (mattresses, blankets, and mosquito nets provided). You can upgrade your upcoming felucca sailboat trip to a 3-night luxury Nile cruise, and in this case, you’ll spend your first night on board on Day 3 instead of in the hotel. All other touring remains the same.
Overnight On the Nile – Felucca – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: - Edfu temple & Luxor temple
After breakfast on-board we bid farewell to our felucca crew and visit the nearby temple of Edfu before continuing on north to Luxor. The town of Luxor is built on and around the ancient site of Thebes, and boasts the largest concentration of ancient ruins in the Nile Valley, if not the world. To the west of the Nile lies the City of the Dead, with its mortuary temples and rock-hewn tombs, whilst to the east lie the Temples of Luxor and Karnak. Later this evening we’ll take a walking tour of the smaller Luxor Temple which is right in the middle of town and beautifully lit up at night.
Overnight Luxor – 5 star – Breakfast
Day 6: - Luxor, West Bank tour, free time
We cross the Nile early this morning to begin our tour of Luxor’s West Bank. Home to the Valley of the Kings, the dusty tombs in this ancient burial site are still revealing their secrets today and so it remains one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Our tour includes several of these Pharaonic tombs, as well as the temples of Queen Hatshepsut and Medina Habu, and the huge Colossi of Memnon. A spectacular hot air balloon flight over the west bank of the Nile is available this morning (expect an early start to catch sunrise as the balloon rises). Your afternoon is then free to relax and enjoy the facilities of your 5-star hotel on the banks of the Nile. You can also explore Luxor further, do some shopping or browsing in the market, visit the mummification museum or enjoy a felucca trip to nearby Banana Island. Additional sightseeing is also available if you’d like an even more in depth exploration of Egyptian history. For example, the Rammesseum, Workers Village and Valley of the Queens on the west bank of the Nile are all worth a visit. Your tour guide will be happy to arrange any extra visits for you (an extra cost will apply to cover transport, entrances and the guide’s services).
Overnight Luxor – 5 star – Breakfast
Day 7: - Luxor, Karnak temple
Your morning is free today and you can enjoy a welcome lie-in after several early starts. After lunch, we’ll tour the huge temple complex at Karnak, once the religious center of Thebes and Upper Egypt. It was linked to Luxor by an extensive avenue, lined with sphinxes, and the whole complex was in turn linked to the Nile via a canal through which moved the sacred boats of the god Amun.
Entering through a smaller sphinx-lined avenue, built by Ramesses II, you come to the immense pylon entrance. Inside the huge Courtyard are three chapels dedicated to the gods Amon, Khous, and Mutt. The remarkable Hypostyle Hall has 134 towering columns, each carved with scenes of gods and pharaohs, and hieroglyphic inscriptions adorn the walls. Later this evening we transfer to the station for the overnight sleeper train back to Cairo (approx. 9 hours).
Overnight Between Luxor – Cairo – Private Twin Berth Cabin – Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8: - Cairo, Khan-el-Khalili bazaar
We arrived back in Cairo this morning and transferred to our hotel. Most of the day is then free to explore Cairo. You may take an optional tour. These include a city tour in Cairo which visits Coptic Cairo, the Citadel, and Mohamed Ali Mosque, or a half-day tour to Saqqara, Dashour, and Memphis to learn more about the history and evolution of pyramid building. Another full-day option further afield includes a trip into the desert outside Cairo to see the World Heritage Site of the Valley of the Whales at Wadi Rayan. In the late afternoon, we take a guided walk through the back streets and bazaars in central Cairo. We’ll walk through the huge Bab al-Futuh gateway and explore streets dedicated to metalwork, spices, pottery, fabric, jeweler and anything else you can imagine as we gradually enter the touristier Khan-el-Khalili bazaar. We’ll have time for a break to try some tea and a shisha pipe and perhaps enjoy an early dinner of Egypt’s unofficial national dish, Kushari.
Overnight Cairo – 5 star – Breakfast
Day 9: Back to - Cairo
Your time is free today for some last-minute sightseeing or shopping until we transfer you to the airport for your departure flight. – Breakfast
Service Include
Accommodations:
- Due to operational considerations, designated hotels may be subject to change, with alternative accommodations of a comparable category being provided.
- Total – 8 nights in 5-star, Private Twin Berth Cabin & Felucca twin share accommodation.
- 1 night – 5 star – Cairo – Steinberger Pyramids Resort
- 1 night – Private Twin Berth Cabin – Between Cairo – Aswan – Sleeper Train
- 1 night – 5 star – Aswan – Tulip Hotel
- 1 night – Felucca – On the Nile – Felucca
- 2 nights – 5-star – Luxor – Steinberger Nile Palace Hotel
- 1 night – Private Twin Berth Cabin – Between Luxor – Cairo – Sleeper Train
- 1 night – 5 star – Cairo – Cairo Sheraton
- Single Rooms are available with payment of the ‘Single Supplement’
Guide:
- Professional English-speaking tour guide/ Egyptologist for all sightseeing tours
Meals:
- 8 Breakfasts
- 2 Lunches
- 3 Dinners
Transportation:
- Transportation in a fully air-conditioned, non-smoking vehicle
Others Included:
- Transfer – Inbound – Cairo – Cairo International Airport (CAI)
- Transfer – Outbound – Cairo – Cairo International Airport (CAI)
- Overnight sleeper train – from Cairo to Aswan
- Overnight sleeper train – from Luxor to Cairo
- Tips except for driver, guide, and felucca crew
Highlights:
- Cairo – Egyptian Museum, Egyptian Museum – Royal Mummy Room (Optional), Old City Historical Areas – UNESCO Heritage site, Giza Pyramids – UNESCO Heritage site, Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), The Sphinx
- Aswan – Nubian Village (Lunch), Temple of Philae Felucca Sailing
- Edfu Temple of Horus Luxor Temple
- Luxor – Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Kings – Tutankhamen’s Tomb (Optional), Queen Hatshepsut Temple, Medina Habu, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple
- Cairo – Khan el-Khalili Bazaar
Excluded Services
- International flight tickets.
- Egypt Visa Application
- Personal expenses and tips.
- Travel Insurance
- Expenses of personal nature such as drinks, telephone, and laundry bills etc.
- Any additional expenses incurred due to any flight delay or cancellation, weather conditions, political closures, technical faults etc.
- Any other service/s not specified above.
