Your Christmas vacation in Egypt begins upon your peaceful arrival at Cairo Airport.

You will meet with GAT Tours’ Representative, who will be your assistant during your stay in Egypt.

Then, you will head to your hotel in a private Air-conditioned vehicle. You will check in the hotel and go directly to your new room to have some rest after a long flight.

Meal Plan: No Meals

After having your breakfast, you will join your tour guide on your first adventure of today.

Your unique tour in Cairo will start with The Pyramids of Giza which is the most popular monument in the world. It was constructed around 2500 BC in the fourth dynasty, you will explore the pyramid of Cheops, then Khafre, and the smaller one of Menkaure. You also can’t miss the marvelous sphinx that was constructed with a body of a lion and the head of a human in order to guard the 3 pyramids from any threats.

Your next stop will be to Saqqara city which was the royal burial site of the Old Kingdom in the 3rd dynasty. The centerpiece of Saqqara is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is the first pyramid to be built in Egypt and the oldest surviving stone in the whole world. It was built in the 27th century BC.

Then your last destination will be to the first capital of Egypt, Memphis city. This city was established by King Narmer in the 32nd century BC after he was able to unify Upper and Lower Egypt. There is a fascinating open-air museum that hosts lots of monuments belonging to the New Kingdom like the amazing Colossi of Ramses II, the alabaster sphinx, and many other statues and items.

Later on, you will be having your lunch meal at a local restaurant in Cairo.

Now you will return back to your hotel to have some rest. During evening time you will have free time or you can go for an optional tour in Cairo to enjoy your night.

Meal Plan: Breakfast and Lunch

In the morning you will check out after having your breakfast meal in the hotel.

GAT Tours’ Representative will be waiting for you to take you on a private Air-conditioned vehicle to Cairo Airport in order to catch your domestic flight to Aswan city.

Your amazing vacation will continue once you arrive in Aswan, GAT Tours’ local Representative will meet you there to take you with private cars towards the city of Abu Simbel.

You will enjoy visiting the Abu Simbel Temples which is one of the greatest achievements of ancient Egyptians. It was built by Ramses II and they got discovered in the 19th century.

After such an amazing visit, you will head to your new hotel in Aswan city where you will check in and get some rest.

Evening time is yours to relax at your hotel or you can go for an optional tour in this amazing city to enjoy your night.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

You will begin your day with a breakfast meal at your hotel then you will check out to go for more interesting accommodation at the Nile Cruise ship.

Our local representative in Aswan will take you on a private air-conditioned vehicle to your ship where you will be enjoying your lunch meal on board.

Once the lunch is over, you will be heading to visit the High Dam which is one of the important projects built in modern Egypt. It was built in the 1960s during the era of the former Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser. The dam helped Egypt to store lots of water from the River Nile flood and at the same time to generate a large volume of electricity.

Then you will go on a motorboat ride to visit the attractive site of Agilika Island. This island is the new location of the amazing Philae Temple after the construction of the High Dam. This construction has caused some damage because of the water flood so UNESCO took the role to rescue the historical sites and Philae Temple was one of them. Philae Temple was built in the 3rd century BC during the Greco Roman era and it was dedicated to goddess Isis.

Your last visit today will be to the Unfinished Obelisk. The interesting thing about this site is that it was found in the granite quarry of Aswan and they discovered its greatness from the construction itself. If it was completed, it would have been the largest piece of stone in the whole world, it’s considere as a miraculous construction.

After such a great tour, you will return to our Nile cruiser for rest and refreshment.

Afternoon, you will have some free time to spend it on board with some relaxation beside the pool and to enjoy the charming views of the River Nile.

In the Evening you will have a wonderful opportunity to go for an optional tour to the sound and light show at Philae Temple. You will know everything there about the goddess Isis and her husband Osiris with an attractive show.

After a great night show, you’ll get back to your Nile cruise ship for dinner and have a sleepy night. [Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner]

Energizing breakfast will be served on board before our full day tour.

Our Nile Cruise ship will land at the location of the Temple of Kom Ombo, established in the Ptolemaic period and completed in the Roman era, the temple is dedicated to two gods, the local crocodile, Sobek and the famous eagle god, Haroeris. This was why the temple was divided into two sections; one for each god.

After visiting the amazing temple of Kom Ombo, you will get back to the ship, so we can enjoy the lunch on board while sailing to the city of Edfu. Enjoy the wonderful landscape of the Nile from the sundeck. Arrange yourself for the second visit of the day, whereas we will meet Temple of Horus in Edfu, the finest preserved ancient Egyptian temple in the land of the Nile. It was constructed by the Ptolemies in the 3rd century BC for the worship of the god Horus. The temple is featured with its marvelous stone columns and fascinating wall carvings.

Evening time is free at leisure to enjoy the Egyptian folklore show in the ship with a belly dancer and many other entertaining performances, or (optional) we can attend the sound & light show at Temple of Edfu, a wonderful chance to know the story of the temple through a startling sound and lights show which is enjoyed by everybody.

Usually it depends on the cruise schedule, as some cruisers don’t have an overnight in Edfu. [Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner]

Morning time is free at leisure or (optional) you can enjoy a Hot-air Balloon adventure to explore Luxor from the sky, having amazing views of the city. It is as if you are a bird flying across the marvelous monuments of Luxor.

Enjoy your delicious breakfast before exploring the West bank of Luxor, the city of the dead where many marvelous mortuary temples and necropolises are located.

Our first visit of the day will be to the Valley of the Kings, the richest and most fascinating ancient tombs in Egypt. This was the burial site of the kings from the New Kingdom. This includes the marvelous tomb of Tutankhamen, discovered intact by Howard Carter in 1922 as the most important archeological discovery in the 20th century. The tombs are featured with marvelous wall paintings which survived until today.

The next visit will be to the Temple of Deir El Bahari, which was constructed during the reign of the 18th dynasty by Queen Hatshepsut, one of the greatest rulers of Egypt. The Temple is featured with its many terraces, the statues of the Queen with a beard, and its magnificent location carved out of one of the great mountains of Thebes.

Our last visit at the West Bank will be to the Colossi of Memnon, these two huge statues are the only remaining items of the great funerary temple of Amenhotep III constructed in 1350 BC and became a landmark of Luxor afterwards.

After the tour, we will get back to the Nile cruiser to have our delicious lunch meal on board.

Enjoy your Afternoon tea on board while relaxing on the sundeck facing the amazing view of the Nile.

At night, we will enjoy the funniest party on board “Galabeiya Party” or listen to international music. [Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner]

Enjoy your wonderful buffet breakfast on board before exploring the east bank of Luxor.
Our first visit of the day will be to Temple of Karnak, the largest Pharaonic temple complex in the world. Constructed over a period of more than one thousand years, almost all the impressive items of the Karnak we see today date back to the new kingdom, especially the huge amazing columns of the hypostyle hall which were constructed by Ramses II, the greatest builder of ancient Egypt.

Our next visit of the day will be to the Luxor Temple, another startling temple which was established around the 14th century BC and the construction continued for many years afterwards by Ramses II, Queen Hatshepsut, and many other Pharaohs. The temple is featured with its variety of design outlines and architecture. This is besides the huge two statues of Ramses II which ornament the façade of the temple.

The most comfortable vehicle will be awaiting you afterwards to transfer you to the Luxor train station in order to catch your Sleeper Train which will take you back to Cairo.

Dinner and overnight on board. [Breakfast & Dinner]

Enjoy your breakfast meal on board the train. Your train arrives in Cairo at approximately 06:30 AM, where you will be met with our representative who will transfer you by private A/C vehicle to your hotel in Cairo for check in, rest and refresh.

After that, you’ll join your expert tour guide in such an awe-inspiring tour in the city center of Cairo. We begin our visits of the day by exploring The Egyptian Museum, the largest museum in the world with a huge collection of displays dating back to various periods of the ancient Egyptian history with the highlights being the golden exhibits of Tutankhamen, the mummies’ hall, large impressive reliefs, statues, and many other fascinating items.

Our next visit will be to the Citadel, constructed in the 10th century by Saladin to protect Egypt and became the residence of the rulers of Egypt for a period that lasted more than seven centuries. The citadel itself is one of the most impressive medieval fortresses and it contains many remarkable monuments like the famous Mosque of Mohamed Ali, the Mosque of El Nasser Mohamed, and many interesting museums. This is besides offering the guests amazing panoramic views of the city of Cairo.

Later on, you will enjoy your lunch meal at a local restaurant.

After lunch we will proceed to the Old Cairo area, a part of the Egyptian capital that hosts some of the most interesting Coptic monuments in the country. We will start our Coptic tour by visiting The Hanging Church, first established in the 5th century and one of the most important historical churches in Egypt.

Our next visit in Coptic Cairo will be to the Abu Serga Church, believed to be constructed where the holy family rested at the end of their journey, it was constructed in the 7th century.

Our last visit in Coptic Cairo will be to the Church of Saint Mary, an orthodox church, built during the 5th century, restored and rebuilt many times afterwards.

After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Cairo for rest and refreshment.

At night, free at leisure on your own in Cairo or (optional) we can offer Nile Cruise Dinner, with the most delicious open buffet, a Tanoora show, a belly dancing performance, live music, and remarkable views of the river Nile.

Finally, we will get back to the hotel overnight. [Breakfast & Lunch]

After having your breakfast, you will join your professional Egyptologist in another amazing tour to the “bride of the Mediterranean sea”, Alexandria city.

In 2 to 3 hours you will arrive in Alexandria where you will begin your adventure.

The Library of Alexandria will be your first destination. It was established in the 3rd century BC but was destroyed in the 1st century BC. The library you can see today was opened in 2002.

Then next you will be visiting the Roman Amphitheatre which was discovered in 1960. This amazing theatre was built in the 4th century BC with creative marble steps.

Once you’re in Alexandria you have to pass by the Qaitbay Citadel and visit it from outside. This citadel was built in the 16th century. It will amaze you with it’s structure.

During lunch time, you will be enjoying the Egyptian food at one of the best restaurants of Alexandria.

After lunch, you will drive back to Cairo to reach your beloved hotel and spend a relaxing sleepy night. [Breakfast & Lunch]

Today you will be having your last breakfast then you will get ready to check out the hotel.

Then you will meet our English-speaking representative who will take you with a private A/C vehicle to Cairo International Airport to catch your departure flight back home with lots of wonderful memories about your last trip to the city of the Nile, Egypt. [Breakfast]