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Cabin of the M/S Mirage
Restaurant of the M/S Mirage
 Lobby of the M/S Mirage

Tour 3. Discover Luxor and Cairo

Day 3: Monday
Direct flight to Luxor, upon arrival to Luxor international airport, meet and assisted by your local ground handler English representative for visa procedures and required assistance.  Then you will be escorted to your selected Nile Cruise via private deluxe air-conditioned coach where you will be welcome with refreshments. Check in, overnight on board.
Meal Plan: L & D

Day 2: Tuesday
After breakfast, visit the East Bank: Karnak and Luxor Temples, back to the boat for Lunch and then visit the west Bank: Temple of Hatchpsout, Valley of the Kings and colossi of Memnnon, sail to Esna, and overnight
Meal Plan: B, L & D

Karnak Temple: although most people coming out to Karnak only visit the temple of Amun, actually believing that it is named Karnak temple, there is more here. There are 03 main temple enclosures, with the temples of Mut and the Precinct of Mont in addition to Amun's inside the precinct of Amun are several more temples.
For the modern day visitor, it is clearly the temple of Amun which deserves most of the attention.

Luxor Temple: was started to be constructed around 1400 BCE by pharaoh Amenophis 3, who also depicted on the two Colossi of Memnon. Ramses 2 added large parts to the temple more than 100 years later. The fact that the temple of Luxor only has two major construction periods has contributed to a more coherent style and layout than what was the case with the temple of Amun at Karnak.

Temple of Hatchpsout: is the only woman ruling Egypt as a pharaoh, but this only happened through clever use of coalitions and marriage. She was the daughter of Tuthmosis2, married of Tuthmosis 3 and after his death she claimed effective power by marrying infant Tuthmosis4. Her temple here at the foot of the Theban hills is among the most effectively designed structures of all of Egypt.

Valley of the Kings: dimensions considered, the Valley of the Kings is completely inferior as funerary complexes compared to the pyramids further north in Egypt. But the decorations here illustrate the thoughts and ideas, and the expectations for the afterworld to a degree that the pyramids do not. There are usually 30 – 40 open tombs, but the size varies a lot as well as the artistic level of the wall decorations. Most visitors will be satisfied with visiting 3 – 5 tombs, and a good experience is mostly decided by whether you can walk around a tomb by yourself or not.. 

Colossi of Memnon: the two lonely statues out on the plains of Luxor's west bank are not of Memnon, but of Amenophis3 of the 15th century BCE. And they used to belong to his huge mortuary temple, standing in front of its pylons. But only 150 years ordered pharaoh merneptah that stones should be taken from Amenophis' temple, and used for his own mortuary temple just a few hundred meters north

Day 3: Wednesday
Sail to Edfu and visit Horus Temple, sail to Kom ombo, visit the Temple of Kom ombo and overnight
Meal Plan: B, L & D

Edfu Temple: it lies in Edfu town, 123 km north of Aswan on the west bank of the Nile. It dates back to the Ptolemaic period. It was dedicated to the worship of god Horus represented as a falcon. it is one of the most beautiful Egyptian temples, distinguished by its huge splendid structure that blends pharaonic and Greek architecture. Its grandeur competes with Luxor temples. It is the second largest temple after Karnak. It also houses the milometer and a huge pylon at the entrance. It was discovered in 1860 by the famous archaeologist Marietta. On its walls are relief's which depict the history of Ptolemies and reflect religious belief and art style of the period. 

Kom ombo Temple: it is located in Kom ombo town, 45 km north of Aswan. It is built on a hillside overlooking the Nile. This temple was constructed in the Ptolemaic Roman era for the worship of god Haroeris and Sobek, the crocodile god. It is noted for relief engravings on its walls which show ancient surgical tools, bones sawa and dentistry tools. Nearby there are three mummified crocodiles. They are now in Hathor's chapel. Near Kom ombo you can go on a visit to camel market in Draw, where camels brought from north Sudan are sold.

Day 4: Thursday
Sail to Aswan, visit the high Dam, unfinished obelisk and Philae temple, afternoon visit the botanical Garden by Felucca, overnight in Aswan.
Meal Plan: B, L & D

The High Dam: the world-famous High Dam was an engineering miracle when it was built in the 1960s. it is rising 7km south of the city. The High Dam, one of the biggest dams in the world, was erected to store the flood waters of the Nile whereby preventing the annual flooding which on occasions could submerge whole villages. The water is stored in Lake Nasser and then used to irrigate and reclaim new land and generate the electricity needed by industries.

 The unfinished obelisk: it is a huge obelisk incompletely carved, about 41m high and more than 1150 tons weight. It owes its importance to the fact that it shows the techniques the ancient Egyptians used in carving obelisks. There is the Fatimid cemetery which includes hundreds of tombs built of mud brick that dates back to the ninth century.

The Temple of Philae: this temple was dedicated to goddess Isis. It was over flooded by the Nile. Philae temple was dismantled and reassembled in a new site on Agilika Island, about 500 km from its former site on Philae Island

Day 5: Friday
Disembarkation from the cruise, early morning flight to ABS to visit the temple, and then back to Cairo (direct flight or via Aswan), upon arrival to Cairo
Meet and assist, transfer to visit the Egyptian museum including the treasures of Tutankhamen followed by a short tour at Khan el khalili bazaar + lunch at Khan el khalili Naguib mahfouz café, back to the hotel and freshen up before returning to Giza to witness the fabulous Sound & Light Show
Meal Plan: B & L

Day 6: Saturday
After breakfast at the hotel, you will meet your guide in the lobby and depart to visit the famous pyramids of Giza, lunch at the famous Sakkarah country club. After lunch visit Sakkarah and Memphis
Back to the hotel for refreshment and then departure to Cairo capital club for the Farwell dinner.  
Meal Plan: B, L & D

Abu Simbel Temple: not only are the two temples at Abu Simbel among the most magnificent monuments in the world but their removal and reconstruction was an historic event in itself. When the temples (280 km from Aswan) were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser, due to the construction of the high dam, the Egyptian Government secured the support of UNESCO and launched a world-wide appeal. During the salvage operation, which began in 1964 and continued until 1968, the two temples were dismantled and raised over 60m. up the sandstone cliff where they had been built more than 3,000 years before. 

The Pyramids of Giza: on the west of the Nile facing Cairo and on top of Giza plateau rise the three pyramids erected by Cheops, chephren and Mycerinus, guarded by the mythical statue with the body of a lion and a human head. The three Pyramids and the sphinx are considered one of the seven wonders of the world and the most important tourist site in Egypt. The great pyramid, built by king cheops (IV Dynasty), circa 2690 BC. The pyramid covers an area of 13 acres. Its height, originally 146m, has now become 137m, after the erosion of its summit. The total volume of its stones amounts to 2.5 million cubic meters. The ancient Egyptian's aim in building the pyramids was that they should serve as sepulchers for their Pharaohs to preserve their bodies, for they believed in resurrection and immortality

Day 7: Sunday 
After breakfast at the hotel, check out and meet your representative and driver in the lobby for your private transfer to Cairo airport to catch your flight back home.
Meal Plan: B   

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