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Imagine a circuit that immerses you in the essence of Egypt, taking you beyond the classic destinations. This 12-day trip will not only transport you through bustling Cairo and a luxurious Nile cruise, but will take you deep into the spectacular Sinai Peninsula. You will experience the diversity and charm that every corner of Egypt has to offer, from the vibrant capital with the impressive necropolis of Giza, to the wonders of Upper Egypt, and finally, the jewels of Sinai.
Your journey begins in the vibrant and lively metropolis of Cairo, followed by a visit to the famous Pyramids of Giza. Afterwards, you will embark on a luxury cruise, sailing from Aswan to Luxor, discovering the wonders of Upper Egypt. But the jewel of this tour is undoubtedly the final stage: an unforgettable journey to Sinai, where you can explore the iconic Mount Sinai and the paradisiacal beaches of Sharm el-Sheikh.
This 12-day circuit is carefully designed to offer you the best experience. The first three days immerse you in the rich history of Cairo and Giza. The next five days are dedicated to navigation on the Nile, from Aswan to Luxor, allowing you to discover the vast territory of Upper Egypt. Finally, the last four days take you on an exciting journey through Sinai, focusing on the attractions of the southern peninsula. Join us on this fascinating trip and discover one of the most complete proposals of our agency.
Day 1: Arrival in Cairo
Day 2: Tour of the Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara
Day 3: Full day in Cairo
Day 4: Cairo – Aswan
Day 5: Abu Simbel – Kom Ombo – Edfu
Day 6: Cruise: Edfu – Luxor
Day 7: Luxor
Day 8: Luxor – Dendera – Abydos – Cairo
Day 9: Cairo – Sinai
Day 10: Mount Sinai at sunset
Day 11: Sharm-El Sheikh
Day 12: Sharm el-Sheikh – Cairo
Cairo is the major gateway to Egypt for travelers from other countries. For this reason, this circuit starts at this airport, as well as its end (around the corner from the airport). trip to Sinai).
Our Spanish-speaking staff will be waiting for you at the airport terminal to help you with the final visa formalities, if necessary. Afterwards, our driver will transfer you by private vehicle to your hotel in Cairo.
Upon arrival at the hotel, check-in will take place and we will also provide all the information of interest for the rest of this tour of Egypt: from practical issues such as the local currency or the use of the Internet to questions about the itinerary such as the services on board the Nile cruise or the activities to be carried out in the Nile. trip to Sinai.
After the briefing and if schedules permit, there may be free time for a first contact with the city, before resting this first night in your hotel in Cairo.
The cultural visits begin on the second day of this tour and take us to the great symbol of Ancient Egypt: the Pyramids of Giza. After breakfast, which is not only included in this hotel in Cairo, but also in the hotel’s restaurant, we will be transferred there by private vehicle with driver. trip to Sinai and on the Nile cruise.
With our guide, you will visit the most important parts of the necropolis of Giza. Of course, the Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus, pharaohs of the IV dynasty who ordered the construction of these funerary monuments approximately 4,500 years ago. We will also get to know closely the Great Sphinx, half lion, half pharaoh, whose silhouette evokes feelings of fascination and mystery at the same time. And we will understand the importance of other areas of this archaeological site, such as the Temple of the Valley.
Very interesting are also two other nearby necropolises that we will visit with our guide and that, like Giza, are Unesco World Heritage Sites. The first, that of Saqqara, sacred burial place of Memphis for the pharaohs of the III dynasty, mainly. In the enclosure stands out, above all, the Step Pyramid of Zoser, considered the first of this civilization. And the second necropolis to discover is that of Dahshur, with other particular pharaonic pyramids for different reasons.
Lunch on this day will be taken at a local restaurant and the afternoon will be free in Cairo. Therefore, before returning to the hotel on this second night of the tour, you can go shopping, stroll around the city or simply rest.
If the Pharaonic civilization arouses great fascination among visitors to Egypt, the same is true of other periods of Egyptian history, such as the rise of Coptic Christianity and the Arab conquest. This and many other things will be discussed on this third day of the tour, which will take us through the different neighborhoods of Cairo.
After breakfast, the first scheduled visit is to the Egyptian Museum, which houses the most important collections of Ancient Egypt, such as mummies of great pharaohs, funerary jewelry from royal tombs and sculptures that demonstrate the high technical quality of their authors.
Upon departure, we will travel to Islamic Cairo, the name given to the medieval and primitive quarter, which emerged from the founding of the city by the Arab population. A walk through its streets shows us the importance that this city acquired under rulers such as the Fatimids or the Mamluks, who built imposing mosques and monuments. Among them are the Citadel of Saladin and the Alabaster Mosque, which are part of the route. The same is true of the grand Jan el-Jalili Bazaar, the popular heart of this neighborhood and considered one of the oldest and largest in the Middle East. It is no coincidence that all this was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Of great interest is also the Coptic Quarter, which houses the most important churches of the city, such as the Hanging Church or the Church of St. Sergius. Some of them are related to the Flight into Egypt of the Virgin, St. Joseph and the Child Jesus, as our guide will explain. This neighborhood is also home to the Ben Ezra Synagogue and other spaces that testify to the religious coexistence in the country, as we will also see in our trip to Sinai when ascending Mount Horeb (or Sinai). In addition, we will have time to visit another Christian monument of great significance: the Church of the Cave, in the eastern part of the city.
Therefore, this is a very complete day, which also includes lunch at a local restaurant to taste typical Egyptian cuisine. In the evening, you will rest again at your hotel in Cairo.
After three intense days in Cairo and Giza, it’s time to move to the southern tip of the country to see the most interesting sights of Upper Egypt. Therefore, after breakfast at the hotel, our driver will transfer you to Cairo airport for a flight to Aswan.
At the airport of this southern city, another representative of our agency and a guide will be waiting for you, who will transfer you directly to the next monument to visit: the Temple of Isis at Philae, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is located on the island of Agilkia, in the waters of the Nile River and populated by lush nature. It is a temple dedicated to the mother goddess Isis and built in the time of Nectanebo I (dynasty XXX). It is therefore considered one of the last great works of Ancient Egypt and one of the best preserved temples.
After delighting ourselves with the architecture and symbolism of this temple, we will move to the city of Aswan to check-in at our accommodation for the next few days: the cruise ship, although navigation will not begin on this day. After that, the afternoon will be free to explore the attractions of this Upper Egyptian city, which are many and varied. For example, the Nubian village, one of the few strongholds of the Nubian culture. Or the site of the Unfinished Obelisk, where you can learn how these monuments were built in Ancient Egyptian times. The gardens of Elephantine Island or the City Museum are other options for those who prefer to make the most of the afternoon. In the evening, dinner will be served on board the cruise ship, where you will also sleep.
On the fifth day of this circuit, we will wake up very early because one of the most fascinating places of the whole program awaits us: Abu Simbel. As it is located in the extreme south of the country, on the shores of Lake Nasser, we will leave by road. For this reason, breakfast on this day will not be on board the cruise ship, but in Breakfast Box format.
Two are the temples of Abu Simbel, built by the great pharaoh Ramses II: one in his own homage and the other in honor of the goddess Hathor and his wife, Nefertari. Our guide will explain all the artistic details of both spaces, as well as the reasons for their construction and curiosities about the life of both monarchs, who have passed to posterity for their good government and their magnificent love relationship. In addition, you will discover how these temples were the protagonists of an international campaign to be saved in the 1960s, when the waters of the newly created Lake Nasser threatened to flood them, as a result of the construction of the Aswan Dam.
With the grandeur of Abu Simbel still in our minds, we will return to Aswan for lunch on board the cruise ship and begin our navigation on the Nile River. Ahead of us lie two days of cruising, stopping at the most special and spectacular places in Upper Egypt. The first of them will be Kom Ombo, where stands out (literally) its temple in honor of Haroeris (Horus the Elder) and, above all, Sobek, god of fertility turned into a crocodile. It is for this reason that this animal is represented practically everywhere and that in this temple, from the Ptolemaic period, countless mummified crocodiles have been discovered. Many of them are exhibited today in the adjacent Crocodile Museum, where you can learn more about the veneration for this god and this animal in the area, when its population was very large on the river bank.
On our return to the cruise ship, we will continue our journey downstream until we reach Edfu late in the day. In its port, on board the ship, we will have dinner and sleep to be well rested for the next day, when we will visit the spectacular temple of this city.
This sixth day of the tour is, in turn, the second and last day of the river crossing on our Nile cruise. And you will have, of course, all the attractions of this experience: relaxing breakfast on board, a pleasant navigation while contemplating the riverside scenery of this river and a cultural visit of maximum interest: the temple of Edfu.
This temple was built in Greco-Roman times and is the second largest in Egypt. It is dedicated to Horus, the ‘falcon’ god of hunting and war, and for this reason numerous representations of this divinity can be seen in the enclosure, as our guide will explain in detail. Other spaces that generate a huge impact on all visitors are its entrance pylons and its Boat Hall, the latter used for river processions on the waters of the Nile.
That is precisely what we will do after visiting the temple: follow our particular ‘procession’ down the Nile until we reach Esna, where the lock that regulates the flow of the river is located and, after that, reach Luxor, the current name of the ancient Thebes. Our cruise ends in this city, where we will stay for several days, as there are many places of interest. Not in vain was it the capital of Ancient Egypt during the New Empire and today it is a World Heritage Site thanks to Unesco.
During the afternoon we will stay on the eastern edge of the city, where two great temples are located: those of Luxor and Karnak, linked by the Avenue of the Sphinxes, recently restored. The great columns of the Hypostyle Halls, the colossal sculptures and the obelisks that are still standing are some of its great symbols. In the late afternoon and evening, they also acquire a special beauty.
The night of this sixth day of the tour will be spent on the cruise ship, which will remain moored in port to be your home until the following day. Therefore, dinner on board will also be included.
In Luxor we will spend the entire seventh day of this circuit, this time touring the so-called Western Thebes. We will do this after breakfast on board the cruise ship and check-out.
In the western sector of Luxor (Thebes) are the funerary enclosures of that great city, where the pharaohs, queens, members of the court and the lower strata of that society sought eternal life. On our route by road we will reach temples and monuments that are impressive for their beauty, grandeur and solemnity. This is the case of the Valley of the Kings, where important pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Ramses III had their rich tombs excavated.
We will also visit the funerary temple of the Pharaoh Queen Hatshepsut, in the area called Deir el Bahari, at the foot of spectacular rocky ravines. And the Colossi of Memnon will remind us that another funerary temple was erected there, in this case of Amenophis III. With the help of our guide, the tour will make sense and it will be easier to immerse yourself in this period of great splendor, especially between the XVIII and XX dynasties.
Lunch will be at a local restaurant and, back in Luxor, we will check-in at the hotel where you will spend the night of this seventh day.
On the map, this is a transitional stage in order to be able to undertake journey to Sinai the next day. However, it is planned to be able to visit two of the most important and beautiful temples of Ancient Egypt: Dendera and Abydos. We will depart for them by road, after breakfast and check-out from our hotel in Luxor.
The first stop will be Dendera, which preserves a sacred enclosure with mammisis and several temples. The main one is dedicated to Hathor, goddess of love and magic. Its imposing columns are fascinating not only for the suggestive faces of this divinity in the capitals, but also for the remains of polychromy that allow us to imagine how the original decoration of this and other temples of Ancient Egypt was. Thanks to our guide we will also discover other secrets that have given fame to the temple, such as the Zodiac of Dendera: although the original is in France, here there is a replica that shows the advanced knowledge of astronomy in that civilization.
After leaving Dendera, we will arrive shortly after to Abydos, considered the great pilgrimage center of Ancient Egypt. It was so because this sacred precinct was the center of worship of the god Osiris, divinity of the Afterlife and regeneration. This is where countless believers traveled in search of favor to attain eternal life after death. And here Seti I had his funerary temple built, of great artistic and historiographic value.
After these two visits, we will take a break for lunch at a local restaurant, and thus recharge our batteries for the journey ahead: touring all of Middle Egypt by bus until arriving in Cairo at the end of the day. At night, you will sleep in a hotel in Cairo, with the possibility of being located at the airport or nearby, if desired, as it is a convenient and practical solution for the airport. trip to Sinai the next day.
On the morning of this ninth day you will set out journey to Sinai. Therefore, after breakfast at the hotel, our staff will accompany you to the departure terminal and will be waiting for you upon arrival at Sharm el-Sheikh airport to pick you up and transfer you by private vehicle to your resort.
In this top quality resort you will stay for the three nights of this trip to the Sinai trip to Sinai. On this first day, you will check-in upon arrival and have free time to rest, enjoy a swim or any other activity compatible with the schedule.
Two of the main attractions of any trip to the Sinai are scheduled for this day. trip to SinaiThe beach and the sacred Mount Sinai. The day will begin with breakfast at the Sharm el-Sheikh resort and then enjoy some free time on the beach: here, the crystal clear waters and the always pleasant temperatures of the Red Sea make swimming a relaxing and restorative experience, worth enjoying at leisure.
After lunch, we will travel by road by private vehicle to the interior of the peninsula. Specifically, to Santa Catalina, in whose surroundings rises the holiest of all mountains: Mount Horeb for the Jews or Mount Sinai for the Christians, known as Gebel Musa in Arabic (whose translation is Mount Moses). This is where, according to the Bible, Moses received the Tablets of the Law. This enormous significance, coupled with the natural beauty of the surroundings, attracts thousands of pilgrims every day.
In our case, the chosen option is to climb to the top at a magical, almost mystical hour: sunset, which tinges this sacred landscape with a supernatural color. To ascend and descend safely and comfortably, we will be assisted by a Bedouin guide who knows the area inside out. And after completing this unforgettable adventure, we will return to Sharm el-Sheikh resort for dinner and overnight.
Resting is one of the great attractions of any trip to Sinai. trip to Sinaithanks to its beaches and desert, which invite you to disconnect from the world. That is precisely what the penultimate day of this tour of Egypt, which is completely free for the traveler. Relaxing at the resort from breakfast to dinner is an option, but there are also complementary and very popular activities in the area, such as snorkeling, private boat trips or 4×4 desert safaris.
You will have total freedom to schedule your day, taking into account that all meals are included in the resort.
The trip to Sinai and the tour of Egypt concludes on this twelfth day. You will still have time to enjoy a last breakfast at the resort and, after check-out, our driver will pick you up for the transfer to Sharm el-Sheikh airport. There you will take the flight to Cairo that will connect with your flight back home.
It will be the moment to say goodbye and show our deep gratitude for your trust, hoping that our services have fulfilled your expectations during your trip around the country.
In these 12 days of circuit, you will enjoy the following services included in the package:
These are the services that are not included during the days spent in Cairo, Upper Egypt and the Sinai trip. Sinai trip:
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Travel agency and DMC specializing in private and tailor-made trips to Egypt.
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