Best of Egypt (Winter)

Embark on an expedition to the land of the Pharaohs, starting your journey in Egypt's effervescent capital, Cairo.

On arrival at Cairo Airport, you'll be transferred to your hotel and have time to relax after your journey. Refreshed and ready to embrace the intoxicating energy of this ancient and modern city, you'll be thrilled with the many treasures that will give you a preview of what's about to come – an incredible encounter with antiquities you'll be sharing with friends for years to come. Stay: Hilton Heliopolis

Early this morning you'll meet your Travel Director and fly to Luxor and connect with the remnants of ancient Thebes during a visit to the Temple of Amun and the imposing Avenue of the Sphinxes. Board your cruise ship in time for lunch, then visit the Luxor Museum before returning to your cruise ship.

This evening, get to know your Travel Director, a professionally trained Egyptologist, as well as fellow guests over a welcome drink followed by dinner. (B/L/D) Stay: Nile Cruise

Journey to the final resting place of Egypt's Pharaohs, immersing yourself in the ancient history of Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and the Grand Temple of Luxor. Connect With Locals as you enjoy a traditional Be My Guest bite to eat of freshly baked bread with honey and mint tea in the archaeological paradise that is Luxor's West Bank. (B/L/D)

Sail upstream to Kom Ombo, where life remains much as it was a thousand years ago. Standing at the threshold of the imposing Temple of Kom Ombo on the banks of the Nile, you'll imagine visitors over the centuries arriving to pay homage to the gods Horus the Elder and Sobek. Tour the Temple and learn about its ‘double' and perfectly symmetrical design for the duo, one side dedicated to the crocodile god, the other to the falcon god.

After a captivating encounter with the ancients, enjoy a traditional Egyptian dinner on our cruise boat. Watching the sun set over the shimmering Nile, don your galabeas and toast to legends of the past and new friends. (B/L/D)

Set sail on a traditional felucca across the mighty Nile to voyage around the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener's Island.

On arrival explore the Aswan Dam, built to curb the periodic flooding of the Nile. Our next stop is the Temple of Isis, followed by a visit to the Unfinished Obelisk, lying semi-carved in the solid bedrock. (B/L/D)

Enjoy a morning at leisure, or perhaps join a once-in-a-lifetime Optional Experience to Abu Simbel, carved into a solid rock cliff in Egypt's Nubian Valley. As you approach the Great Temple, marvel at the four-seated colossi on either side of the entrance and the elaborate engravings depicting great victories and tributes to the gods.

Later this afternoon, fly back to Cairo. (B) Stay: Ramses Hilton

Take in sweeping views over Cairo from the site of the old Citadel before heading inside the Alabaster Mosque. With its elegant domes and Ottoman design, this landmark built by Muhammad Ali Pasha is one of Egypt's most iconic. Then step inside the Hanging Church of St. Mary, one of the oldest Coptic churches in the country, built over the ruins of a Roman fortress. Enjoy some free time to explore and grab lunch at your own pace.

Later, join an Egyptologist at the Grand Egyptian Museum to uncover over 100,000 artefacts, including Tutankhamun's full tomb collection, from gold jewellery to the famous funerary mask. (B)

The Great Pyramids of Giza beckon today and we have an opportunity to embark on a soul-stirring encounter with its treasures – the Colossus of Ramses II, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara and the enigmatic Great Sphinx. Be mesmerized by the intricate art of Egyptian carpet weaving as you meet the skilled artisans of a local weaving school during a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience. (B)

Our epic journey at its end, we say farewell to newfound friends. (B)