Day 1

Afternoon non-stop flight by EgyptAir from London Heathrow to Cairo. On arrival you will be met by your Tour Manager, a trained Egyptologist who will accompany you throughout your visit, and taken to the centrally located Nile Hilton Hotel. You may request a guaranteed Nile View Room for a special price of £40 per person for 4 nights (double or single).

Meals: None

Hotel: Nile Hilton Hotel

Day 2

We spend the morning in the incomparable Egyptian Museum, located next door to our hotel. Afternoon free. Many of our passengers choose to return to the museum, as the tickets we have purchased are valid for the whole day. In the evening we invite you to a welcome dinner at a floating restaurant on the Nile.

Meals: B D

Hotel: Nile Hilton Hotel

Day 3

Morning excursion to the Pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza, including the Solar Boat Museum. In the afternoon you may wish to take an optional excursion to Memphis (3200 BC), the ancient capital of Egypt, continuing over the desert to Saqqara to the Step Pyramid of King Zoser (3rd Dynasty).

Meals: B

Hotel: Nile Hilton Hotel

Day 4

At leisure in Cairo, with the option of visiting the mosques and bazaars of Old Cairo

Meals: B

Hotel: Nile Hilton Hotel

Day 5

Fly to Aswan. Embark on the Nile Beauty for lunch at the start of your week-long cruise. Afternoon sightseeing includes the Temple of Philae, the ancient Granite Quarries and the Aswan High Dam.

Meals: B L D

Hotel: Nile Beauty

Day 6

Sail north to visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, located dramatically on a small promontory above the Nile, and dedicated to the twin deities Sobek and Haroeris. Overnight at Edfu.

Meals: B L D

Hotel: Nile Beauty

Day 7

Sail through the Esna Lock to Luxor, where we arrive in the afternoon.

Meals: B L D

Hotel: Nile Beauty

Day 8

Morning free. In the afternoon we explore the monumental XVIIIth Dynasty temples of Karnak and Luxor.

Meals: B L D

Hotel: Nile Beauty

Day 9

On the West Bank of the Nile lies the famous Valley of the Kings, where we explore some of the amazing tombs of the pharaohs. We continue to the Valley of the Queens and the imposing temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. In the afternoon we cruise on the Nile back to Esna.

Meals: B L D

Hotel: Nile Beauty

Day 10

Continue to Edfu where we visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus (237 BC). Sail for Kom Ombo, where we moor overnight.

Meals: B L D

Hotel: Nile Beauty

Day 11

In the morning we sail back to Aswan, gateway to Nubia.

Meals: B L D

Hotel: Nile Beauty

Day 12

Disembark after breakfast. Visit the Botanical Gardens on Kitchener Island before checking in at the Movenpick Resort. Afternoon at leisure.

Meals: B

Hotel: Movenpick Hotel

Day 13

At leisure in Aswan. An optional excursion by air can be arranged to Abu Simbel. The magnificent Temple of Abu Simbel was built by Ramses II in about 1270BC. Between 1968 and 1972, the temples were moved to higher ground by UNESCO to avoid being flooded by the completion of the Aswan High Dam. This optional excursion by air from Aswan costs £140. The flight takes 45 minutes each way and the visit to the temples lasts about one hour.

Meals: B

Hotel: Movenpick Hotel

Day 14

Fly to Cairo for overnight at the Movenpick Heliopolis Hotel.

Meals: B

Hotel: Movenpick Heliopolis Hotel

Day 15

Morning non-stop flight by EgyptAir to London Heathrow, arriving in the early afternoon.

Meals: B