10 DAYS ~ EGYPT
This feature packed tour utilises different modes of transport to maximise your time in Egypt. Your Nile cruise, with its ever changing scenery and frequent stops at ancient monuments, provides a wonderful opportunity to settle back and indulge yourself. The overnight train to Aswan has a club lounge carriage and air–conditioned sleeping cars – it's a great local experience and ensures this tour is great value for money. Highlights include the Great Pyramids of Giza and the awesome temple complex of Karnak.

DAY 1 – DEPART USA.
Board your overnight flight.

DAY 2 – ARRIVE CAIRO.
Welcome to Egypt, a country rich in wonders and mysteries – many are revealed on this tour. You are met at Cairo airport and transferred to your tour hotel. Relax and settle in.

Hotel: Marriott.

DAY 3 – CAIRO SIGHTSEEING.
Begin your Cairo sightseeing with a drive to Memphis, capital of the Old Kingdom, to see the statue of Rameses II and the Alabaster Sphinx. Continue to Sakkara to view the Step Pyramid of Zoser I, which is the oldest in the world. Marvel at one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world when you visit the Great Pyramids at Giza, and their guardian, the Sphinx. (BB)

DAY 4 – CAIRO – OVERNIGHT TRAIN.
Visit the Egyptian Museum to see the treasure recovered from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Now enjoy fine views over the city from the citadel of Salah El Din before visiting the alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. Spend a leisurely afternoon in Cairo before boarding your overnight sleeper train to Aswan. (BB,D)

DAY 5 – ASWAN SIGHTSEEING.
Begin your Aswan sightseeing with a visit to the modern High Dam. Continue by motorboat to the well preserved temple of Philae, rising from the waters of the Nile. Now view the unfinished obelisk in the granite quarries, before continuing to your hotel set on Elephantine Island in the middle of the Nile. Enjoy high tea in the garden of your hotel as the sun begins to set.

Hotel: Movenpick. (BB)

DAY 6 – CRUISING ASWAN.
This morning is free. Maybe take an optional air excursion to see the Temples of Rameses II at Abu Simbel? See details on page 158. Later, board your comfortable Nile cruiser. Ship: MS Medea/MS Sapphire (BB,L,D)

DAY 7 – CRUISING EDFU.
Sail around Aswan’s Botanical Gardens in a traditional Nile felucca before cruising to Kom Ombo. Here, on the banks of the Nile, visit the Temple of Sobek. Sit back and enjoy the ever changing scenery as you cruise towards Edfu. (BB,L,D)

DAY 8 – CRUISING LUXOR.
Visit the the beautifully preserved Temple of Horus, the Falcon God. Then continue cruising through Esna Lock to Luxor where you visit Luxor Temple. Spend the evening enjoying a fun–filled Egyptian dinner and Galabea party. (BB,L,HD)

DAY 9 – LUXOR – CAIRO.
Cross to the West Bank of the Nile to see the Colossi of Memnon, and visit the reconstructed Temple of Hatshepsut. Continue to the Valley of the Kings – final resting place of many of Egypt’s ancient rulers. After visiting several of the Pharaohs’ tombs, return to Luxor. Your final highlight is the enormous Temple complex of Karnak. Among its many splendours is the Hypostyle Hall, with its colossal columns 70 feet high. Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Cairo.

Hotel: Marriott. (BB)

DAY 10 – RETURN TO USA.
The tour comes to an end after breakfast. You are transferred to the airport for your onward flights. (BB)