Temple of Philae

The most magical temple in Egypt; Philae temple which is dedicated to goddess Isis and located in the most beautiful spot in Egypt. It was built on an island which is only reachable by a motor boat; a beautiful ride through the granite rocks on The Nile. We will learn about the story of Isis and her beloved husband Osiris; and why that specific spot was chosen to build a temple. Moreover, we will explore the different parts of the temple and spend time at the sanctuary of Isis. Then learn why it was rebuilt under the Graeco-Roman reign, and how Christianity suddenly appeared in Egypt causing the ancient Egyptian religion to fade away. Not only the history and architecture, but also the mighty engineering which was carried out back in the 1960's to dismantle the temple into 40 000 pieces and move it on a higher island after it was partly flooded by the water of the old Aswan dam. The site is considered to be the mecca of photographers since you can have both history and nature combined

Aswan High Dam

One of the largest dams in the world; the Aswan High Dam is a rock-filled dam located in the south of Egypt. It was built in 1960 and inaugurated in January 1971. The amount of concrete and rocks which was used to build the dam would be enough to build 22 pyramids the size of the Giza Pyramids, while the amount of steel used is equal to 11 the amount used to build the Eiffel Tower. The Dam created a huge reservoir know as Lake Nasser which is about 550 km (340 miles) in length; the largest manmade lake in the world that stretched southward into the Sudan. We will learn about the dam and its impact on Egypt; providing Egypt with hydropower and water while at the same time it also has some disadvantages. Moreover, we will learn about Nubia and how 'the land of gold' was submerged after building the dam, Nubians were reimbursed by giving them free lands in Egypt. It's quite amazing to see The Nile River on one side and the Lake Nasser on the other side while standing on the Dam.

Unfinished Obelisk

The Unfinished Obelisk is located in the ancient granite quarry where most of the ancient Egyptian obelisks were extracted from. It's believed to belong to Hatshepsuit; one of the most famous rulers of Ancient Egypt, and it's considered to be the largest obelisk in the world with roughly 1167 tons making it 3 or 4 times heavier than any other known obelisk. Due to some cracks in the mountain it was left as it is without extracting it completely out of the quarry. Once we get to the site you will see clearly how cuts were made into the hard rock in order to split the granite from the mountain. We will climb up (well-made stairs) to the top of the mountain which takes no more than a few minutes and see the obelisk from a closer spot where it will be visible for us to take photographs and explore the rest of the mountain. The site is visited by less tourists compare to other sites which makes it special for you to be there without the crowd.

Aswan

After the tours you will be transferred to the cruise ship where you will spend the rest of the day.

Temple of Kom Ombo

The Temple of Kom Ombo which was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek is located right off shore of The Nile. Another Graeco-Roman temple built in the south of Egypt, although it's quite small compare to other temples but it has a very interesting architecture and history. We will learn why the crocodile was deified at that specific spot, and why he shared his temple with another local falcon-headed god called Haroreis. It's very unique to see an ancient Egyptian temple dedicated to two gods. we will also see the huge Nilometer and learn why it was a very important part of the Egyptian temples. At the end of our tour we will visit the crocodile museum where we get to see many mummified crocodiles which were found nearby in an ancient tomb.

Temple of Horus

The temple of Horus at Edfu is located halfway between Aswan and Luxor. A few minutes horse-carriage ride (or minivan)from the cruise ship will take us to the temple, but as soon as you approach that hidden gem your jaw will drop not believing the the size and the condition of it. Edfu temple was dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus; the son of Isis and Osiris, who took revenge for his dad after being killed by his evil brother Seth. A wonderful legend that we will learn about, then we will explore the second largest temple of Egypt and the most intact as well. The temple was rebuilt during the Graeco-Roman era who were trying to establish their reign over Egypt following the same steps of their grandfather Alexander The Great. This iconic temple covers a history of almost 180 years starting from 237 B.C. till 57 B.C. but that doesn't mean that they spent those two centuries building the temple, we will learn and see why it took that long to be finished.

Esna Lock

The Esna Lock is the only lock that we will see during our cruise from Aswan to Luxor; it's located halfway between Edfu and Luxor. It's very interesting to see how the ship will get into the lock, then it gets locked in by closing the gates of lock, then the Nile water will drop down in order to level the ship with the same level of the Nile ahead of the lock. Many cotton-products vendors are scattered around the lock trying to sell galabeyas (long ethnic outfit) , towels, table clothes ....etc by throwing them onto the ship to those who are interested in buying some of their stuff. Then the ship will make its way towards Luxor.

Edfu

After we're done with the tours you will enjoy the rest of the day on the cruise ship sailing on our way to Luxor.

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of The Kings is the ultimate dream of any traveler to Egypt; it was the burial place of the Egyptian Pharaohs since 1500 B.C. and was used for their tombs for about 500 years. A traveler might think that there are some random caves in that place, but as soon as you enter those tombs you will be speechless while looking at the art and vivid colors that lasted for 3500 years until today. The most famous Pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried here; Ramesses II, King Tut Ankh Amun, Seti I and others. There are about 62 tombs at the valley, we will learn about digging and decorating those tombs, and if the Ancient Egyptians had slaves doing such hard work?!! It's very interesting to explore the tombs and see how the Ancient Egyptians imagined and depicted their journey to the afterlife. Our ticket allows us to visit 3 tombs, we will pick the best among the open tombs, and you will have the choice to purchase the ticket for any extra tombs you might be interested in seeing.

Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari

Hatshepsut's temple is located just a few minutes from the Valley of The Kings(Just on the other side of the cliff). The unique mortuary temple of Hatshepsut is Taj Mahal of Ancient Egypt, which was designed by her lover and famous architect Senmut out of his love for Hatshepsut. We will learn why Hatshepsut's temple is unique in both architected and location. Then we will dig into the most interesting true story of Ancient Egypt; how Hatshepsut as a lady managed to ascend the throne of Egypt, and how her patience was finally rewarded by being one of the best pharaohs; mistakenly called a queen!!! Unfortunately the temple was destroyed by her successor Tutmosis III whom she usurped the throne from according to historians. You will be the judge whether Hatshepsut or Tutmosis III was the legitimate heir of the throne of Egypt. We will explore the temple and see the most interesting walls that survived; especially her famous commercial expedition to Somalia. Also ruins of 2 other temples

Colossi of Memnon

The two Colossal statues of Memnon are very popular among photographs taken by travelers to Egypt. They used to flank the entrance to the mortuary temple of King Amonhotep III which was, according to some texts, the most luxurious temple of Ancient Egypt. Unfortunately the temple is in ruins which are visible at the site, while the two statues are still standing. We will learn about the history of the temple and why we apply the Greek name Memnon to them while they originally belong to an Egyptian Pharaoh.

Temple of Karnak

Karnak Temple(s)are hard to be described in a paragraph or even a book; regardless of how much fame the Giza Pyramids has I definitely believe that most travelers change their mind after seeing Karnak. The largest monumental complex in the world that covers about 200 acres!!! Plus it's the only site that covers 2000 years of history; that's why historians look at Karnak as a history book states the history of Egypt for 20 centuries. You name it, you will find it; huge gates, sphinxes, colossal statues, sacred lake, sanctuaries, the largest hall of columns in the world and hundreds of other shrines and artefacts. We will explore the temple of Amun-Ra which is the largest and most intact inside the complex, we will see the great hypostyle hall with its 134 columns, passing by the granite obelisks and the main sanctuary from which the sacred barque was carried once a year. At the end we will see the sacred lake where the priests used to get washed before they started their daily tasks.

Luxor Temple

Luxor Temple was built as a counterpart for the great temple of Amun at Karnak; located in the center of Luxor right by The River Nile about 2 miles far from Karnak Temples. The temple was originally buily by the wealthy pharaohs Amonhotep III but later on King Ramesses II (or Ramesses the Great) added a big section to it changing its straight coarse slightly to right. In addition to that, Ramesses II added so many huge statues of himself around the outer court, plus erecting 2 obelisks in front of his pylon. The temple witnessed different periods of the Egyptian history from the Ancient Egyptians passing by the Romans, Early Christians of Egypt and The Arabs. This explains the mix of ancient Temple, Roman Court, Christian churches and a mosque at the same site. We will also explore and walk through part of the Sphinx Avenue which links Karnak and Luxor Temples together. The Avenue was recently excavated and brought back to light after being buried under the modern city for centuries.

Avenue of Sphinxes

The Avenue of the Sphinxes was built in order to link Karnak and Luxor temples together, and acted as a festival route where the priests used to walk in a straight line carrying the barques of the gods on their shoulders. Over 2000 sphinxes are on both sides of the avenue; not all of them survived but some were restored. The Egyptian government had to remove many buildings of all kinds that were built over the avenue since the modern city of Luxor started taking over this ancient route. Luckily, now you can see the 2 mile long avenue from Luxor temple and other parts of town.

Luxor

After we're done with all the tours you will be transferred back to the cruise ship and enjoy the evening while the ship is docked at Luxor.

Luxor

You will check out of your room at 10:00 a.m. but you can stay on the ship (till departure) or go for a walk while your luggage is stored at the ship. Then we will transfer you to the airport , train station or any other location with the city of Luxor.