12 Nights | Splendors of Egypt & the Nile
About Egypt
Cruise the Nile in a manner once reserved for queens and pharaohs.
For 12 adventure-filled days, experience Egypt and the Nile’s most wondrous sites in style and luxury. Set sail on an eight-day voyage onboard the all-suite River Tosca. Wander amongst the towering ruins of the Temple of Karnak, the world’s largest ancient religious complex, and the entrancing Temple of Luxor. Visit temples dedicated to Hathor, Horus, and other mythological figures, and pay homage to the country’s first female ruler at the Temple of Hatshepsut. Follow in the footsteps of renowned scholars and explorers as you venture forth into the Valley of the Kings, the ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty. Get acquainted with Nubian culture during a home visit with a local family, and enjoy an exhilarating ride in a felucca, a traditional Nile River sailboat.
This captivating itinerary begins and ends in Cairo, where you’ll visit the famous Egyptian Museum and its stupendous and unrivaled collection of pharaonic artifacts, including treasures recovered from the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Journey to Giza to gaze upon the mighty ancient Pyramids and the timeworn, enigmatic Sphinx—iconic images that continue to amaze.
An enchanting land of marvels, myths, and wonders old and new, Egypt is an extraordinary destination no culturally curious traveler will want to miss.
Highlights
Your cruise/journey Package Includes:Travel
7-night Nile River cruise in a riverview suite onboard the elegant River Tosca*
4 nights in Cairo at the splendid Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza (or similar), including daily buffet breakfast and all service charges, taxes, and porterage*
All transportation throughout your trip, including flights within Egypt
All transfers on arrival and departure days
Taste
11 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners
Gala Reception
High tea at the Old Cataract Hotel Aswan
Explore
9 days of captivating, fully escorted excursions with a professionally trained, English-speaking Egyptologist
4 UNESCO sites: The Temples of Karnak and Luxor; various monuments around Ancient Memphis, including the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx; the Valley of the Kings; and the Temple of Horus
State-of-the-art portable audio–headset system on all excursions throughout your trip
Experience
Exciting onboard entertainment, including a Galabeya Party, a Nubian show, and an Egyptian belly dancing performance
Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza
Boat ride on traditional Nile River felucca
Nubian village visit
*Ship and hotels are subject to change
You will visit the following 6 places:
Edfu
Edfu is an Egyptian city, located on the west bank of the [Nile River](/search?q=nile-river "Nile River") between [Esna](/search?q=esna "Esna") and [Aswan](/search?q=aswan "Aswan"), with a population of approximately sixty thousand people. Edfu is the site of the [Ptolemaic Temple of Horus](/search?q=ptolemaic-temple-horus "Ptolemaic Temple of Horus") and an ancient settlement, [Tell Edfu](/search?q=tell-edfu "Tell Edfu"). About 5 km (3 miles) north of Edfu are remains of ancient pyramids. $$https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttDIZJCG3y0$$
Cairo
Cairo, literally The Vanquisher or The Conqueror, is the capital of Egypt, the largest city in Africa and the 16th most populous metropolitan area in the world. Cairo is also ranked as one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Nicknamed The City of a Thousand Minarets for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life. Cairo was founded by the Fatimid dynasty in the 10th Century, but the land composing the present-day city was the site of national capitals whose remnants remain visible in parts of Old Cairo. Cairo is also associated with Ancient Egypt due to its proximity to the ancient cities of Memphis, Giza and Fustat which are nearby to the [Great Sphinx] and the pyramids of "Giza"
Aswān
Aswan, formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate. It is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dams on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract. The modern city has expanded and includes the formerly separate community on the island of Elephantine. Aswan is the smallest of the three major tourist cities on the Nile. Being the furthest south of the three, it has a large population of Nubian people, mostly resettled from their homeland in the area flooded by Lake Nasser. Aswan is the home of many granite quarries from which most of the Obelisks seen in Luxor were sourced. Aswan was the ancient Egyptians' gateway to Africa.
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 (2010 estimate), with an area of approximately 416 square kilometres (161 sq mi). As the site of the Ancient Egyptian City of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple complexes at Kamak and Luxor stand within the modern city. Immediately opposite, across the River Nile, lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Thousands of international tourists arrive annually to visit these monuments, contributing a large part towards the economy for the modern city.
Kawm Umbo
Cairo
Itinerary
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Cairo
A Uniworld representative will greet you at the airport and transfer you to the opulent Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, situated along
the banks of the river. -
Cairo
Featured Excursions: Citadel of Salah al-Din, Alabaster Mosque, and Egyptian Museum
Your tour of this historic city includes the Citadel of Salah al-Din, a massive 12th-century compound that was home to Egypt’s rulers for more than seven hundred years. Visit the Citadel’s Alabaster Mosque (Mosque of Muhammad Ali) and enjoy its incredible hilltop views of Cairo. You’ll also spend some time at the cavernous Egyptian Museum, home to a sublime collection of priceless treasures, including artifacts from the tomb of King Tutankhamun. -
Cairo, fly to Luxor (embark), cruising the Nile River, Dendera
Featured Excursion: Temple of Karnak
Fly to Luxor on the east bank of the Nile, where you’ll visit the world’s largest ancient temple complex—the Temple of Karnak—once buried under sand for a thousand years. The scale of this sprawling site is simply astonishing, with massive temples and statues and endless avenues of giant columns. Board the elegant River Tosca and cruise to Dendera, one of the most culturally significant sites along the Nile. This evening, there will be a Gala Reception and dinner onboard. -
Dendera, cruising the Nile River, Luxor
Featured Excursions: Temple of Hathor and Temple of Luxor
The Temple of Hathor is an extraordinarily well-preserved site that was once the epicenter of the cult of Hathor, goddess of love, music, and other earthly delights. This beautiful temple has an ornate façade and richly decorated exterior walls, one of which has a rare bas relief of Cleopatra and the son she bore to Julius Caesar. Return to Luxor for some leisure time before visiting the ancient, UNESCO-designated Temple of Luxor, an especially stunning sight at sunset. -
Luxor, cruising the Nile River, Kom Ombo
Featured Excursions: Colossi of Memnon, Hatshepsut Temple, Valley of the Kings, and
evening onboard Galabeya Party
Get an up-close view of the Colossi of Memnon—two gigantic statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III—and visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut,
one of Egypt’s most successful pharaohs and its first female ruler. Continue on to one of the most famous archeological sites in the world—the Valley of the Kings—used for royal burials for nearly five hundred years. The valley contains more than 60 tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun, whose mummified remains are still here on display. Back onboard, enjoy a festive Galabeya Party. -
Kom Ombo, cruising the Nile River, Aswan
Featured Excursions: Kom Ombo Temple, bird-
watching boat ride, and Nubian village visit
Kom Ombo is the site of a Greco-Roman temple dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobek, and the falcon god, Horus the Elder. Several mummified crocodiles can be seen inside this unusual double temple. After a scenic cruise to Aswan, take a small boat along the banks of the Nile, watching for colorful native birds as you travel to a small Nubian village. Visit the traditional dwelling of a local family and enjoy Nubian-style hospitality as you learn more about the area’s unique culture. This evening, you’ll be treated to a traditional Egyptian belly dancing performance. -
Aswan
Featured Excursions: Aswan High Dam, Unfinished
Obelisk, Philae Temple, felucca ride, afternoon tea at the historic Old Cataract Hotel Aswan, and onboard Nubian show
Visit the Aswan High Dam—a marvel of modern engineering—as well as the towering Unfinished Obelisk, commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut
but never completed. Explore the Philae Temple complex, moved from its original site and rebuilt
on Agilika Island during the construction of the
dam. Later, take a peaceful and scenic ride along the Nile in a felucca,
a traditional Egyptian sailboat with cushions and
a canopy for shade (wind conditions permitting). Relax over refreshments at the Old Cataract Hotel Aswan, a colonial-era gem that counts Winston Churchill and Princess Diana among its former guests. This famous hotel was depicted in Agatha Christie’s acclaimed mystery novel Death on the Nile. Back onboard, you’ll be thoroughly entertained by a Nubian show with live music. -
Cruising the Nile
Spend the day at leisure, or take an optional excursion to see the magnificent temples of Abu Simbel, carved into the sandstone cliffs along
the Nile about two hundred miles from Aswan.
The front of the main temple has four gargantuan statues of Ramses II on his throne, each measuring nearly 70 feet high and discovered half buried in sand in 1813. This UNESCO-designated site was the focus of a daunting four-year rescue operation in the early 1960s—a multi-million dollar effort that saved the 35-hundred-year-old temples from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. -
Edfu, cruising the Nile River, Luxor
Featured Excursion: Temple of Horus
The city of Edfu is best known for its remarkably preserved temple dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god. Built in 230 BC, it is the second-largest temple in Egypt and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with walls that display compelling details about
the religion and language of the country’s Greco-Roman period. Afterwards, relax onboard and
take in the Nile’s timeless landscapes as the ship continues onward to Luxor. -
Luxor, cruising the Nile River, Kom Ombo
Featured Excursion: Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza
Disembark the ship and transfer to the Luxor
airport for your return flight to Cairo. Check into
the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, and enjoy some free time before tonight’s Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza—a wonderfully colorful introduction to these ancient wonders
and the sophisticated culture that created them. -
Cairo
Featured Excursions: Ancient Memphis
sites, including the Pyramids of Giza and the
Great Sphinx
Venture forth to the UNESCO World Heritage Site encompassing the ancient capital of Memphis,
which includes a number of exceptional monuments: a huge statue of Ramses II; the Alabaster Sphinx;
the necropolis of Sakkara, site of the famous step pyramid of King Zoser, the oldest pyramid on earth; the Great Sphinx; and the three Pyramids of Giza, together considered the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. -
Depart Cairo
Check out of your hotel and transfer to the airport for your return flight home.
