Day 1 –

Depart from your home today for your international flight to Cairo.

Arrive Cairo International Airport (CAI). Upon clearing Customs and Immigration, you will be met, assisted and transferred to your 5 star Safir hotel for check-in and overnight.

This morning after breakfast in our hotel, we will meet our local Egyptologist guide who will join us for a full day of sightseeing.

We will begin our day with a visit to The Great Pyramids of Giza, certainly one of the highlights of the day and the trip!  The pyramids are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. These Pyramids rank among the world’s greatest tourist attractions and never lose their ability to inspire and   overwhelm visitors.   Of course no trip to Egypt would be complete without a Camel ride and so you have the opportunity to mount your individual camel for a short ride across the sands of Giza to the Sphinx. We will enter the temple of the mysterious Sphinx, an ancient figure shrouded in legend and mystery. Your Egyptologist will enthrall you with the tales of this fascinating figure.

After all this excitement we will stop for lunch at a local restaurant.  Afterwards we will proceed to Sakkara.  This is where you will see the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first freestanding stone structure in the world.  Your Egyptologist will guide you to tombs belonging to the nobles of the past.  They show the beauty and excellence of Ancient Egyptian art on their walls and give an insight into the daily life of Ancient Egypt. Memphis; here you will see the ancient capital that once stood as a flourishing metropolis during the time of the Pharaohs.  We then return to our hotel to relax a bit.  This evening Hermes Tours will host a welcome dinner at a local restaurant so that we may get further acquainted with our new travel companions.  Overnight at the hotel.

After breakfast, we will transfer to the Cairo Domestic Airport for our short flight to Luxor.  Once in Luxor we transfer to our 5 star deluxe Nile Cruise ship for check-in and embarkation.

This afternoon, we will join our Egyptologist guide for sightseeing on Luxor’s East Bank.  We  visit the Karnak Temple which was built over more than a thousand years by generations of Pharaohs.  The great “Hypostyle Hall” is an incredible forest of giant pillars, covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral.  We  also visit the  Temple of Luxor, this beautiful temple was built to honor the god Amun. Overnight onboard

After an early breakfast we visit the West Bank of Luxor.  Today We continue to be enchanted by the history that   surrounds us at every turn as we will stop to see the Valley of Kings, also known as the city of the dead- the largest and most famous necropolis of ancient Egypt. We visit the Necroplis of Thebes and also take some time at the temple of Queen Hatshepust, the only female Pharoah. Finally  before returning to our ship we pass by the colossi of    Mennon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices. This afternoon relax on our cruise ship and admire the scenery as we cruise along to Esna and Edfu. Overnight onboard

Out tour today continues with a visit the temple of Horus in Edfu.  This is the largest and most completely preserved Pharaonic temple in Egypt.  After returning to our cruise ship we set sail to Kom Ombo where we spend time at the temple that is shared by the two gods, Sobek and Haroeris.  This evening we continue onwards and sail to Aswan.  Overnight onboard

This morning our Egyptologist will guide us on a visit to the Aswan High Dam, Egypt's contemporary example of  building on a monumental scale and visit the Philae Temple on the Island of Agilka. Afterwards we move on to enjoy a 1-hour felucca ride (typical Egyptian sail boat) around Elephantine Island and visit the Agha Khan Mausoleum  before returning to our cruise ship for one final night on board. Overnight onboard

We disembark our cruise ship and then transfer to the Aswan airport for our flight to Abu Simbel.  More than 3,000 years ago, Pharaoh Ramses II ordered the colossal temple to be carved into the side of a cliff   complete with four, 65-foot high statues of himself.  After our visit we will return to the airport for our flight to Cairo and overnight at our hotel, the 5 star Movenpick Hotel.

Following breakfast we join our local guide for a full day of sightseeing of Cairo.  The Egyptian museum, where you will find the greatest collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, including the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen.  We then continue on to Islamic Cairo and the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. One of the world’s great bazaars and basically a city within a city which was first set up in 1382.  Anything you could possibly want can be found within its winding streets and tiny stalls.

This evening Hermes Tours hosts a farewell dinner party where we get one last chance to say our fond farewells to our new travel friends.  Overnight at our hotel, the 5 star Safir Hotel.

Morning at leisure until your transfer to Cairo International Airport. You will be assisted at check-in for your homebound flight.