Day 1: Arrival to Cairo
Upon your arrival at Cairo Airport, a representative from the RTS agency will be there to greet you. They will transport you to your hotel, assist you with check-in. You will also discuss the start of your tours for the following day. Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2: Cairo – Sakkara – Aswan
On the second day, you will be exploring the pyramids. After breakfast and checking out of your hotel, your guide will be waiting for you at the hotel reception at the agreed-upon time. You will first head to the Giza Plateau with the pyramids, the only remaining wonder of the ancient world. This includes the Great Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, which is the largest and oldest, and the slightly smaller pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure (entrance to the pyramids is subject to an additional fee). Adjacent to the pyramids is the mysterious Sphinx, a giant statue with the head of a pharaoh and the body of a lion. After visiting the pyramids, you will have lunch at a local restaurant. Then, you will continue your journey to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which served as a precursor to the Giza pyramids. After these tours, you will be driven to the Giza railway station, where your guide will assist you in boarding the Cairo-Aswan tourist sleeper train. If you are flying (royal), you will be taken to the airoirt and an RTS agency representative will help you with check-in for the flight. Uupon landing in Aswan, the RTS agency representative will transport you to the hotel and assist you with check-in. Dinner and overnight accommodation will be either on the train (comfortable) or at the hotel (royal).
Day 3: Aswan
After breakfast on the train and your arrival in Aswan, a representative from the RTS agency will be waiting for you at the railway station. They will introduce you to your guide for the tours in Aswan. Together, you will head to the port and take a motorboat to visit the Philae Temple on Agilkia Island. The temple was relocated here after the construction of the Aswan High Dam and the creation of Lake Nasser, making it one of the most beautiful and well-preserved Egyptian temples. It is dedicated to the goddess Isis. After the tour, you will return to Aswan, where the RTS agency representative will assist you in boarding the Nile cruise boat. Following lunch on the boat and some relaxation, your guide will meet you at the hotel reception at the agreed-upon time. In the afternoon, you will experience the beauty of the Nile on your guided tours. First, you will sail on a felucca (traditional sailboat) to Kitchener’s Island with a botanical garden established in 1860. Here, you will explore lush tropical vegetation and mighty trees that provide shade from the strong sun. Next, you will continue your journey by motorboat through the Nile’s national park with its famous cataracts, concluding the day’s tours in a welcoming Nubian village.You will then be transported back to the boat, where you will have dinner and spend the night.
Day 4: Aswan – Edfu – Nile Cruise
After breakfast, you will have some free time in Aswan. Alternatively, you can choose an optional trip to Abu Simbel in the morning (departure at 04:00) and an RTS agency representative will organise it for you. At Abu Simbel you can visit the magnificent temples built by Ramesses II, carved into the rock and relocated to higher ground to protect them from flooding after building the High Dam in Aswan. After lunch on the boat, you will begin sailing towards Kom Ombo. At sunset, you will visit the unique double temple dedicated to two gods: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroris, the falcon god. Interesting reliefs depict the religion, culture, and medicine of ancient Egypt. After the tour, you will continue sailing to Edfu. Enjoy dinner and spend the night on the boat.
Day 5: Edfu – Luxor – Nile Cruise
Before or after breakfast, your guide will be waiting for you at the hotel reception at the agreed-upon time and will take you to visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu. This temple is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt and was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty and the New Kingdom in the traditional Egyptian style with columns, courtyards, and sanctuaries. Inside the temple, you will find reliefs depicting mythological scenes, devotions, and rituals associated with Horus, the falcon god.
After returning to the cruise ship, you will continue sailing and have lunch on the deck, providing you with an exciting view of the vibrant life along the banks of the Nile. On your way to Luxor, you will also pass through the locks on the Nile River in Esna, which is a unique experience due to the raising and lowering of the water level. Skilled vendors on the boats will try to sell you jalabiyas (traditional Egyptian clothing) for the evening entertainment on the ship. You will continue your journey towards Luxor, and upon arrival you will have an evening tour of the Luxor Temple, dedicated to the god Amon. The main entrance to the temple is adorned with one of the largest surviving obelisks in the world. In addition to the impressive colonnades and reliefs, you will have the opportunity to closely observe the colossal statues of pharaohs. From the Luxor Temple to Karnak, there is a recently discovered avenue of sphinxes, and some of the most beautifully preserved ones can be found near the temple. Enjoy dinner and spend the night on the boat.
Day 6: Luxor-Cairo
After breakfast, at the agreed-upon time, you will disembark from the cruise ship with the assistance of the RTS agency representative. Then, with your guide, you will embark on a tour of Luxor’s West Bank, where the sights are related to the afterlife. These sites are guarded by the Colossi of Memnon, two giant statues carved from a single stone depicting the seated pharaoh Amenhotep III. You will visit the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Queen Hatshepsut’s temple is notable for its unique design, as it was carved into the rock face and combines classic Egyptian elements with modern and innovative forms, featuring an impressive terraced structure that rises along the hillside. Next, you will explore the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, where many New Kingdom pharaohs, including Tutankhamun and Ramesses II, are buried in elaborately decorated tombs that display rich symbolism, religious scenes, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. After the tours, there will be a lunch break by the Nile. Then, you will visit Karnak, one of the world’s largest and most impressive religious complexes. It was built and expanded over 2,000 years, during the reigns of numerous pharaohs, and was dedicated to various gods and goddesses. The Karnak Temples include sanctuaries, halls, obelisks, statues, pools, and other structures. The main temple, with monumental columns, is dedicated to the god Amon. After the visit, an RTS agency representative will take you either to the train station and assitst you with boarding the train Luxor-Cairo (for the compfortable option) or to the hotel and assist you with check-in (for the royal option). Dinner and overnight on board of the train (the comfortable option) or at the hotel (the royal option).
Day 7: Cairo
After breakfast on the train and your arrival in Cairo, an RTS agency representative will be waiting for you at the train station (the comfortable option). For the royal option, an RTS agency representative will meet you at the agreed-upon time at the hotel reception, they will assist you with check-out and then transfer you to the airport in Luxor for your flight to Cairo. They will assist you with chedk-in for oyur flight. In Cairo, the representative will introduce you to a local guide who will accompany you on your tours. First, you will visit the National Museum, followed by the Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The National Museum houses a rich collection of artefacts from various periods of ancient Egyptian civilisation, including the famous treasures of the pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, which depict the rich history and culture of ancient Egypt. In the newer Museum of Egyptian Civilization, they have relocated mummies, sarcophagi, and burial offerings. After your museum visits, you will have lunch at a local restaurant. Then, you will explore the old part of the city, stopping at the Khan al-Khalili market, where you can also visit Al-Hussein Mosque. Afterwards, you will return to the hotel for dinner and spend the night there.
Day 8: Departure from Cairo
After breakfast, check out from the hotel (no later than 11:00) and enjoy some free time until your departure to the airport (typically 3 hours before your flight). At the agreed-upon time, a representative from the RTS agency will be waiting for you at the hotel reception. You will be driven to the airport, where they will assist you with the check-in for your flight.
This marks the conclusion of your trip with a flight to your chosen destination.
*Please note that we reserve the right to make programme changes due to public transportation schedules, weather conditions, and other circumstances beyond our control.
