Discover The Secrets Of Upper Egypt

Trip Overview

This trip is going to take you through Egypt’s most historic cities.

Without any rush, you’ll discover all these precious monuments in detail. And you’ll get to know more about the ancient Egyptian culture, gods, and beliefs.

This 16 days trip will offer you a rich history meal, with a lot of fun.

Day 1: Cairo – Welcome To Egypt

• Upon your arrival at Cairo International Airport, our representative will be waiting for you to assist you through the regulations.
• You’ll be transferred to the hotel to check-in while enjoying your welcome drink. Then have a goodnight.

Day 2: Cairo – Start Your Journey

• Enjoy your breakfast, and then get ready for a full-day city tour.

  – The Egyptian Museum, the largest museum in the region, houses over 100,000 antiquities, including the famous treasure of King Tout Ankh Amen and his golden face mask.

  – Salah El Din Citadel, one of Cairo’s top attractions, acted as a defensive fortress with its high walls and used to be the government’s seat for 700 years. You’ll also find Mohamed Ali Mosque, which Mohamed Ali Pasha built in the 19th century in the same area as the citadel.

  – Khan El Khalili, a famous historic bazaar that lies in the heart of Old Cairo, where you can enjoy a walk and buy souvenirs for your loved ones.

• After that, you’ll return to the hotel to have a goodnight of sleep

Day 3: Cairo – Ruins of a capital

• Enjoy your breakfast; we have another full-day city tour planned for you.

  – The Great Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, they age more than 4000 years old, and they are tombs of the 3 Kings, Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus, guarded by the famous human-bodied, lion-headed Sphinx.

  – Memphis, It was the seat of the government and the most powerful city but now in ruins. The Ancient Egyptians called it “Nefer,” and the Greeks gave it its current name.

  – Sakkara Complex, where you’ll find the first pyramid ever built by king Djoser, also known as” the Step pyramid,” designed by the architect Imhotep and made in the 27th century BC.

• Return to the hotel to have a goodnight.

Day 4: Fayoum – Millions Of Years Ago

• Have your breakfast at the hotel, then check-out; an amazing trip is waiting for you.
• About 100 Km away from Cairo, you’ll find the city of Fayoum where you’ll have an unforgettable day.
• There lays the only waterfall in Egypt right in the middle of the desert; you’ll see such breathtaking scenery!
• About 65 Km from the main city at El Fayoum Oasis, you’ll find Wadi El Rayan where you can enjoy sand-boarding and sightseeing.
• You’ll also go to the Valley of the Whales, where you get to visit the open-air museum in which the skeletons of gigantic whales and sharks lays from 40 million years ago.
• After you finish exploring the oasis, you’ll go to a hotel to check-in and spend the night.

Day 5: Minia – The Other Pyramids

• In the morning, you’ll check-out from the hotel and hit the road again, heading to Minia.
• You’ll stop by Meidum Pyramid, the one famous with the name Pseudo pyramid, as it doesn’t take the shape of the pyramids we know of today; it is believed to be the second pyramid ever built after The Step Pyramid.
• You’ll visit Hawara Pyramid, one of the Egyptian heritages from Pyramids; it belongs to King Amenemhat III, the last powerful ruler of the 12th dynasty, during the Middle Kingdom. Probably, you won’t recognize that this is a pyramid from the first look; it could easily be seen as a hill, just a hill in the middle of the desert.
• After that, you’ll go to a hotel in Minia to check-in and spend the night.

Day 6: Tell El Amarna\ Tuna El gabal – Monotheism

• Good morning; today’s tour is to an exceptional place with a unique story that the Pharaohs wanted to remove from history; get ready!
• You’ll go to Tell El Amarna, which lays on the East bank side of Minia, the ancient name of the city was Akhetaten, and it was built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten to worship the god Aten instead of Amen and introduced monotheism to the Egyptians for the first time.
• Next, you’ll visit Tuna El Gebel, or as it was called the city of the dead, it lays on the boundary of Akhetaten, it is the largest cemetery of Greco-Roman Egypt. You’ll know some exciting stories of some tombs there.
• After finishing the stories, you’ll go back to the hotel to spend the night.

Day 7: Bin Hassan – Middle Kingdom Cemetery

• Good morning, have your breakfast, then check out from the hotel.
• Minya still has something to show you, Beni Hassan Tombs; a small village lays on the Nile’s east bank. This village is not for people to live in, but it was a necropolis from the Middle Kingdom (21st to 17th centuries BCE); it was the burial location of many Chiefs of the Oryx nome, which were called nomarch. Back in time, Egypt was divided into 42 nome, or provinces, and each one has its nomarch or the governor.
• Then you’ll be heading to Asyuit, where you’ll check-in at the hotel and spend the night.

Day 8: Sohag – Prints Of Christianity

• Slept well? Now eat your breakfast and check-out.
• We will continue our bus trip heading south to Sohag.
• You’ll visit the White Monastery (El Deir el abyad). It is also known as Monastery of Anba Shenouda or St. Shenoute Monastery. It is called white due you to its clear limestone walls. It is one of the oldest Coptic monuments in Egypt, built on the ruins of a Pharaonic city.
• Next, you’ll head to the Red Monastery (El Deir al Ahmar). It is named based on the construction material that consists of burnt bricks. Bishop Bishay and Bishop Bigual founded it. It is architecturally similar to the White Monastery.
• After that you’ll go to a small ancient town called Balena, it is named after an ancient Egyptian Queen, you’ll check-in to a hotel there.

Day 9: Abydos/Dandara – Old Gods Of Egypt

• In the morning, you’ll check-out from the hotel and get ready for mesmerizing visits.
• You’ll visit the Temple of Seti I, at Abydos, a religious temple built by Seti I, the father of Ramesses II; he made it in dedication to Osiris.
• When you finish this visit, resume the road trip to Denderah to visit Horus Temple.
• You’ll resume the road trip to Luxor.
• Upon arrival, you’ll check-in to the hotel to spend the night.

Day 10: Luxor – Kings' Tails

• Good morning. Get ready for a fantastic tour, where you’ll get to enter some of the most magnificent tombs in ancient Egypt.

  – The Valley of the Kings, the gateway to the Afterlife. You’ll find more than 62 tombs that have been discovered so far. You can explore the graves of 3 of the greatest Pharaohs from inside and the famous King Tut tomb and Seti I.

  – The Valley of Queens, the principal burial place for the wives of the Pharaohs, you’ll get to enter the tomb of the famous Queen Nefertari and three other tombs.

  – The two Colossi of Memnon, two enormous stone statues of Amenophis III of the 18th Dynasty, facing toward the Nile. The only remains of king Amenophis III funeral temple.

• Go back to the hotel to spend the night.

Day 11: Luxor – The Art Of Burial

• Good morning, have a good breakfast and get ready to complete the Luxor adventure.
• The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Queen who crowned herself pharaoh of Egypt, Temple is considered one of the most temples ever. It was founded by her architect Senmout in an extraordinary place surrounded by the mountain.
• Deir El Medina, ruins of a small district where workers used to live during the New Kingdom. These workers were artisans; they had designed and created tombs for Kings around the Valley Of the Kings.
• Tombs Of The Nobles, where high ranked personalities, priests, officials, viziers, army leaders, and some princes were buried. A vast cemetery dates back to the old Kingdom.
• Habu Temple, built by King Ramses III as a mortuary temple. It has a design similar to the one of the Rammesseum. Later on, the Temple was used as a church during the Byzantine period.

Day 12: Luxor – Luxor's Masterpieces

• Enjoy your breakfast, then depart to explore the eastside.
• First, visit The Great Temple of Karnak, the largest religious building ever was built gradually over the centuries, beginning from the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period. It is dedicated to god Amen.
• After that, visit Luxor Temple. It was always used as a worship place throughout the ages, built by Amenophis III, and later added to it by the great Ramses II.

Day 13: Edfu/Kom Ombo – Meet The Falcon

• Enjoy your breakfast, and then leave the ship to visit Edfu Temple, built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, dedicated to god Horus the Falcon, the son of Isis and Osiris.
• Back on board to enjoy lunch while sailing to Kom Ombo.
• Visit Kom Ombo Temple, which was built in a double design dedicated to two gods, Haroeris, the Falcon, and Sobek, the Crocodile.
• Return to the boat to enjoy your dinner and spend the time.

Day 14: Aswan – Nubian Culture

• You’ll visit Philae Temple that was rescued and moved stone by stone to Agilkia Island, a complicated process that took years to accomplish. It was built by Taharqu, dedicating it to the Goddess Isis.
• You’ll then visit the Nubian Museum, where you can know more about the Nubian culture, and it acts as a reminder of the monuments that were lost after building the High Dam.
• In the afternoon, we will take you on a Felucca ride around Elephantine Islands.

Day 15: Abu Simbel

• Good morning, after breakfast, you’ll go for a day trip to Abu Simbel. First, check out of the hotel.
• Abu Simbel, where you’ll visit a unique Temple. The Abu Simbel Temple, it’s one of the King Ramses II buildings and considered his masterpiece. It’s where the King celebrates his birthday and coronation, even after thousands of years from his death. It’s called the sun festival when the sun of the early morning of these two days penetrates the temple sanctuary and illuminates the King’s face—dedicated to god Amen-Re and to King Ramses himself to be worshipped. It was one of UNESCO’s saved temples during the High Dam construction and the most important one.
• Also, don’t miss the Temple next to it, Nefertiti Temple, King Ramses’ beloved wife.
• After this breathtaking journey, you’ll go back to Aswan to catch your flight back to Cairo, where you’ll spend the night.

Day 16: Cairo – The End

• Have your breakfast, and say goodbye to Egypt. You’ll be transferred to Cairo International Airport to fly back home.
• It was our pleasure to have you, and we will be pleased to have you again.