Arrive in Cairo and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy time at leisure to settle in and relax following your international journey. In the evening, the group will gather for a family-style welcome dinner.

Important arrival notes: The included transfer from Cairo airport (CAI) can be organized anytime on Day 1. Transfers from Sphinx International Airport (SPX) in Giza can be organized at an additional cost. Depending arrival schedules, you may share the ride with other members of your group.

This itinerary wastes no time - after an early breakfast, you will hit the ground running with a transfer to Saqqara. There, you will see the first pyramids built in Egypt. Beginning chronologically offers a clearer sense of how these structures evolved. After lunch, continue to Giza, where the pyramids' scale and precision are more striking in person than expected.

In the morning, stroll through the storied streets of Old Cairo, where mosques, souks, and palaces reflect the city’s long history beyond the pharaonic era. In the afternoon, have time at leisure for shopping in the souks, relax at your hotel, or visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, the massive new museum built to house ancient Egypt's most storied artifacts.

Fly to Aswan where your cruise ship awaits. The shift in pace is immediate, from the chaos of Cairo to breezy Aswan, and yet the Nile unites the two disparate environments. In the afternoon, take a guided walk through Elephantine Island, which served as an important trading post between the Egyptians and Nubians during ancient times.

In the morning, take a small boat to the quite and atmospheric Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis. After lunch, visit a Nubian community, where you time with a women-led artisan group.

Leaving the dock in Aswan, you will begin your cruise along the Nile, stopping along the way at Kom Ombo temple before docking near Edfu. These sites are well preserved and less crowded than others, allowing for a more direct experience of their scale and detail. Time on the water between visits offers a different perspective — villages, farmland, and river life unfolding along the banks.

Spend the day exploring two of the most important sites of the New Kingdom, the period when Ancient Egypt was in its full splendor. Karnak Temple is one of the largest religious complexes ever built, connected to Luxor Temple by the famous Avenue of the Sphinxes. The scale is difficult to grasp without context, which is where a strong guide makes a difference — helping translate what you’re seeing into something coherent.

During your final morning in Luxor, explore the Valley of the Kings, where tombs carved into the desert hills remain vividly decorated thousands of years later. The preservation here is striking, offering a more intimate look at ancient beliefs and craftsmanship. From there, head to the Luxor Airport for your domestic flight and final evening in Cairo. A festive farewell dinner will put into focus all the treasures you saw.

Transfer to the Cairo Airport (CAI) in time for your departure. By the end of the journey, Egypt tends to feel less like a series of iconic sites and more like a continuous, living history.