Upon arrival into Cairo, after clearing immigration and customs formalities, collect your baggage and proceed to the exit. Here you will be met by an Alluring Africa representative and transferred to Ramses Hilton where you will stay for four nights.

Set on the banks of the River Nile, the Ramses Hilton hotel is the perfect base for exploring all that Egypt’s capital has to offer. We’re steps from the famous Egyptian Museum and a short drive to the Great Pyramids of Giza, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Enjoy a wealth of activities at the hotel – we have a casino, billiards hall, and a galleria of 250 shops. Soak up the sun at the pool along the riverfront, and indulge in international cuisines at our restaurants.

The days are at leisure to pursue independent activities.

At 5:00 am you will be collected from your hotel by an Alluring Africa representative, and transferred to the Cairo International Airport for your scheduled flight for Aswan. Upon arrival, after collecting your baggage, proceed to the exit. Here you will be met by an Alluring Africa representative and transferred to Sonesta Moon Goddess where you will stay for four nights.

After lunch, board a traditional Nile felucca and sail around Kitchener’s Island, home to one of the most spectacular botanical gardens in the world. Kitchener’s Island is considered Aswan’s second major island; it was given to Lord Kitchener as a gift in recognition of his efforts in the Sudan Campaign. Hear about the history of the island and how Kitchener transformed it into a small and exotic paradise that boasts lush vegetation.

Today, visit High Dam, Granite Quarries and Temple of Philae. One of Nubia’s most important monument sites, the Temples of Philae, 12 kilometers south of Aswan, was an ancient pilgrimage center for the cult of Isis and dazzled travelers with its power for centuries. This sacred site was venerated from the Pharaonic era up to the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods with each ruler adding their own stamp onto the stones here. Saved from a watery grave by UNESCO’s rescue project, which transferred the monuments block by block from Philae Island to Agilika Island, today, the temples continue to work their charm on all who visit.

Enjoy lunch on board while sailing to Kom Ombo. Visit the temple shared by two gods – Sobek and Haeroris, which is about 30 miles (48 km) north of Aswan, and was built during the Graeco-Roman period (332 BC AD 395). There was an earlier structure from the 18th dynasty but little remains. The temple is unique because it is in fact a double temple, dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god, and Horus the falcon-headed god. The layout combines two temples in one with each side having its own gateways and chapels.

Visit Horus Temple in Edfu, an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Edfu which was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus-Apollo. It is one of the best preserved temples in Egypt. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BCE. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Greco-Roman period in ancient Egypt. In particular, the Temple’s inscribed building texts “provide details both of its construction, and also preserve information about the mythical interpretation of this and all other temples as the Island of Creation. There are also “important scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama which related the age-old conflict between Horus and Seth.” They are translated by the German Edfu-Project. This afternoon sail to Luxor.

Visit Valley of the Kings & Queens. The ancient Egyptians built massive public monuments to their pharaohs. But they also spent time and treasure creating hidden underground mausoleums. The most famed collection of such elaborate tombs—the Valley of the Kings—lies on the Nile’s west bank near Luxor. During Egypt’s New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.), the valley became a royal burial ground for pharaohs such as Tutankhamun, Seti I, and Ramses II, as well as queens, high priests, and other elites of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties.

After lunch on board, visit the Karnak and Luxor Temples. Karnak Temple dates from around 2055 BC to around 100 AD. A temple dedicated to Amun, Mut and Khonsu, it is the largest religious building ever constructed. The temple of Karnak was known as Ipet-isu—or “most select of places”—by the ancient Egyptians. It is a city of temples built over 2,000 years and dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. This derelict place is still capable of overshadowing many wonders of the modern world and in its day must have been awe-inspiring. The Luxor temple was built by Amenhotep III (1390-52 BC) but completed by Tutankhamun (1336-27 BC) and Horemheb (1323-1295 BC) and then added to by Rameses II (1279-13 BC). Toward the rear is a granite shrine dedicated to Alexander the Great (332-305 BC). The temple has been in almost continuous use as a place of worship right up to the present day. During the Christian era, the temple’s hypostyle hall was converted into a Christian church, and the remains of another Coptic church can be seen to the west. Then for thousands of years, the temple was buried beneath the streets and houses of Luxor. Eventually the mosque of Sufi Shaykh Yusuf Abu al-Hajjaj was built over it. This mosque was carefully preserved when the temple was uncovered and forms an integral part of the site today.

Disembark after breakfast and you will be met by an Alluring Africa representative and transferred to Hilton Luxor Resort and Spa where you will stay for two nights.

Escape to the banks of the Nile at the exquisite Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa, just 10 minutes from Luxor town center. Our stylish resort is the ideal base for exploring the region’s historical attractions. Among the eight restaurants and bars at our resort, you’ll find fragrant Arabian-style teas and Turkish coffees with waterfront views at Diwan Shisha Café. The sunken Oasis Pool Bar serves tasty drinks.

Enjoy a day at leisure in Luxor. Perhaps you would like to visit the Luxor Museum on your own? This wonderful museum has a well-chosen and brilliantly displayed and explained collection of antiquities dating from the end of the Old Kingdom right through to the Mamluk period, mostly gathered from the Theban temples and necropolis. The ticket price puts off many, but don’t let that stop you: this is one of the most rewarding sights in Luxor and one of the best museums in Egypt.

The ground-floor gallery has several masterpieces including a well-preserved limestone relief of Tuthmosis III (No 140), an exquisitely carved statue of Tuthmosis III in greywacke from the Temple of Karnak (No 2), an alabaster figure of Amenhotep III protected by the great crocodile god Sobek (No 155), and one of the few examples of Old Kingdom art found at Thebes, a relief of Unas-ankh (No 183), found in his tomb on the west bank.

After breakfast at 8:00 am, you will be collected from your hotel by an Alluring Africa representative and transferred to Luxor International Airport for your scheduled flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, after collecting your baggage, proceed to the exit where you will be met by an Alluring Africa representative and transferred to Ramses Hilton where you will stay for one night. The balance of the day is at leisure.

At 6:30 am you will be collected from your hotel by an Alluring Africa representative, and transferred to Marrakesh Airport for your home bound flight.