11 Day Egypt with 5 Star Nile Cruise & Red Sea Resort

Upon arrival at Cairo Airport you will be met by a MyHoliday2 representative who will assist you through airport customs & formalities. You will be transferred to your hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is at your own leisure.

MEALS: None

OVERNIGHT: Barcelo Pyramids, Cairo

Breakfast and pick-up to explore Cairo and visit the famous Pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Cheops which was built by manual labor, is the largest of the three main Pyramids and is the only survivor of the Seven Great Wonders of the Ancient World, the Pyramid of Chephren, which is the best preserved, and the Pyramid of Mycerinus. Nearby see the Sphinx, a marvellous sight carved out of a natural rocky outcrop, the lion’s body stretching 45m, with its paws 15m long. We will visit the Papyrus Institute and learn how paper was made in ancient times followed by shopping in the Papyrus Museum, Perfume factory and Jewellery shop. Lunch will be in local restaurant, at your own expense. Then, visit The Egyptian Museum is the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, and houses the largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities in the world. The museum displays an extensive collection spanning from the Predynastic Period to the Greco-Roman Era. Transfer back to hotel and overnight.

MEALS: Breakfast

OVERNIGHT: Barcelo Pyramids, Cairo

Breakfast in hotel and pick-up to explore Alexandria. The majority of Alexandria’s surviving monuments are its necropoleis (cemeteries). The most impressive of these is the Roman-era Kom al-Shoqafa near the Serapeum. This contains Greek-style catacombs and triclinia burials, a chapel, and a banqueting area that was used during funerals. Paintings and reliefs gracefully combine ancient Egyptian and Greek beliefs and artistic traditions. Vist Pompey’s Pillar. It stands immediately next to the site of the Serapeum, the principal temple of Sarapis, the national god of ancient Egypt during this period. It was unfortunately destroyed when the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius outlawed paganism in 391 AD. We will have lunch in seafood restaurant, at your own expense. After lunch we will visit Montazah garden before heading back to Cairo.

MEALS: Breakfast

OVERNIGHT: Barcelo Pyramids, Cairo

Today after breakfast we start exploring ancient Islamic & Coptic Cairo Visit citadel of Salah el din , When in Cairo, it is basically impossible to miss the Salah ElDin Citadel , one of the world’s greatest monuments to medieval warfare. Resembling a typical early medieval fortress, with large imposing gateways, towers and high defending walls, the Citadel is one of Cairo’s main attractions and probably the most popular nonpharaonic monument in the Egyptian capital. The prominent fortress houses three mosques – of which the impressive Mohamed Ali Mosque – a carriage museum, a military museum, and a garden museum, just to name a few, and they are all worth a visit. Enjoy lunch in Local restaurant.

Copts who form the majority of Egyptian Christians are followers of the Coptic Orthodox Church and considered to be part of the descendants of Ancient Egyptians and one of the first peoples to convert to Christianity. In fact, the word “Copt” derives from the Arabic word “Qibt” – or “Gibt” – which derives from the Greek word “Egyptos” meaning “Egypt.” The Ancient Egyptian root of the word was “Hikaptah” (Ha-Ka-Ptah), the name Memphis was known by in 3100 BC at the time when it was the first capital of Ancient Egypt. The Coptic Church traces its spiritual history back to St. Mark, the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark, and considers him to be the founding father of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The history of the Coptic Church is tied to the history of Christian monasticism. The ancient tradition of monasticism continues to be practiced in Egypt and offers a great opportunity to visit Coptic monasteries, such as the monastery of St Simeon in Aswan, St Anthony and St Paul Monasteries in the Red Sea mountains, and Deir Al-Kashef Monastery, an early Coptic monastery in the Western Desert. Some of Egypt’s churches also rank among the oldest Christian landmarks in the world, such as the church of the virgin in Asyut and the Coptic. Cathedral of St. Mark in Alexandria. Return to hotel and evening free at leisure.

MEALS: Breakfast

OVERNIGHT: Barcelo Pyramids, Cairo

After breakfast in the hotel we check-out and transfer to the airport for a short flight to Aswan. Once arrived in Aswan, you will be met by our tour representative and transferred to your first stop: High Dam. Visit Philae temple The temple of Isis was one of the last ancient Egyptian temples to remain active, as it continued to function until the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (527–565 AD), who ordered the foreclosure of all pagan temples. It is here that a priest of Isis named Esmet-Akhom carved the very last dated hieroglyphic inscription, which dates to the late 4th century AD (394 AD). The temple was converted into a Christian church and many inscriptions were deliberately destroyed.

After this we transfer to the cruise ship for check in and enjoy lunch on board. In the afternoon you will be enjoy a trip on a traditional Felucca boat overlooking Aswan and watch the sunset. Perfect end to the first day of cruising. Back to the ship for dinner and overnight.

MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

OVERNIGHT: Solaris I or II Nile Cruise or similar

The Great Temple of Abu Simbel, in Nubia near Egypt’s southern border, is among the most awe-inspiring monuments of Egypt. It was cut into the living rock by King Ramesses II (the Great) of the Nineteenth Dynasty, around 1264 BC. The temple is most well known for the four imposing seated colossal statues that dominate its façade. One of these collapsed because of an ancient earthquake, and its fragments can still be seen on the ground.

Travel back to Aswan and enjoy lunch on board during sailing to Kom Ombo. The temple is unique because its ‘double’ design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods. The southern half of the temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world with Hathor and Khonsu. Meanwhile, the northern part of the temple was dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris (“Horus the Elder”), along “with Tasenetnofret (the Good Sister, a special form of Hathor or Tefnet/Tefnut and Panebtawy (Lord of the Two Lands). The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis. Return to the cruise ship for dinner and overnight.

MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

OVERNIGHT: Solaris I or II Nile Cruise or similar

Breakfast on board, them pick-up to visit It is one of the best preserved shrines in Egypt. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in 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.”[2] There are also “important scenes and inscriptions of the Sacred Drama which related the age-old conflict between Horus and Seth.

Enjoy lunch on board during sailing to Luxor. Upon arrival we disembark to visit Luxor temple. Luxor temple is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship; it may have been where many of the pharaohs of Egypt were crowned in reality or conceptually (as in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis, near modern Cairo). Return to the cruise ship for dinner and overnight.

MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

OVERNIGHT: Solaris I or II Nile Cruise or similar

After our final breakfast on board we check-out and proceed to visit Valley of the Kings. The site for this royal burial ground was selected carefully. Its location on specifically the west side of the Nile is significant as well. Because the sun god set (died) in the western horizon in order to be reborn, rejuvenated, in the eastern horizon, the west thus came to have funerary associations. Ancient Egyptian cemeteries were generally situated on the west bank of the Nile for this reason. Visit The celebrated temple of Hatshepsut (c.1473–1458 BC), the queen who became Pharaoh, is located here, in Deir al-Bahari, on the west bank of Luxor. Made up of three man-made terraces that gradually rise up toward the sheer cliff face, this structure is truly a sight to behold. The site of Deir al-Bahari was sacred to Hathor, the goddess who nursed and reared every king, including their mythological ancestor, the god Horus, in Egypt’s primordial past.

Today we have lunch in local restaurant at your own expense. Aptly called Ipet-Sut “The Most Select of Places” by the ancient Egyptians, Karnak Temple was the most important temple in Thebes (modern Luxor), in Upper Egypt. This was where the cult of the great god Amun of Thebes was conducted. As such, it was extremely wealthy and its priesthood held great political power. Transfer to Hurghada, to check-in to your Red Sea resort for the next 3 nights.

MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner

OVERNIGHT: Magic Beach Resort 4*

Enjoy a full day at your own leisure in this wonderful all inclusive resort by the Red Sea. Do as much or as little as you like over the next couple of days. Some options include boat trips, fishing and diving in the house reef in the Red Sea. All can be organised through the activities desk at the hotel.

MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

OVERNIGHT: Magic Beach Resort 4*

Another free day where you can dine and drink till your hearts content! Relax by the pool with a cocktail in hand or be more energetic with some water sports or yoga class. Or you can treat yourself to a sensual massage in the resort spa.

MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

OVERNIGHT: Magic Beach Resort 4*

Enjoy your final morning in the resort before check out at 12:00 noon. You will be transferred to Hurghada airport for your onward journey. Thank you for travelling with MyHoliday2, we hope you’ve had a fantastic time in Egypt.

MEALS: Breakfast