Tour description

For thousands of years, Egypt has attracted travellers from around the world, and its stunning monuments and ancient wonders are as popular today as they have ever been. This short tour takes in Cairo and Luxor and features the enormity of the Pyramids, the splendour of the temples at Luxor and the mysteries of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, all of which combine to make this a fascinating introduction to Egypt and its history.

We begin our tour in Cairo where we take time to visit the great pyramids of Gisa, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and the nearby eroded and enigmatic Sphinx. We also visit the famous Egyptian museum with its Tutankhamun display and extensive statue, mummy and papyrus collection.

From here we travel on the overnight sleeper train to Luxor and include two tours to explore the vast array of monumental architecture here. On the east bank of the Nile we see the wonderfully preserved and immense temples of Karnak and Luxor. On the west bank we visit, amongst other sites, the Valleys of the Kings to see the multitude of Pharoanic tombs, which have been unearthed during years of excavations, and the Medinat Habu temple, whose deeply carved hieroglyphics and bright paintwork really give us an idea of how these temples looked in their prime.

You have some free time while in Luxor to explore more of Luxor's sites and bazaars, take a sunrise hot air balloon flight over the west bank, a felucca sailboat trip on the Nile or just to relax by the pool in front of the river. We then head back to Cairo where you can tour more of the city’s many interesting sites including the Citadel and sprawling Khan-el-Khalili bazaar, take a day trip to Alexandria, or head into the desert to Wadi Rayan and the Valley of the Whales. The tour finishes with a transfer back to the airport for your departure.

Note - Our Kings & Mountains tour extends this itinerary to spend a few days by the Red Sea in Dahab.