Following breakfast, we’ll begin at the Great Pyramids of Giza. We’ll also approach the Sphinx and its watchful gaze. We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Afterward, the Grand Egyptian Museum which is the greatest repositories of ancient Egyptian treasures in the world. Following a guided visit, we’ll return to our hotel.  Meals: included B+L. Optional meal L

This morning we will fly to Aswan. Upon arrival, we’ll check in Aswan 5 stars Hotel. In contrast to the ancient wonders of Cairo, the remarkable High Dam at Aswan is an achievement that belongs to modern Egypt. With enriching insight and narration, you’ll explore this engineering marvel; completed in 1970 at a cost of about $1 billion, it spans more than 2 miles and towers 300 feet. This morning’s excursion also includes a visit by boat to the Temple of Philae, rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser after the completion of the High Dam. Now situated on a lovely island, the earliest elements of this impressive complex include a small temple built around 370 BCE and dedicated to the Goddess Isis.

We’ll board another comfortable motor boat for a brief but scenic journey to visit the Nubian Museum. Designed by the award-winning Egyptian architect Mahmoud al-Hakim, the building reflects traditional elements of Nubian architecture; inside, its carefully curated exhibits include temple, tomb and dwelling artifacts from the ancient Nubian civilization that thrived here along Nile River as far back as 2000 BCE. Then we will have lunch at a local restaurant. Following our exploration, we’ll return back to the hotel where we will spend the night. Meals: included B+L.

After breakfast, our private vehicle will meet us for our drive up the Nile to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, another of Egypt’s most spectacular ancient monuments. This 2,000-year-old temple complex is renowned for its monumental reliefs, its impressive setting and exquisite hieroglyphics. We’ll continue on to Luxor. Then we cross the Nile and drive west to the fabled Valley of the Kings. Here, the pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty built tombs deep into the arid mountainsides, abandoning the funerary pyramids of their predecessors. We’ll be here early, before any crowds, to admire the vivid frescoes that adorn each tomb in miraculous condition. In the neighboring Valley of the Queens, we’ll visit the elegant Tomb of Queen Hatshepsut, one of two female pharaohs. With our skilled guide in the lead, we’ll next stand in front of the massive pillars of the great Karnak Temple to admire the enormous Grand Hypostyle Hall, still the largest religious hall in the world. We’ll then walk the recently renovated Avenue of the Sphinxes to the temple walls of Luxor, embellished with skillful carvings of the gods accompanied by festive processions of priests, musicians, dancers and sacred cows. We return to our hotel for the evening. Meals: included B+L.

Mid-morning we’ll fly back to Cairo  and visit the Khan al-Khalili Bazaar, which since the 15th Century has been Cairo’s major center of local goods, jewels and authentic art-crafts. We’ll have lunch in an atmospheric restaurant with time to roam the extensive alleyways of the market. Meals: B+L

This morning we’ll drive to Memphis , the site of Egypt’s ancient capital, to marvel at the formidable Colossus of Ramses II. Nearby we’ll see the Alabaster Sphinx before heading to Sakkara at the edge of the Egyptian desert to visit the impressive Step Pyramid of King Zoser , the oldest standing stone structure in the world. We’ll also enter the 4,000-year-old Tomb of Mehu, a wealthy merchant, with its vibrant drawings of daily life that adorn the walls.  Meals: B+L

Today you’ll be escorted to the airport for your departure at the appropriate time for your onward flight.  Meals: B