Nile cruise from Marsa Alam

Our representative will pick you up from the hotel in Marsa Alam. We will transfer you to Aswan so you can board your Nile cruise. Lunch will be served on board of the Nile cruise. Then we will proceed.

We will visit Aswan, including the Temple of Philae. We will take a tour by Felucca around Elephantine, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk.

Philae temple:

The Philae temple was built to honor the goddess Isis. It was the temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC. It was one of the places where the goddess was worshipped.

The High Dam:

The Aswan High Dam is a rock‑fill dam at the border of Egypt and Sudan. The dam is fed by the River Nile and its reservoir is Lake Nasser. Construction of the project began in 1960. Finished in 1968. It was officially opened in 1971.

The Unfinished Obelisk:

The Aswan quarry was the source of Egypt’s finest granite used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in the quarries gives us insight into how these monuments were built although the full process is not entirely clear. Three sides of the shaft 42 metres long were finished except for the inscriptions. The completed obelisk would have weighed 1 168 tonnes making it the heaviest stone piece the Egyptians ever made.

12:00 – Lunch on board of the cruise.

16:00 – Sailing trip with Felucca around Elephantine island. Visit to Lord Kitchener island.

Optional trip: Then visit the village.

The Nubian village is one of Aswan’s attractions. It is worth visiting and spending two hours there. The place is authentic genuine, colourful and artistic. The Nubian village will surprise you in every corner. While walking in the village you will immediately feel the soul of this place.

Overnight, on board the cruise.

Trip to Abu Simbel

Breakfast and lunch are served on the cruise. We leave early and visit Abu Simbel from Aswan.

Abu Simbel temples

Two temples were cut into the rock on the west bank of the Nile. They were made between 1274 and 1244 B.C. One temple honors Ramses the second. The other honors Queen Nefertari.

The Great Temple is dedicated to Ramses the second, Ra Harakhty, Amun Ra, and Ptah. It also has four huge statues. The second temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor.

Both temples were taken down block by block. They were rebuilt on higher ground. The work to save the temples of Abu Simbel is seen as a major achievement recognized by UNESCO.

13:00 depart for Kom Ombo

Kom Ombo temple

The Kom Ombo temple sits about 40 km north of Aswan. The nearby settlement area is linked to it. The temple was dedicated to Sobek and Horus. Most of the site dates to the Ptolemaic and Roman times, from 332 B.C to 395 A.C.

Sail to Edfu. Stay overnight in Edfu

Dinner and overnight are on board the cruise.

Early breakfast while we were on the Nile cruise.  
Then we kept going with the trip.  
Next stop was Edfu, and we visited the Edfu temple.

Edfu temple:  
This is a major site in Upper Egypt.  
It has a large temple that is still in good shape.  
The place is linked to the hawk god Horus.  
There was a Ptolemaic temple built here.  
That Ptolemaic work went up on the ground of an older temple.  
The earlier temple dates to the time between the reign of Ptolemy the Third, around 246 B.C.  
On the walls, you can also find the story of Horus and Seth in conflict.  
It may have been shown each year as part of a religious play.

After that, we sailed toward Luxor.  
We traveled through the Esna lock.

In Luxor, we visited the Luxor temple.

Luxor temple:  
Most of it was built in the New Kingdom period.  
It is tied to Amenhotep the Third.  
Later, it was finished by Tutankhamon.  
The work is also associated with Ramses the second.  
The first pylon was put up under Ramses the second.  
It is decorated with scenes from his battle of Kadesh.

Dinner and an overnight stay were on the cruise.

In the evening, there was a Galabya party.

Optional balloon ride for 80 dollars per person

Breakfast on the board on the Nile cruise Breakfast on the Nile Cruise Visit the west bank of Luxor and Karnak

The Valley of the Kings:

Once called the Place of the Truth this valley is called now the valley of the Kings. It is a domain of the Pharaohs who once lay in great stone sarcophagi awaiting immortality. The isolated valley behind Deir el Bahri is dominated by the Pyramid-Shaped Mountain Peak.

The Colossi of Memnon:

pair statues known as the Colossi of Memnon rising about 18 meters from the plain they are the remains of what once was the largest complex on the west bank, built by Amenhotep the Third.

The Queen Hatshepsut temple:

Rising out of the desert plain in a series of terraces the temple of Hatshepsut merges with limestone cliffs of the eastern face of the Theban Mountain as if nature herself had built this extraordinary monument.

Karnak temple:

Karnak is more than a temple it is a complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks all dedicated to the Theban gods and to the greater glory of Egypt’s Pharaohs. Karnak was the important place, for the worship of the Theban Triad (Amun, Mut and Khonsu).

Lunch will be served in Luxor. Drive to Marsa Alam.