Itinerary - Egypt Collection: Temples, Pyramids and the Nile River

Round trip flights are not included in the package, so you can choose from where and when you want to fly. This is to give you maximum freedom of choice!

Check into your hotel in Cairo and then we are ready to be dazzled by the sights and sounds of this wonderful city. Tonight is all about making friends and what better way to get to know our travel companions than gathering around the table to taste some local specialities?!

We wake up to our first morning in Egypt knowing that we have a special day ahead of us and that by the end of this day we will have been able to tick a few items off our bucket list. We'll start with two of the most instantly recognizable landmarks on the planet: the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza , the last remaining of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World . We've all seen photos and read books about them, but the majesty of these architectural wonders must be seen in person.

After spending time basking in their splendor and discussing, over lunch, how an ancient civilization was able to construct such majestic works, we will visit the Great Egyptian Museum . An expert guide will introduce us to the highlights of this unrivaled collection of antiquities , including King Tut's treasure, and help us understand Egypt's rich and fascinating history. In the evening, we can relax at the hotel or venture around the city.

This morning we say goodbye to Cairo and take a flight to Aswan. Here is another temple that we simply cannot miss: the Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis , the marriage goddess of health and wisdom who is located on an island in the middle of the river. We board small speedboats to reach it and spend the afternoon admiring some of the most beautiful ancient engravings in Egypt. After taking a thousand photos, we return to the mainland and reach our hotel, where we can have dinner and rest in preparation for the busy day ahead of us tomorrow.

After a busy few days, today is a day to slow down the pace a bit and we are free to enjoy the city of Aswan and its surroundings at our leisure. And this is great news since Aswan is not a place you can rush to! Here the Nile is spectacular , with small palm-fringed islands and black granite boulders dotting the river that flows into Lake Nasser. On the outskirts of the city, colorful Nubian villages stand against a desert backdrop and are the perfect place to see local life unfold. This is also our chance to take a dip in the Nile or, if we're feeling active, we can rent kayaks and explore the area under our own steam. Alternatively we can organize a visit to the times of Abu Simbel .

And as the afternoon draws to a close, we board our cruise ship, our home for the next 3 nights, where we will be able to enjoy a truly special sunset , cocktail in hand, by the pool.

After a tasty breakfast, it's up to us to decide how to spend the morning: we can relax or pay a visit to the Edfu Temple . Built between 237 and 257 BC, Edfu is far from modern, but it is one of Egypt's newest temples and is therefore beautifully preserved.

Back on board, we will enjoy lunch as we embark on the short sail to Kom Ombo . Perched picturesquely on the banks of the river, Kom Ombo is dedicated to the gods of protection and fertility and features two symmetrical temples split down the middle. Don't miss the recently discovered mummified crocodiles! In the late afternoon we return to the boat to continue sailing and enjoy dinner on board our ship.

Even today the day is full of discoveries of ancient Egypt! This morning we get off the ship and visit Edfu, while in the afternoon we will set sail for our next destination : Karnak - one of Egypt's most famous temple complexes, parts of which date back to 2,000 BC. Here our local guide will show us its hidden corners and help us unlock its secrets. We then relax on board our boat, which has been our home for the last few days, to enjoy yet another sunset, made even more magical by the colors of Egypt.

This morning, after breakfast, we head to the West Bank of the Nile to visit even more stunning relics of an ancient world. The Valley of the Kings has been a royal burial site since 2,100 BC and in total 63 magnificent royal tombs have been discovered. We will visit three of them and discover the funeral rites of the ancient Egyptians and the meaning of many paintings and hieroglyphics. From here we will stop to admire the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous statues that once flanked the entrance to the tomb of King Amenhotep, grandfather of Tutankhamun, as well as the temple of Egypt's most famous queen, Queen Hatshepsut, located in a spectacular natural setting.

Today we have to say goodbye to our floating hotel, but we have one more day to enjoy this beautiful corner of Egypt: Luxor , a city that is probably the most beautiful open-air museum in the world.

This morning we take a flight back to Cairo for our last full day in Egypt. It's up to us to decide how to spend it, but one place not to be missed is the Khan Al-Khalili Bazaar . As one of the oldest markets in the world , it is a feast for the senses and we can miss the sights, sounds and smells of this incredible place. We can sample some popular street food and learn how it's made as we wander through the incredible spice and gold markets, before stopping for tea at the iconic Feshawi Café.

If we have time, we can try to visit one of the other wonderful places in this huge city: Coptic Cairo with its suggestive churches and synagogues ; Garbage City whose residents are the city's waste collectors; or the exclusive Monastery of San Simone the Tanner. In any case, what we will do is spend our last evening sharing a wonderful farewell dinner with our new friends and reflecting on the adventure we just shared. Let's raise a glass and put a check next to Egypt on our bucket list!

We have reached the end of our journey: we must say goodbye but with the promise of seeing each other again very soon, perhaps for another WeRoad trip !