• Dahabiya Nile Sailing •

Highlights of Egypt, Nubia, Dahabiya and Red Sea in 12 days

12 Days - 11Nights: Cairo - Aswan - Abu Simbel- Dahabiya Cruise- Luxor - Hurghada

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Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1

Visit Saqqara. Include the Step pyramid and the Nobles tombs.
Visit Dahshur. Include the bent pyramid and the Red pyramid.
Lunch at Saqqara, a good place to try Egyptian food. Normally they serve a mixed grill,
kofta, and lots of small dishes filled with appetizers.
Visit Giza. view the Great pyramid, The Sphinx, Khara pyramid, Menkawra pyramid, and priest Kar tomb.
Night stay in Cairo.
The tour duration 8-9 hours.

Day 2

Visit the Egyptian museum. Including King Tut Ankh Amon collection. Or the Grand
Egyptian Museum when open.
Walking tour in Downtown Cairo.
Lunch at Abo Tarek, famous for Koshri as the most common fast food in Egypt, is a mix of rice, pasta, little, check bees, fried onion, and tomato sauce.
Visit Coptic/Old Cairo. Include the hanging church and Abu Serga Church.
The tour duration 7-8 hours.
Night stay in a Cairo

Day 3

Transfer to Cairo Airport and fly to Aswan . 1.5 hour flight.
Visit the High Dam.Visit Philae temple.Visit the unfinished obelisk.
Lunch and check in the hotel.

Afternoon/Sunset: Felucca ride on the Nile River to view the following: The Nobles tombs – Agha Khan Mausoleum – the Plantation Island and the Old Cataract hotel.
Night stay in a Cairo
Dressing code: Normal.

Day 4

Early morning travel to Abu Simbel temple (3-4 hours drive each way)
Visit the temple of Ramses and Nefertari.
Drive back to Aswan.
The tour duration 8-9 hours
Noon: check into the Dahabiya. Lunch and sailing. Dinner and overnight on board in Daraw.

Day 5

Breakfast on board. In the town of Daraw you learn how to shop like a local at the market, visit a barn to meet camels and learn about the camel trade, and visit a Nubian Town. Visit Kom Ombo temple. Lunch on board. Sailing to El Selsela ancient sandstone quarry and shrines. Dinner and overnight on board near Bisaw.

Day 6

Breakfast in a local home or on board. Explore Bisaw Island, walk through farms and meet the villagers. Join the men in their boats to share the experience of Nile fishing.
Sail to Edfu, Ride to visit the Temple of Horus. Lunch on board. Dinner and night stay on board in El Hegz.

Day 7

Breakfast on board. Sail to Esna. Check out the dahabiya after breakfast. We visit the Temple, restored caravanserai, and market. Esna is part of the Luxor governorate, we drive about an hour from Esna to Luxor. Check in the hotel.
Afternoon:
Visit Karnak Temple, Visit Luxor temple
Tour Duration: 3-4 hours
Night Stay in Luxor

Day 8

Stop at the Colossi of Memnon
Visit the Valley of the Kings. Your tour guide will lead you to the most important tombs
among the opened tombs in the valley – You are allowed to visit 3 tombs amongst more than 10 tombs that are currently open.
Snacks
Visit Hatshepsut temple.Visit the Ancient Workmen Village (Deir El Medina)
Visit a local farmer’s house for a late Lunch or dinner.
Tour Duration: 7-8 hours
Dressing code: Conservative (for the local family visit)
Night stay in Luxor.

Day 9

Check out in the morning and transfer to the Red Sea (Hurghada). About 4 hours drive.
Arrive in Hurghada and check in the hotel.
Afternoon: Half day city tour in Hurghada.
Night stay in Hurghada.

Day 10

Free day in Hurghada

Day 11

Check out form the hotel and transfer to Cairo (Flights about 1 hour Or overland about 6 hours)
Night stay in Cairo

Day 12

Visit the Citadel. Including Mohamed Ali mosque.
Lunch at El Azhar park. A beautiful park in the center of Cairo, on the top of a hill overlooking the city.
Walking tour in El Muizz St, of Medieval Cairo. The most preserved area with medieval Islamic architecture such as Mosques, Houses, markets, and other Medieval architecture. It’s a perfect place to experience the local culture of Egypt today.
Visit Khan El Khalili market.
The tour duration 7-8 hours.

Detailed days

Day 1

Optional extras
● Going Inside the great pyramid
● Camel rides
● Attend Giza sound and light show in the evening.

Day 3

Optional activities: ( please notify us before hand of optional tours you would like )
● Elephantine Archeological site.
● The Nubian Village.
● The Nubian Museum.
● Camel ride to Saint Simon Monastery.
● Visit Plantation Island.
● Motor boat ride through the Nile Cataract.
● Philae temple sound and light show.

Day 7

Optional activities: ( please notify us before hand of optional tours you would
like )
● Hot air Balloon ride. At sun rise, about 50 minutes flight with transfers duration
is 2 hours.
● Walk the Alley of the Sphinx (Karnak to Luxor temple)
● Tut Ankh Amon tomb.
● Ramses 6th tomb
● Set 1st tomb
● Horse carriage ride between Karnak and Luxor temples.
● Felucca ride in the Nile River.
● Luxor Museum.
● Karnak temple sound and light show.
● Nefertari tomb.

Day 10

Optional activities in Hurghada, you can book it 48 - 24 hours in advance
Half day Hurghada private city tour. Explore different parts of the city, including the Corniche (esplanade, promenade)
along the beach, the Marina, the old town, the market and the fish market. A fun option is use bicycles for this tour. The
tour duration is 3-4 hours.
Full day private snorkelling tour using a private sailboat. Hurghada is famous for its reefs and beautiful underwater
scenery. In this tour you board a sailboat (which has an engine in the case of no wind) and sail to different Islands and
reefs where you can snorkel. The tour duration is 6-7 hours. Cooking equipment is available. You can buy your lunch and
cook it on board. Snorkelling equipment is included.
Full day snorkelling tour (group tour). Hurghada is famous for its reefs and beautiful underwater sceneries. In this tour
you board a yacht and sail to Islands and reefs where you can snorkel. This includes lunch and snorkelling equipment. The
tour duration is 6-7 hours, and starts around 9am.
Full day paradise Island (group tour). If you would like to relax and have access to the water at a beautiful beach to
swim and snorkel, Paradise Island would be a good option. Includes lunch and Snorkeling equipment. The tour duration is
6-7 hours, and starts around 9am.
Overday or Overnight desert trip in Wadi El Gemal.
Desert Safari (group tour). In this tour you explore the desert near Hurghada using Quad bikes. It’s great fun and
adventure. You visit a Bedouin camp and have dinner while watching a folk show. The tour duration is about 6 hours,
starting at around 2pm.

Swim with the Dolphins (group tour). In the sea not in a swimming pool. It’s a day tour in a boat with lunch included.
The chances of finding friendly Dolphins and swimming with them is quite high.
Scuba diving tours are available when requested. If you are not a licensed diver, you can do a diving introduction at a safe
depth with instructor.
Other tours and activities are available, our operator in Hurghada will explain them all to you.

Day 12

Optional Tours
● Attend a folk show in Al-Ghouri Caravansary. Available in Sat, Mon and Wed.

OPTIONAL TOURS AND ACTIVITIES

LUXOR

West Bank: West bank of Luxor is home to countless tombs, temples and the village of the workmen who built and applied their artistry to the tombs and temples. As we start exploring the West Bank our first visit is to the Colossi of Memnon. These two imposing sandstone statues that indicate the site of the mortuary temple of 18th dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III (1386 – 1353 BC).

Valley of the Kings which is part of the necropolis of ancient Thebes. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For more than a thousand years the kings, queens and nobles of the New Kingdom (1500 – 1070 BC) chose to be buried here.

Temple of Hatshepsut. During her reign the female pharaoh Hatshepsut (1473 – 1458 BC) built a mortuary temple at Deir el Bahari, situated directly across the Nile from Karnak Temple which was the main sanctuary of the god Amun. Many find it one of the most beautiful of all the temples constructed in Egypt.

Ancient Workmen Village. Deir el-Medina is the Arabic name for the village where the craftsmen and artisans who worked on the tombs and other monuments of the West bank lived, including those in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

Hot Air Balloon ride. Hot Air Balloon ride over Luxor West Bank for the sun rise. (about 50 min flying).

Karnak Temple Temple is huge, the site covers more than 100 hectares. Construction at Karnak began in the Middle Kingdom (2000 – 1700 BC) and continued into the Ptolemaic era (305–30 BC). Its size and variety within the site that make it extraordinary.

Luxor Temple located approximately three kilometers south of Karnak Temple. These temples were linked with a processional way bordered with sphinxes, now known as Avenue of the Sphinxes. It is the only temple in the world where ancient Egyptian religions, Greek and Roman cults, Christianity and Islam have been practiced. The temple was substantially built by Amenhotep III (c.1390–1352 BC) and Ramesses II (1279–1213 BC).

Dendera and Abydos if you wish to explore Dandara or Abydos, we can organize your tours on the days before the Dahabiya, which might add another extra day in Luxor.

ASWAN

Philae: giving you a picturesque approach to the site. During the 1960s, the monuments on this island were relocated from the original Philae island nearby so they would not be flooded because of the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Philae includes many structures, mostly dating to the Ptolemaic era (332–30 BC).

Unfinished Obelisk. Obelisks are four-sided, tapered monuments that were called tekhenu by the Ancient Egyptians. It is estimated that the unfinished obelisk would have measured 42 metres and weighed 1200 tons, which would have made it the largest obelisk constructed by the ancient Egyptians.

the High Dam and enjoy views of the Old Aswan Dam and the Nubian Lake (Lake Nasser). Seeing the High Dam and lake adds to your understanding of how the changing flow of the Nile has influenced Egyptian history. The dam was built to control the flooding of the Nile, increase water storage for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity. However, the large area flooded caused the relocation of more than 100,000 people. Many archaeological sites were submerged.

The Elephantine Island archaeological site This is one of the most unique sites in upper Egypt because here you can see across 4,000 years of Egypt’s history, from 3,000 BC until late mediaeval times (12th to 14th centuries). Remains on the island date from prehistory, including the oldest temple in Egypt.

A Felucca ride on the Nile River is a leisurely boat trip with views of the Nobles’ tombs, the Agha Khan Mausoleum, and Plantation Island. As you sail, you will also see the Old Cataract Hotel.
We can also include a visit to the Other sights: The following attractions need at least an extra day in Aswan.

The Nubian Museum:will give you more insights into the multifaceted history of this area and how monuments and edifices were made.

Abu Simbel temples

Lying in Abu Simbel town, 3 hours drive (each way) from Aswan to the south about 230 km (140 mi) southwest of Aswan, part of the UNESCO Nubian world heritage sites including two massive rock-cut temples dating back to Ramses II of the 19th dynasty, Abu Simbel temples were relocated by archaeologists as construction of the dam began in 1960 in a rescue operation .

Temples of Kalabsha

Temples of Kalabsha: Also known as thMandulis, ite Temple of Mandulis was originally located at Bab al-Kalabsha, about 50 kilometres south of Aswan. The temple was on the UNESCO Nubian Sites list together with other outstanding examples of Nubian architecture, including the ones in El Seboua and Amada. The temple was moved to its current location just across from the High Dam.

The Nubian Museum

will give you more insights to the multifaceted history of this area, and of how monuments and edifices were made.