Pyramids, Nile Cruise & Lake Nasser Cruise
An unrivalled tour covering Pyramids, the Nile Cruise and Lake Nasser Cruise. Discover Cairo and it’s Pharaonic wonders such as the Pyramids and Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo and Islamic Cairo to the River Nile by Cruise and the splendors of Lake Nasser and scenic surroundings also by Cruise. Both cruises are of grand design, offering all the luxury one could wish for, and how completely satisfying to know that all the wonderful Ancient sites of Upper Egypt are included both in Luxor with the Valley of the Kings and Temples along the Nile and colourful attractions awaiting you in Aswan including more activities and sites and still the beauty of Lake Nasser and the Great complex of Abu Simbel.
- Met and assisted at Cairo airport upon arrival and departure by our Representative.
- Expert assistance and guidance during your stay by our Personnel, including all tours mentioned.
- All airport transfers by private deluxe A/C vehicle.
- Accommodation for 4 nights at a Cairo Hotel on buffet breakfast basis
- Accommodation for 4 nights on board Nile Cruise on full board basis.
- Accommodation for 3 nights on board Lake Nasser cruise on full board basis.
- Domestic flights (Cairo to Luxor — Aswan to Cairo) are included.
- All shore excursions as mentioned will join small group tours
- Tour to Karnak and Luxor Temples
- Tour to Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple and Colossi of Memnon.
- Tour to Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
- Tour to the High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Temple of Philae.
- Tour to the Temples of Abu Simbel
- Tour to the temples of Amada and Derr
- Tour to Tomb of Penout
- Tour to Wadi El Seboua and Temples of Dakka & Meharakka
- Tour to the Kalabsha Temple, Beit El Wali, Kiosk of Kertassi
- Lunch meals during tours
- Professional English-speaking Tour Guide.
- Admission fees to the sights throughout the tours.
- Applicable taxes for all hotels and Nile cruises included in the price.
- International airfare.
- Entry Visa to Egypt.
- Personal spendings.
- Optional excursions.
- Tipping
Day 1: Arrive Cairo ‘Welcome to Egypt
Your tour manager will meet and assist you at Cairo International Airport then escort you to your hotel by exclusive air-conditioned deluxe vehicle. At the hotel, your tour manager will assist with a smooth check-in and review your holiday itinerary with you to establish and confirm pick-up times for each tour. This would be a good time to do an optional excursion to the Sound and Light Show on Giza Plateau, by the magnificent pyramids.
Overnight in Cairo.
Welcome Drink.
Visits: Optional excursion to the Sound and Light Show at the Giza Plateau.
Day 2: Giza Pyramids and Sakkara
After your breakfast at the hotel you will visit Sakkara, the first Pyramid ever built in Egypt followed by the Step Pyramid of King Djoser and the Teti Pyramid. Then, on to the famous Giza Plateau to visit the only remaining wonder from the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World - the Great Pyramids of Khufu (called Cheops by the Ancient Greeks). Also on the plateau are the pyramids of Khafre (Chephren) and the smallest Pyramid Menkaure (Mykerinos). The plateau is as famous for the mysterious structure 'the Sphinx' as it is for the Pyramids, where you will visit the Valley Temple. Later on you will be transferred back to your hotel.
Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Visits: Sakkara, Step Pyramid of King Djoser, the Teti Pyramid, Great Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, Valley Temple.
Day 3: Fly Cairo to Luxor - Nile Cruise Tours
After early breakfast, your tour guide will transfer you to Cairo Airport for your flight to Luxor. On arrival, you will be met by your representative to check in to your Nile Cruise in Luxor. After this, you will head off with your tour guide to explore Karnak Temple, which is the world's largest ancient religious site. The hypostyle hall with its colossal granite columns is one of Egypt’s infamous landmarks. There will be free time to explore the different parts of the huge complex built during the reigns of various Pharaohs, then moving to Luxor Temple which was built by Amenhotep III and Ramses II for ritual and festivals that was dedicated to the God Amon and you may wish to return in the evening for the highly recommended optional tour, the Sound and Light show which tells the glorious Pharaonic historical story of Luxor and Karnak. Return to your Nile cruise.
Overnight aboard your Nile cruise in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Optional night visit to the Karnak and Luxor Temples Sound and Light Show.
Day 4: Luxor Nile Cruise Excursions
Breakfast is served on board in Luxor before being escorted by your guide to cross to the West Bank of the Nile to the sites of Ancient Thebes, overall one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Visit the two colossal statues of Amenhotep III (Colossi of Memnon), and the visit the impressive colonnaded and terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, which was built into a high cliff face and has graphics telling the story of Hatshepsut’s expeditions to the mysterious land of Punt. Then you go to the Valley of the Kings to see a selection of the beautifully decorated rock-cut tombs, many of which still display vibrant colour and breathtaking detail of deities and scenes from the Book of the Underworld with a visit to 3 tombs. (The three tombs visited are determined by the Egyptian Government as to preserve them from the large flow of visitors, therefore are rotated throughout the year and cannot be confirmed as to which tombs prior to your visit). The most visited tombs have walkways and electric lighting, and the internal walls are protected by glass. Sailing to Edfu via Esna Lock and enjoying dinner on board.
Please Note: There is an additional Charge to enter the Tombs of King Tutankhamun and Ramses VI.
Overnight aboard your Nile cruise in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings.
Day 5: Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples
After enjoying breakfast onboard your Nile cruise in Aswan you sail to see Kom Ombo Temple. Of all the ancient temples in Egypt, this is the only one which is divided into two, to reflect that it is dedicated to two Gods: Sobek, the Crocodile God of fertility; and the falcon-headed Horus, God of the sky. Kom Ombo is also famous for the depictions of surgeon's instruments, giving us an early record of medicine and surgery in Ancient Egypt.
In the afternoon, you will sail down the Nile to visit the huge Ptolemaic Temple of Horus at Edfu, which is the most complete and best-preserved of the Egyptian Temples, consisting of many columns, halls, chambers and chapels. Two statues of Horus flank the twin towered entrance gate; and inside, one of the interesting inscriptions lists the titles of books (scrolls) held in the library .Back to your Nile cruise for dinner, afternoon tea is served on the sundeck with dinner sailing to Aswan.
Overnight aboard your Nile cruise in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Kom Ombo Temple, Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Day 6: Aswan Nile Cruise Tours
After enjoying breakfast onboard your cruise ship in Aswan, you will be met by your guide to visit the Aswan High Dam which was built in the 1960’s to provide the much needed electricity and irrigation for the country. Nubia, the area that was flooded, experienced the biggest and most thorough archaeological excavations that Egypt has ever known. Then moving on to witness the ‘Unfinished Obelisk’ which still lies in the granite quarries which provided ancient Egypt with building materials.
It would have been the largest piece of stone ever handled but when a crack was discovered it was abandoned where it was being hewn. Cross by boat to Angilika Island, to see Philae Temple which is one of the Nubian Temples rescued before the High Dam was built. Enjoy Philae’s long colonnades, towers and reliefs which include the last surviving hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions in Egypt. Return to your Nile cruise ship for lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and leisurely free time in Aswan.
Overnight aboard your Nile cruise in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple, Aswan City.
Day 7: Aswan to Abu Simbel group transfer - Lake Nasser Cruise
Disembark after breakfast. Then, join our group transfer to Abu Simbel (approximately 3.5 hours). Upon arrival at Abu Simbel, you will be transferred to embark on your 5-star Lake Nasser cruise. Check-in at Abu Simbel with lunch on board then your fascinating exploration of these enormous twin Temples of Abu Simbel.
Note* Optional flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel as the upgrade is available upon request
Overnight onboard the Lake Nasser Cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Abu Simbel.
Day 8: Lake Nasser Cruise Tours
Enjoy breakfast while sailing to Kasr Ibrim. View Kasr Ibrim Fortress from the sun deck sailing to Amada where you will visit the Temple of Amada, Ed Deir and the Tomb of Pennut. Return to ship for lunch while sailing to Wadi El Seboua. Enjoy dinner on board.
Overnight on board the Lake Nasser Cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Kasr Ibrim Fortress, Temple of Amada, Ed Deir, the Tomb of Pennut.
Day 9: Lake Nasser Cruise Tours
After Breakfast visit Wadi El Seboua, then take a camel ride or walk to El Dakka and Mehraka. Back to the ship to sail to Aswan. Enjoy dinner on board.
Overnight on board the Lake Nasser Cruise.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.
Visits: Wadi El Seboua, El Dakka and Mehraka.
Day 10: Lake Nasser Cruise - Fly to Cairo
After breakfast, disembark the Lake Cruise to visit Kalabsha Temple, dedicated to the Nubian God Mandulis then continue to Beit el Wali to visit the beautiful Kiosk of Kertassi to explore the Nubian style Temple dedicated to the Goddess Hathor. Finally, you will be transferred from your cruise by an air-conditioned vehicle to Aswan Airport for your flight back to Cairo.
Overnight at the hotel in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast.
Visits: Kalabsha Temple, Kiosk of Kertassi.
Day 11: Cairo Sightseeing Tours
Last day in Cairo, you will take breakfast at the hotel, then be escorted by your tour guide to visit the world-renowned Egyptian Museum in Cairo that was built in neo-classical style and designed by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon. The museum's vast collection of over 120,000 artifacts ranges from pre-dynastic era, through the Pharaonic era to the Greco-Roman period of Egypt. Visiting the museum is a great introduction to learning about the ancient Egyptian civilization, including their famous art of mummification.
Next will be an unusual opportunity to explore the Christian heritage in Coptic Cairo including some of the early religious monuments of the city such as the Hanging Church (or Suspended Church), this Basilica Church was named for its location on top of the south gate of the Fortress of Babylon. This Church became the centre of the Christian Church of Egypt. Afterwards, you will have a wonderful afternoon shopping at the famous old market in Cairo known as Khan El Khalili Bazaar and then enjoy free leisure time for the rest of the day.
Overnight in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Visits: Egyptian Museum, Coptic Cairo, Hanging Church, Basilica Church, Khan El Khalili.
Day 12: Cairo - Fly Back Home
After breakfast at your hotel in Cairo, you will be transferred to Cairo International Airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast.
- This tour operates only in winter (October - April)
We were delighted with our 'Pyramids, Nile Cruise & Lake Nasser Cruise' tour. The 12-day trip arrangements went so smoothly, from airport pickups to boat transfers and all of the guides, drivers, and group representatives were very professional.
Thanks for the wonderful service you gave us during our trip to Egypt - we had a wonderful time.
It was an amazing arrangement by Memphis Tours, we enjoyed our vacation, thank you!
Perfect itinerary. Perfect mix of tours in Cairo and cruise in the Nile and cruise in Lake Nasser.
Very good.
My visits to Egypt often concentrate on Aswan, to enable me to continue my Nubian studies. For this, Mustafa Osman has been the Tour Leader who manages my programme when there, and suggests the best places for me to visit, people to meet etc and makes all the arrangements on my behalf. He has been excellent indeed and I have come to rely on his input. And as anyone who knows this area and its people will have found out for themselves, help is always delivered willingly and with a warm smile.
We used Memphis Tours to organize a custom tour for the Egyptian portion of the trip including transfers, hotel bookings, private tours and cruises on the Nile and Lake Nasser. Their booking agent was called Yosri Abd Allah and we did everything through the internet and emails. He spent a lot of time suggesting different itineraries and I was happy with the work he did for us.
The logistical part of their work was excellent. Our primary client contact in Cairo was named Abdul. He and his driver, Hamdi were always on time for our transfers. We never had to wait. We were never forgotten. Airport assistance was also well handled. We were walked through the various security and immigration checkpoints which certainly reduced the aggravation factor and saved us some time. Abdul did a very good job in taking care of us.
With the political unrest in Egypt affecting tourism levels, Memphis Tours were able to book us in some very nice hotels in Cairo for a significant reduction on the regular rates seen on the internet.
We stayed at the Mena House Oberoi hotel in Giza and the Nile Kempinski in Garden City. Both properties were really 5 star with fabulous locations. The Mena House overlooks the pyramids and the Kempinski is on the side of the Nile just south of Tahrir square in a very safe neighbourhood.
The tour guide in Cairo was called Mahmoud. He was very knowledgeable and presented his material well. He led us through a day tour of the Pyramids at Giza, Memphis and the Step Pyramid and another day visiting the Egyptian museum, Coptic Cairo, Islamic Cairo and the Souk.
The tour guide on the Nile cruise was called Mohammed Imam and was also very good. We did the usual run of temples, monuments and tombs from Luxor to Aswan and we were very happy with his work.
They also booked us on a hot air balloon flight over the valley of the kings in Luxor which was terrific and less expensive than other balloon rides that we have seen on our travels.
The Lake Nasser cruise was on a very nice ship called the Jaz Omar El Khayam and it was very luxurious with great public rooms and a beautiful cabin. The sites on Lake Nasser were less interesting than the Nile but the wildlife and scenery are fantastic and Abu Simbel absolutely takes your breath away.
On the whole there were only a few points that I was disappointed with, some niggling and some a little more serious.
Our transfers and tours for just the two of us were almost always in a marked white minivan. I felt very obvious. A car might have been more comfortable and more discreet.
The tours around Cairo included stops at restaurants for lunch. These were always oriented towards tour groups and tour buses. Again, with only two people, it might have been fun to find something a little less formulaic. One restaurant, on the way to Memphis, was called the Pharaoh was actually unpleasant with a very aggressive sales pitch for expensive add-ons to the set menu. The food was not very good either. The other was a buffet place in Cairo that had OK but boring food.
I had been expecting to visit the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid as part of the tour but we were told that this was not part of our booking. I checked my itinerary and they were right but it was not what I had understood when I had made the reservation. You have to be very careful in confirming what you think you have purchased.
We had been offered several choices for the Nile cruise portion of our trip. All of the ships are rated 5 star but you have the choice of Standard 5 star, Deluxe and Superior Deluxe. We chose a mid-range option with the Deluxe 5 star M/S Alyssa. What a mistake. While the staff were very nice, the boat was a dump and we were very disappointed. I should have blown the bucks for a better ship. In a perfect world, Memphis tours should have made me aware of the failings of my selection.
So I'd recommend Memphis Tours but I'd suggest that you do your research and make certain that you know what you want and clearly understand what you are buying. I don't think this is very different for any supplier of any product, it's not just travel and tourism.
First of all I would like to thank Memphis Tour's Ahmed Fayez for putting together a wonderful holiday for the four of us, 2 couples, always responding to our emails on time, and suggesting plenty of options for us to enjoy our stay in Egypt. Our Coordinator, Osama, was fantastic and he issued us with a mobile phone in case we needed at any time to contact him, which was very reassuring in a country we hadn't been to before. The Movenpick Pyramids Resort was spacious and clean and the staff were helpful and caring. Mustava, our guide on the first day was very informative and gave great advice and listened to our concerns about buying from vendors. We visited the pyramids at Giza, where we rode camels, then on to a jewellery and homeware shop that sold beautiful Egyptian plates and vases, furniture as well, irrisistable! The Papyrus Factory was next, we were shown the preparation of the Papyrus plant to make the parchment. Next a restaurant for a tasty Egyptian lunch and back in our tour bus to see the Cairo Museum. We really enjoyed listening to Mustava tell us the Egyptian history of the Pharohs, Kings and Queens. We visited the busy Khan-il-Khalili markets then said goodbye to Mustava, Osama then waited with us at the train station for the sleeper train to Aswan. Once there our guide Mustaffa then took us to see the Unfinished Oblisk, the High Dam, the Philae Temple, then a relaxing ride in a Felucca boat, then lunch in a beautiful restaurant. The next day, with Abdul, our fantastic driver, on the convoy to Aswan, we felt very safe with Abdul behind the wheel. He had a great smile and always pointed out things to us along the way even though we didn't always understand his Egyptian. We had a 3 night cruise on Lake Nasser which was absolutely fantastic, the crew all made our trip relaxing and fun, Bedo for making animals with our towels and quilts to surprise us. Bobo the barman was so friendly and Mohamed the waiter. Mohamed at the Reception desk was also making us laugh and made sure we had everything we needed. Each day we had trips off the ship to somewhere interesting and amazing. The ship's Dr Mohamed was there when we suddenly needed him and we thank him for his care and wish him well. We had the best time! We saw Abu Simbel Temple and many more ancient carvings and our guide Ahmed was so well educated about the history of the temples we were enthralled at the stories. The cruise was wonderful! After the cruise we joined our friendly and fun guide Mustaffa and our lovely driver, Abdul, again for a relaxing sail on the Nile to a Nubian village, we were welcomed to visit a Nubian home and family. The boat trip on the river was so relaxing and interesting and warm, we had a beautiful day with these two very special people. Ahmed then picked us up the next day for the Valley of the Kings, wow! The landscape is so stark but the intricate tunnels under the tombs were incredible. So many columns, history and statues to marvel at visiting the magnificent Temple of Luxor, Ahmed knew all about the temples and gave us so much information. We were very privileged to meet our guide Amr and driver Emad to go to Alexandria from a very congested Cairo. This very busy Mediteranian city has plenty to see like the Catacombes, the Citadel on the coast. We said our goodbyes and our thanks, we will never forget our Egyptian holiday and new friends, thankyou so much Memphis Tours.
Visited May 2011