Egypt Odyssey Special: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan & More

Upon arrival into Cairo International Airport, you will be met by Goway's local representative inside the customs and immigration area holding a sign board with your name on it. After being assisted with immigration formalities, you will be transferred to your hotel. You will be presented with full documentation required, including domestic airline tickets by your representative when you arrive.

The remainder of the day is at leisure to relax or explore on your own.

This morning, depart at 09:00 A.M for your full day tour to visit the Pyramids, Sphinx and Egyptian museum.

Pyramids and Sphinx were reckoned by the Greeks to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A single pyramid is built of 2,300,000 blocks, each weighing an average of two and one-half tons. In the face of such immensity, one cannot help but feel the wonder and awe that so many writers and artists have sought to convey over the centuries. The Cheops Pyramid is especially interesting since its interior burial chambers are open for inspection by the public. Not far from the Pyramids is the Great Sphinx of Giza, which dates from the time of Chephren (2620BC). Hewn from natural yellowish limestone and standing 65 feet high and 187 feet long, this unforgettable statue combines the head of a Pharaoh with a lion's body.

The Egyptian Museum is the most important depository of Egyptian antiquities anywhere in the world. It features artifacts from the Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman periods, including the celebrated mummies of ancient Egypt's king and Tut Ankh Amun treasures.

Today, you will transfer to Cairo Airport for your flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your ship, your floating hotel for the next 5 days as you cruise up the Nile. In an unforgettable excursion, visitors drive to the Luxor Temple. Many festivals were celebrated in Thebes. The Temple of Luxor was the center of the most important one, the festival of Opet. Built largely by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, the temple served as a setting for the rituals of the festival, which was held to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with his divine office. The procession of images of the current royal family began at Karnak and ended at the Luxor temple.

Karnak was erected in 1928 BC as a small shrine dedicated to Amun, god of Thebes then. The Temple of Karnak comprises three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples - all constructed over 1300 years. The three main temples of Mut, Monthu and Amun, are enclosed in enormous brick walls, with the temple of Amun at the center. Karnak is now the largest.

After breakfast visit the West Bank and the burial ground of the Pharaohs including the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon.

The Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt is home to many pharaonic tombs of the New Kingdom, including those of King Tutankhamen and Ramses the Great. Each king's formal name and title is inscribed in his tomb, which is also adorned with his images and statues. Most of the tombs were cut into limestone following a similar pattern: three corridors, an antechamber, and a sunken sarcophagus chamber.

The small town of Edfu is situated on the west bank of the Nile, 56 km south of Esna and 105 km north of Aswan. Today, it is an important centre for sugar production and pottery-making. The site of Edfu was known as Wetjetser-hor (classical name-Apollinopolos Magna), the place where the god Horus was worshipped and where the battle between Horus and his traditional enemy, Seth, in the ancient mythology, took place.

This morning you will visit the wonderfully preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu. The temple is perhaps the best preserved in all of Egypt and ranks second behind Karnak, simply because of its immense size. At the temple's entrance stand two large black granite statues of Horus who is depicted as a falcon. The elaborate carvings on the walls of the temple are beautiful as if carved just yesterday. Inside the temple is a small sanctuary where the priests of the day offered the best parts of the animals to the gods.

Continue sailing to Kom Ombo to visit the Graeco Roman style Temple of Sobek. Standing serenely on a hilltop, the site offers an incredible view over the Nile. Kom Ombo is located on a bend in the Nile River about 50 km north of Aswan. Located on the east bank, Kom Ombo is home to an unusual double Temple of Sobek built during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The temple is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris (Horus the Elder). Despite being badly damaged, the temple is a beautiful sight as you approach from either direction on the river, particularly as sunset nears and the colours change.

Today's sightseeing includes Aswan's High Dam and the Temple of Philae. The Old High Dam was built by Sir W. Wilcox on Behalf of the British authorities in 1898. It is constructed of Granite quarried in the Aswan area. The official opening took place in 1902. The Temple of Philae was dismantled and reassembled (on Agilika Island about 500 m from its original home on Philae Island) in the wake of the High Dam. The Temple dedicated to the Goddess Isis, is in a beautiful setting, which has been landscaped to match its original site. Its various shrines and sanctuaries, which include a temple of Hathor, a Birth House and two pylons, celebrate all the deities involved in the Isis and Osiris myth.

Aswan, Egypt's sunniest southern city and ancient frontier town, is located about 81 miles south of Luxor and has a distinctively African atmosphere. Its ancient Egyptian name was Syene. Small enough to walk around and graced with the most beautiful setting on the Nile, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. Days can be spent strolling up and down the broad Corniche, watching the sailboats etch the sky with their tall masts or sitting in floating restaurants listening to Nubian music and eating freshly caught fish.

Disembark from your ship after breakfast and transfer to Aswan Airport for your flight back to Cairo, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the night.

Today is at your leisure.

Breakfast at hotel, check out, and transfer to the Cairo International Airport for departure.