Egypt

Egypt: The Pharaohs' Odyssey, an All-Suite Cruise as far as Abydos

A boat for just 34 passengers, 22 visits, Dendera and Abydos by river

Egypt

Egypt: The Pharaohs' Odyssey, an All-Suite Cruise as far as Abydos

Eleven days to see Egypt in detail, aboard a superior 5* boat (local rating) renovated in 2023, with suites only and 34 passengers at most. Beyond the classic route from Aswan to Luxor, the cruise continues to Dendera and Abydos, rarely reached by river. In Cairo, two nights facing the pyramids, with Giza, Dahshur, Saqqara, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Coptic Cairo. The trip is also available with three nights in Hurghada (from €5,796 per person).

When

Oct to April

Price

From 4 451€ excl. flights

(based on 2 people sharing)

How long

10 nights

Ideal length

Cairo and its pyramids

Days 1-2

Two nights in a 5* hotel facing the pyramids, and a day to see five of them: Giza, then Dahshur and Saqqara.

Day 1

Arrival in Cairo

Flight to Cairo. Welcome on arrival by our French-speaking representative, help with visa formalities and transfer to the hotel.

Day 2

Giza, Dahshur and Saqqara

Visit the Giza plateau: Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure and the Sphinx. Lunch in a typical restaurant. In the afternoon, the site of Dahshur, with the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid, then Saqqara and the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

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From Aswan to Luxor

Days 3-5

Flight to Aswan and boarding. The boat sails down the Nile via Kom Ombo and the Esna lock to Luxor and the Theban necropolis.

Day 3

Flight to Aswan – the Nubian Museum

Flight to Aswan, settling in on board and lunch. In the afternoon, visit the Nubian Museum: 7,000 years of history, from pharaonic statues to records of the rescue of the Nubian temples, in a building with traditional domes.

Day 4

Kom Ombo and the Esna lock

Sail to Kom Ombo and visit its double temple, dedicated to Sobek and Horus. Pass through the Esna lock, lunch on board and continue to Luxor.

Day 5

Luxor: the Theban necropolis and the Valley of the Kings

Discover the Theban necropolis, a UNESCO site, on the west bank of the Nile. Visit the Valley of the Kings, where the New Kingdom pharaohs, from Thutmose I to Ramesses XI, lay in richly decorated tombs.

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Dendera, Abydos and Karnak

Days 6-7

North of Luxor, two of the best-preserved temples in Egypt: Hathor's at Dendera and Seti I's at Abydos, the holy city of Osiris.

Day 6

Dendera and Abydos

Sail to Dendera and visit the temple of Hathor, goddess of joy and love: decorated chapels, columns with Hathor-headed capitals and, from the roof, the view over the countryside of Upper Egypt. Continue to the site of Abydos, the holy city of Osiris.

Day 7

The temples of Karnak

Visit the temples of Karnak, a UNESCO site, and their hypostyle hall of columns covered in hieroglyphs. Back on board for lunch and sail towards Edfu.

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Edfu, Aswan and back to Cairo

Days 8-11

The boat sails back up to Aswan, with Abu Simbel as an option, before a last stop in Cairo for the Coptic quarter.

Day 8

The temple of Edfu – Aswan

Visit the temple of Horus at Edfu, a fine example of Ptolemaic art and one of the best-preserved sites of ancient Egypt. Sail to Aswan.

Day 9

Optional Abu Simbel – the High Dam

Optional: an early start across the Nubian desert for the temples of Abu Simbel, dismantled and rebuilt 110 metres higher in 1965. Return to Aswan for lunch on board, then discover the High Dam in the afternoon.

Day 10

Flight to Cairo – Coptic Cairo

Disembark after breakfast and fly to Cairo. Visit Coptic Cairo, in the heart of Old Cairo, where six churches date from the early Christian era, among them the Hanging Church, resting on the walls of the fortress of Babylon. Night in a 5* hotel near the airport.

Day 11

Flight home

Breakfast. Optional, mornings only: a visit to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) and its 22 royal mummies. Transfer to the airport and flight to France.