Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival to Luxor – Visiting the Karnak temple
Arrival to Luxor Airport, meeting the representative of Merit Amun Egypt Tours, then transfer by a luxury minibus for a hassle-free check-in to Luxor West Bank aboard the Nile Dahabiya Boat for an 8-day cruise sail along the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, lunch will be on board, then we will visit the Karnak temple complex which is dedicated to the worship of god Amun. You will be able to see the Great Hypostyle Hall in the Precinct of Amun-Re which contains 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows. You will also have the chance to see the sacred lake in the Precinct of Mut, which is constructed in a crescent shape and is more than 3000 years old and until now its water has not dried up. After we finish the visit, we will return to the boat which will sail to Esna. You will have dinner on board and overnight in Edfu.
Day 2: Edfu – Gebel el-Silsila – Maniha Island
Breakfast will be on board then we will visit the temple of Edfu that dates back to the Greco period and is dedicated to the God Horus, the God of the protection. It was the center of several festivals sacred to Horus. Each year, “Hathor travelled south from her temple at Denderah to visit Horus at Edfu, and this event marking their sacred marriage was the occasion of a great festival and pilgrimage.” After that we return back to the Dahabiya boat for having lunch while it sails to Gebel el-Silsila. Once it arrives there, we will have a visit to Gebel el-Silsila and explore the ancient sandstone quarries and rock-cut chapels of Horemheb, Seti I, Ramesses II and Merenptah. After finishing the tour, we will return back to the Dahabiya boat for having dinner while it will continue sailing to Kom Ombo. We will overnight there nearby an island which is called Maniha island.
Day 3: Kom Ombo – Daraw – Aswan – Nubian Museum – Market of Aswan
Breakfast will be on board, then we will be moving to visit the temple of Kom Ombo which is an amazing temple that dates back to the Greco period. The building is unique because its ‘double’ design meant that there were courts, halls, sanctuaries and rooms duplicated for two sets of gods. It is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and god Horus. The temple is atypical because everything is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis. Then we will go to the city of Daraw where we will visit the oldest animal market in Egypt there, where among other animals, camels are bred in Sudan and are sold in large numbers. Afterwards, we will return back to the boat for having lunch while the boat will continue sailing to Aswan. Once we arrive, we will visit the Nubian Museum which is a fascinating archaeological museum that holds many monuments date back to the Nubian period and It was built following the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia. In the evening, there will be a city tour to explore the epic sights of Aswan and afterwards we will visit the market of Aswan. We will finally return back to the boat for having dinner and stay for an overnight.
Day 4: Philae temple– High dam – Botanical Garden – Nubian village
Breakfast will be on board, then we will have a chance to visit the Philae temple which dates back to Greco period as well and it is dedicated to the Goddess Isis the Goddess of motherhood. This temple is an island-based temple complex in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam, downstream of the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser. After that will move to visit the High dam of Aswan, an engineering miracle which was built in the 1960 and is one of the world’s largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan. Afterwards we will visit the Botanical Garden which contains numerous rare plants and the Nubian village which is a marvelous village that will be showing us the daily life of the Nubian people. We will finally return back to boat for having lunch and dinner and we will overnight on board.
Day 5: Abu Simbel temple (optional tour)
Breakfast will be on board boat, then there’s an optional tour to the Temple of Abu Simbel which is a ravishing temple that dates back to the new kingdom of the 19th dynasty for the king Ramses II or (Ramses the Great) and is comprising two massive rock-cut temples in the village of Abu Simbel. It is situated on the western bank of Lake Nasser, about 230 km (140 mi) southwest of Aswan. Those who will decide to stay in Aswan, they can spend a relaxing and charming day aboard the Nile Dahabiya boat. After returning back from Abu Simbel, we will be having dinner while the boat will be sailing back to Luxor and stay for an overnight on board.
Day 6: Arrival to Luxor – Luxor Temple
Breakfast will be on board, then we will have another journey where we will visit The Luxor temple which is located on the east bank of the Nile River. It was one of the two primary temples on the east bank, the other being Karnak and it was built during the New Kingdom and dedicated to the worship of the goddess Mut. The Luxor temple contains the temple of King Amenhotep III, the shrine of Alexander the Great since that Luxor temple was dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship and in the case of Alexander the Great, who claimed he was crowned at Luxor but may never have traveled south of Memphis. It also contains some remains of a Roman shrine, and it has a crucial and awe-inspiring construction which is the Rams Road (also known as the Avenue of Sphinxes or The King’s Festivities Road) and it is a long avenue which connects the Karnak Temple with the Luxor Temple lined with over 1050 sphinxes and rams. We will then return back to the boat for having lunch , dinner and overnight on board.
Day 7: Luxor – West Bank – Workers City – Musical Party
Breakfast will be on board, and then you will have a unique adventure (optional) where you will enjoy the newest, safest and most comfortable hot air balloon ride in Luxor! You will enjoy stunning aerial views and the sun rise view over the iconic Nile-side city from an unbeatable vantage point – the sky – where you can see these fascinating natural sights of wide green areas of fields, the Nile River and the Egyptian monumental sights and temples. It also gives you a chance to take marvelous photographs from this epic adventure. Afterwards we will be moving to the west bank of Luxor which includes the Valley of the Kings, colossi of Mammon, Deir AL Madina and the Workers City. Finally we will return back to boat for having lunch, then the day can be ended with a musical evening with oriental belly dance. Dinner and overnight will be on board the Dahabiya boat.
Day 8: Final Departure –Luxor airport
Breakfast will be on board, then we will be moving to Luxor airport escorted by a Merit Amun Egypt tours Representative for final departure.
What’s include:
What’s Excluded: