Budget Egypt Tour (07 Days)

Temple of Philae, Aswan.

Nile Cruises

Karnak Temple, Valley of Kings, Luxor.

Duration: 07 Days / 06 Nights
Sites: Cairo, Aswan, Nile Cruise, Luxor
Run: Everyday

DAY 01 – Arrive in Cairo
Upon arrival to Cairo International Airport, Veni Vidi Travel representative will be waiting for you at the airport holding a sign with your name, he will help and assist you through visa & immigration formalities, baggage claim & customs. Then transfer to your hotel with the remainder of day at leisure regarding to your arrival time. Overnight in Cairo.

DAY 02 – Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis and Sakkara
After breakfast at hotel, meet your guide and travel to the Giza Plateau, around 30 minutes from the city, home to the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. Your qualified Egyptologist guide will introduce you to each of the 3 pyramids from the outside - Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Khafre and Pyramid of Menkaure. You will have time to enter inside one of the pyramids (additional cost), however your guide is not permitted to escort you. Continue across the plateau for a photo opportunity of all 3 pyramids rising from the sands with the Cairo skyline in the background. A short drive to the other side of the plateau finds you standing at the feet of the Sphinx and there is time to explore the surrounds including the ruins of the Mummification Temple. Also in Giza you may visit the Solar Boat Museum (optional), home to the funerary boat of Khufu. Stretching 150 feet (46 meters) in length, the prow sweeps upward with a papyrus end. The boat's state of preservation is remarkable and is one of the best Egyptian finds since Tutankhamun's tomb. Your next stop is a 20 - 30 minute drive away at Sakkara, home of Egypt's oldest pyramid. Built by Imohotep for pharaoh Zoser in 2650BC, the famous Step Pyramid is well preserved. Your guide will give you a brief history of the site before allowing you free time to walk around the perimeter of the impressive structure. Your final stop is at Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Here you will find artifacts from many of the great rulers of Egypt, including the huge fallen statue of Ramses II. After the tour, your guide will transfer you to Cairo Railway station. Overnight in sleeper train.

DAY 03 – Aswan, Hight Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Temple of Philae
Morning arrive in Aswan. Transfer to your cruise ship where you will spend the next 3 nights / 4 days. After breakfast, take a tour of Aswan High Dam, Egypt's contemporary example of building on a monumental scale. Next, Proceed to the granite quarries which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples. The quarries still hold the Unfinished Obelisk, possibly intended as a companion to the Lateran Obelisk, originally at Karnak but now in Rome. It would have weighed over 1,100 tons and would have been the world's largest piece of stone ever handled. Continue by a short motor-boat ride to the Temple of Philae on the island of Agilka. The temple was dedicated to Isis, sister/wife of Osiris and patroness of the Ptolemaic rule. Sail around Elephantine Island on a felucca, the traditional Egyptian sail boat. Elephantine Island is the largest of the Aswan area islands, and is the site of some of the most ancient remains in Egypt, with artifacts dating to pre-dynastic periods. Elephantine is Greek for Elephant. In ancient times, the island was called Abu or Yabu, which also means elephant. The name may indicate that the island was once a center for the trade of ivory. In the afternoon sailing in a felucca on the Nile to Kitchner Island (also known as Lord Kitchner's Botanical Garden, Plant Island, Gizirat al-Nabatat, Plantation Island, or Gizirat al-Bustan). Lord Kitchner moved there after being given the island for his campaigns in the Sudan. He imported plants from around the world to create his famous garden. From the river you have a nice view of the Aga Khan Mausoleum, an elegant pink granite structure built in the late 1950's. After lunch, sail to Kom Ombo, and visit the Temple of Sobek, the crocodile-headed god of fertility and creator of the world. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank. Then sail to Edfu. Overnight on board Cruise.

DAY 04 – Edfu, Esna, Luxor
After Breakfast, visit Edfu temple ofHorus Set out by horse-drawn carriage to visit the Temple of Horus, the most perfectly preserved of all the Nile temples. Horus, also known as Haroeris, was the falcon-headed solar war god, back to the cruise. Sail to Esna, passing through the Esna Lock, continue sailing towards Luxor. Overnight on board Cruise.

DAY 05 – Luxor, West Bank, Valley of Kings, Queen Hatshepsut, Memnon
After breakfast, Cross to the West Bank of the Nile and visit the wondrous Valley of the Kings, a vast city of the dead, where the magnificent tombs of 62 pharaohs have been discovered. The tombs were carved deep into the desert mountains, richly decorated and filled with treasures for the afterlife of the pharaohs. Visit several of the tombs. Next, visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. This beautiful monument to the reign of the only female pharaoh rises out of the desert plain in a series of terraces and merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it. On the way back to your Nile cruise, stop at the famed Colossi of Memnon, two 66ft, 1 thousand ton statues of Amenhotep III. These colossal statues were known by the ancient Greeks to emit haunting voices at dawn. Though damaged by nature and ancient tourists, the statues are still impressive. (Evening posibility for optional Sound & Light Show at the Karnak Temple). Overnight on board cruise.

DAY 06 – Luxor, Karnak Temple
After breakfast, visit Karnak Temple, in thenorth of Luxor, called by some "the Temple of Temples" It is the largest place of worship ever built. Its ancient name Ipet-isut means "the most sacred of places." The temple, or, more correctly, the complex of temples, was built over more than two thousand years by generation after generation of pharaohs. Within the complex, the great Hypostyle Hall is an incredible forest of giant pillars covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral. And soon after, visit the graceful Temple of Luxor built by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II for ritual and festivals and dedicated to the god Amun and see it's gigantic statues and obelisks. Disembarkation and transfer to the train station for your trip to Cairo. Overnight in sleeper train.

DAY 07 – Departure transfer
Arrive in Cairo in the early morning. Decide on your activities with the assistance of your guide. Transfer to Cairo international airport for your onward flight.

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Please take note of the following:
* Please use the ''Travel Enquiry/Reservation Form'' to receive a quote on the above travel itinerary as per your preferred travel dates/month and preferred class of hotel/cruise.

What's Included: 
* Hotel accommodations in choice of preferred class
* Nile Cruise in choice of preferred class on fullboard basis with belly dancing, entertainment shows, all shore excursions and horse carriage rides.
* Qualified Egyptologist tour guide licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism
* All noted sightseeing tours on regular group or private guided basis
* All main entrance fees to sights visited in the itinerary
* Sleeping train tickets between Cairo to Aswan and Luxor to Cairo
* Required land transport with A/C minivan including roundtrip airport transfers
* Local taxes and handling services

What's NOT Included:
* International flights to/from Egypt and personal travel insurance, any other expenses not noted in the above included section or airport tax, visa for Egypt (if required), any tips to guide, driver or staff at hotels and cruise, items of a personal nature, Hotel/Cruise extras (minibar, telephone/internet usage, laundry, etc), drinks with meals (except the drinks served with breakfast) and medical services.