Combined in Egypt - HATHOR

We meet you at the airport for your flight to Luxor. On arrival, welcome by our local representatives and assistance with entry formalities. Transfer to your boat and meet your English-speaking Egyptologist guide. Check-in, dinner and overnight.

Breakfast and cruise to Esna. On arrival, visit the Temple of Esna, dedicated to Khnum and Neith. Construction of this temple began under Ptolemy VIII and was completed under Roman rule, first by Claudius and then by Marcus Aurelius. The temple, which is still partly buried, is situated on land 10 m lower than the rest of the city. Return to the boat for lunch and continue the cruise to the island of El Hegz, where the boat will stop for the night. Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast, then sail to Edfu. On arrival, excursion by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus further inland. This sanctuary of the falcon god Horus is both the largest temple of the Ptolemy dynasty and the second largest in Egypt after Karnak. Inside, the intact paintings, inscriptions and reliefs make it the best-preserved temple in Egypt. After the visit, return to the boat for lunch and continue the cruise to the island of Bisaw, where the boat will stop for the night. Free time for a stroll around the island and dinner on shore. Overnight on board.

Breakfast and departure for Gebel Silsileh, both an archaeological site and Egypt's largest sandstone quarry. Placed under the protection of the god Hapy, this quarry provided the sandstone for almost all the temples in Upper Egypt. On the west bank of the river is a rock-cut sanctuary dedicated to the god Horemheb and seven other deities, including the local god Sobek. Lunch on board and explore the old quarry on foot before continuing the cruise to Kom Ombo. Dedicated to two deities, Sobek the crocodile to the south and Horus the falcon to the north, the temple's architecture is perfectly symmetrical. Erected on a hill by three Ptolemies, the Kom Ombo complex is surrounded by an enclosing wall covered in reliefs. Return to the boat to continue upriver to Aswan for dinner. Overnight on board.

Breakfast on board and early arrival in Aswan. Visit to the Temple of Philae on the island of Agilka, one of Egypt's most beautiful sanctuaries. Begun by Pharaoh Nectanebo I during the 30th dynasty and completed by the Romans, it is the main sanctuary dedicated to Isis. After Philae, visits continue with the High Dam and the unfinished obelisk.

The Aswan region, rich in the schist, alabaster and pink granite found only in this part of Egypt, provided the stone blocks for the pyramids, statues and colossi built by the pharaohs. In the granite quarry you'll find the largest obelisk known to date (41.75m), which was abandoned due to a crack in the rock. Return to the boat for lunch. Optional sound and light show at Philae temple in the evening. Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast and free morning in town. Optional excursions by coach or plane to visit the temples of Abu Simbel, built by Ramses II. Return to Aswan for lunch, before resuming your journey to Luxor via Esna, where you will arrive during the night. Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast, then departure by coach for a visit to the necropolis of Thebes on the west bank of the Nile, followed by the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, home to the tombs of numerous New Kingdom pharaohs, their families and nobles in favor. The tour continues with the Colossi of Memnon, the last vestiges of the temple of Amenhotep III, and Deir el Bahari, the funerary temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Carved out of the rock in the Theban mountain, this three-tiered temple built in 1455 is both harmonious and modern, and although dedicated to the god Amun, it also contains chapels to Anubis and Hathor, the patron goddess of women. Return to the Dahabiya for lunch. In the afternoon, visit the southern part of ancient Thebes on the east bank of the Nile, home to the temples of Karnak and Luxor. The two temples are linked by a dromos, a long walkway lined with sphinxes, and are dedicated to Amun. In the evening, optional sound and light show at Karnak temple. Dinner and overnight on board.

Breakfast on board and free time until transfer to the airport. Assistance with boarding formalities and flight to Cairo. Transfer to your hotel, followed by dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure for Sakkarah and Memphis, the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, erected in 2700 BC. After lunch in a typical restaurant, you enter the world of "Absolute Greatness": the Giza plateau, symbol of Ancient Egypt, with its pyramids: Khéops, the largest of the pyramids and last of the 7 wonders of the world, Khéphren and its pink granite temple and Mykérinos bordered by the pyramids of the queens, all guarded by the famous Sphinx of Giza, the largest monolithic sculpture in the world. Dinner and overnight at hotel. Optional sound and light show in front of the Pyramids.

Breakfast at the hotel, followed by a visit to the famous National Museum, one of the richest in the world, in the heart of Cairo. Lunch in town and visit to Islamic Cairo, with its thousand minarets, citadel and Mohamed Ali mosque. After the tour, departure for the Khan el Khalili souks and return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, transfer to Cairo airport. Assistance with boarding and flight to France.