Women-Only: Splendors of Egypt

Today, we'll travel to the airport for our flight from Cairo to Aswan. Upon arrival, either hop on another short flight for an optional tour to the Abu Simbel Temples or head to the hotel to start exploring Aswan at leisure. Later, we'll join together to sail on the Nile by motorboat to a Nubian Village located on the West Bank of the Nile River. This fantastic visit to the Nubian Village lets us meet a Nubian family, have a drink in their home, and learn about their lifestyle, culture, and traditions. | For lunch, we'll dine at a Nubian restaurant in Aswan and meet with local Nubian women who are eager and empowered to share their traditions.|

This morning, we'll visit the Aswan High Dam, a modern-day architectural wonder and a testament to human ingenuity. Next, we'll visit Philae's Temple of Isis with its intricate carvings. We'll learn about its dramatic relocation to higher ground after it was nearly lost to rising water in the 1960s. Afterward, we'll board our Nile cruise ship for our three-night journey from Upper to Lower Egypt.

We'll cruise to Kom Ombo to visit an unusual double temple, built in the Ptolemaic period and dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-head god Horus. After exploring Kom Ombo, we'll sail on to Edfu, an Egyptian city on the west bank of the Nile River. Our day continues with a tour of the immense, well-preserved Temple of Edfu, built between 237 and 57 B.C. and also dedicated to Horus. Legend says that this was the site where Horus avenged his father’s murder by his uncle, the god Seth. Back on board our ship, we'll sail past Esna to Luxor.

Often considered the most extraordinary open-air museum in the world, Luxor boasts an imposing array of ruins and monuments. The modern name for Thebes (the “city of palaces”), Luxor is also the inspiration for the word luxury, and we'll see quite a bit of architectural extravagance today. The graceful Temple of Luxor was built over several centuries by Amenhopis III, Tutankhamun, Ramses II and Alexander the Great and features an avenue of sphinxes. We’ll also tour the ancient temple complex of Karnak. The immense wealth of Thebes was spent embellishing and building temples in honor of Amun-Ra, the most important and powerful of ancient Egyptian gods. The balance of the day is at your leisure.

After breakfast, we’ll say farewell to our ship and continue our exploration of Luxor and the Nile’s west bank. We’ll visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s second confirmed female Pharaoh and regarded as one of its most successful rulers, as well as royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. | We will visit a local Egyptian House and farm at the West Bank to have tea. Tea (shai) is the national drink in Egypt and you have the opportunity to connect with the local Egyptian women over this pastime. |

A morning flight takes us back to Cairo. Back in Egypt's capital city, we’ll wander through the bustling, colorful Khan El Khalili Bazaar. We'll also visit the highly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) with its 12 Main Galleries which showcase over 15,000 artifacts.

Note: King Tut's treasures remain at the Museum of Antiquities with plans to move them to the GEM. To ensure travelers view these artifacts, our tour will visit both museums. Once King Tut's treasures have been moved to the GEM, our tour will visit only the GEM, allowing for our travelers ample time to enjoy the 12 Main Galleries in addition to King Tut's Treasures.

Enjoy this free day at leisure in Cairo to explore further. We’ll end the day by sharing memories of our amazing travels through Egypt at a farewell dinner.

Our tour comes to an end after breakfast today.