Cairo, Alexandria and a Nile Cruise

Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home for your flight to Cairo. Upon arrival, we transfer to our hotel.</p>

Fifteen minutes’ drive from our hotel in Cairo, stand the extraordinary Pyramids of Giza, the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. Mystery still surrounds their exact purpose, the construction methods and the baffling accuracy of measurement, alignment and workmanship that they demonstrate.</p>Our Egyptologist guide will explain what is known as we admire the ‘Great Pyramid’ of Khufu, comprising some two million colossal blocks of stone; the Pyramid of Khafre and the third, smaller Pyramid of Khephren. Nearby, the majestic Sphinx looks on. A wonderful way to begin our Egypt tour.</p>

Today is free in Cairo, with the opportunity to join one of the guided optional excursions to the Egyptian Museum and Citadel.</p>

A full-day excursion reveals the treasures of Alexandria. Egypt’s attractive Mediterranean port city was founded by Alexander the Great and the power base of Cleopatra, whose royal palace now lies submerged in the bay. This was also the location of the legendary Pharos Lighthouse (the Lighthouse of Alexandria), one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and the lost Library of Alexandria, the largest in the ancient world. We make stops at Pompey’s Pillar and the Roman amphitheatre, and enjoy some free time to wander the lively Corniche.</p>

We’ll take a flight to Luxor, transferring upon arrival to our comfortable ship to cruise along the Nile.</p>

At the ‘open-air museum’ of Luxor the number and preservation of ancient monuments is unparalleled anywhere in the world. This is the site of the famous city of Thebes, capital of Egypt at the height of the empire’s influence.</p>We head out to explore the West Bank, beginning at the awe-inspiring Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs were buried from the 16th-11th centuries BC. Our guide will introduce a few of the most impressive tombs and you may also choose to enter the plainer, ‘cursed’ Tomb of Tutankhamun (extra charge). We also visit the Valley of the Queens, the impressive mortuary temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, before returning to the ship. We continue our Nile cruise, sailing to Edfu.</p>

There can be few more serene and romantic ways for you to pass time than gliding down the Nile on a river cruiser. We sail to the fascinating Greco-Roman double-temple of Kom Ombo. A temple dedicated to the falcon-headed Horus, Egyptian god of the sky, hunting and war; and crocodile god Sobek, the god of the Nile, creator of the world, and worshipped for his strength and fertility. We return to the ship, ready to set sail southwards to Aswan.</p>

Today pays tribute to ancient and modern feats of architectural engineering, with visits to the 111m-high Aswan High Dam and the Temple of Philae, perhaps Egypt’s most beguiling and beautiful. Our excursion includes a Felucca ride. We also take in the Nubian Museum, a stunning showcase of Nubia’s history, art and culture, including horse armour.</p>

Explore the laid-back Nubian city of Aswan independently before an afternoon of relaxation aboard our vessel, as we sail to Edfu. Alternatively, choose to take an optional excursion by bus or plane to legendary Abu Simbel, built by Ramses II. We dock overnight in Edfu.</p>

We continue the return journey along the Nile to Luxor.</p>

This morning we visit two astonishing temples on the East Bank of the Nile - Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple, once linked by the wonderful Avenue of Sphinxes. Karnak in particular is absolutely breathtaking; a complex of more than 100 hectares (larger than some ancient cities) with immense pylons and obelisks, tranquil lakes and sanctuaries and the Hypostyle Hall, where 134 soaring columns, each with a diameter of more than 3m, are arranged in perfect geometric rows, all covered in exquisite hieroglyphs.</p>

Transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. Upon arrival, your Titan vehicle will be waiting for the journey home.</p>