Shoestring Nile valley-group

Welcome to Egypte

Aladin Tours’ representative will meet you at Cairo International Airport and accompany you to your hotel for overnight. He will give you brief idea about your program and an introduction about the Egyptian culture and habits.

Meals: No meals

Islamic and Coptic Cairo

Travel back to time by visiting the Citadel built in 1183 by sultan Salah El-Dine in order to defend the city against the army of the Crusaders. This fortress used to be the residence of Egyptian rulers during 700 years, nowadays it hosts many mosques and museums. Enjoy the phenomenal view of the oldest parts of the city. Walk to reach the islamic complex of Sultan Hassan mosque, which is composed of a mosque and a madrassa. Next to it you can admire El Rifai mosque and its smooth combination of styles from several epochs. Walking down small alleys, you arrive to Al-Azhar, one of the oldest university of the world. Stroll along El Moez street which hosts many medieval monuments.

Meals included: Breakfast – Lunch

Included sightseeing’s : The citadel – Sultan Hassan & El Rifai mosques – Al Azhar mosque – El Moez street

Cairo

Make your first step in the metropolitan Cairo with your egyptologist guide. Visit the Egyptian Museum which contains the most beautiful artifacts of Ancient Egypt, royal mummies and the amazing treasure of King Tutankhamun.
Arrive to Giza and set eyes on the last remaining ancient wonder of the world : the Great Pyramids. Learn the history of this miraculous edifices that still keep the mystery of their construction. From the Plateau, enjoy the unique view of the Pyramids emerging from the golden sand of Giza. It’s the moment to take the pictures of your life ! Before leaving the site, let’s greet Abu El Hol, the 3000 years old great Sphinx.
After lunch, continue your trip with the necropolis of Saqqara. Here you can admire the step pyramid of Djoser : the first time that the pyramidal shape was used to built a tomb, 4000 years ago.
During the evening you can have dinner and pick some snacks for the train trip. Travel to Aswan in the a VIP first class train.

Meals : Breakfast – Lunch

Included sightseeing’s : Egyptian museum – The great pyramids – Saqqara pyramid

Aswan – City highlights

Arrive to Aswan in the morning, check-in your hotel, and fresh up before starting your city tour.
We arrive in the morning in Aswan. After a fresh up in our hotel, we start our included city tour. Start with Philae temple, center of the cult of Isis. It’s incredible to realize that this temple was entirely moved from Philae to Agilika Island after the construction of the High Dam. Reach by motorboat the huge dam that while allowing Egyptians to enjoy a permanent agriculture has threatened a lot of houses and touristic sites, such as Abu Simbel temples. Let’s visit now the Symposium museum: an open-air museum with modern sculptures. Though overlooked by tourists, this museum displays piece of modern art and thus allow you to catch a glimpse of today’s Egyptian society.

In the evening, explore the magic of Aswan’s market and savor a local dinner there.

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

Included sightseeing’s : Philae temple – High Dam – Symposium museum – Aswan local market

Aswan – Abu Simbel

Around 4 AM, you will be driven during 3 hours to Abu Simbel. The way is long but well worth to witness the greatness of these Ancient temples. Ramses II decided to built himself and his wife Nefertari theses two massive temple in in order to establish his supremacy upon the Nubians.
Visit these two masterpieces with your Egyptologist guide and discover the history of this place and of the great Pharaoh who build them. You will have plenty of time to take memorable photos.

The excursion at Abu Simbel is usually proposed as an expensive extra tour by the travel agencies. But AT Aladintour, we consider that this magnificent site is that important that it has to be a part of your trip.

Meals : Breakfast – Lunch

Included sightseeing’s : Abu Simbel

Felucca ride

Check-in on the felucca, and enjoy a lunch on board. A felucca is a traditional sailing boat with no sanitary facilities. Relax during this amazing cruising on the Nile toward Luxor. Enjoy the peace granted by the river and contemplate the unique scenery that nature offers you. Savor a delicious dinner prepared by the captain and his crew and spend the nigh on the felucca, under the starry sky of Egypt.

Meals : Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

Included sightseeing’s : Relax along the Nile river

Kom Ombo and Edfu

After breakfast, you will be driven to visit God Sobek temple in Kom Ombo with your egyptologist guide. Then you get to Efdu in order to see the well-preserved Ptolemaic Temple dedicated to Horus, Osiris’ vengeful son. After this tour to Kom Ombo and Edfu, you will be driven to Luxor where you will join your hotel for overnight.

Meals : Breakfast – Lunch

Included sightseeing’s : Sobek temple – Horus temple

Luxor – West bank

Star an unforgettable excursion to the West bank of Luxor. Discover first the valley of the Kings, a set of 63 tombs excavated in the rock of the mountain. Venture inside three royal tombs and examine the colored scenes on the walls, these give you insights on the beliefs and funerary rites of Ancient Egyptian. It’s also a great reminder of the prestige and greatness of the pharaohs.
Continue your visit with the memorial temple of Hatshepsut. Arriving to the site, the impressive cliff will not miss to captivate your eyes. But it’s at the foot of this masterpiece of nature that remains the real wonder. The external architecture match perfectly with the refined cliff, the building seems to have been sculpted into the rock. Once inside you will notice that many statues and engraving have their face destroyed, your expert guide will explain you the strong history behind this. Reach now Medinat Habu and enter the temple that traces the story of the glorious King Ramesses III. End your day at the Colossi of Memnon. Massive, proudly standing, and the gaze fixed toward the Nile, the two colossi of Memnon were the guardians of the vastest and the most sumptuous temple in Egypt : that of Amenhotep.

Meals : Breakfast – Lunch

Included sightseeing’s : Valley of the kings – Hatshepsut temple – Medinat Habu / Ramses III – Colossi of Memnon

Luxor – East bank

Explore East side of Luxor by horse drawn carriage. Get first to the vastest Ancient temple of Egypt. Karnak temple was dedicated to the Theban triad Amun, Mut and their son Khonsu and was connected to Luxor Temple by an long alley of sphinxes. During more than 2000 years, about thirty Pharaohs have contributed to the construction of the building, making it unique by its size, its degree of elaboration and the diversity of styles.
End your day with Luxor temple : this is the perfect time to enjoy the splendor of the Ancient architecture highlighted by the shimmering rays of the setting sun. Enter the site facing the immense pylon of Ramses II, his monumental colossi and of course the huge obelisk. Here, for the Feast of Opet, used to take place every year the union of Mut and Amun and the rebirth of their son. This ceremony radiated on the Pharaoh, who could thus renew his power above whole Egypt. The site also hosts a roman chapel and a mosque that you can still admire on the top of the ancient columns of the temple that make this place quite singular.
Relish a delicious dinner in the most famous local restaurant and stroll in the souq (market).

Here ends your unforgettable tour in Luxor, after gathering your belongings take a sit aboard a train to Cairo.

Meals : Breakfast – Lunch

Included sightseeing’s: (Karnak temple – Luxor temple)

Arrival in Cairo

This is the end of the shoestring program. Here you can catch your international flight back home, or you can enjoy more time in Egypt by picking any visit or activity from our tailor made options.

Meals : no meals

Included sightseeing’s : Back home or optional activities from below