Seven Days of Pharaohs: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan & Abu Simbel

Your ENA representative greets you at Cairo Airport and escorts you to your hotel. The rest of the evening is yours to settle in, unwind, or take a gentle stroll through the city’s lively streets.

The morning begins on the Giza Plateau, where the pyramids rise from the desert sands. The Great Pyramid of Khufu, built around 2580 BC, is the only surviving wonder of the ancient world, composed of over 2.3 million limestone blocks. Beside it, the Pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure complete the legendary trio.

Facing the plateau is the Great Sphinx of Chephren, carved with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh, a silent sentinel of power and mystery. Nearby lies the Valley Temple, where rituals of mummification and purification once prepared kings for eternity.

You’ll pause midday for lunch at a restaurant with views over the Nile or Pyramids, enjoying a welcome chance to rest and reflect.

In the afternoon, step into the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to the largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities in the world. The treasures of Tutankhamun gleam here, alongside colossal statues, intricate jewelry, and sarcophagi that have carried Egypt’s royalty through millennia.

In the evening, transfer to Cairo Airport for your short flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, you’ll check in to your hotel for the night.

Breakfast prepares you for a full day of exploration in Luxor.

Cross to the West Bank to enter the Valley of the Kings, where 63 tombs, including that of Tutankhamun, burrow into the desert cliffs. Their painted walls still glow with the texts and scenes meant to guide pharaohs into the afterlife.

Next, ascend to the Temple of Hatshepsut, a terraced masterpiece carved into the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. Built for Egypt’s most successful female ruler, its reliefs tell the story of her reign, her divine birth, and her bold expeditions.

At the edge of the floodplain, the Colossi of Memnon stand guard. These twin statues of Amenhotep III, rising 18 meters tall, once flanked a grand mortuary temple long since lost. Greek travelers of antiquity wrote of the statues “singing” at dawn, a sound caused by the wind moving through their cracked stone.

After a peaceful lunch on an island in the Nile, your afternoon is devoted to the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious sanctuary ever built. Its Hypostyle Hall of 134 towering columns remains one of the most impressive achievements of ancient architecture.

Return to your Luxor hotel for the evening.

After breakfast, check out and begin your journey south.

Your first stop is Kom Ombo, a temple uniquely divided between two gods: Horus, the falcon-headed sky god, and Sobek, the crocodile god of the Nile. Reliefs of surgical instruments here reveal the Egyptians’ advanced understanding of medicine.

Continue to Edfu Temple, dedicated to Horus and built during the Ptolemaic era. It is one of Egypt’s best-preserved temples, with vivid carvings depicting the mythic battle between Horus and his uncle Set. Its scale and condition make it feel as if the priests have only just departed.

Enjoy lunch in Kom Ombo, then transfer by private vehicle to Aswan, where you’ll check in to your hotel for the night.

Rise early for the drive to Abu Simbel, one of Egypt’s most extraordinary sites. Carved by Ramses II in the 13th century BC, its two temples honor the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as Ramses’ beloved queen, Nefertari.

Four colossal statues of Ramses dominate the façade, each 20 meters high, designed to project his power to all who approached Egypt from the south. Twice a year, the rising sun illuminates the inner sanctum, aligning with the statues of Ramses and the gods — a feat of astronomical precision.

Return to Aswan for lunch and a well-deserved rest at your hotel.

Begin with the High Dam, constructed in the 1960s to harness the Nile’s waters and generate hydroelectric power. Its creation formed Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.

Next, visit the Unfinished Obelisk, still embedded in the granite quarry. Had it been completed, it would have been the largest obelisk ever erected, standing over 41 meters tall. The cracks in its surface tell the story of how it was abandoned, offering rare insight into the methods of ancient stonemasons.

Finally, sail to Philae Temple, dedicated to Isis, the goddess of motherhood and magic. Moved stone by stone to Agilkia Island during UNESCO’s 1960s rescue effort, the temple preserves legends of love, betrayal, and rebirth carved into its graceful colonnades.

Pause for lunch in Aswan before heading to the airport for your return flight to Cairo, where you’ll overnight in your hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to Cairo Airport for your departure flight. Should you wish to extend your stay, ENA will be delighted to arrange it.