Egypt All Inclusive December: 11-Day Christmas Nile Cruise and Red Sea Tour

After breakfast at the hotel, your private guide takes you to the Giza plateau to see the three great pyramids built for Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, and the Great Sphinx beside them. A camel ride around the pyramids is part of the visit. Lunch follows at a traditional Egyptian restaurant. In the afternoon you tour the Grand Egyptian Museum, where the Tutankhamun galleries and many statues and artifacts trace the long span of pharaonic history. You return to the hotel for the evening.

Breakfast is followed by a domestic flight from Cairo to Aswan, a calm city known for its river scenery and Nubian culture. Your guide takes you first to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis and set on an island in the Nile. You then board your 5-star Nile cruise, where you will spend three nights. Lunch is served on board, and you can settle into your cabin or sit on the sun deck. The evening is free for a walk through Aswan's local markets, and dinner is served on board. An optional visit to a Nubian village can be added.

You wake to the ship moving north toward Kom Ombo, where you visit a temple shared by two gods: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder. Its double layout is worth a slow look, and the museum next door displays crocodile mummies. The voyage then continues to Edfu, where horse-drawn carriages carry you to Edfu Temple, a well-preserved sanctuary with tall gateways and wall reliefs showing mythic battles between good and evil. You return to the ship for the evening, and breakfast, lunch and dinner are all part of the day.

Luxor's West Bank, the burial ground of Egypt's New Kingdom rulers, is your first stop after breakfast. In the Valley of the Kings you go down into decorated tombs that show how the ancient Egyptians pictured the afterlife. Entering Tutankhamun's tomb is an optional extra. Your guide then takes you to the Temple of Hatshepsut, set against the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari, and to the Colossi of Memnon, two giant seated statues. The afternoon is spent back on the ship with lunch while it sails slowly toward Luxor, and dinner is served on board.

Disembarking after breakfast, you turn to Luxor's East Bank, home to two of Egypt's major temples. Karnak Temple Complex comes first, an open-air site of tall columns, colossal statues and sanctuaries devoted to the god Amun-Ra. From there you follow the Avenue of Sphinxes to Luxor Temple, where pharaohs held ceremonies and coronations. After the sightseeing, a private vehicle takes you to Hurghada on the Red Sea. You check into your resort, and the evening is free to spend by the sea, with dinner included.

This is a free day, with nothing scheduled. Breakfast looks out over the Red Sea, and after that the choice is yours: lie on the beach, swim, or add an optional snorkeling or diving excursion to see the coral reefs. Meals fall under the resort's all-inclusive package. If you feel like a short walk in the evening, the marina area is close by and makes an easy stroll after dinner at the resort.

A second unscheduled day at the coast gives you room to slow down. You could have coffee by the pool, try a spa treatment, or head into the desert on an optional 4x4 safari. Whichever you choose, it is a quiet moment to look back over the temples and tombs of the earlier days before the trip turns back toward Cairo. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are covered by the resort's all-inclusive package.

Your day begins with breakfast and a drive to Hurghada Airport for the domestic flight back to Cairo. On arrival you check into your Cairo hotel, and the remaining time is yours. Good options are Khan el-Khalili Bazaar for souvenirs, an optional dinner cruise on the Nile, or a quiet evening at the hotel before the next day's sightseeing. Only breakfast is included today, so lunch and dinner are yours to arrange.

Your last full day of sightseeing starts at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, with its classic collection of pharaonic antiquities. Next comes the Citadel of Salah El-Din, a fortress that overlooks Cairo. Inside its walls you visit the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, also called the Alabaster Mosque, with wide views over the city. A farewell lunch at a local restaurant closes the sightseeing.

Enjoy a last Egyptian breakfast and check out of your hotel. A representative accompanies you to Cairo International Airport, where the trip ends with your flight home. If you would rather stay longer, our team can help arrange extra hotel nights and transfers in Egypt. Choosing an afternoon or evening flight home keeps the morning unhurried.