NEPHTYS Tour

8 Days: Cairo's Pyramids & Luxor's Ancient Temples

Pharaohs, Gods & Goddesses and their majestic temples: An in-depth experience of ancient Egypt's awe-inspiring sacred sites.

Enjoy the sun, meet the friendly Egyptian people and explore the ancient pyramids and temples. Besides of the interesting excursions, there is also time to relax, sunbathe or swim in comfortable resorts.

Your journey into the mystical world of ancient Egypt starts in Cairo where you visit the following highlights:

• The last surviving of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops. Slightly smaller but nevertheless impressive are the nearby pyramids of Chephren and Mykerinos. You have the option to visit the museum showcasing the pharaoh's excavated “solar boat”. Next, you walk through the impressive Valley Temple and meet the mysterious Sphinx.
• At Saqqara you visit the Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser, enter the pyramid of Teti and the mastaba of Mereruka with magnificent reliefs.
• In the oldest part of Cairo you will see where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus stayed and visit several churches dating from the earliest period of Christianity.
• The famous Egyptian Museum of Antiquities is full with treasures. The unique collection includes magnificent statues of gods and pharaohs, and you will come face to face with the ultimate masterpiece of ancient Egypt: the golden mask of king Tutankhamun.

By comfortable sleeper train you reach Luxor for your second part of the journey to visit the temples of the gods and the pharaohs. You'll see the following highlights:

• The Temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, a masterpiece of architecture. Hatshepsut depicted as the god Osiris gazes across the valley, connecting her temple with her obelisks towering above the temple complex of Karnak. Next to the main temple are small temples dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of Love and to Anubis, the jackal headed god of embalming.
• Tucked away in the desert mountains is the Valley of the Kings. Hallways decorated with colorful paintings lead deep into the mountain to the room with the sarcophagus of the pharaoh.
• You also visit Deir el Medina, the village where the artisans of the Valley of the Kings lived. You enter two exceptionally beautiful tombs and a lovely small temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor.
• On the eastern bank of the Nile, you visit the great temple of Luxor dedicated to the creator god Amun-Min, his consort Mut and their child, the moon god Khonsu.
• An avenue of Sphinxes connected the Luxor temple with Karnak, a complex of temples where you can wander through a forest of huge pillars, walk between obelisks and visit the lion goddess Sekhmet in her secluded temple. The complex even has a sacred lake.
• As an optional full day excursion, you have the opportunity to visit the Osiris Temple of Seti I in the holy place of Abydos and the temple of the goddess Hathor in Dendera.