RCGS: Egypt Nile Cruise with Joseph Frey

Expert Local Guides

Award Winning Adventures

Nature First Adventures

Support Local Communities

New

Culture

Ways to Travel :

Guided Group, Private Group Adventures, Small Ship Cruises

Activity :

Culture, Small Ship Cruises

Activity Levels :

1 out of 7 - Leisurely

Group Size :

4 - 20

Ages :

16+

Trip Code :

AENS

Discover ancient temples and tombs, travelling on the Nile by boat with Chair of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s College of Fellows Joseph Frey.

Joseph has travelled to more than 80 countries and all seven continents. He is an accomplished science writer, published in TIME, The Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, Geographical, Canadian Geographic, Medical Post, and DIVER to name a few.

Fall under the spell of the mighty pharaohs’ legacy with RCGS leader Joseph Frey. Immerse yourself in Egypt’s fascinating history and the abundance of well-preserved monuments and treasures. You will visit major sites and attractions along the Nile in a comfortable fashion, tasting traditional Egyptian cuisine. Boarding the cruise boat at Luxor we travel upstream, watching local life pass by, whilst also visiting the spectacular Edfu and Kom Ombo temples along the way. Cruising past the lush green banks and the beautiful sunsets over the Nile, with incredible onboard facilities, Cruising the Nile makes for an unforgettable Egyptian odyssey.

Your Guide to RCGS Quests

Highlights

Ancient temples and tombs
Cruise boat and luxury hotels
The Great Pyramids
Treasures of King Tut
Valley of the Kings
Special Departure with Joseph Frey

Key Information

4 nights on cruise boat and 4 nights 4 and 5-star hotels
Travel by minibus, cruise boat and one internal flight
Group normally 6 to 20, plus local leader. Min age 16 yrs

What's Included

All breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
All accommodation (see accommodation section)
All transport and listed activities

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request)
Visas or vaccinations
Flights

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
There are options to have a Nubian dinner in an Aswan village or a home cooked meal in Cairo, where clients can have an authentic meal, interact socially and directly see who their money is going to.
Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

By travelling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re-usable bottles.
The payment of entrance fees to natural reserves and archaeological sites generates income which is used for upkeep and development of these important sites. In this trip we enter numerous ancient sites.
Our trips adhere to ABTA’s industry-leading animal welfare guidelines to ensure the best possible practices regarding working animals and wildlife viewing. Our animal welfare policy can be found here.
We support A.C.E (Animal Care in Egypt) by giving our guests the opportunity to visit their centre. A.C.E. is a charity dedicated to stopping the suffering of animals in the most deprived communities in Luxor by providing free veterinary care and education to their owners.
We rewild 100 square metres per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
Plastic waste reduction: please bring a re-usable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Itinerary

Start Cairo.

Accommodation: Steigenberger Pyramids Hotel or similar

We start the morning with a tour of the Pyramids at Giza. Home to the Great Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus and the timeless and enigmatic Sphinx; these great monuments to the afterlife defy the imagination. Only the throng of sightseers, Egyptian and foreign, milling around their huge foundations, keep the viewer in the 21st century. We next pay a visit to the incredible Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, which contains relics dating back to 4000 BC, including the fantastic riches of Tutankhamun's tomb. Here is a unique opportunity to survey the many fabulous treasures of Egypt in one place and to set the scene for the rest of the tour. For the remainder of our tour we experience modern Cairo with visits to Al Azhar mosque, which despite being Cairo’s oldest mosque and university is still very much in use today, and the small alleyways and streets that make up Cairo's popular bazaar. Please note that we will need to cover up at the mosque (long sleeves and trousers) and women will also need to cover their hair with a scarf.

Accommodation: Steigenberger Pyramids Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

We typically transfer to Cairo airport before sunrise for our flight to Luxor (flight times can vary). On arrival in Luxor we visit Luxor Temple and the huge Karnak Temple complex on the east bank of the Nile. Built over 1500 years, Karnak is a confusion of pylons, courtyards, halls and sanctuaries. Its Hypostyle hall has 134 columns 23 metres high and 15 metres in diameter! Both temples are incredibly impressive. We arrive at our cruise boat in time for lunch on board before having free time in the afternoon to relax or explore Luxor.

Accommodation: M/S Nile Style or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We begin Day 4 with a visit to the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile, which contains the once hidden tombs of over 62 Pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, Seti I, Ramses III and IV. A discreet entrance in the hillside takes the visitor underground; a series of corridors and ante-chambers leads us down to the burial chamber and sarcophagus. The walls are covered in brightly painted images and hieroglyphs - a map of the afterlife to ensure the king's safe passage. One ticket allows us to see three tombs. The ticket usually allows entry into what are regarded as the most impressive tombs, but if you have time a visit to the tomb of Ramses VI is also highly recommended. Visits to tombs are now strictly controlled to halt further deterioration of wall paintings - each tomb is periodically closed for a number of weeks. On return to our cruise boat we begin our voyage along the Nile, travelling upstream from Luxor to Aswan. Exact sailing and excursion times cannot be guaranteed for each individual trip but we will visit the temples of Edfu, famous for its roofed inner temples and huge Pylon, and Kom Ombo. The cruise boat has good facilities: a sundeck with sun loungers, bar and small pool, restaurant, gift shop and library - these can all be taken advantage of when the cruise boat is docked or during sailing. The sunsets over the Nile are truly stunning and travelling from Luxor to Aswan, enjoying the beauty of the lush verdant landscape make this journey special.

Accommodation: M/S Nile Style or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today there's the option of a visit to Abu Simbel, 300 km. to the south through the Nubian Desert. The optional bus tour starts at 3.30/4 in the morning when we get picked up from the boat. A breakfast box is provided. Around 8 am we will arrive at the destination, where we are given approx 3 hours to visit the temples. Built by Ramses II the two temples are certainly some of the most spectacular in Egypt. Originally on the banks of the Nile, the temples were raised to a new site above the lake in the late 1960s, as the waters from the new Lake Nasser rose behind the Aswan High Dam. The four great seated statues of Ramses II stare east towards the rising sun. We will be back in Aswan around 3 pm.

Accommodation: M/S Nile Style or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast on board we disembark our boat and have a full day in Aswan. This is a laid-back, sleepy town that reflects the character of its largely Nubian inhabitants, known for being friendly and hospitable. By virtue of its position on the old caravan route, it has always been a trading centre and we thoroughly recommend a visit to the packed bazaar today where merchants display a wealth of exotic spices, carpets, leather goods and countless other wares. There is also the option to visit the Nubian Museum, situated opposite our usual hotel in Aswan. Opened in April 1998, the museum chronologically charts the history and culture of the Nubian people. Alternatively, we can arrange an optional visit to Philae Temple. In the 1970s it was relocated by UNESCO to Aglika Island after it became evident that the original site of Philae would submerge on completion of the Aswan High Dam. It represents a magnificent and enduring testament to both ancient and modern engineering. During this excursion we will also visit Aswan High Dam and Cleopatra's Unfinished Obelisk.

Accommodation: Basma Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

Today it's our last day in Aswan. Our morning is free to relax or book on optional excursion to St. Simone Monastery or a nearby Nubian museum. In the afternoon we explore the Nile by felucca, the traditional Egyptian sailing boat. Using the felucca, we can truly savour the tranquillity of the Nile and the beauty of the surrounding landscape, where the vast desert almost reaches the water's edge. (The sailing by felucca timing might be changed according to weather conditions). We end the day with our final dinner together, at one of this historic city’s restaurants.

Accommodation: Basma Hotel or similar

Meals Included: Breakfast

End Aswan

Meals Included: Breakfast

Essential Info

Visa

Egypt

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally need a visa to enter Egypt. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/egypt
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/egypt
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Egypt.html

If you are obtaining your visa online, please ensure you have a scan of your passport ready. The file size should be small and ideally saved as a JPEG or PDF otherwise you might not be able to load it on the visa application.

You will need to provide your host’s information on the application – please use the following details:

South Sinai Travel
79 Merghany Street
Cairo
Egypt
Telephone: +20 22418 7310
www.southsinai.com
salwa.ibrahim@southsinai.com

Please note, Egyptian officials have requested tourists carry a copy of their passport with them while in the country. Please also note, some prescribed medicines are controlled substances in Egypt.

Vaccination

Egypt

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies and typhoid.

You will also need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you're arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever transmission or transiting for more than 12 hours through a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Some travellers may also need proof of a polio vaccination. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners included.

In the itinerary, we state which meals are included on which day. For meals not included, we suggest you allow approximately GBP 7-9 (USD 10-12) for lunch and GBP 11-13 (USD 15-18) for dinner. Food in Egypt involves such things as kebabs, chicken, stews, pitta-bread, felafel, beans, aubergine and other vegetables, pickles, salads. Dishes tend to be simple and wholesome and vegetarians can be catered for if they accept that the options may be somewhat limited.

Weather

Rain is very rare in all parts of Egypt and most days are sunny and clear. Summer temperatures often reach the upper 30's but this is particularly true for the period between June and September. The winter months can be surprisingly cold, especially on the Nile or at night. The average daytime maximum in Cairo in January is 20ºC, night time minimum is 8ºC. In the summer these temperatures are 35ºC and 22ºC respectively. Daytime temperatures are on average 3 or 4 degrees higher in Aswan.

Weather Charts

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been graded as grade 1 (leisurely). Leisurely grade trips are suitable for all clients with average health and fitness. No experience of any activity involved is necessary.

Most days involve early starts (especially Day 3 when we catch an early flight to Luxor) but this allows us to get the most from our time in Egypt and avoid the worst of the heat.

Egypt can get hot, especially during our summer, which can cause discomfort whilst travelling. Care should be taken to keep hydrated. The hottest months tend to be June to September when temperatures can reach as high as 38 to 40ºC in the south of the country.

The hotels and cruise boat that we use on this trip are of a high standard, providing excellent levels of comfort.

Please note that the new Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open in October 2020 but that this is subject to change. We will change to the new museum when it is open.

Please note that Ramadan is expected to run from 22 March 2023 to 21 April 2023 and 10 March 2024 to 10 April 2024. Ramadan is a special time to visit Egypt as it is one of the most important periods in the Muslim calendar. Each evening the streets empty while people return home to break the fast and then there is an air of festivity every evening. Our leaders and drivers choose to work at this time so we continue to run trips however please be aware their energy levels may be slightly lower. Tourist sites are still open although closing times may be earlier than usual. Your leader will know how the timings for each day need to be adapted in order to still experience all the inclusions on this trip. Restaurants may close during the day and this is also accounted for in planning meal arrangements for your group. Shops are usually open though their hours may vary and they will definitely be closed during the breaking of the fast. To fully enjoy your holiday experience at this unique time of year we suggest patience and flexibility (in fact these are useful at any time of year on any overseas holiday).

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as not suitable for full wheelchair users, but it may be suitable for other persons of reduced mobility. Please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.