- Egypt Escorted Tours
- Cairo, Pyramids and the Nile
From the towering pyramids of Giza to the majestic temples of Luxor and the haunting tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt invites you on a journey through millennia of history. Wander through bustling souks filled with spices and handcrafted treasures, explore timeless villages where traditions endure, and drift along the Nile, the world’s longest river.
Depart on your scheduled flight to Cairo. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The past and present intertwine in Cairo. Egypt's traditions, food and history offer a unique experience as you embark on today's full-day city tour. Gain a fascinating insight into the city's sights and past as a professional Egyptology guide leads the way, with your first stop at the mighty Giza Pyramids. Inspiring movies, books and conspiracy theories, these nine iconic pyramids tower over the desert landscape, with the Great Pyramid standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. Explore these amazingly constructed structures, built using techniques beyond their time, then marvel at the massive half-lion, half-human form of the Sphinx, as it guards the temples and tombs of Ancient Egypt. Travel onward to the Grand Egyptian Museum and wander the treasure trove of artefacts under its roof. Return to your hotel after a full day of sightseeing for an evening at leisure.
Breakfast & Lunch
This day you will enjoy the visit of Old Cairo which starts with The Citadel of Saladin, this heritage site has storied history dated back nearly 850 years, built by The Sultan of Egypt Salah Al-Din, Visit Mohamed Ali Mosque “known as Alabaster Mosque in reference to its marble” this mosque built in the 19th century. Then visit the prominent landmark of Old Cairo such as The Hanging Church and The Church of Abu Serga to visit the holy cave, it’s the place where the holy family stayed in during their holy trip.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Depart Cairo after an early breakfast and transfer to the airport for your flight to the city of Aswan, where you will embark on your Nile River Cruise. After lunch onboard, enjoy your first excursion, and witness a pioneering example of hydro-engineering on the banks of the River Nile at the High Dam. Later, gain a fascinating insight into ancient Egyptian stone-work techniques with a visit to the Unfinished Obelisk in the Northern Quarries, where the marks of workers' tools and faint carving outlines eerily remain visible. Remaining attached to the bedrock below, this monumental tower would have weighed a mind-blowing 1,168 tonnes if the development had succeeded, however, plans were abandoned when cracks began to appear in the granite. Finally, take in the splendid Temple of Philae, built in 690 B.C in honour of the goddess of health and marriage; known as the last temple of classical Egyptian design, marvel at the domineering Pylons embellished with traditional hieroglyphs from its new position upon Agilkia Island, having been rescued from a watery grave on Philae Island during the dramatic flooding of Lake Nasser. Return back to your vessel, for dinner onboard and your first night on the Nile.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Early this morning, you have an optional excursion to visit the iconic temples of Abu Simbel (at a fee). Intricately carved into a golden sandstone cliff overlooking the Nile, wonder at the mesmerising 66-foot seated figures of King Ramses, before returning back to the boat for breakfast. After a leisurely morning, enjoy a unique sailing experience as you breathe in fresh river breezes upon a delightful felucca, a traditional wooden sailing boat which carries you to the botanical gardens of Kitchener's Island. Brimming with subtropical plants and brightly coloured blooms, bask in tranquillity as you wander through this beautiful setting, where the gentle flutter of palm fronds serves as a serene soundtrack. This afternoon, glide along the Nile and sail into Kom Ombo for an unforgettable visit to the impressive Temple of Kom Ombo. Unique in its design, the symmetrical rooms, courts and halls were identically duplicated and dedicated to two sets of gods: Sobek, the god of fertility, and Haroeris, the god of the sky. Meander amongst the elaborately decorated interior, whose columns and walls showcase detailed etchings and carvings, before returning to your ship for a tasty dinner on board.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Pass through the Esna Lock and soak in incredible views as you sail towards the ancient settlement city of Edfu, disembarking for the chance to visit the Temple of Horus. Guarded by gargantuan granite statues of Horus, enter through the towering gateway and discover the halls and chambers of this spellbinding ode to the gods which was once concealed under a blanket of sand. Returning to your ship for breakfast, enjoy a morning at leisure on board as the cruise sails towards Luxor. After lunch, continue to the expansive Karnak Temple Complex to wander a section of this 200-acre site. Nearby, admire the strikingly graceful Luxor Temple, before returning to your ship for a night moored in Luxor.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, cross over to the west bank of Luxor, where you will visit the Valley of the Kings, Ancient Egypt's royalty. From here continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut, a magnificent memorial temple built into the cliffs of this sacred valley. En route back to your vessel, stop at the Colossi of Memnon, massive twin statues, the gatekeepers of the valley. Blanketed in an extraordinary golden hue, sail the world's longest river and delve into a captivating kingdom brimming with ancient monuments and old-world charm.
Breakfast
This morning, transfer to the airport for your return flight or transfer to your chosen tour extension.
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A brilliant holiday. Mercury had everything very well organised, and the guides were great.
Steve Duggan
26 AprilThe order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions or for operational purposes. The schedules of the domestic airlines in country are subject to frequent changes. For this reason, we have indicated approximate times only. Your local guide will inform you of any schedule changes as they are informed of them. The driving times listed are point to point and do not include the duration of excursions or stops en route. Some road construction and/or weather conditions may lengthen the driving times. Our intention is to adhere to the day-to-day itinerary as printed; however, order of events and sightseeing may vary according to local conditions.
If booking more than 12 weeks before departure a deposit of £295.00pp will need to be paid at the time of booking with the full amount payable at 12 weeks prior to departure. The deposit applies to adults and children. If you are within 12 weeks of travel then the full balance of the holiday will be payable.
Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Egypt.
A visa is required for entry into Egypt. British passport holders need a visa for visits of up to 30 days. You can apply for an e-visa from the official Visa2Egypt portal. Tourist visas granted using the e-visa system are valid for a maximum of 3 months. You can also get a visa on arrival by payment in Sterling, US Dollars or Euros; the visa fee is US$25 at approved bank kiosks within airport arrival halls, before reaching immigration counters, but this process may take one to two hours, so we strongly suggest getting the visa prior to travel. Alternatively, we work closely with The Travel Visa Company who will be able to arrange your visa on your behalf. Please call them on 01270 250 590 and quote 'Mercury Holidays'. Visa requirements are subject to change and obtaining a visa is the responsibility of the traveller and not Mercury Holidays. We recommend you check with your destination's tourist board or embassy prior to departure for the most up to date guidelines regarding visas and passport validity.
Please note your final documentation will be sent to you approximately 21 days before departure. Check in baggage is included with your flight. Weight restrictions will be finalised on your final documentation. Should you wish to take additional luggage you will need to pay extra at check-in. Check-in should be at least 3 hours before departure. If you wish to arrange Airport car parking or accommodation at preferential rates, we recommend you book this in advance with Holiday Extras on 0333 188 0407, quoting HX313.
IMPORTANT: A printed E-ticket is no longer required at check-in, all you need to do is present your passport to the staff at the desk and your boarding pass will be given to you. Please note that you should carry your invoice with flight details on it as you will need to show this at the airport.
We strongly recommend that you and all members of your party are suitably insured as soon as you book your holiday. It is a condition of booking that you must have suitable travel insurance. It is important that you purchase travel insurance that suitably covers your participation in whatever activities you may undertake at the time that you make your booking. To assist you with this, we have arranged travel insurance in partnership with Holiday Extras, including up to a 20% discount, which is given to all Mercury Holidays customers. To arrange your insurance with Holiday Extras, please visit https://www.mercuryholidays.co.uk/info/insurance for more details. Please ensure you provide us with the name of your insurer, policy number and their 24 hour emergency contact number as soon as possible. Mercury Holidays will not be liable for any costs incurred by you due to your failure to take out suitable travel insurance from the date of booking.
It is your responsibility to check any health and vaccination requirements applicable to your booked arrangements. We can only provide general information about this. Health and hygiene facilities and disease risks vary from country to country. You should take health advice about your own needs as early as possible and in good time before your departure. Sources of information include; www.fco.gov.uk, http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/, www.hpa.org.uk, your General Practitioner or a specialist clinic.
This tour is accessible to most people with a good level of fitness and normal mobility but not to people with walking difficulties. To travel on any of our tours requires unaided mobility and the ability. All our tours feature a “Tour Pace” to help find the right holiday for you. The tour pace for this tour is intermediate. A good level of fitness is required as you may be on your feet for approximately four hours in a day, though this will be interspersed with regular breaks and will vary from day to day. You will be walking around the sights, and may be getting on and off coaches, trains and boats and climbing steps which may be steep and irregular. You will stay in variety of hotels throughout the tour. Our guides will always endeavour to provide the highest level of service and assistance; however, they cannot be expected to cater for customers who are unfit to complete the itinerary.
The local currency in Egypt is the Egyptian Pound (EGP). While most hotels, larger restaurants, and tourist sites accept card payments, cash is still widely used, particularly in markets, small shops, and for tipping. Although Egypt has its own currecy you can also use GBP, USD and EURO.
You’ll find ATMs readily available in cities and tourist areas, but please note that some may have withdrawal limits and international transaction fees — it’s a good idea to check with your bank before you travel. When exchanging money, always use banks, hotel exchange desks, or official currency exchange offices to ensure the best rates.
Visa and Mastercard are generally accepted across major establishments, though we recommend notifying your bank before you travel to prevent any temporary card blocks while abroad.
As normal practice you may be asked for your credit card details on check-in at the hotel in order to cover any extras incurred during your stay. If you do not have a credit card, you may be asked for a cash deposit. MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted in hotels but a 3% charge may be added.
You will need to take some extra money with you to cover any personal purchases, such as souvenirs, laundry and extra drinks and snacks. Approximately £250 - £350 per person will be sufficient for the duration of the tour.
Tipping
It is at your discretion to tip both your driver, guide and crew members. We would recommend to tip approximately £5 per person per day. Tips are accepted in the local currency or Euros, Sterling or Dollars.
As the cruise portion of this tour is on a shared vessel, we have no minimum number of passengers to run the tour. If we are not able to operate your departure date, then you may be asked to change to a different date and a full refund will be made available to you should this alternative not be suitable.
You will have multiple guides/drivers throughout the tour. Your transfers will be with an English-speaking driver. During your excursion/s in Cairo, this will be with an English-speaking guide. Your cruise and excursions are not exclusive to Mercury Holidays and will be shared with other travellers with an English-Speaking driver.
Your accommodation is selected for convenience, location, comfort or character, and can range from business hotels to leisure hotels. Hotel accommodation is generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note there is no international classification system for hotels, and differences in facilities and quality do exist compared to what you might expect in the UK. All group tours hotels have private bathroom facilities and air-conditioning, where needed. Rest assured that all accommodation used by Mercury Holidays is regularly inspected by our staff and partners to ensure that standards meet your needs.
During your stay in Cairo your breakfast will be at the hotel, with lunch in a local restaurant. During your cruise all meals will be served on board the boat. As there is a specialist chef on board, all dietary requirements should be made known to our reservations staff at the time of booking.
Ramadan is the most important month in the Muslim Calendar, and it is a time for people to be with their loved ones, self-reflect and renew their faith. During this time Muslims fast from dawn until dusk and abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and chewing gum. If you are a tourist visiting Egypt, you will not be expected to fast. While eating, drinking and smoking is strictly prohibited in public places, hotels/cruises will offer meals and non-alcoholic/alcoholic drinks at many of their restaurants and bars. Your guide during your tour will be on hand to give you any additional information that you require.
A head scarf for women is recommended for entry into any Islamic religious site as well as for everyone to cover shoulders and knees.
On your arrival in Cairo you will be met by a representative from our local agent in the arrivals hall near passport control, Viking Travel, holding a sign displaying: “Mercury Holidays”. The Mercury Holidays/Viking Travel representative will show you to your transfer vehicle. Your guide will be able to answer any queries.
If you need to contact Viking Travel during your stay the details are:
Viking Travel: Contact number: 0020100665591 E-mail: info@viking-egypt.net
Emergency contact information:
24 hour telephone 00201222375990 24 hour E-mail vikingluxor@hotmail.com
