Complete Circuit: 15 Days of Splendours from Alexandria to the Temples of the Nile via Cairo and Fayoum

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Complete Circuit: 15 Days of Splendours from Alexandria to the Temples of the Nile via Cairo and Fayoum
Complete Circuit: 15 Days of Splendours from Alexandria to the Temples of the Nile via Cairo and Fayoum
Complete Circuit: 15 Days of Splendours from Alexandria to the Temples of the Nile via Cairo and Fayoum
Complete Circuit: 15 Days of Splendours from Alexandria to the Temples of the Nile via Cairo and Fayoum
Complete Circuit: 15 Days of Splendours from Alexandria to the Temples of the Nile via Cairo and Fayoum
Duration
15 Days
14 Nights
Destination
Immersion / Nature / Adventure
Group Size
2-16 People
Category
Siwa & Fayoum

The Journey

Have you dreamed of a journey that embraces all the souls of Egypt? A journey where history, nature, faith, geology and culture intertwine - not to distract, but to awaken.

In one glance: from Cairo to the catacombs of Alexandria, from the fossil dunes of Fayoum to the temples of Abu Simbel, to the banks of the Nile aboard a felucca - this journey is an odyssey through time, beliefs, knowledge and the peoples of Egypt.

Before the pharaohs, Egypt was a sea. And the Fayoum keeps its imprint. At Wadi El-Hitan, the rock preserves the bones of marine animals 40 million years old. Here, geology becomes narrative, the desert becomes manuscript.

Cairo welcomes you next in a blaze of contrasts. Beneath the thousand-year gaze of the Giza pyramids, in the silent galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum, between Mamluk minarets, Coptic churches and living alleyways of the old quarters, a palimpsest capital reveals itself.

Then comes Alexandria, the Mediterranean, the nostalgic. Between its mythical library, Greco-Roman vestiges and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, the city offers an uninterrupted dialogue between East and West.

At Abu Simbel, you spend the night at the foot of the stone giants - Ramesses II and Nefertari. Then the Nile: aboard a felucca, you glide between Aswan and Luxor at the rhythm of the wind. Finally, Luxor, capital of kings and mysteries, opens its doors.


What Is Included in the Price

  • Airport welcome and private transfers throughout the stay
  • Charming hotels, Nubian lodge, sleeper train, felucca nights, homestays in Luxor
  • Full board (except drinks and free meals as specified)
  • French-speaking Egyptologist guide throughout the circuit
  • Entry tickets to all sites listed in the programme
  • All service fees and taxes


What Is Not Included in the Price

  • International return flights
  • Egypt entry visa (25 EUR per person, payable in cash on arrival)
  • Drinks, personal expenses and souvenirs
  • Tips for guides, drivers and crew
  • Optional sound and light show at Abu Simbel
  • Hot air balloon over Luxor (on request, as supplement)


Included

  • Fresco itinerary from pharaonic Cairo to Theban Luxor, via the palaeontological desert of Fayoum and Nubian temples of Abu Simbel
  • Geology dialoguing with myths at Wadi el-Hitan where the Tethys Sea left its imprints
  • Crossed spiritualities: Coptic Christianity, Alexandrian Judaism, Mamluk Islam, ancient cults
  • Double immersion at Abu Simbel: a night facing the stone giants and an intimate sunrise visit
  • Rare geological exploration on foot in the Fayoum deserts: marine fossils, petrified forests
  • Slow sailing on the Nile by felucca: wind as engine, stars as ceiling, home cooking and village stops
  • Varied transport: 4x4 in the dunes, sleeper train to Aswan, felucca on the Nile, private vehicles
  • Accommodation chosen for their soul: homestays, Fayoum guesthouse, Nubian lodge, felucca, charming hotels
  • Iconic sites and hidden gems: Giza to Karnak, Valley of the Kings to Philae, Alexandria to Deir el-Medina
  • All full board (days 2-15), site entries, private transport and guide included

Excluded

  • International return flights
  • Egypt entry visa 25 EUR
  • Drinks, personal expenses and souvenirs
  • Tips for guides, drivers and crew
  • Optional Abu Simbel sound and light show
  • Hot air balloon Luxor (on request)

Itinerary

1

Day 1: Arrival in Cairo

Dinner at own expense
Warm welcome at the airport by our representative, identifiable with a sign bearing our agency name. Private transfer and hotel check-in in the city centre. Free time and night at the hotel.
2

Day 2: Pyramids of Giza - Sphinx - Grand Egyptian Museum

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
This morning you set off to discover the mythical Giza plateau, heart of the Old Kingdom. On foot, you approach the three great pyramids of Khufu - the only surviving wonder of the ancient world - Khafre and Menkaure. Their dimensions impress, but it is their conception that fascinates: perfect orientation according to the cardinal points, harmonious proportions, alignment with the stars of Orion. Below, the Great Sphinx stands watch, carved from rock, motionless for millennia. In the afternoon, the Grand Egyptian Museum: more than 5,000 pieces from the tomb of Tutankhamun, exhibited in their entirety for the first time, alongside iconic objects from the Old Kingdom to the Greco-Roman era. Return to the hotel, then dinner in one of Cairo's lively neighbourhoods. Included visits: Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, Grand Egyptian Museum. Accommodation: Hotel, Cairo.
3

Day 3: Departure to Alexandria - Library - Catacombs

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Early morning departure for Alexandria, founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great. After three hours through the Nile Delta, you arrive in this legendary city, long the intellectual and spiritual capital of the ancient world. You begin with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a contemporary reinterpretation of the famous ancient library, facing the sea and decorated with writings from around the world, housing more than eight million books. In the afternoon, the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, a vast underground network from the 2nd century AD where Egyptian, Greek and Roman influences blend. Then a stroll along the corniche facing the Mediterranean, through the lively souks and historic mosques. Included visits: Library of Alexandria, Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa. Accommodation: Hotel, Alexandria.
4

Day 4: Return to Cairo - Coptic and Islamic Quarter

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Early morning, you leave Alexandria for Cairo. Your visit begins in the Coptic quarter: the Hanging Church (El-Muallaqa), a 3rd-century masterpiece of Coptic art perched above the Roman fortress of Babylon; the Church of Saint Sergius with its crypt where the Holy Family took refuge; and the Ben Ezra Synagogue where the famous geniza was discovered. After lunch, the Citadel of Saladin with its panoramic view and the Mohamed Ali Mosque. Then the Sultan Hassan Mosque, a 14th-century masterpiece of Mamluk art designed as a madrasa for the four Sunni legal schools. Opposite, the Al-Rifai Mosque housing the tombs of Egypt's last sovereigns including King Farouk and the last Shah of Iran. Included visits: Hanging Church, Church of Saint Sergius, Ben Ezra Synagogue, Citadel of Saladin, Mohamed Ali Mosque, Sultan Hassan Mosque, Al-Rifai Mosque. Accommodation: Hotel, Cairo.
5

Day 5: Saqqara - Road to Fayoum

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
By vehicle to Saqqara, one of Egypt's oldest and richest archaeological sites. You begin with King Djoser's complex and the famous step pyramid, the first monumental construction in dressed stone in human history, designed by Imhotep. Then the pyramid of King Teti whose funerary chamber houses the Pyramid Texts, and the tomb of Kagemni the vizier, adorned with finely sculpted daily life scenes: banquets, dances, fishing and offerings. After lunch, the road to Fayoum. About two hours bring you to the charming village of Tunis on the shores of Lake Qarun. Check-in, then a walk to discover the village: its decorated houses, pottery workshops and peaceful alleyways. Included visits: Saqqara complex (Djoser pyramid, Teti pyramid, Kagemni tomb). Accommodation: Hotel, Tunis village, Fayoum.
6

Day 6: Valley of the Whales - Magic Lake - Evening Walk (3 hours hiking)

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
After breakfast at the lodge, you board a 4x4. Into Wadi el-Hitan, the Valley of the Whales, UNESCO World Heritage Site. 40 million years ago this region was covered by the Tethys Sea. Here were discovered the first traces of walking whales - transitional species with hind limbs, testifying to the passage from terrestrial to marine life. The spectacular fossils of Basilosaurus and Dorudon, some up to 18 metres long. Fossilised shells and petrified mangrove roots. At the heart of the site, an open-air museum designed by an Italian team traces the evolution of life on Earth. In the afternoon, the Magic Lake in the hollow of the dunes, its waters sparkling from emerald green to deep blue. Late afternoon, a gentle walk through olive fields to the shores of Lake Qarun. Included visits: Valley of the Whales (Wadi el-Hitan), Magic Lake. Accommodation: Hotel, Tunis village, Fayoum.
7

Day 7: Petrified Forest - Qatrani Mountain - Qasr Al Sagha Chapel - Sleeper Train to Aswan (3 hours hiking)

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
This morning, Qatrani Mountain, a geological sanctuary where rock strata tell 35 million years of natural history: ancient seabeds, fossilised lakes, volcanic reliefs. One of Africa's richest fossil records with the ancestors of elephants, monkeys and rhinoceroses. Then the petrified forest: fossilised trunks of an ancient tropical forest emerging from sand like witnesses of a bygone age. After a desert picnic, you visit the temple of Qasr Al Sagha before taking the road to Cairo. Transfer to the station for the sleeper train to Aswan. Night journey in a double cabin with two bunk beds, washbasin and electric socket. Hot dinner served on board, light breakfast included. Included visits: Qatrani Mountain, Petrified Forest, Qasr Al Sagha Temple. Accommodation: Sleeper train.
8

Day 8: Arrival in Aswan - Temple of Philae

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
The train arrives in Aswan late morning. Transfer to the hotel to settle in. Lunch in a typical local restaurant with authentic Nubian flavours. Then by vehicle to the Nile banks and by boat to the Temple of Philae, a sacred jewel set between sky and river. Moved stone by stone in the 1970s under UNESCO and rebuilt on the island of Agilkia, this sanctuary dedicated to Isis was one of the last pagan temples active in the ancient world until its closure in 537 AD by Emperor Justinian. Philae captivates by the delicacy of its architecture and the harmony of its hieroglyphic colonnades. Return to hotel. Evening stroll through the tourist souk. Included visits: Temple of Philae. Accommodation: Hotel, Aswan.
9

Day 9: Unfinished Obelisk - Departure to Abu Simbel - Optional Sound and Light Show

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
In the morning, visit the famous pink granite quarry of Aswan, from which monumental blocks were extracted to build temples, colossi and obelisks across ancient Egypt. You discover the great unfinished obelisk, still lying in the rock, nearly 42 metres long - it would have been the largest ever erected had a crack not condemned it. This visit reveals the extraction techniques of the era: doleritic hammer work, groove cutting, and transport of blocks to the Nile. Then by minibus south to Abu Simbel, at the gates of Nubia. Check-in at a typically Nubian lodge. Optional in the evening: the sound and light show projected on the temple facade, a nocturnal staging of the epic of Ramesses II and Nefertari. Included visits: Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan granite quarry. Accommodation: Nubian lodge, Abu Simbel.
10

Day 10: Abu Simbel at Sunrise - Return to Aswan - Boarding the Felucca

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
At the first light of day, as the desert slowly awakens, you contemplate the majestic temples of Abu Simbel, carved into the cliff face on the shores of Lake Nasser. The silence is almost sacred. Ramesses II sits enthroned for eternity, while the temple of Nefertari, his beloved wife, pays homage to royal love in all its symbolic power. The rising sun gradually illuminates the stone colossi, revealing battle scenes and triumphs carved in rock. A rare, almost intimate moment, far from the daytime crowds. Return to the lodge for breakfast, then back to Aswan. We head to the landing stage to board the felucca: full crew on board (captain, sailor and cook). Full breakfast, picnic lunch with mixed salads and mezze assortments, hot home-cooked dinner each evening. Comfortable mattresses and cushions on deck, canvas protection in the evening. The sails are raised and the felucca glides quietly on the Nile towards Kom Ombo. At nightfall, mooring on a peaceful bank for the night. Included visits: Temples of Abu Simbel. Accommodation: Felucca, on the Nile.
11

Day 11: Daraw Market - Temple of Kom Ombo

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Morning, breakfast in navigation on the felucca. The boat anchors near Daraw for a two-hour excursion on foot. Shaded banana and mango tree alleyways, lively lanes, the souk opening like a theatre of a thousand scenes: pyramids of ripe fruit, cages of live chickens, butcheries including camel meat - emblematic of the region. A smile from a vendor, a child offering a date, an old man offering greetings. At every corner, a kaleidoscope of sounds, smells and glances. Back on board, lunch served as the boat glides towards Kom Ombo. A swim stop in the calm Nile is possible. Then the double temple: one half devoted to Sobek the crocodile god; the other to Horus the solar falcon. This twin sanctuary embodies the Egyptian philosophy of duality - the balance between opposing forces. On its bas-reliefs: surgical instruments and a Nilotic calendar. Dinner under the stars. Night aboard the felucca. Included visits: Daraw market, Temple of Kom Ombo. Accommodation: Felucca, on the Nile.
12

Day 12: By Vehicle to Luxor - Temple of Edfu - Luxor Temple

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
After a last shared breakfast on deck, farewell to the felucca sailors. By road to Luxor. Along the way, a stop at the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god Horus. Exceptionally well-preserved, this Ptolemaic sanctuary hosted the great religious ceremonies of the Greek pharaohs. Its monumental bas-reliefs recount the myth of Horus' victory over Seth, symbol of chaos. On arrival in Luxor, welcomed at a homestay: a traditional house carefully selected for its welcome and comfort - an opportunity for genuine human exchange. In the late afternoon, a crossing of the Nile to discover the illuminated Luxor Temple. Built by Amenhotep III and magnified by Ramesses II, it also houses the chapel of Alexander the Great, vestiges of a Coptic church and the mosque of Abu el-Haggag. At nightfall, the stone whispers. Included visits: Temple of Edfu, Luxor Temple (evening). Accommodation: Homestay, Luxor.
13

Day 13: Valley of the Kings - Temple of Hatshepsut - Colossi of Memnon - Temple of Karnak

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
The day opens on the Theban bank at the Valley of the Kings, mineral sanctuary where the pharaohs of the New Kingdom rest. This hidden necropolis houses more than sixty revealed tombs. Three of the most eloquent open their doors - chosen for the beauty of their scenes and the spiritual power they radiate. The walls recount the great passage: the soul, guided by funerary books, journeys towards regenerating light. Then the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, its colonnaded terraces in striking harmony with the mountain. Designed by Senenmut in the 15th century BC, this architectural masterpiece celebrates the woman-pharaoh. The Colossi of Memnon stand on the road, 18-metre quartzite giants defying time. After lunch at the homestay, Karnak: the sanctuary of Amun-Ra, built over more than two millennia by 89 pharaoh builders. The avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, the grandiose hypostyle hall with 134 monumental columns covered with hieroglyphs, and the sacred lake where purification rituals were practised. Included visits: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Karnak. Accommodation: Homestay, Luxor.
14

Day 14: Valley of the Nobles - Valley of the Artisans (Deir el-Medina) - Cycling in the Footsteps of Yesterday and Today's Egyptians

Breakfast Lunch Dinner
: This morning you mount your bicycles for a day off the beaten track. Through the lush palm groves and traditional villages of the west bank of Luxor. First stop: the Valley of the Nobles, where the tombs of the empire's elite bear scenes of daily life, festivals, agricultural work and religious rites. Then the village of the workers of Deir el-Medina, inhabited for over 400 years by the craftsmen chosen to decorate the royal tombs. Their modest homes, small chapels and surprisingly rich tombs have been carefully restored by French archaeologists. At the bottom of a 50-metre well, thousands of pottery shards bearing inscriptions were unearthed: ostraca telling everything - supply lists, absence records, strike accounts, personal notes, prayers, love letters. In the afternoon, a walk through the village of Boayrate, immersed in Egypt today: mud-brick houses, enclosed gardens, banana trees, sugar cane and warm encounters with the inhabitants. Included visits: Valley of the Nobles, Deir el-Medina (Valley of the Artisans). Accommodation: Homestay, Luxor.
15

Day 15: Return Flight - Transfer to the Airport

Breakfast
It is time to leave. But deep down, you know something will not depart. A glance, a breath, a fragment of light. Egypt is never truly left behind - it remains there, in a fold of the heart. In the silence of a temple, in the desert wind, in a guide's voice or a child's laugh. Transfer to the airport, eyes perhaps a little more moist, soul a little more full. You return home - with an ancient land inside you that continues to speak.

Prices & Accommodation

Starting Price

Per Person €1,499.00

Optional Extras

Sound and Light Show - Abu Simbel (optional) €25.00 / person
Hot Air Balloon over Luxor (optional) €85.00 / person
Egypt Entry Visa €25.00 / person

Accommodation

Contact us for detailed accommodation information for this tour.