Dreams of Egypt

Fly to Cairo. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

Spend today exploring the Pyramids of Giza and The Sphinx, followed by the Egyptian Museum, filled to its brim with an extensive collection of statues, mummies and treasures. Improve your bargaining skills this afternoon when you stroll through the Khan El Khalil Bazaar, where you will find local souvenirs and food stalls.

Spend the morning exploring Cairo's oldest district, the Coptic Quarter, with its impressive churches and the Christian artefact collection at the Coptic Museum. Later, continue to Sakkara, an ancient necropolis famed for its painted catacombs and the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

Take the desert road to Alexandria, on the coast. This afternoon, you'll discover Alexandria's many highlights, from the Roman theatre to the atmospheric Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, dating back to the 2nd century. Pause for a photo at the renovated 15th-century Qaitbay Citadel, once one of the most important defensive strongholds of Africa's Mediterranean coastline.

This morning, we visit El Alamein, the site of two key battles in WWII. The Allied victory in the second battle was instrumental in ending the Axis threat to Egypt. Explore the military museum and war cemeteries before travelling southeast back to Cairo. Stop en route to visit the still-active Monastery of St Macarius, inhabited by Coptic Orthodox monks since the 4th century AD.

Take a short one-hour flight from Cairo to Luxor, where you will transfer to the port to and board your Nile cruise ship for a four night cruise. Refresh yourself before this afternoon's visits to Luxor's East Bank. Begin at the Temple Complex of Karnak, famed for the majestic Hypostyle Hall with its 134 gigantic stone columns, along with the Avenue of the Sphinxes and the Sacred Lake.

There's no better start to the day than exploring Luxor's West Bank, one of the most stunning landscapes in Egypt. Today you get to see the Colossi of Memnon statues, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, and the famous Valley of Kings, home to the tombs of ancient Egyptian rulers. Relax as you set sail to the farming town of Esna.

Enjoy a morning visit to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of Egypt's most beautiful and well-preserved temples, dating back to the 3rd century BC. Return to the ship for lunch as you cruise on to the town of Kom Ombo, where we visit the unusual double temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to Horus and Sobek. Sail on to Aswan, where we dock for the next two nights.

Rise early and journey southwest to the iconic twin temples of Abu Simbel, at Egypt's furthest edge. This atmospheric temple complex, perhaps the greatest in Egypt, is dedicated to Ramesses II, often considered the greatest pharaoh of the New Kingdom. Admire its many halls and imposing statues before returning to the ship in Aswan.

Discover the many highlights of Aswan on this full-day tour. Visit the 111-metre tall Aswan High Dam, see the Unfinished Obelisk in place at Aswan's ancient quarry, and visit the Temple of Philae on Agilkia Island. After lunch, embark on a felucca (traditional Nile sailing boat) for a leisurely afternoon before our farewell dinner. From here, take a flight back to Cairo.

Fly to New Zealand, arriving home the following day.