Dubai & Egypt Highlights

Get Settled
For your added comfort, an English-speaking assistant will be waiting for you at the arrival gate holding a sign with your name on it. You will be assisted through immigration, airport security, and a dedicated fast track counter. Porter service is provided at the luggage belt area only. You will also receive a voucher for access to the Marhaba departure lounge at this time.

A private vehicle and driver will provide a transfer between the airport and hotel.

Secrets of the City
A private vehicle will pick you up from your hotel for this private tour of Dubai. Modern Dubai offers visitors a diverse experience from the unforgettable charm of traditional souks to inspiring modern skyscrapers. Your day begins with a visit to The Dubai Mall, one of the World’s largest shopping centers located next to the iconic Burj Khalifa. Here, you will visit the world-class Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and experience the exotic wonders of aquatic life first-hand. Be treated to an exceptional underwater adventure as you meet eye to-eye with sharks, stingrays and other species of fish in their natural habitat. The tour continues with a visit to the World’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Begin your vertical ascent to the observation deck in a high-speed elevator, traveling at 10 meters per second. As the doors open, floor-to-ceiling glass walls provide a breath-taking unobstructed 360-degree view of the city, desert and ocean. Following this exciting visit, you will drive towards Dubai Marina district, which offers an exclusive environment for living, leisure and business, only to be followed by the world`s largest man-made island, that has captured the world’s imagination with its magnificent scale and ingenuity, called The Palm Jumeirah. A brief photo stop opposite the luxurious Atlantis The Palm Hotel a magnificent, oceanic tribute to a mythological age, will impress all. Upon the conclusion of the tour, settle in for a private transfer back to your hotel.

Note: Original ID / Passport is mandatory for this activity.

Sights and Insights
Meet your private driver and guide for a half day tour that will give you an opportunity to see some of old Dubai’s most fascinating sites. This is a city that provides a new setting at every turn, richly mixing together the old and the new; it’s without a doubt the leading tourist destination in the Middle East. Dubai is a city of ages that rises out of the desert and crowns the gulf coast with its presence. This tour takes you on a journey that shows you the old and new Dubai. Learn about the 19th-century life in Dubai as you visit the Dubai Museum and weave through the alleys of the Al Fahidi Historical District. Next, board an ‘abra’, a traditional water taxi that ferried the locals through the years across the Dubai Creek. On the opposite side of the Creek take a stroll through the spice market, fruit and vegetable market, and the Gold Souk. You will also stop for an opportunity to take photographs of the Jumeirah mosque, an architectural landmark in Dubai. As you make your way through this fascinating city, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the historic Union House Flag where the UAE forged a union almost half a century ago. Finish your day off with a visit to the Jumeirah Beach where you will get a chance to take pictures with the iconic Burj Al Arab in the background. Your journey ends with a private transfer back to your hotel.

Step aboard the Bateaux Dubai for an exceptional cruise experience, which will take you past Dubai’s most inspiring sights in glass-enclosed splendor. A mesmerizing cruise on the Bateaux Dubai will give you the unique opportunity to experience freshly prepared gourmet cuisine from the a-la-carte kitchen onboard. This tour includes a private vehicle with driver, which will transfer you from your hotel to the cruise, and return you back upon completion of the cruise.

Date Night
Optional Activities (Not Included)
Dubai is a stirring alchemy of profound traditions and ambitious futuristic vision. A bustling microcosm of the world, the diversity here is astonishing and can be seen in the architecture, music, fashion and food. With a history rooted in the Islamic tradition, here the modern meets the ancient as you explore and discover what Dubai is to you. Here you can dine like Bedouin, dance on the beach, get lost in the historic labryinth of Al Fahidi District, visit the Dubai Museum, the art galleries, or shop in the modern Dubai Mall or in the gold, spice, or historic souks for local arts and treasures. For those seeking more adventure visit the Wild Wadi Water Park or ride up the Burj Khalifa for breathtaking views from the observation deck. In the desert ride a camel, go sand boarding, 4×4 exploring or soar up and away over the desert by hot air balloon!

Ask your travel consultant to include one of these, or other unique experiences, in your itinerary.

You are cordially invited for a fine dining experience under the stars inside a Royal desert retreat on this ultimate Luxury Desert Safari. Your chariot is the luxurious Range Rover, the off-road vehicle of choice of royalty, the rich and famous. Your expert Desert Safari Guide will lead you on a gentle journey through the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve in search of exotic native wildlife. A delectable dinner at your secluded private set-up nestled inside the exclusive grounds of the Royal desert retreat awaits you. Your six course dinner is served on a table made out of an antique Arabic wooden door and sits beside your private Majlis, complete with silk carpets and soft, fluffy cushions where you can relax by your bon-fire. Unwind under the stars in this once in a lifetime experience that only a privileged few will be lucky enough to have.

En Route
A private vehicle and driver will provide a transfer between the airport and hotel.

Board a flight from Dubai to Cairo. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 45 minutes. Separate purchase is required.

For your added comfort, upon your arrival at the airport, an airport representative will greet you in the tunnel and escort you through customs and immigration. The representative will facilitate the included visa process for you. Continue to the baggage claim hall and passenger pick up. Here an airport representative will help you connect with your private transfer to your hotel.

Enjoy a private airport transfer accompanied by an English-speaking representative.

Cross an Item off the Bucket List
The Great Pyramids of Giza are the most iconic image of Egyptology and an absolute must-see on any trip to Cairo. Meet with your private guide, driver, and Egyptologist, and head to Giza to discover this only surviving site of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Marvel at the breathtaking scenery of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Great Pyramids of Giza juxtaposed against the famous Sphinx statue. The sheer beauty and allure of the Sphinx have mystified world travelers the likes of Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte, an imposing scene against the backdrop of the infinite desert behind it. The mysteries of the Great Pyramids have piqued the curiosity of visitors for thousands of years. Enter the Pyramid of Chephren, also known as the Pyramid of Khafre. The second tallest and second largest of the major pyramids, it sets on bedrock 33 feet higher than Khufu’s pyramid, which makes it appear to be taller.

A camel ride is a must-do for all first-time Egypt travelers. Following your tour of this fascinating area, climb onto your dromedary and enjoy a ride in the shadow of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Cross the desert landscape guarded by some of the planet’s oldest ancient structures and take in the views of the mighty pyramids, including the Pyramid of Chepren and Mykerinus. Camel rides in the Giza complex provide for excellent photo opportunities!

Relax and enjoy a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, including a choice of a small bottle of water, soft drink, tea or coffee.

Dine at one of Marriott Mena House’s delectable in-house restaurants this evening.

The Journey Continues…
Enjoy a private airport transfer accompanied by an English-speaking representative.

Board a flight in Cairo with direct service to Luxor. Approximate flight duration is one hour.

Please note, luggage restrictions apply to this regional flight. 1) Maximum of one checked bag, weighing up to 50 lbs (23 kg) – Economy, 70 lbs (32 kgs) – Business; Checked baggage cannot be larger than 62 linear inches (158cm). 2) Guests can also bring a piece of carry-on luggage with a maximum weight of 17 lbs (8 kg). Passengers flying in Business Class may bring two pieces of carry-on luggage.

Enjoy a private airport transfer accompanied by an English-speaking guide.

Welcome aboard!
Take some time to get settled in to your stateroom and to explore the length of your ship.

This evening you’ll overnight at port in Luxor.

Luxor is home to one of the world’s greatest open-air museums, with the ruins of Karnak and the Temples of Luxor in easy reach along the East Bank of the city. With your private Egyptologist guide, visit the impressive UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the monuments of Karnak and Luxor, learning more about ancient Egypt’s fascinating and lengthy history. Begin with a visit to the Temples of Karnak, strolling along the Avenue of Sphinx to enter the complex. The Temples of Karnak make up the history of Thebes and consists of colossal sandstone columns transported 100 miles along the Nile river, panoramic friezes. Discover with your guide how the massive façade was constructed. Continue to Luxor Temple which was once joined to the Temples of Karnak by a 1.25-mile-long Avenue of Sphinx, a portion of which marks the entrance to the temple. The temple dates to approximately 1400 BC and is dedicated to the rejuvenation of kingship rather than the Pharaohs, cult gods or deified versions of the king in death. During the Roman era, the temple and its surroundings served as a legionary fortress and acted as the home of the Roman government in the area.

Relax this evening on board the comfort of your Nile cruise and enjoy the evening of entertainment, including local Egyptian music.

It’s All Ancient History
Some of the most spectacular sites in all of Egypt can be found on the West Bank of the Nile, near Luxor. Meet with your private guide and driver to spend a half day exploring the West Bank of the Nile, home to the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. Start with a visit to the Valley of the Kings to explore the famous Tomb of Tutankhamun along with two other interesting tombs. King Tut became Pharaoh at the tender age of nine or ten, and the discovery of his nearly intact tomb in 1922 fascinated the world. For a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt). Explore the recently renovated mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the second historically confirmed female Pharaoh. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful Pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty, and remembered as the first great woman in history of whom we are informed. Next head to the nearby Valley of the Queens, where the wives of Pharaohs were buried during the 18th through 20th Dynasties. End the visit to the West Bank with a visit to the Colossi of Memnon, the only remaining monuments of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.

Today you’ll sail to Edfu, via Esna. Overnight at port in Edfu.

Relax this evening on board the comfort of your Nile cruise and enjoy the evening of entertainment, including local Egyptian music.

A Walk Through the Past
A horse carriage will be waiting for you and your private guide when you disembark from your Nile cruise to explore the Temple of Horus in Edfu. Dedicated to Horus, the falcon god, the temple was built from 230 to 57 BC by Ptolemy III and his successors and is considered the best-preserved cult temple in Egypt because of its later construction date. Despite its late era origins, it reflects traditional pharaonic architecture, and the Temple’s inscribed building texts provides an excellent idea of how all the temples once looked, with details about its construction. It fell into disuse as a religious monument when the Roman Empire banned all non-Christian worship within the Empire in 391. Edfu is an impressive temple, and is the second largest in Egypt after Karnak Temple.

Meet with your private guide and disembark from your Nile cruise to explore on foot the Kom Ombo Temple, a unique Greco-Roman temple dedicated to two gods: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, the sun god. The Temple in Kom Ombo dates from about 180 BC, during a period known as the Ptolemaic era, and had some additions built on to it during Roman times. It stands right on the bank of the Nile between Edfu and Aswan. The temple is unusual in that it is a double temple, with one side dedicated to the god Haroesis and the other side to Sobek. The design is almost perfectly symmetrical, with two side-by-side sanctuaries and two parallel passageways leading through the outer parts of the temple. The right side is dedicated to Sobek-Re (the crocodile god combined with the sun god Re), along with his wife (a form of Hathor) and their son Khonsu-Hor. Sobek is associated with Seth, the enemy of Horus. In the myth of Horus and Osiris, Seth and his followers changed themselves into crocodiles to escape. The ancient Egyptians believed that by honoring the fearsome crocodile as a god, they would be safe from attacks. The left side is dedicated to Haroeris, the “Good Doctor” (a form of the falcon-headed god Horus the Elder) along with his consort Ta-Sent-Nefer, the “Good Sister” (another form of Hathor).

Continue cruising onward to Aswan, where you’ll overnight at port this evening.

Relax this evening on board the comfort of your Nile cruise and enjoy the evening of entertainment, including local Egyptian music.

A Healthy Dose of History
Set sail on a Nile adventure and take in the scenery around Aswan aboard a traditional, non-motorized felucca. Gently sail past the small, oval-shaped El Nabatat Island, also known as Kitchener’s Island, and explore the lush Aswan Botanical Island that features trees from the 5 continents. View the Mausoleum of Aga Khan belonging to Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah before sailing back into Aswan.

The impressive Aswan High Dam was a marvel of engineering when it was constructed. Originally conceived to Egypt’s irrigation of farmland to mitigate against drought and famine in low-water years, and flooding in high-water years. Visit the dam with your private guide and spend a half day learning about Aswan. The dam displaced over 100,000 Nubians in Sudan and Egypt alike and was part of a major relocation project for archaeological sites under the UNESCO Nubia Campaign, including the Abu Simbel temples and Philae. Other sites were eventually flooded by Lake Nasser, the world’s largest artificial lake that was created by the Aswan High Dam. Then head to Philae and the Temple of Isis on Agilikia Island. Stop at the stone quarries to see the unfinished obelisk, the largest known ancient obelisk and a very good practical demonstration of the methods used by ancient craftsmen to create impressive moments. Marks from workers’ tools are still clearly visible on the bedrock.

Relax this evening on board the comfort of your Nile cruise and enjoy the evening of entertainment, including local Egyptian music.

Tonight you’ll overnight at port in Aswan.

On the Road Again
This morning you’ll disembark from your ship and bid farewell to the crew.

Enjoy a private airport transfer accompanied by an English-speaking guide.

Board a flight in Aswan with direct service to Cairo. Approximate flight duration is one hour and 30 minutes.

Please note, luggage restrictions apply to this regional flight. 1) Maximum of one checked bag, weighing up to 50 lbs (23 kg) – Economy, 70 lbs (32 kgs) – Business; Checked baggage cannot be larger than 62 linear inches (158cm). 2) Guests can also bring a piece of carry-on luggage with a maximum weight of 17 lbs (8 kg). Passengers flying in Business Class may bring two pieces of carry-on luggage.

Enjoy a private airport transfer accompanied by an English-speaking representative.

Cairo and the surrounding area around the Nile have been inhabited for millennia, and the heart of Old Cairo is still home to a host of ancient ruins telling the story the Persians and the early emergence of Christianity. With your private guide and driver, head to the remains of the Babylon Fortress, originally constructed by the Persians around the 6th century BC. These ruins are the city of Cairo’s oldest original structure – while the pyramids are older, they are in nearby Giza. Within the confines of the Fortress of Babylon are a number of important Coptic Christian Churches, including the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus Church, also known as Abu Serga, constructed on the spot where the Holy Family is reported to have rested at during the end of their journey into Egypt. The neighborhood is also home to a number of historic sites important to both Judaism and Islam. Among others, today you will visit the Hanging Church, one of the oldest churches in Egypt. Its nave is suspended over a passage and the church was the seat of the Coptic Pope for centuries after it was relocated from Alexandria following the Muslim conquest of Egypt. See the Church of Saint Barbara, a long-lasting example of ancient Coptic architecture commemorating a 4th century local saint. End the day with a visit to the Coptic Museum which houses the largest collection of Egyptian Christian artifacts in the world and important examples of Coptic art.

Relax and enjoy a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, including a choice of a small bottle of water, soft drink, tea or coffee.

Explore with an Expert
The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, also known as the Egyptian Museum, is a veritable treasure trove of Ancient Egypt’s artifacts, with an extensive collection of more than 120,000 items split between its exhibits and storerooms. Delve into the historical background of Egypt on a full day private tour with your Egyptologist guide through the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities, admiring the treasures that are stored here for safekeeping. Tie together the grandeur of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel with a collection of archaeological finds including statues, jewelry, amulets, sarcophagi, papyrus, ancient coins and the stories of famous Egyptologists. Marvel at the exquisite grandeur of the Mask of Tutankhamun and his coffin – Egypt’s most famous teenage king – although his mummy is still in its original tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Relax and enjoy a buffet lunch at a local restaurant, including a choice of a small bottle of water, soft drink, tea or coffee.

As the day draws to a close, Cairo’s Khan Khalili Bazaar becomes a vibrant scene: a maze of shops lined with souvenirs and antiques, restaurants and coffee shops, workshops, mosques, and food vendors. The sights and sounds intermingle in an enchanting display over wafting aromas of freshly baked bread and roasting meats. Stroll down Al Moaz Street with your private guide, and marvel at the largest concentration of medieval architectural treasures from the Islamic world. End the evening with a memorable dinner at the Egyptian restaurant Naguib Mafouz, located in the heart of the bazaar. The restaurant is one of Cairo’s top-rated dining establishments. After dinner, return to your hotel by private vehicle.

Safe Travels!
Enjoy a private airport transfer accompanied by an English-speaking representative.