A Traventira driver meets you at Cairo International Airport with a name sign and takes you straight to your hotel to check in and rest after your flight.

After resting at your hotel, head out in the afternoon to explore the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to the full Tutankhamun collection, the colossal Ramesses II statue, the Grand Staircase and the Khufu solar boats. You will be back at your hotel by early evening to rest before Day 2.

A full day with your Egyptologist guide. Start on the Giza Plateau with the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, the panoramic viewpoint and the Great Sphinx. From there continue south to Saqqara, home of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the world's oldest monumental stone structure, then on to Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt, where the alabaster sphinx and the fallen colossus of Ramesses II sit in an open-air museum. An early night is a good idea: tomorrow's flight to Aswan is an early one.

A full day exploring Islamic and Coptic Cairo. Visit the Citadel of Saladin with its panoramic views and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, then head down to the Coptic Quarter to see its ancient churches. Continue to Al-Muizz Street and finish at Khan El Khalili bazaar for shopping and local flavor.

An early private transfer to Cairo Airport for the morning flight to Aswan. On arrival your guide meets you for a visit to the High Dam and a short boat ride to the island temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis. Then you board your Nile cruise ship in time for lunch, settle into your cabin and enjoy the afternoon on deck as the river turns gold at sunset. Dinner and overnight on board in Aswan. Optional: an early-morning excursion to Abu Simbel can be added, ask us for details.

The ship sails north from Aswan in the morning. Visit the riverside Temple of Kom Ombo, shared by the crocodile god Sobek and Horus the Elder, then continue sailing to Edfu for the Temple of Horus, the best-preserved temple in Egypt. The afternoon is for the sun deck as the Nile valley slides by. Tonight the ship celebrates New Year's Eve with a gala dinner and party on board as you sail towards Luxor.

The ship is docked in Luxor on the first morning of the year. Cross to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings, where you enter three royal tombs, then the terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, with a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon. Return to the ship for lunch and a free afternoon on deck or in Luxor's old market. Dinner and overnight on board.

After breakfast and check-out from the ship, explore the East Bank: Karnak, the largest temple complex in Egypt, with its forest of giant columns, and Luxor Temple in the heart of the city. In the afternoon your guide takes you to Luxor Airport for the flight back to Cairo. This day suits international departures from Cairo after 10:00 PM. If your flight is earlier, we add one night in Cairo and take you to the airport the next morning.