Egypt

❍ February 5-18th 2027 ❍ civilization + monuments + nile

This two-week trip moves through Egypt in a south-then-north arc.

You begin in Cairo with two days exploring the Islamic and Coptic quarters, the old Egyptian Museum, and Tahrir Square, before flying to Luxor to spend three days between the West Bank's tombs and temples, including the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's temple, and the East Bank's Luxor Temple and market. From Luxor, a drive south takes you through the temples at Esna, Edfu, and Kom Ombo to Aswan, where the schedule opens up for a private boat trip on the Nile, a walk on Elephantine Island, and visits to Philae Temple and the Nubian Museum. A side trip to Abu Simbel, with an overnight in the desert, caps the southern leg before a flight back to Cairo.

The final days cover Giza, including the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, along with the older pyramid sites at Saqqara and Dahshur, before departure on day fourteen. Along the way there's room for optional add-ons like a hot air balloon ride over Luxor and an evening horse carriage ride, plus built-in slower stretches, like the day on the Nile near Aswan, so the trip mixes major historical sites with some downtime to absorb them.