Thursday 16th Feb 2012. Welcome to Egypt and the start of a wonderful holiday! Arrive Cairo airport, meet and greet service and included transfer to hotel. Overnight - Cairo

Today we visit Egypt's most loved sight - The Great Pyramids of Giza. We explore the Gize plateau, pyramids and massive lion-headed Sphinx. Later, we tour Saqqara - an ancient necropolis with many half-buried tombs and the famous Zhoser’s step pyramid. Overnight sleeper cabin train south to Luxor with a light dinner included.

If your don't fancy travelling by overnight sleeper train, opt to undertake the journey by flight with our Jewel of the Nile Flight Upgrade. The option includes air travel between Cairo - Luxor and Aswan - Cairo with two nights accommodation in the comfort of 5 star hotels. Overnight - Sleeper Train (B, D)

Arriving into Luxor we have a full day of sightseeing ahead of us, dictated by the early departure of all Nile cruisers tomorrow morning. The massive pair of statues known as the Colossi of Memnon are the first monuments you’ll see during our morning visit to the West Bank, home to the legendary Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. You’ll also see the colonnaded Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Return to Luxor for check-in aboard our Nile 5 cruiser. Lunch and time to freshen up. Afternoon visit to the magnificent Temple of Karnak. More than a temple, it’s a gigantic and stunning complex of sanctuaries and pylons dedicated to the Theban gods. Later, we visit to the Temple of Luxor built by Pharaoh Amenophis III. Luxor Temple looks stunning at dusk and is beautifully illuminated at night. Overnight - Nile Cruising (B, L, D)

As the sun rises it's anchors away! Our cruiser will depart Luxor in the early hours of the morning to wait in queue for the opening of the Esna lock. We enjoy a well deserved day of complete R&R. Pull up a deck chair and relax as we sail upstream toward Temple of Horus at Edfu. Depending on our cruise schedule we may tour Edfu Temple this afternoon or early tomorrow morning. Overnight - Nile Cruiser (B, L, D)

relaxing day as we sail the Nile. Later today, we visit the waterside Temple of Kom Ombo. Arrive Aswan late evening. Overnight - Nile Cruiser (B, L, D)

Tuesday 21 Feb 2012. Nile cruiser/Aswan - Abu Simbel. Today, we visit Philae Temple - dedicated to the goddess Isis and the mighty High Dam – a modern feat of engineering.

After we'll take a felucca boat journey on the Nile. Sailing around the islands of Aswan, we’ll disembark at Kitchener Island to stroll the gardens of British Lord Kitchener and at Elephantine Island - a trading place for Ivory. Elephantine boasts some impressive ruins dating back to the Second Intermediate Period (1650 - 1550 BCE) and the Temple of Khnum, the ram-headed god of the cataracts, who guarded and controlled the waters of the Nile from caves beneath the island.

This evening relax and watch an amazing sunset in Egypt's southern most town straddling the River Nile. Just after midnight, we check out from our Nile Cruiser and travel due south toward the Temples of Abu Simbel. Our bus journey will take approximately 3 hours, arriving well before sunrise. Overnight - Nile Cruiser/Bus to Abu Simbel. (B, L)

Wednesday 22 Feb 2012. Abu Simbel – Aswan - Cairo – breakfast box. As dawn breaks the magic will unfold and here, we’ll witness the spectacular Sun Festival of King Ramses II.

Possibly the most awe-inspiring temple of all ancient Egypt, with its gargantuan rock-cut façade, the great Sun Temple of King Ramses II at Abu Simbel was created to revere the mighty Pharaonic ruler King Ramses II. Guarding the entrance to the temple (built between 1290 and 1224 BC) and hewn into the side of a mountain, are four famous colossal statues of the pharaoh himself, which sit majestically, staring out across the desert, seemingly since time began. Over the centuries, the desert sands imperceptibly shifted until the temple was all but lost to humanity. It was rediscovered by chance in 1813 by a Swiss explorer called John Lewis Burkhardt. The other rock cut temple at Abu Simbel is the Temple of Hathor, which is fronted by six massive standing statues. Four of them represent King Ramses II, whilst the other two are of his beloved wife-Queen Nefertari.

In a fit of precision and architectural egotism, Ramses II had the entire temple carefully angled in order that the sun’s rays would align twice a year on the date of his ascension to the throne (21 February) and on his birthday (21 October) and illuminate the inner sanctum of the temple.

This incredible natural phenomenon provides for a most spectacular sight, which has come to be referred to as the Sun Festival of King Ramses II. Crowds pack in to the temple before sunrise and watch the shafts of light slowly creeping through the rock hewn inner Hypostyle Hall (replete with further statues of the king) and through to the Sanctuary. As we are lead through the temple there will be time to pause for a moment (only a few seconds) to watch the sun illuminating the statues of Amun-Re, Re-Herakhte and Ramses the god, whilst the statute of Ptah - the god of darkness - remains in the shadows.

Famously, the temple was re-located in a multi-million dollar operation in 1972, further up from the shoreline of Lake Nasser, which had threatened to erode the foundations of this monolithic temple complex. For this reason, the sun now strikes a day later than Ramses had originally planned, though the event this morning itself is no less stunning.

After the grand finale, we’ll explore the site in depth with a fully guided tour of the Sun Temple of King Ramses II and also the Temple of Hathor. You’ll have time to independently explore and take plenty of pictures, before returning to Aswan. Upon arrival to Aswan day use rooms have been arranged offer some R&R and a chance to freshen up.

Later this evening we take the overnight sleeper train service to Cairo. On the service a light dinner is served. Alternatively you can opt to undertake our Jewel of the Nile Flight Upgrade. Arrangements of this upgrade differ slightly. Here on our Ramses Sunrise tour travellers will fly to Cairo this evening, stay overnight in the nation's capital and spend the morning at leisure. Please ask your reservation consultant for more details. Overnight - Sleeper Train (B)

Sleeper train travellers arrive to Cairo and hotel check in. Early this afternoon we all head out to tour the dazzling antiquities at the Egyptian Museum. Amongst the many exhibits are the treasures of King Tutankhamen. The remains of the afternoon and evening offer free time. Overnight - Cairo (B)

Today offers free time for you to relax by the pool, enjoy the hotel facilities or maybe head to Khan el Khalili market for a little last minute souvenir shopping. Alternatively, you could join our Cairo city tour visiting old Cairo and the Islamic citadel (book and pay locally). Overnight - Cairo (B)

Saturday 25th February 2012. Our Ramses Sunrise tour concludes after breakfast and onward departure transfer to the airport. (B)