8 Day Cairo, El-Minya, Abydos & Luxor Tour By Land

Arrival at Cairo International Airport. Meet and assist by our representative of “Egypt Best Vacations” who will help you through the arrival and visa regulations. Transfer to your hotel for free time and the beginning of your 8-day Cairo, El-Minya, Abydos, Dendera and Luxor tour by land.

Your actual Cairo, Abydos, Luxor tour by land begins when our tour guide picks you up from your hotel for the tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Saqqara..

Today, you will explore the Giza Plateau. Today’s tour includes the Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure with the great Sphinx. The only ancient wonder which still exists (Khufu’s pyramid) awaits you. Are you ready to explore it from the inside? (Optional)
Today you will learn about the history of the pyramids, how they were built, and why they were built. Then on to the first pyramid in history, the Step Pyramid of King Djoser at Saqqara. Saqqara is one of the most important and richest necropolises in Egypt. It was the cemetery of Memphis, the 1^st capital city of United Egypt in 3200 BCE.

Transfer back to your hotel for a free evening in Cairo.

Your 8 day Cairo, El-Minya, Abydos and Luxor tour by land leads to El-Minya. Travel from Cairo toward Meidum to visit Senferu’s first pyramid at Meidum. Started as a Step Pyramid but then converted into a true pyramid, the pyramid at Meidum marks the transition from the Early Dynastic Period to the Old Kingdom.

Then proceed to El-Minya to Visit Tuna El-Gabel. Tuna El-Gabel is the necropolis of Hermopolis Magna, ancient capital of the 15th nome and cult centre of Thoth, god of writing and sciences. Continue to Ashmunein, the site of the ruins of the ancient city of Hermopolis (Magna).

Transfer to your hotel in El-Minya for a free evening.

Visit the wonderful tombs of Bani Hassan. This site includes some of the most impressive tombs of the Middle Kingdom. Its rich and well-preserved tombs attest the economic prosperity that it enjoyed.

Then your Egypt road trip takes you to Tell El-Amarna (Ancient city of Akhetaten). The city was founded by King Tutankhamen’s father, Akhenaton, and where King Tutankhamen was born. Artifacts discovered here in the 19th century included hundreds of cuneiform tablets, known as Amarna Letters. Archaeological finds of the late 20th century included sculptures and paintings. Then transfer back to your hotel. 

Travel from El-Minya to Abydos to Visit the stunning temples of Seti I in Abydos. Abydos is the Greek name of the ancient Egyptian name (Abdju). Abdju was the great necropolis of Thini. Thini, the capital city of the 16^th nome of Upper Egypt, held a great position during the Predynastic period.

The temple of Seti I is built of limestone and laid out on three levels. Unlike other Egyptian temples, it is L-shaped rather than rectangular and incorporates seven great doorways and seven sanctuaries. The temple was dedicated to the major gods Osiris, Isis, Horus, Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah as well as the deified Seti I himself. Then transfer to your hotel in Abydos for a free evening.

Travel from Abydos to Dendera to visit the wonderful temple of Hathor at Dendera. The temple of Dendera dates back to the Ptolemaic Period, although evidence points to older structures once existing on the site, dating as far back as king Pepy I, from the Old Kingdom. Among the temple’s most notable features are astronomical engravings on its ceiling.

Then finally, your 8 day Cairo, El-Minya, Abydos and Luxor tour by land takes you to Luxor. Visit the majestic Luxor Temple by night. The Temple of Luxor was built by the 18^th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III (1387-1349 BCE), the grandson of the military genius Tuthmosis III, and expanded by the 19^th Dynasty pharaoh Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE). Numerous other sovereigns, including Tutankhamun, Horemhab, and Alexander the Great enriched the construction with reliefs, inscriptions, and minor buildings. Then transfer back to your hotel.

Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel, followed by Luxor wonders tour. Visit the impressive Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings is one of the most important highlights not only in Luxor but throughout Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians named it (Ta-Iset-Ma’at), which means “the Place of Truth”. The Valley of the Kings is the necropolis of the great Egyptian pharaohs of the 18th to the 20th Dynasty (1550-1080 BCE). Tuthmosis I was the first pharaoh who was buried at the Valley of the Kings while Ramses XI was the last pharaoh who was buried there. From the Valley of the Kings to the unique Temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, and then to Colossi of Memnon of Amenhotep III.

Enjoy your lunch at a local restaurant then, proceed to the Karnak Temple. The Temple of Karnak was the great god’s chief sanctuary and much larger than any other monument in Egypt. This huge and splendid complex which actually contains many separate temples covers 1700 years of expansion and an area of 300 acres. Then, transfer to Luxor Airport to catch your flight back to Cairo. Transfer from Cairo Airport to your hotel for the final night of your 8-day Cairo, El-Minya, Abydos and Luxor tour by land.

Explore the fabulous contents of the historical Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square in Cairo. Thousands of artifacts from all periods of Egyptian history are displayed on the two floors of the museum.
From the museum to the Citadel of the Sunni Muslim leader Saladin, which was built in 1172 to defend Cairo against the Crusaders. The White Mosque of Mohammed Ali Pasha is a prominent feature of the Citadel. You will finish your tour today at the historical bazaar of Khan El-Khalili, the largest bazaar in the Middle East. 

Wrap your 8-day Cairo, El-Minya, Abydos and Luxor tour by land by a transfer to Cairo Airport for final departure. It is really sad to leave, so ask our guides about your next adventure in Egypt.