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Fly to Cairo and transfer by coach to your five-star hotel in the shadow of the Pyramids at Giza, for a three-night stay.

Enjoy a full-day guided tour, which will include a visit to the Pyramids - the vast, extraordinary monuments to the ancient Egyptians' wealth and power - watched over by the enigmatic Sphinx. Another highlight will be Cairo's Egyptian Museum, with its fabulous treasures recovered from the tomb of the Boy King Tutankhamun.

This evening, return to the Pyramids on our optional Sound and Light excursion. On this mystical trip you'll hear the tale of how the Pyramids were built and what life was like in Ancient Egypt in 2611BC, with a spectacular light show adding to the storytelling.

Spend another day uncovering Cairo's treasures, or join today's optional excursion to Alexandria. Once the centre of the Hellenistic world, and now a bustling port, Alexandria is a city preserves an air of nostalgia - in its traditional coffee houses and cafes - for the "Alex" of old.

Visit the fascinating Graeco-Roman Museum, explore Egypt's only Roman amphitheatre, wander the eerie catacombs at Kom El Shoqafa, discover the site where the Pharos lighthouse (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) once stood, and see the Citadel of Quilt Bay - a 15th-century fortress located on the coastline.

Transfer to the airport for the short flight to Luxor, and board your magnificently appointed five-star rated river cruiser - your home for the next seven nights. After lunch on board, journey to the East Bank of the Nile to visit Luxor Temple with its colonnades and courtyards, and the staggering Temple of Karnak, where the vast columns of the giant hypostyle hall dwarf awestruck visitors. Later, enjoy a first dinner on board as your ship spends the night moored in Luxor.

Cross to the Nile's West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings, where in 1922 Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon discovered the sand-blocked entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun. You'll also visit the temple of female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut, and gaze in awe at the twin "colossi" of Memnon.

Return to your river cruiser for lunch, and the begin your journey south, cruising through scenery seemingly unchanged in centuries, with fishermen sailing traditional feluccas and villagers washing their clothing in the river waters. Moor overnight in Edfu.

Visit perhaps the best preserved of all Egypt's Pharaonic relics, the stunning Temple of Horus, before you return to the ship and cruise towards the magnificent riverside Temple at Kom Ombo, with its hypostyle halls, burial chambers and mummified crocodiles. You'll also visit the twin temple of pharaohs Sobek and Haroeris, before cruising on to Aswan, where you will moor for three nights, giving you the opportunity to explore this mesmerising city where the constant backdrop is the Aga Khan's great mausoleum.

Today you'll visit the extraordinary Aswan High Dam, which holds back the mighty waters of Lake Nasser, and see the granite quarries from where many of Egypt's ancient obelisks were fashioned. Take a motorboat ride across the Nile to the great Temple of Isis on the island of Philae, and then join our included afternoon tour to enjoy a felucca ride around mid-stream Kitchener's Island, with its botanical gardens.

Explore some of the attractions of Aswan, perhaps visiting the Nubian Museum, which charts the history of one of Africa's most ancient peoples, or wandering the colourful souks. Alternatively, join an optional excursion by coach to remote Abu Simbel, where the staggering temples of Ramses II and the goddess Hathor are carved out of the mountainside. Rediscovered in the early 19th Century, the temples and their relics are among Egypt's greatest treasures.

Over two days, your river cruiser makes her lazy way north downriver once more, heading back past the sites at Kom Ombo and Edfu, and mooring for a last night in Luxor. Take the opportunity to spend two days enjoying the tranquillity of the ship, dipping in and out of the pool and making the most of the on-board amenities as the stunning scenery passes gently by.

Bid farewell to your ship and your Egyptian hosts, and transfer to Luxor airport for your flight back to Cairo and your international flight back to the UK.