Arrive at Cairo International Airport, where you'll be met and transferred to the group's hotel. After settling in and freshening up, get to know your new travel buddies over a festive welcome dinner.

We begin our adventure in Egypt with a trip to someplace nearly every traveler dreams of visiting in their lifetime: the iconic Pyramids of Giza, the only intact site of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Accompanied by our Egyptologist guide, we'll soak in this awe-inspiring site and begin to learn about the ancient civilization whose archaeological wonders we'll be exploring over the next week. No trip to Egypt would be complete without a ride on a "ship of the desert," so we'll meet our friendly camels for a ride across the sands of Giza, marveling at the pyramids as we go. Keeping watch over all is the figure of the Sphinx, whose legend we'll learn during our visit. In the afternoon, we're off to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), housing incredible treasures from Tutankhamen's tomb. Our visit to the museum has been specially designed for kids, with supervised hands-on learning experiences. (If they'd like, parents can choose to explore the museum on their own while kids explore the GEM Children's Museum.) 

If our first full day in Egypt took us back to ancient times, today is a true treasure hunt in bustling, present-day Cairo. We start at the Ibn Tulun Mosque, whose minaret we can climb for a panoramic view of the city. From there, we're off to El Muizz Street and Khan El Khalili Market, the largest bazaar in the Middle East. At the market, we'll embark on a scavenger hunt to hunt for treasures amidst the winding alleyways of the bazaar. For lunch, we get to try the most popular Egyptian dish, koshari, at a restaurant that's famous for it. The late afternoon and evening are free to relax at the hotel or continue exploring Cairo on your own. 

After breakfast, we'll put our archaeologist hats back on for a very special visit to the southern tomb of Saqqara. Getting special access to sections of this stunning archaeological site that few visitors get to see, we'll study its incredible hieroglyphs and 4,350-year-old tombs. After lunch at a local restaurant, we'll head to a local fagnoon—a place where Cairo kids and parents go to play, paint, craft, and just have fun. In the evening, we'll board our overnight train and settle into our sleeper cars for the nighttime to trip to Luxor, with dinner onboard the train. 

Arriving in Luxor, we'll stop to explore the Temple of Karnak, whose scale is truly monumental. The largest religious complex ever built for a god, the temple is dedicated to Amon Ra, who we'll learn about while walking amidst Karnak's towering columns. After settling in at our hotel and freshening up, it's time for a hands-on papyrus class. Together we'll learn how to make this ancient Egyptian form of paper, then use it for writing our own hieroglyphics. Later in the afternoon, we'll get to know the city of Luxor from the vantage point of a horse and carriage, stopping at sunset to take in Luxor Temple. 

Our final full day in Egypt is a big one! We'll start with a cooking class, learning how to make Egyptian specialties from a local cook. We'll also visit the Mummification Museum, learning how this traditional practice worked and its significance to ancient Egyptians. Boarding a classic Egyptian felucca, we'll cruise the Nile and cross to the west bank of Luxor, where we get to explore the Valley of the Kings—home to the grand, elaborate tombs of King Ramses 6 and Tutankhamen. In addition to the most iconic monuments, we'll go off the beaten track a bit to visit the Valley of the Monkeys, tucked away in the West Valley. The tomb here is unusual for its scenes of  hunting hippopotamus and fishing the marshes (scenes not found in the tombs of royals), and for a wall featuring 12 baboons representing the 12 hours of the night. After a short tuk-tuk ride back in the open air, we'll head back to the hotel for a festive farewell dinner, swapping stories of the incredible experiences we've all shared during our time in Egypt. 

After our unforgettable journey, it’s time to say goodbye to the archaeological wonders and the friends we’ve met along the way. Head to the airport or on to your next destination. Until our next adventure, keep on WOWing!