Discover Egypt and the Eternal Nile

Depart U.S. for Cairo, Egypt.

As guests' arrival times may vary greatly, we have no group activities or meals planned. 

Enjoy a full-day tour at the open-air museum at Memphis, Egypt's first capital (3100 BCE). We continue on to the necropolis at Sakkara then to the Pyramids of Giza. Here, too, we encounter the enigmatic Sphinx and in the evening enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant. 

Today we fly to Aswan- upon arrival, we visit the Aswan High Dam, considered a marvel of engineering when completed in 1965. Then we visit Nubia Museum, a showcase of Nubian art and architecture. From there we board our Lake Nasser ship for lunch and then disembark to explore the ruins of the acclaimed Temple of Philae.

We will see sights of ancient Nubia, Egypt's neighbor in antiquity but with a distinct culture and traditions. We stop first a "new" Kalabsha, the largest freestanding temple of them all that was moved and reconstructed on higher ground after construction of the Aswan High Dam. We then sail to Wadi el-Seboua, where we dock for the night.

This morning we see two New Kingdom temples that, like Kalabsha, were dismantled and relocated to make way for Lake Nasser. We explore Wadi el-Seboua and the Temple of Dakka. We then sail on to Amada, where we encounter the oldest of Nubia's Egyptian temples, the 18th-dynasty Temple of Amada.

This morning, we visit Kasr Ibrim, the last remaining Nubian settlement in its original location. Then we continue to Abu Simbel's massive complex of temples guarded by statues of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari.

We disembark and travel by coach to Aswan, where we board our Nile ship. This afternoon we take a relaxing sail aboard small feluccas, replicas of ancient Nile sailboats.

We cruise today to the site of ancient trading town Kom Ombo, with its unusual double temple and outstanding Nile views. Then we sail to Edfu, where tonight we attend a shipboard party.

We visit Edfu's Temple of Horus, Egypt's best preserved ancient temple. Then we cruise to Luxor, the world's "greatest open-air museum," whose vast temple complexes, tombs, and statues dating from 2755 BCE represent the pinnacle of Egyptian architecture. Today we explore the East Bank, home of Karnak, the greatest temple complex of them all, whose ruins stretch for more than a mile. We also visit Luxor Temple.

We have the choice to rise early to see the West Bank on an optional hot air balloon ride. After we disembark our ship, we tour the haunting Valley of the Kings, where 34 royal tombs feature magnificent paintings; the Valley of the Queens; and the dramatic Temple of Hatshepsut honoring one of the few female pharaohs. 

We fly to Cairo today where we visit the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

Today begins at the acclaimed Egyptian Museum, the world's greatest repository of ancient relics. Then we tour the Citadel of Saladin housing the alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali.

We encounter Old Cairo, the district where early capital cities once stood. We visit the 5th-century St. Sergius Church, the Coptic church of el-Muallaqa, and the active 10th-century St. George's church. We enjoy a farewell dinner.

Early in the morning, we transfer to the airport for return flights home.