Itinerary
- Day 1
Airport Transfer to Luxor
You'll meet your driver at the airport and head to the Winter Palace Hotel, a five-star Victorian property with Eastern touches that sits right on the Nile. After you check in and get settled, the rest of the evening is yours to relax and adjust to the time change.
Landmarks Winter Palace Hotel - Day 2
Valley of the Kings and Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
Breakfast happens at the hotel before you set out for a full-day trip to the Valley of the Kings. You'll see four different tombs, including the impressive Seti I complex, and then walk through the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut built into the mountainside. After lunch you'll head back to the hotel to spend the afternoon by the pool or wandering the tropical gardens. Dinner comes in the gardens as the sun goes down.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at the hotel), Lunch (Lunch in a restaurant), Dinner (Dinner in the hotel gardens under the star-filled sky)
Included Activities
- Visit Valley of the Kings UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Visit four tombs including Seti I site
- Visit Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
Landmarks Valley of the Kings Tomb of Seti I Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut Winter Palace Hotel - Day 3
Karnak Temple Complex and Cruise Begins
This morning takes you to the Karnak Temple Complex with its massive columns, obelisks, and carved hieroglyphs covering the walls. From there you board the Abydos dahabeah, a traditional Egyptian sailing vessel. The crew greets you with rose water towels and hibiscus tea or lemonade. You'll have lunch onboard and then sail along the calm Nile toward El Hegz, where you'll have dinner and sleep on the ship.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at the hotel), Lunch (Onboard lunch), Dinner (Dinner onboard)
Included Activities
- Visit Karnak Temple Complex
- Board Abydos dahabeah traditional Egyptian ship
- Cruise the Nile
Landmarks Karnak Temple Complex - Day 4
Elkab and Fawaza Island
An early morning sail toward Elkab means coffee or tea on deck while you watch the sun come up over the Nile. You'll visit Elkab to see temples and burial sites with 5,000-year-old roots and decorated with carvings. The afternoon brings more cruising past palm trees and green fields heading toward Fawaza Island, where dinner is a barbecue with live drumming and dancing from the crew. You'll stay onboard for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast onboard), Lunch (Lunch onboard), Dinner (Barbecue on Fawaza Island)
Included Activities
- Visit Elkab
- Visit Temple of Nekhbet
- Visit Qurnet Murai necropolis
- Cruise the Nile to Fawaza
- Barbecue on Fawaza Island
Landmarks Elkab Temple of Nekhbet Qurnet Murai Fawaza Island - Day 5
Bassaw Village and Gebel Silsileh
The ship heads to Bassaw village where you can walk through colorful Nubian homes and try traditional fishing methods with locals in small boats. Later the afternoon takes you to Gebel Silsileh at the narrowest point of the Nile. You'll explore the Temple of Horemheb and other New Kingdom ruins carved from sandstone cliffs. After dinner you'll sleep on the ship.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast onboard), Lunch (Lunch onboard), Dinner (Dinner onboard)
Included Activities
- Walk through Bassaw Nubian village
- Fish with local fishermen
- Visit Gebel Silsileh
- Visit Temple of Horemheb
Landmarks Bassaw Gebel Silsileh Temple of Horemheb - Day 6
Kôm Ombo Temple and Herdiab
You arrive at Kom Ombo to see the Temple of Kom Ombo with its unusual dual design dedicated to two gods, Sobek and Haroeris. This restoration happened back in 1893. Later the ship continues to Herdiab village where you can walk around and see how locals still farm sugar cane and fruit trees using traditional methods. Dinner and overnight stay on the dahabeah.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast onboard), Lunch (Lunch onboard), Dinner (Dinner onboard)
Included Activities
- Visit Temple of Kôm Ombo
- Walk through Herdiab village
Landmarks Temple of Kôm Ombo Herdiab - Day 7
Herdiab Beach and Philae Temple Complex
If you want to swim, Herdiab Beach is available this morning before the ship heads to Aswan. In the afternoon you visit the Philae Temple Complex, an ancient site for the goddess Isis that dates back to 380 BC. After the dam was built in 1902 the temple started getting submerged, but UNESCO saved it by moving all the buildings to a nearby island in 1960. Tonight is the farewell dinner onboard.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast onboard), Lunch (Lunch onboard), Dinner (Farewell dinner onboard)
Included Activities
- Visit Philae Temple Complex
Optional Activities
- Swimming at Herdiab Beach
Landmarks Herdiab Beach Philae Temple Complex - Day 8
Aswan Disembarkation and Old Cataract Hotel
You leave the dahabeah this morning and can choose between two excursions: either drive 3 hours southwest to Abu Simbel near the Sudan border to see rock temples, or stay closer and explore Kitchener Island Botanical Garden with exotic plants and bright flowers. Lunch happens at the Old Cataract Hotel restaurant. Afterward you can walk through Aswan's souk on your own. You'll check into the Old Cataract Hotel perched on a cliff with Nile views, a historic place where Churchill and Agatha Christie both stayed. Watch the sunset from the terrace and have dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast onboard), Lunch (Lunch at Old Cataract Hotel restaurant), Dinner (Dinner at the hotel)
Included Activities
- Abu Simbel (excursion option)
- Kitchener Island Botanical Garden visit (excursion option)
Optional Activities
- Explore Aswan souk
Landmarks Abu Simbel Kitchener Island Botanical Garden Old Cataract Hotel Elephantine Island - Day 9
Nubian Museum and Felucca Sail
After breakfast at the hotel you head to the Nubian Museum with its 3,000 objects showing Nubian culture from prehistoric times through the Islamic period. The museum was built by UNESCO and Egypt's government in 1970 after the dam project. Lunch is back at the hotel. By afternoon you'll sail on a traditional felucca past Elephantine Island with its ancient ruins and Nubian villages, plus Kitchener's Island with its lush gardens. Dinner and another night at the hotel.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at the hotel), Lunch (Lunch at the hotel), Dinner (Dinner at the hotel)
Included Activities
- Visit Nubian Museum
- Felucca sail on the Nile
Landmarks Nubian Museum Elephantine Island Kitchener Island - Day 10
Departure from Aswan
Grab breakfast at the hotel or pack something to go if you're leaving early. Then you'll transfer to the airport and the tour ends.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at the hotel or as takeaway)
