Egypt

Upon arrival in Cairo, transfer to nearby Giza and check in to our hotel.

Journey to Saqqara, part of the Necropolis of Memphis, renowned for its roughly 5,000-year-old step pyramid and mastabas (tombs), which reveal the architectural origins of the pyramid. Hear from the Egyptian archaeologist who discovered the Wahtye Tomb and enter the four-shaft chamber to pore over the hieroglyphics in an exclusive tour. After lunch, travel to nearby Dahshur with its early-era Red and Bent Pyramids that provide insight into the trial-and-error process of pyramid building. Enjoy a welcome reception and dinner this evening.

Visit the awe-inspiring monuments of Giza, the quintessential symbols of ancient Egypt. Explore the massive pyramids of Cheops, Chephren, and Menkaure, and be treated to special access at the foot of the enigmatic Sphinx. After lunch, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). Over 20 years in the making, this impressive postmodern project will be the world’s largest archaeological museum. This evening enjoy dinner at a private Egyptian home.

Experience the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, designed to reflect the various cultural aspects of Egypt’s rich history. Visit the Royal Mummies’ Hall, considered the crown jewel of the museum. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue on a tour of Coptic Cairo, a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt both before and during the Islamic era. Return to our hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Hop on a chartered flight from Cairo to Luxor, where we begin our exploration of the Nile Valley with a guided tour of Karnak Temple. Board our luxurious riverboat and enjoy lunch on board, followed by an afternoon of leisure. Depart for a special sunset excursion to the Temple of Luxor. Its graceful cluster columns, designed to look like papyrus, were built by Amenhotep III and later embellished by Ramesses II, Tutankhamun, and Alexander the Great.

Today we explore the Valley of the Kings, with its stunningly painted royal tombs, including those of Tutankhamun and Seti I, where we hear from a local archaeologist. Next, visit Deir el-Bahri, whose highlight is the magnificent mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, the queen who declared herself king and whose mummy was discovered in 2007. Stop to admire the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues of the Amenhotep III. Return to our boat for a late lunch, then enjoy time to relax onboard as our boat sails for Edfu. Enjoy dinner followed by a movie night featuring the 1978 film, Death on the Nile.

Disembark this morning to tour the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BCE, it is one of the best-preserved shrines in Egypt. Continue our journey by boat to Kom Ombo for a visit to the Temple of Sobek and Horus. Built by the Ptolemaic rulers who governed Egypt after its conquest by Alexander the Great, the temple is unique as it honors two gods. After touring, enjoy an Egyptian cooking demonstration onboard as we sail toward Aswan. Tonight, join the ship crew for a festive cultural party including a meal of local Egyptian specialties, music, and dancing.

Devote the entire day to exploring Aswan, beginning with an early morning boat ride through the marshes of the Nile. Then visit the Temple of Isis, which was carefully moved to higher ground before the rising waters of Lake Nasser submerged its original location on Philae Island. Take a motorboat to Agilika Island and examine the well-preserved hieroglyphics at the temple there. Then visit a granite quarry to learn how obelisks were carved. Later today, board a felucca, a traditional Nile sailing vessel, to navigate around Kitchener’s and Elephantine Islands and view the stately Mausoleum of Aga Khan. Enjoy a belly dancing and whirling dervish performance before our farewell dinner onboard.

Disembark our riverboat in Aswan and stop to admire the High Dam en route to the airport. Then board a charter flight to Abu Simbel, one of the greatest temple precincts in ancient Egypt. Built by Ramesses II, the temples are famous for the colossal statues of the pharaoh and his favorite wife, Nefertari. As waters from the dam in Aswan rose toward the temples in the 1960s, an international team, in an extraordinary feat of engineering, raised the site 200 feet and relocated the statues about 600 feet from the water’s edge. After lunch at a local restaurant, fly to Cairo and settle into our hotel. Dinner this evening is on our own.

Enjoy a special early-morning entry to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, considered “home” to our Egyptologists, with its more than 100,000 relics and artifacts, including the extraordinary gold treasures of Tutankhamun retrieved from his tomb by English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1923. Then visit the Cairo Citadel and the sprawling Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, where we have lunch. After an afternoon at leisure, toast our experience at a farewell reception and dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

Transfer to the airport for flights home.