Cairo = April 30, 2023 – May 2, 2023 & May 8, 2023 – May 10, 2023
The Nile Cruise – May 5, 2023 – May 8, 2023
If you would like to see what we ate while we were traveling around Egypt.
This morning at 8:30 a.m., gather for a welcome briefing. Then, join your expert A&K Egyptologist for an exploration of the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities (or the Grand Egyptian Museum, upon its opening), to view its huge collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, including treasures from Tutankhamun and items dating to 4000 BC. After lunch at a local restaurant, return to your hotel where your afternoon is at leisure.
Accommodation: Marriott Mena House Hotel
Today, roam the Giza Plateau, site of the pyramids of Mycerinus and Chephren as well as the Great Pyramid. Built in the Fourth Dynasty (approximately 2690 BC), it is the only survivor of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Revel in the opportunity to enter the interior of one of these legendary structures, and marvel at the massive stones used to construct them. Ride a camel across the sands of Giza, and then view the Great Sphinx backdropped by the pyramids, a setting that has captured the imaginations of adventurers for centuries. Pause for lunch then return to your hotel for some time at leisure.
Accommodation: Marriott Mena House Hotel
Early this morning, fly to Luxor, site of the ancient city of Thebes.
Begin your full day of exploring by visiting the striking Temple of Luxor. View the three large statues of Ramses II along the front of the temple pylons, the Courtyard of Ramses II and the Colonnade of Amenhotep III, with its 50-foot-high columns. Walk in their shadows, as visitors have done since antiquity, and ponder the astonishing feats of engineering it took to create them. Then, step aboard ‘Sanctuary Sun Boat IV,’ an elegant river cruiser.
Enjoy lunch on board before disembarking to explore the west bank of the Nile River and the Necropolis of Thebes and view the Colossi of Memnon. Continue to the architecturally stunning Temple of Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt’s first female pharaoh and regarded today as one of its most successful. Carry on to the Valley of the Kings, burial ground of the pharaohs and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For a period of 500 years beginning in the 16th century BC, tombs were built along this valley for pharaohs and nobles, including that of “the boy king,” Tutankhamun. Enter the tomb of Tutankhamun – found in 1922 by British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter – to discover the secrets of this storied chamber. Next, descend into the beautifully decorated tomb of Seti I, the father of Ramses II, one of the best-preserved tombs in the valley.
Accommodation: ‘Sanctuary Sun Boat IV’
This morning, disembark to continue exploring the east bank of the Nile, beginning with a visit to the awe-inspiring Temple of Karnak, where generations of pharaohs wished to record their names. Karnak Temple is a temple within a temple, a shrine within a shrine. During your visit you walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall with its massive, expertly aligned columns, truly a sight to behold. Enjoy lunch onboard as you cruise to Esna. On arrival, disembark and visit the Greco-Roman Temple of Khnum and marvel at its soaring columns. The beautifully preserved Great Hypostyle Hall was built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius.
Take a short walk through Esna’s bustling streets to the temple site, located about 36 feet below the present level of the town where it was excavated from the silt that had accumulated through centuries of annual Nile floods. The walls of the temple are covered with inscriptions, most of which date back to the Roman period – proving that it was a popular attraction even then. Accommodation: ‘Sanctuary Sun Boat IV’
Today, view the Temple of Horus, falcon-headed god of the sky. Built in 230 BC by Ptolemy III, this amazingly well-preserved and colorful structure reveals what temple worship in ancient Egypt was like.
Back on board, learn to prepare local dishes on a Chef’s Table experience: a cooking lesson with an onboard chef.
Later this afternoon, enjoy a refreshing Scenic Sundowner as your cruise continues. Disembark at Kom Ombo (hill of gold) to visit the Greco-Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god), whom some ancient Egyptians considered the creator of the world. View the mummified remains of several crocodiles that once basked along the ancient Nile shore, just as their descendants do today.
Tonight, attend a festive Egyptian-themed costume party onboard your vessel. Sample a buffet of local cuisine, listen to music and dance, and if you wish to look the part, a complimentary galabeyya (traditional Egyptian robes) is provided to each guest from the ship’s bazaar.
Accommodation: ‘Sanctuary Sun Boat IV’
After breakfast, disembark for a visit to the impressive granite quarries and site of the Unfinished Obelisk. Illustrating the skills of Egypt’s stonemasons, this monolith structure measures one-third taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk – even in its unfinished state. Next, ride a motorized boat to Philae Temple on the island of Agilika. This sacred complex was dedicated to the Goddess Isis and reflects a fusion of three great civilizations – Egyptian, Greek, and Roman.
The temple was dismantled, and then painstakingly reassembled when the Aswan High Dam was constructed. Built in the 1960s, the dam spans the Nile River, more than two miles across and incorporating 16 times the amount of material that went into the Great Pyramid at Giza. It provides irrigation and hydro-electric power to much of Egypt, and the reservoir that formed behind it, Lake Nasser, is 340 miles long.
After lunch on board – weather permitting – you Ride Like a Local in a traditional Nile felucca, (a typical Egyptian sailing boat) around Elephantine and Kitchener’s Islands with an opportunity to view the splendid Aga Khan Mausoleum high above the river.
Arrive back to ‘Sanctuary Sun Boat IV’ in time for high tea and some time at leisure. Accommodation: ‘Sanctuary Sun Boat IV’
Early this morning, bid farewell to ‘Sanctuary Sun Boat IV,’ disembarking to fly to Abu Simbel, site of the magnificent temple of Ramses II.
Flights to and from Abu Simbel are subject to last-minute cancellations. You will be advised by your Resident Tour Director if the flights are cancelled. In the event of flight cancellations, you will be driven from Aswan to Abu Simbel, approximately three hours each way, with no changes to scheduled sightseeing. There are in fact two temples, namely the Great Temple of Ra-Harakhte, fronted by the four colossal statues of Ramses II (each nearly 70 feet tall) and the Temple of Hathor, dedicated to Ramses’ beloved wife Queen Nefertari. Impressive in themselves, these temples are further remarkable in that they were cut into pieces, raised up the hillside from their old location and then reassembled around a concrete dome on the current site, when threatened by floodwaters from Lake Nasser and the High Dam project. At the conclusion of your visit to Abu Simbel, board your return flight to Aswan and connect on to Cairo, where you are met and transferred to your hotel. Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
TUESDAY, MAY 9, 2023 CAIRO | DESIGN YOUR DAY
This morning drive to Sakkara, site of hundreds of tombs and 14 pyramids, including the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Built by Pharaoh Djoser during his 19-year reign, it stands at 204 feet and was the largest building of its time.
After lunch, enjoy one of these Design Your Day activities, arranged for you by your Resident Tour Director:
-Discover Coptic Cairo, visiting a church built where the Holy Family stayed, as well as St. Barbara and the Church of the Virgin Mary.
-Tour Islamic Cairo, including a walk in El-Moaz Street, and the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar.
-View the Royal Mummies, and countless other artifacts, as you tour the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
This evening at 7:00 p.m., gather with your fellow guests to reflect on your journey through Egypt and along the Nile at a farewell dinner.
Accommodation: Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
Museum in Cairo
