Passage Through Egypt: Luxor to Aswan

Upon arrival in Cairo, Egypt’s ancient capital, proceed to the luxurious five-star St. Regis Hotel. Check in and settle into your accommodations for the next four nights.

Arrival Time: Arrive after 3:00 p.m. local time.

Begin your day with a morning welcome briefing before setting out to explore Egypt’s premier treasure—the Pyramids and Sphinx complex in Giza. Discover the remarkable construction of the Pyramid of Cheops, built from over two million stone blocks over twenty years, and marvel at the iconic Sphinx, carved from a single massive stone with the head of Pharaoh Chefren and the body of a lion. Enjoy privileged access inside the barrier for an up-close experience with the Sphinx. Then, venture inside the Great Pyramid, following the narrow Grand Gallery passageway to the burial chamber of Cheops, where your Egyptologist brings history to life with fascinating stories. A National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions Certified Photography Instructor is also available to help capture perfect shots. Afterward, savor lunch at a local restaurant before either returning to the St. Regis to relax or visiting the National Museum of Egyptian Culture to view the Royal Mummies on display.

Egyptian treasures are legendary, and expertly guided visits to the finest collections are essential for a complete experience. This morning, travel to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of the pharaoh Zoser, a revolutionary design that initiated the art of pyramid building. You can also see some of Egypt’s most charming wall paintings and reliefs, showing scenes of harvesting, fishing, music-making, and dancing, as well as the elaborate and exquisite mastaba of Mereruka, the largest in Saqqara. While not a royal, Mereruka (or Meri) was, among other things, “Chief Justice and Vizier” to Pharaoh Teti of the Sixth Dynasty, wealthy enough to build such a large and colorful tomb for his afterlife. 

After lunch, explore the galleries of the newly opened and highly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) with expert Egyptologists. Witness the 3,200-year-old statue of Ramses II in the Grand Hall, the Solar Boat, and select treasures from the prehistoric to the Greco-Roman period. Only the King Tut Hall remains unopened, as his treasures are still at the Museum of Antiquities, which you can enjoy during an uncrowded, privately guided after-hours exploration later today.

This evening, enjoy an exclusive after-hours guided tour of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. Discover the museum’s expansive collection of ancient marvels—without the crowds—alongside your Egyptologists. 

With the guidance of your Egyptologist, who shares narratives and personal experiences, today welcomes exploration of some of Cairo’s most outstanding architecture and monuments to Islam. Atop the Citadel overlooking Cairo sits the commanding Ottoman-era Muhammad Ali Mosque, completed in 1848. Its five domes can be seen throughout the city.

After lunch at a local restaurant, explore the Khan el Khalili bazaar, Egypt’s most famous and largest market, dating back to the 14th century, for the best taste of Cairo’s vibrant and sometimes frantic pace. You can find anything from filigreed silverwork to semiprecious stones and other souvenirs. 

Next, stroll the exquisite El Moez Street, which dates back to the 10th century, making it one of the oldest streets in Cairo. Marvel at the Islamic architecture as you arrive at the Qalawun Complex, comprised of a mausoleum, a madrasa, and a hospital, and considered to be among the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Egypt.

Fly by private charter to Luxor in Upper Egypt, where a visit to the awe-inspiring Karnak Temple is sure to be life-changing. For some 2,000 years, 30 pharaohs added their monuments and shrines to this vast temple, making it the largest religious building ever constructed. The 134 columns of the great hall create a vast forest of stone towering 70 feet high, and the massive obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut shadows the rear of this masterpiece of human ingenuity. The reliefs and carvings created by some of Ancient Egypt's finest artisans are dramatic.

After Karnak, embark on the elegant and privately chartered 42-passenger Oberoi Philae, home for the next six nights, in time for lunch. Aboard this recently remodeled steam wheel-style riverboat, you find your spacious cabin with a French balcony, delightful dining venues, entertainment, a spa, a pool, public areas offering endless places to watch the Nile, and a friendly and welcoming Egyptian crew offering impeccable service.

Evening is the ideal time to visit the Luxor Museum, which is beautifully lit and home to some of Egypt's finest statuary, including the mummies of Ahmos I and Ramesses I.

Please note that you drive via motorcoaches between Luxor and Dendera Temple if your arrival coincides with low water and cruise this section of the Nile during high water times.

Start the day enjoying the remote temple of Dendera. Constructed during the time of Roman emperors, hundreds of years of black soot were delicately removed to reveal stunning artwork beneath and reliefs on the temple walls depicting Empress Cleopatra.

Next is the exquisite Luxor Temple, guarded by its massive statues of Ramses II. This temple has been a place of worship for millennia. Its magnificent pylons, columns, and statues are also an excellent site to visit after sunset, illuminated with magical lighting. 

After dinner onboard, venture into Luxor for an opportunity to leisurely enjoy the evening in this ancient city on the east bank of the Nile.

Journey to the West Bank of the Nile and the famed Valley of the Kings, the burial ground for hundreds of years of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. Explore and photograph the tombs of Set 1 and Tutankhamun. Then visit the Valley of the Queens and the most legendary tomb of them all, that of Nefertari. Vivid paintings depict the queen's renowned beauty and her journey to the afterlife in exquisite color and quality found nowhere else in Egypt. See the temple of Hatshepsut, dramatically set beneath sandstone cliffs. 

Have lunch on board and spend the afternoon traversing the magnificent Nile and marveling at the rich and verdant riverbanks that have sustained life here for thousands of years. The Oberoi Philae offers luxurious space and ample viewpoints to watch life and history as it goes by. Whether en suite, with friends in the lounge, or on the top deck, today offers a connection to people and place.

In the evening, presentations and recaps from the Egyptologists and National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions Certified Photo Instructor are scheduled as the ship passes through the lock before an elegant dinner is served. Overnight in Esna. 

Note: The tomb of Nefertari is temporarily closed for renovations. In the meantime, you instead visit the spectacular Ramesseum, the funerary temple of Ramses II.

From the ship, walk to the nearby Temple of Khnum in the town of Esna. This temple has not been fully excavated, and your Egyptologist explains how silt from centuries of the Nile's annual floods buried the temple, which sits about nine meters below river level.

As you walk back to the ship through Esna, take a moment to talk to locals and learn about Egyptian small-town life. Relax on board, dive into the ship's library of Egyptian history, or take a cool swim in the ship's pool. Overnight in Kom Ombo, just under the riverside temple. 

Set strikingly on a hill overlooking the Nile and dedicated to two gods, hawk-headed Haroeris and crocodile-headed Sobek, the Kom Ombo Temple, built during the Ptolemaic era, is richly decorated and has a hieroglyphic calendar.

After a visit to Kom Ombo, board the ship and stay on deck as it approaches Aswan, a gloriously impactful spot on the Nile, backed by hills and granite rocks protruding from the riverbed and framed with sailboats (called feluccas) plying the water. Aswan is just downstream of the northernmost Nile cataract, historically making it a frontier town and trading center with Nubia.

In the afternoon, visit the fine Nubian Museum. End the day with High Tea at the legendary Old Cataract Hotel, from where commanding views of the Nile and Elephantine Island are sure to excite. A Nubian cultural show onboard the Oberoi Philae rounds out the day. 

This morning, visit the lovely Temple of Isis on the island of Philae, from which the Oberoi Philae gets its name. Like Abu Simbel, the Temple of Isis would have been lost to the floods caused by the building of the High Dam if not painstakingly dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its present location.

Visit a granite quarry to learn how massive obelisks—tall, four-sided, narrow pillars that end in a pyramidal top used as monuments—were carefully cut from solid rock and transported down the Nile.

The afternoon takes a different direction as you relax and enjoy a sail on a traditional felucca or wooden sailboat as the Nubian crew sings local songs and highlights the beauty of the shallow and jutting rocky cataracts of the Nile in the afternoon light.

A private plane awaits you after disembarking from Oberoi Philae to fly you to southern Nubia and the remarkable site of Abu Simbel. Sitting on a sunbaked island in the azure waters of Lake Nassar, you'll find two temples here. One large, dedicated to Ramses II’s victory at Kadesh, and one small, dedicated to his beloved Queen Nefertari. Constructed in the mid-13th century BC, Abu Simbel was excavated from the sand in 1817. The temples were moved painstakingly piece by piece to where they sit today to avoid being lost again to the creation of modern Lake Nassar.

After lunch, reboard the chartered plane for the flight back to Cairo and check in at the 5-Star InterContinental Citystars Hotel. In the evening, enjoy a final dinner with the group.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flights home.