Pharaohs & Pyramids

Arrive and check in to your hotel.

It has been said of Egypt’s exhilarating capital, “He who has not seen Cairo has not seen the world.” Certainly, the heart of the nation beats with an unbridled passion in this city made prosperous over millennia as a stopover for Sahara caravans on trade routes to Byzantium. Amid the stimulating strum, the insistent beauty of everyday life reigns here, with the serene Nile sliding through like an entrancing serpent. Cairo’s very age mesmerizes; its monuments have stood here for more than 5,000 years.

Immerse yourself in the past by exploring a vast collection of artifacts and visiting iconic landmarks. Travel the streets of Cairo by motor coach and arrive at the Grand Egyptian Museum. This state-of-the-art facility hosts over 100,000 artifacts and is the largest archaeological museum in the world. Discover ancient Egypt’s legacy with your guide, learning about the rise of society and royals, construction of the pyramids, and military conquests. Step into the past as you walk through King Tut’s tomb collection.

After, explore on your own, perhaps enjoying lunch at the on-site restaurant before driving to the Giza Plateau. See the Pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the imposing Great Pyramid of Khufu, the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. View the Abu al-Hol, the Great Sphinx of Giza, built to guard the tombs and ward off raiders and enemies of the pharaohs.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and fly to Luxor, where you will embark on your cruise.

Luxor is set on the east bank of the Nile River and once served as the capital of Egypt’s New Kingdom. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site lined with beautiful colonial hotels and some of the world’s most ancient and significant ruins. Many consider this city, watched over by graceful single-sailed feluccas plying the Nile, one of the world’s great open air museums. The sprawling Temples of Luxor and Karnak on the east bank are linked by the ancient Avenue of the Sphinxes. On the west bank, in the Valley of the Kings, lie the tombs of Egypt’s great pharaohs.

Known in ancient Egypt as Caene, Qena’s situation on the banks of the Nile River has bolstered its prosperity over millennia. Merchants and travelers have long journeyed here from the Red Sea, through the valley, bringing goods from Persia and beyond.

The Sheikh el-Qenawi Mosque on the main square serves as a monument to the city’s rich and all-embracing Islamic and Sufi past.

Qena is mostly known as the gateway to the magnificent ruins of the Dendera Temple. Its stone gate and towering columns adorned with hieroglyphics are some of Egypt’s best-preserved structures.

Luxor lies amid what is arguably one of the world’s largest archaeological sites: Thebes, once a thriving imperial capital.

In antiquity, the Nile River ran through Thebes, dividing it into a “City of the Living” and a “City of the Dead.” The former referred to the east bank (modern-day Luxor) as this was where the majority of the city’s population—and at times, Egypt’s rulers—made their home. The west bank (known today as Kurna) was designated the latter as it served as a necropolis, dotted with the lavish resting places of royalty and other nobility.

Ancient Egyptians knew Esna as Latopolis, named for the largest of the perch species that swam in the Nile’s sacred waters.

Its ancient past lives on in the colourful street market overflowing with fabrics, carpets, brassware, mother-of-pearl keepsakes and more. Esna’s glorious Temple of Khnum is celebrated for its 1st-century Roman Hypostyle Hall, 24 columns topped with intricately carved floral capitals. Its walls are adorned with images of Roman emperors making offerings to Egyptian gods.

Aswan stands at what was once the northern border of ancient Nubia, a remarkable region that encompassed the land eastward from the Libyan Desert to the Red Sea and northward from central Sudan to southern Egypt.

As a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, present-day Aswan strives to preserve its rich heritage. Its efforts include the Aswan Folk Dance Troupe that performs internationally, the Nubian Museum showcasing Nubian daily life and craftwork, and the Aswan International Symposium of Sculpture encouraging the practice of ancient Egyptian granite stone carving.

Located at the first cataract of the Nile, a set of rapids coursing through a rocky riverbed, Aswan has long been a terminus town on the Nile. Today, the trading tradition continues in the city’s lively market near the Nile’s banks. The city also thrived due to the massive quantities of granite quarried here to build the country’s countless ancient temples, obelisks and pyramids. In the 1960s, completion of the Aswan High Dam created Lake Nasser. As the lake rose, the city became a magnet for archaeologists intent on saving ancient temples from submersion.

Kom Ombo is a small town along the Nile. In the heart of one of Egypt’s fertile agricultural regions, it is surrounded by vast fields of sugarcane and corn. The village is home to a large Nubian population, many of whom were displaced when their homes were submerged by construction of the Aswan High Dam and the creation of Lake Nasser. The town’s highlight is its namesake temple, perched on a low hill overlooking the Nile. Construction was started by an Egyptian pharaoh in the 2nd century BC and completed by a Roman emperor around 30 BC.

Edfu is steeped in Egyptian legend. In this sacred place, ancient myth says that the falcon god Horus battled his uncle Seth after Seth brutally killed Horus’s father Osiris. To honor Horus, the people of Edfu built a grand temple from 237 to 57 BC, a young structure by Egyptian standards. Egyptologists have paid particular interest to its design, as it closely resembles that of much older temples. Nearby, an ancient settlement provides hints of life along the Nile, with its interesting artifacts dating as far back as 3100 BC.

Return to Luxor which is home to a wealth of archaeological treasures and boasts a rich history and cultural heritage. One of the best ways to experience this is with a visit to the Luxor Museum. Located downtown, its doors have been opened to the public since 1975, when it was founded under the initiative of the Ministry of Culture of Egypt. Its thoughtfully curated collection showcases artifacts spanning from the Old Kingdom to the Mamluk sultanate. Among its most notable exhibits are those displaying the mummies of Ahmose I and Ramses I, and objects excavated from King Tutankhamen’s tomb.

After breakfast, disembark your ship and fly to Cairo. Arrive and check in to your hotel.

Souks (marketplaces) are central to Egypt’s social, cultural and economic traditions. A microcosm of the city, they provide a glimpse into local life, history, art, crafts and food. And in Cairo, they are in abundance, with one of its most notable lying in the historic heart of the city. Originally established as a caravansary in 1382, Khan el-Khalili is not only the largest souk in Cairo, but also the oldest in the Middle East. Its vast labyrinth of passageways is lined with bustling stalls and shops offering a wide range of goods.