Luxor to Aswan

Transfer to the 5-star deluxe Nile cruise boat, the "Nile Adventurer", and be welcomed by the reception staff. Begin touring the East Bank with a visit to the Temple of Karnak, built over more than a thousand years by generations of Pharaohs. The great “Hypostyle Hall” is an incredible forest of giant pillars, covering an area larger than the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Next join an Egyptologist on a tour of the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor, dedicated to the God Amun. Return to the cruise boat for afternoon tea in the lounge.

Tonight be greeted by the Boat Manager, who introduces the boat staff and reviews on-board facilities and the cruise program for the next few days. Complimentary Egyptian wine and local beer are served.

Visit the West Bank of Luxor to explore the Valley of the Kings, a vast City of the Dead where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, decorated richly, and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of Pharaohs. Have the chance to visit at least one tomb in the Valley of the Queens.

Continue on to Hatshepsut Temple. Rising out of the desert plain in a series of terraces, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut (Ancient Egypt’s only female Pharaoh) merges with the sheer limestone cliffs that surround it, as if nature herself had built this extraordinary monument. On the way back to the river Nile, pass by the famed Colossi of Memnon, known in Ancient Greek times for their haunting voices at dawn. Sail to Esna.

Join the Egyptologist for a tour around the Greco-Roman Temple of Khnum at Esna. Next cruise to Edfu to explore the largest and most completely preserved Pharaonic – albeit Greek-built – temple in Egypt, the extraordinary Temple of Horus at Edfu. Enjoy afternoon tea and an Egyptian cooking lesson on board while cruising to Kom Ombo.

Take part in the special "Egyptian Night” dinner costume party for all guests, with a chance to dress up in traditional Egyptian “galabeyyas”. Dinner is a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties, followed by oriental music and dancing for everyone.

Visit the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek. The temple stands at a bend in the Nile where in ancient times sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank.

Sail to Aswan and take a short motorboat ride to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilka. Next proceed to the Granite Quarries, which supplied the ancient Egyptians with most of the hard stone used in pyramids and temples, and still hold a huge unfinished obelisk.

In the afternoon take a ride (weather permitting) on a felucca, a typical Egyptian sail boat, around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Gardens, and the Agha Khan Mausoleum (life jackets are provided).

Tonight’s farewell dinner is a formal gala dinner, with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine (jackets required). Overnight on board in Aswan.

Enjoy a final buffet breakfast on board before disembarking in Aswan.