Luxor to Aswan

Board your five-star Sanctuary Sun Boat IV at the private dock in Luxor, where a traditional musical procession welcomes you aboard. After lunch, explore the East Bank of the Nile with an Egyptologist guide, visiting the Temple of Luxor, built from Nubian sandstone, and the Temple of Karnak. Return to the riverboat for afternoon tea in the lounge with an oud trio, followed by a gourmet dinner.

Explore the Valley of the Kings, where rock-cut tombs and chambers were excavated for nobles and pharaohs over nearly 500 years. Continue to the nearby Valley of the Queens and the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. On the way back to the Nile, see the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Return to the riverboat for lunch and afternoon tea as you cruise to Esna. End the day with dinner and a movie night.

Post breakfast, the day begins with a visit to the dramatic Temple of Edfu on the Nile’s west bank – one of the best-preserved shrines in Egypt, built between 237 and 57BC. Marvel at the inscriptions on its walls, which reveal much about language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in the country.

Back on board, guests can join an Egyptian cooking class, followed by afternoon tea, as the boat sails to Kom Ombo. That evening, explore the magnificent Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek.

Later, guests enter into the spirit of local life as they dress in traditional galabeyya robes for an Egyptian Night on board, featuring a lavish dinner followed by dancing.

After breakfast and the riverboat’s arrival in Aswan, guests take a motor launch to Agilika Island for the next archaeological discovery. The nearby Philae temple complex was relocated and painstakingly reassembled here to save it from floods created when the Old Aswan Dam was built. The hieroglyphic reliefs and a visit to the Granite Quarries that supplied most of the stone used to build pyramids are a highlight.

Lunch back on board is followed by an excursion on a traditional felucca (weather permitting) for a sail around Elephantine Island, declared a World Heritage Site on account of its many archaeological digs.

Today’s afternoon tea is served in the lounge to the accompaniment of an oud trio. The voyage concludes with a gala dinner with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine, plus a dervish show.

After an early breakfast, check out at 8 am and prepare for your flight home.