Egypt and the Nile: A Private Journey

Cairo conjures images of monuments that truly stand outside of time: the Pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx, the treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Beyond the remnants of ancient glories lies a bustling, bursting metropolis, with spacious tree-lined boulevards and souks fragrant with cinnamon and sumac.

Your expert A&K Egyptologist guides you on an exploration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, a showcase of over 100,000 artifacts dating back millennia, including the treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The Giza Plateau is Egypt at its most iconic, with the pyramids of Mycerinus and Chephren, the Great Pyramid and the inscrutable Great Sphinx presiding eternally over the desert sands. Step inside one of these ancient tombs and explore the chambers of the pharaohs.

Fly to Luxor, site of the ancient city of Thebes, and board your five-star riverboat, Nile Seray, to the sound of a Zaffa musical procession. After lunch onboard, see the imposing Colossi of Memnon and explore the West Bank of the Nile with your Egyptologist guide, taking advantage of rare, behind-the-velvet-rope access to hidden treasures of the Valley of the Kings, including a private opening of the tomb of Amenhotep III and the burial sites of Seti I and Ramses VI. In the early evening, after the West Bank closes, discover the tomb of Tutankhamun during a private opening.

Your archaeological odyssey continues with a visit to the Temple of Luxor to learn about the god Amun, to whom it is dedicated. Discover the Temple of Karnak, a complex of temples, pylons and chapels which you explore with your Egyptologist guide. Back on board, cruise to Esna. Afternoon tea in the lounge beckons, and the day ends with a delicious dinner followed by a movie night — setting you up for the drama of exploring the Temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo the next day.

In the morning, your floating home cruises to Edfu, where you disembark for a visit to its temple. Inscriptions on its walls reveal much about language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in Egypt, including details of the temple’s construction. Return to the boat to sail to Kom Ombo. An optional cookery class introduces you to typical Egyptian dishes. In the early evening, visit the magnificent Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. Back on board, don a traditional galabeyya robe for an Egyptian Night featuring a lavish buffet dinner followed by music and dancing.

In Aswan, a short trip by motorboat takes you to Agilika Island, set in the reservoir created by the Old Aswan Dam. Its construction in 1902 led to the partial flooding of the Philae temple complex, which was relocated to Agilika and painstakingly reassembled. Explore the island’s monumental structures, known for their striking hieroglyphic reliefs, before visiting the Granite Quarries that supplied most of the hard stone used by the ancient Egyptians to build pyramids, temples and obelisks. After lunch on your riverboat, board a traditional felucca for a sail around Elephantine Island, declared a World Heritage Site on account of its many archaeological digs, continuing to Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Gardens and the hilltop Agha Khan Mausoleum. Your river cruise concludes with a gala dinner complete with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine, along with a whirling dervish show.

Fly to Abu Simbel, where you find yourself face to face with the commanding twin temples of Ramses II and his wife, Queen Nefertari. The former’s façade is dominated by four 70-foot-tall statues of the pharaoh. The entire site was disassembled and moved here to save it from the floodwaters caused by the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Fly back to Cairo via Aswan this evening.

Explore Sakkara, site of hundreds of tombs and 14 pyramids, including the famous Step Pyramid of Djoser. View the royal mummies, and countless other artifacts, as you tour the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

After breakfast, take your private transfer to the airport to board your departing flight.