Egypt in a Week

Arrive in Cairo, the vibrant capital of Egypt and home to over 10 million people, as well as the gateway to some of the greatest wonders of the ancient world. Settle into your hotel along the Nile.

Visit the Giza Plateau, site of the pyramids of Mycerinus and Chephren as well as the Great Pyramid, built in the Fourth Dynasty, nearly 5,000 years ago. Revel in the opportunity to enter the interior of one of these legendary structures, and marvel at the massive stones used to construct them. Pause to view the Great Sphinx backdropped by the pyramids, a setting that has captured the imaginations of adventurers for centuries. Complete the day with a welcome dinner, joined by your fellow guests.

Fly to Aswan where you step aboard Sun Boat IV, an elegant river cruiser renowned for the warmth and attentiveness of its service staff. After lunch on board, feel the cooling breeze and take in the inspiring views as you sail around the Aswan Islands in a felucca (traditional sailboat).

Ride by motorized boat to Philae Temple on the island of Agilika. A sacred complex dedicated to the goddess Isis, it reflects a fusion of three great civilizations, Egyptian, Greek and Roman. Proceed to the granite quarries and site of the Unfinished Obelisk. Illustrating the skills of Egypt’s stonemasons, this monolith is taller than any other ancient Egyptian obelisk. Next, cruise to Kom Ombo (hill of gold) to visit the Greco-Roman temple dedicated to Haroeris (the sun god) and Sobek (the crocodile god), whom some ancient Egyptians considered the creator of the world. View the mummified remains of several crocodiles that once basked along the ancient Nile shore, just as their descendants do today.

Start your day with a close-up look at the Temple of Horus, falcon-headed god of the sky. Built in 230 BC by Ptolemy III, this amazingly well-preserved and colorful structure reveals the nature of temple worship in ancient Egypt. Then, cruise toward Luxor while learning to prepare local dishes during a hands-on cooking lesson with an onboard chef. Disembark to visit the striking Temple of Luxor, viewing the three soaring statues of Ramses II along the front of the temple pylons, the Courtyard of Ramses II and the Colonnade of Amenhotep III, with its 50-foot-high columns. Walk in their shadows, as visitors have done since antiquity, and ponder the astonishing feats of engineering it took to create them.

Devote a full day to exploring Luxor, site of the ancient city of Thebes. Begin on the west bank of the Nile, at the Necropolis of Thebes, and view the Colossi of Memnon. Next, arrive at the architecturally stunning Temple of Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt’s first female pharaoh and regarded today as one of its most successful. Continue to the Valley of the Kings, burial ground of the pharaohs. Enter the tomb of Tutankhamun — found in 1922 by British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter — to discover the secrets of this storied chamber. After returning to Sun Boat IV for lunch, disembark to visit the east bank of the Nile, starting at the Temple of Karnak, where generations of pharaohs wished to record their names. Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall, strolling among its expertly aligned columns, which reach 80 feet high, and absorb the ambience of the ages it has witnessed.

Bid farewell to Sun Boat IV and fly to Cairo, where you are greeted and driven to the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum, a showcase of over 100,000 artifacts dating back millennia, from the stone tools and pottery of the earliest human settlements along the Nile to the treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb. Afterward, transfer to your hotel to check in, with the balance of your evening at leisure.

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