Short Escape: Egypt

Arrive in Cairo, where you are met by your A&K representative and transferred to your Art Deco-inspired hotel on the banks of the Nile.

Kempinski Nile Hotel Garden City Cairo

This morning, tour 7,000 years of history at the Egyptian Museum, home to the largest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world. Key exhibits include the treasures of the “boy-king” Tutankhamun, including his gold mask, the solid gold sarcophagus that held his mummy and his beautiful throne.

Kempinski Nile Hotel Garden City Cairo | Meals: B

The Great Pyramids of Giza are the only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, built over 4,500 years ago as giant tombs for the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Experience these truly monumental structures up close, with the largest of them constructed from over two million blocks. Nearby sits the enigmatic Great Sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a man wearing a royal head cloth, believed to be standing guard over Khafre’s resting place.

Kempinski Nile Hotel Garden City Cairo | Meals: B

Fly to Luxor this morning to board Sanctuary Nile Adventurer, your five-star river cruiser, where you’re greeted with a welcome reception of live music and entertainment. Following lunch in the main restaurant, disembark for your first Nile shore excursion. Explore two of Egypt’s most enduring landmarks, the temples of Luxor and Karnak. In Luxor, view the three large statues of Ramses II along the front of the temple pylons, the Courtyard of Ramses II and the Colonnade of Amenhotep III, with its 15-metre-high columns. Karnak is even more impressive, with its Great Hypostyle Hall covering more area than Notre Dame Cathedral and its columns extending as high as 24 metres. Return to the ship for afternoon tea.

Sanctuary Nile Adventurer | Meals: BLD

After a delicious breakfast buffet on board, your tour of the West Bank begins with a visit to Valley of the Kings. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this unassuming stretch of desert was the pharaohs’ burial ground for 500 years, and the most famous tomb ever excavated, that of Tutankhamun, was found here. Continue to the Valley of the Queens and the massive temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Egypt’s first female pharaoh. On the way back to the boat, pass by the famed Colossi of Memnon, two great statues said to “sing” with the rising sun. Back on board, have dinner and enjoy a movie as the boat makes its way to Esna.

Sanctuary Nile Adventurer | Meals: BLD

Enjoy breakfast on board while the boat sails to Edfu. After breakfast, visit the well-preserved Temple of Horus

(the falcon god). Return to the boat to sail to Kom Ombo, enjoying lunch and an Egyptian cooking lesson along the way. Following afternoon tea in the lounge, explore 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. Tonight's entertainment features an Egyptian costume party, with a chance to don a traditional galabeyya and dine from a lavish buffet of Egyptian specialties.

Sanctuary Nile Adventurer | Meals: BLD

After breakfast, embark on a short motorboat ride to the majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika. 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. Following lunch on board, you may ride in a felucca (a light Egyptian sailboat) around Elephantine Island, Lord Kitchener's Botanical Gardens and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. Afternoon tea is served accompanied by live music. Tonight's farewell dinner is a gala affair, with white-gloved waiters serving gourmet cuisine. Attend a dervish show and belly dancer performance after dinner.

Sanctuary Nile Adventurer | Meals: BLD

Bid farewell to your ship and crew in Aswan and fly back to Cairo to meet your homebound flight.

Meals: B