15-Day Private Nile Cruise from Cairo to Aswan: Middle Egypt & Abydos

Morning at the Giza Plateau (08:30–12:30): After breakfast onboard, join your private Egyptologist guide to visit the Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, the Valley Temple, and the Great Sphinx (entrance tickets included).

Afternoon at Saqqara Step Pyramid (12:30–17:00): Enjoy a freshly prepared lunch served onboard (or chef-prepared boxed picnic lunch at a country terrace near Saqqara), then explore Djoser's Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara before returning to your cruise ship moored in Cairo for dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise Moored in Cairo (Night 2 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning at the Egyptian Museum (08:30–12:30): After breakfast onboard, tour the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square with your Egyptologist guide (entrance ticket included).

Afternoon Citadel & Coptic Cairo (13:30–17:30): Return to the ship for lunch onboard, then visit the medieval Citadel of Saladin, the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, and the Hanging Church and Abu Serga in Old Coptic Cairo before dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise Moored in Cairo (Night 3 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning Navigation South from Cairo (07:00–13:30): Enjoy breakfast on deck as your vessel casts off from Cairo and begins sailing southward into Middle Egypt, with lunch served onboard.

Afternoon Excursion to Meidum Pyramid (14:00–17:00): Disembark near Beni Suef/Wasta to visit the striking Old Kingdom stepped Pyramid of Meidum built for Pharaoh Sneferu (entrance ticket included), then return onboard for dinner.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Beni Suef (Night 4 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leisurely River Cruising through Middle Egypt: Savor breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea on the sun deck as the ship glides past fertile farmland, limestone cliffs, and traditional riverside villages toward Minya, accompanied by an Egyptology lecture onboard before dinner.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Minya (Night 5 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning at Tuna El Gebel & Ashmunein (08:00–12:30): After breakfast onboard, visit the Greco-Roman necropolis of Tuna El Gebel—including the Temple-Tomb of Petosiris, the Tomb of Isadora, and the sacred ibis catacombs—alongside the basilica ruins of Hermopolis Magna (Ashmunein), then return for lunch onboard.

Afternoon Rock-Cut Tombs of Beni Hassan (14:00–17:30): Ascend the stone staircase to the Middle Kingdom cliffside tombs of Beni Hassan (including the painted tombs of Khnumhotep and Amenemhat famous for wrestling and daily-life scenes) before dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Minya (Night 6 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning Excursion to Tel El Amarna (08:00–12:30): After breakfast onboard, explore the archaeological site of Akhetaten (Tel El Amarna), the horizon capital founded by Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, visiting the Northern Tombs, Boundary Stelae, and Royal Palace ruins (entrance tickets included).

Afternoon Sailing to Asyut: Return to the ship for lunch and enjoy an afternoon of scenic navigation southward to Asyut with dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Asyut (Night 7 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning Navigation via Asyut Lock: Enjoy breakfast and lunch onboard as the vessel passes through Asyut Lock and sails south to Sohag.

Afternoon Excursion to Sohag Monasteries (14:30–17:30): Visit the historic early Christian White Monastery (Deir el-Abyad of St. Shenouda) and the vibrant painted sanctuary of the Red Monastery (Deir el-Ahmar) with your Egyptologist (entrance tickets included), followed by dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise near Sohag/El Balyana (Night 8 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning at Abydos Temple (08:00–12:00): After breakfast onboard, drive approx. 35 minutes from El Balyana/Nag Hammadi to the sacred city of Abydos to explore the Temple of Seti I, renowned for the finest painted bas-reliefs in Egypt and the Abydos King List (entrance ticket included).

Afternoon at Dendera Temple of Hathor & Sail to Luxor (13:30–20:00): Enjoy lunch onboard (or boxed lunch while driving 1.5 hours to Qena), visit the Greco-Roman Temple of Hathor at Dendera with its intact turquoise astronomical ceiling and crypts (entrance ticket included), and rejoin the ship in Qena to sail into Luxor over dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Luxor (Night 9 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning at Karnak Temple Complex (08:30–12:00): After breakfast onboard in Luxor, walk with your Egyptologist through the monumental Karnak Temple Complex, its 134-column Great Hypostyle Hall, Sacred Lake, and Obelisks (entrance ticket included).

Afternoon at Luxor Temple (16:00–18:00): Enjoy lunch onboard and relax on deck before visiting the grand courtyard and colonnade of Luxor Temple and the Avenue of Sphinxes in the late afternoon, followed by dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Luxor (Night 10 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning West Bank Exploration (08:00–12:30): After breakfast onboard, cross to the West Bank to visit three royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the terraced Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, and the Colossi of Memnon (entrance tickets included).

Afternoon Sailing via Esna Lock to Edfu: Return onboard for lunch and sail southward through the Esna Lock to Edfu with dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Edfu (Night 11 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning Edfu Temple Tour (08:00–10:30): After breakfast onboard, ride a horse-drawn carriage to the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus at Edfu—Egypt's best-preserved ancient temple—with your Egyptologist (entrance ticket and carriage included).

Afternoon Sailing to Kom Ombo: Enjoy lunch onboard and cruise south along the Upper Egyptian Nile to Kom Ombo with dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Kom Ombo (Night 12 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning at Kom Ombo Temple (08:00–10:00): After breakfast onboard, walk ashore to visit the symmetrical dual Temple of Kom Ombo dedicated to Sobek and Haroeris and the Crocodile Mummy Museum (entrance ticket included), then sail south to Aswan over lunch.

Afternoon Felucca Ride around Elephantine & Botanical Island (15:30–17:30): Glide across the First Cataract aboard a traditional wooden Felucca sailboat visiting Lord Kitchener's Botanical Garden Island before dinner onboard in Aswan.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Aswan (Night 13 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning Aswan Sightseeing (or Optional Early Abu Simbel 04:30–12:30): After breakfast onboard (guests choosing the optional Abu Simbel excursion depart at 04:30 and return by 12:30, touring Aswan sights in the afternoon), join your Egyptologist to visit the Aswan High Dam, the granite quarries of the Unfinished Obelisk, and take a private motorboat to the island Temple of Isis at Philae (entrance tickets included).

Afternoon Leisure & Farewell Gala Dinner: Return to the ship for lunch and enjoy your final afternoon overlooking the First Cataract before a festive farewell gala dinner onboard.

Overnight: Aboard 5-Star Long-Distance Nile Cruise in Aswan (Night 14 of 14) | Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

08:30 Disembarkation & Aswan Drop-off: Savor your final breakfast aboard the ship, disembark at 08:30, and meet your private driver for your transfer to Aswan International Airport, Aswan Railway Station, or your onward Aswan hotel (lunch and dinner on Day 15 are not included).

Meals Included: Breakfast