We arrive in the Egyptian capital and transfer to our hotel. As guests’ arrival times may vary greatly, we have no group activities or meals planned.

After a morning briefing, our full-day tour begins at Cairo's Egyptian Museum, currently housing some artifacts from the Tutankhamun collection. Then we tour the Citadel of Saladin, housing the alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Tonight we enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

This morning we encounter the astounding Pyramids of Giza, the wonders of antiquity that have drawn visitors for millennia. Here, too, we see the enigmatic Sphinx, whose leonine body and human face were carved from a single piece of limestone, then buried by desert sands for centuries. Next, we tour the exciting (and recently opened) new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in the shadow of the pyramids, whose collection showcases over 700,000 years of Egyptian history.

Early this morning we fly to Aswan. Upon arrival, we visit the Aswan High Dam, considered a marvel of engineering when completed in 1965. Then we visit the Nubia Museum, an acclaimed showcase of Nubian art and architecture with more than 3,000 ancient relics and 90 monumental pieces. From here we board our Lake Nasser ship in time for lunch then disembark to explore the ruins of the acclaimed Temples of Philae. Tonight we dine on board as we overnight in Aswan.

Today we see some sights of ancient Nubia, Egypt’s neighbor in antiquity but with a distinct culture and traditions. We stop first at “new” Kalabsha, the largest freestanding temple of them all that was moved and reconstructed on higher ground after the construction of the Aswan High Dam (and the subsequent flooding that created Lake Nasser). Then we sail on to Wadi el-Seboua, where we dock for the night.

This morning we see two important New Kingdom temples that, like Kalabsha, were dismantled and relocated to make way for Lake Nasser. We explore Wadi el-Seboua, the next largest of all the pharaonic temples after Abu Simbel, and see the Temple of Dakka, with its huge, well-preserved pylon. Upon returning to our ship, we sail on to Amada, where we encounter the oldest of Nubia’s Egyptian temples, the 18^th-dynasty Temple of Amada.

We sail this morning to Kasr Ibrim, the last remaining Nubian settlement in its original location. As it is forbidden to go ashore here, we learn about this ancient site while overlooking it from the ship’s sun deck. Then we continue on to Abu Simbel’s massive complex of temples guarded by statues of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari, with well-preserved murals inside.

We disembark then travel by coach to Aswan, where we board our Nile ship. This afternoon we sail aboard small feluccas, replicas of ancient Nile sailboats.

We cruise today to the site of the ancient trading town at Kom Ombo, with its unusual double temple and outstanding Nile views. Then we sail on to Edfu, where tonight we attend a shipboard party.

This morning we visit Edfu’s Temple of Horus, Egypt’s best-preserved ancient temple. Then we cruise to Luxor, the world’s “greatest open-air museum,” whose vast temple complexes, tombs, and statues dating from 2755 BCE represent the pinnacle of Egyptian architecture. Today we explore the East Bank, home of Karnak, the greatest temple complex of them all, whose ruins stretch for more than a mile. We also visit Luxor Temple, whose builders included both Tutankhamun and Alexander the Great. Back on board, tonight we enjoy a show of Middle Eastern belly dancing.

We have the choice to rise very early to see the West Bank from above on an optional hot air balloon ride (at additional cost). After we disembark our ship later this morning, we tour the haunting Valley of the Kings, where 34 royal tombs feature magnificent paintings; the Valley of the Queens; and the dramatic Temple of Hatshepsut honoring one of the few female pharaohs. We also see the massive Colossi of Memnon, two 64-foot-high statues of Amenhotep III that once guarded the gates of his own tomb.

We fly to Cairo today, where this afternoon we visit Khan el-khalili bazaar then explore Old Cairo, including 5^th-century St. Sergius Church, the Coptic church of el-Muallaqa, and the active 10^th-century St. George’s church.

Today’s touring begins at the open-air museum at Memphis, Egypt’s first capital (3100 BCE), followed by the necropolis at Sakkara. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner.

Very early this morning we transfer to the airport for our return flight to the U.S.