6 Night Passage Through Egypt Cruise from Aswan

Board a chartered plane for the flight from Cairo to Abu Simbel. Sitting on a sunbaked island in the azure waters of Lake Nassar, you'll find two temples here. One large, dedicated to Ramses II's victory at Kadesh, and one small, dedicated to his beloved Queen Nefertari. Constructed in the mid-13th century BC, Abu Simbel was excavated from the sand in 1817. The temples were moved painstakingly piece-by-piece to where it sits today to avoid being lost again to the creation of modern Lake Nassar. After a flight by a private plane Oberoi Philae awaits your embarkation.

This morning, visit the lovely Temple of Isis on the island of Philae, from which the Oberoi Philae gets its name. Like Abu Simbel, the Temple of Isis would have been lost to the floods caused by the building of the High Dam if not painstakingly dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its present location. Visit a granite quarry to learn how massive obelisks - tall, four-sided narrow pillars used as monuments that end in a pyramidal top - were carefully cut from solid rock transported down the Nile. The afternoon takes a different direction as you relax and enjoy a sail on a traditional felucca or wooden sailboat as the Nubian crew sing local songs and highlight the beauty of the shallow and jutting rocky cataracts of the Nile in the afternoon light.

Stay on deck as the ship approaches Kom Ombo and its temple. Set strikingly on a hill overlooking the Nile and dedicated to two gods, hawk-headed Haroeris and crocodile-headed Sobek, the Kom Ombo Temple, built during the Ptolemaic era, is richly decorated and has a hieroglyphic calendar.

Relax onboard, dive into the ship's library of Egyptian history, or take a cool swim in the ship's pool. From the ship, walk to the nearby Temple of Khnum in the town of Esna. This temple has not been fully excavated, and your Egyptologist explains how silt from centuries of the Nile's annual floods buried the temple, which sits about nine meters below river level. As you walk back to the ship through Esna, take a moment to talk to locals and learn about Egyptian small-town life.

Traversing the magnificent Nile after leaving the locks of Esna, the Oberoi Philae offers luxurious space and ample viewpoints to watch life and history as it goes by. Whether ensuite, with friends in the lounge, or on the top deck, today will offer connection to people and place. Journey to the West Bank of the Nile and the famed Valley of the Kings, the burial ground for hundreds of years of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. Explore and photograph the tombs of Seti I and Tutankhamun. Then visit the Valley of the Queens and the most legendary tomb of them all, that of Nefertari. Vivid paintings depict the queen's renowned beauty and her journey to the afterlife in exquisite color and quality found nowhere else in Egypt. See the temple of Hatshepsut, dramatically set beneath sandstone cliffs. Note: The tomb of Nefertari is temporarily closed for renovations. In the meantime, you will instead visit the spectacular Ramesseum, the funerary temple of Ramesses II.

Please note that you will drive via motorcoaches between Luxor and Dendera Temple if your arrival coincides with low water and cruise this section of the Nile during high water times. Start the day enjoying the remote temple of Dendera. Constructed during the time of Roman emperors, hundreds of years of black soot were delicately removed to reveal stunning artwork beneath and reliefs on the temple walls depicting Empress Cleopatra. Next, is the exquisite Luxor Temple guarded by its massive statues of Ramses II. This temple has been a place of worship for millennia. Its magnificent pylons, columns, and statues are also an excellent site to visit after sunset, illuminated with magical lighting. After dinner onboard, venture into Luxor for an opportunity to leisurely enjoy the evening in this ancient city on the east bank of the Nile.

After disembarkation, visit to the awe-inspiring Karnak Temple is sure to be life changing. For some 2,000 years, 30 pharaohs added their monuments and shrines to this vast temple making it the largest religious building ever constructed. The 134 columns of the great hall create a vast forest of stone towering 70 feet high, and the massive obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut shadows the rear of this masterpiece of human ingenuity. The reliefs and carvings created by some of Ancient Egypt's finest artisans are dramatic. Fly by private charter from Luxor to your next destination.