MS Esplanade Nile Cruise

An early start takes you across to the West Bank for the Valley of the Kings, where three painted royal tombs reveal the ancient road to the afterlife. You continue to Hatshepsut's terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari and the towering Colossi of Memnon. Back aboard for lunch, the Esplanade begins sailing south, passing villages and green banks before transiting the Esna Lock. An optional sunrise balloon flight over Thebes is available. Dinner and overnight while cruising toward Edfu.

After breakfast, ride a horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the most completely preserved temple of the ancient world, its walls carved with the legendary struggle between Horus and Seth. Return aboard and sail to Kom Ombo for lunch. In the afternoon you explore the unusual twin temple shared by Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the Elder, study the carved medical instruments, and visit the Crocodile Mummification Museum. Dinner and overnight sailing on to Aswan.

This morning you tour the High Dam with its panoramas over Lake Nasser, then take a short motorboat to the island Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis and rescued stone by stone in the great UNESCO campaign. You also visit the Unfinished Obelisk in its ancient granite quarry. Return aboard for lunch, with the afternoon free for a felucca sail or an optional Nubian village visit. Dinner and overnight moored in Aswan.

Enjoy a final breakfast aboard before disembarking in Aswan. Travelers with time to spare can add an early excursion to Abu Simbel, where the colossal rock-cut temples of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari face the rising sun above Lake Nasser. Our team handles your onward transfer to the airport, station or East-Bank hotel, closing the journey exactly where your next plans begin.

Board the MS Esplanade in Aswan before lunch and relax into your cabin. In the afternoon your guide takes you to the High Dam for its sweeping views of Lake Nasser, then by motorboat to the graceful island Temple of Philae devoted to Isis. You round out the day at the Unfinished Obelisk, lying where it cracked in its ancient granite quarry. Return aboard for dinner and your first night moored at Aswan.

The Esplanade sails north in the early light. Your morning visit is the double temple of Kom Ombo, honoring Sobek and Horus the Elder, with its rare carved surgical reliefs. In the afternoon a horse-drawn carriage carries you to the magnificently preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god. Back aboard, the boat continues toward Luxor with dinner and an overnight cruise along the river.

This morning you cross to the West Bank, the world's greatest open-air museum. You descend into three royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, then admire the elegant terraces of Hatshepsut's temple beneath the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari and pause at the seated Colossi of Memnon. Return aboard for lunch and a restful afternoon on the sun deck. Dinner and overnight moored in Luxor.

After breakfast and check-out you explore the immense Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious site of the ancient world, then the elegant riverside Luxor Temple in the heart of the modern city. With your last temple behind you, our team arranges a smooth transfer to the airport, train station or your East-Bank hotel, completing a compact but complete southern Nile journey.