Sun Goddess Nile Cruise

Cross to the West Bank for three royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, their walls painted with the journey to the afterlife, with optional entry to Tutankhamun or Seti I. Visit the terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. After lunch the Sun Goddess sails south past green riverbanks and through the Esna Lock toward Edfu. An optional dawn hot-air balloon over Thebes can be arranged. Dinner and overnight while sailing.

A horse-drawn carriage carries you to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the most complete temple of antiquity, its walls recounting the falcon god's victory over Seth. Back aboard, lunch is served as the ship sails to Kom Ombo. There you explore the rare double temple of Sobek and Horus the Elder, study its carved medical instruments and ancient calendar, and visit the Crocodile Mummification Museum. Dinner and overnight on board as you continue toward Aswan.

Your morning in Aswan opens at the High Dam, with panoramic views over Lake Nasser. A motorboat carries you to the graceful island Temple of Philae, sanctuary of Isis, saved stone by stone in the UNESCO rescue. Visit the granite quarries and the Unfinished Obelisk to see ancient stonework frozen mid-cut. Lunch on board, then a relaxed afternoon with an optional felucca sail or Nubian village visit. Dinner and a final overnight moored in Aswan.

Enjoy a last breakfast aboard the Sun Goddess before disembarking in Aswan. Those with time can add an early-morning trip to Abu Simbel, where the colossal rock-cut temples of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari face the sunrise above Lake Nasser. Our representatives coordinate your transfer to the airport, train station or East Bank hotel, ending your suite-class voyage with seamless care.

Board the Sun Goddess in Aswan before lunch and relax in your suite. The afternoon tour begins at the High Dam, overlooking Lake Nasser, before a boat ride to the serene island Temple of Philae dedicated to the goddess Isis. Visit the granite quarries and the Unfinished Obelisk for a glimpse into pharaonic engineering. Return for dinner and an overnight moored in Aswan as your downstream journey begins.

An early sail brings you to Kom Ombo's symmetrical double temple, shared by Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the Elder, complete with its famed surgical reliefs and a museum of mummified crocodiles. Lunch is served as the Sun Goddess continues to Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage carries you to the superbly preserved Temple of Horus and its dramatic scenes of the god defeating Seth. Sail on toward Luxor with dinner and an overnight on board.

Spend the morning on the West Bank in the Valley of the Kings, descending into three richly decorated royal tombs with optional entry to Tutankhamun's chamber. Marvel at the cliff-side Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the towering Colossi of Memnon. Return to the Sun Goddess for lunch and a restful afternoon on the sun deck. Dinner and an overnight moored in Luxor.

After breakfast and check-out, tour the largest temple ever built, the Karnak Temple Complex, strolling the Avenue of Ram-Headed Sphinxes past giant statues and the forest of columns in the Hypostyle Hall. Continue to Luxor Temple, built by Amenhotep III and expanded by Ramses II and once linked to Karnak by the Sphinx Avenue. Your guide then escorts you to your onward transfer, closing the four-day Sun Goddess voyage.