zA Passage Through Egypt

Upon disembarking from your aircraft in Egypt, you’ll be met by our Cairo-based staff inside Passport Control who will assist you with all the immigration formalities – from obtaining your visa through baggage claim and customs. You’ll be chauffeured from the airport into the city in about 45 minutes. In the Garden City district of Cairo, on the banks of the Nile River and next door to the American Embassy, you’ll check in to the 5-star Kempinski Nile Hotel. Our stylish and intimate boutique property is perfect for our small groups of never more than 16 guests. Settle in to your Nile-view guestroom before gathering this evening in the Kempinski’s Jazz Bar for a light dinner, open bar and the opportunity to meet your fellow travelers.
 

After an extensive buffet breakfast at the Kempinski, meet your Egyptologist in the lobby at 9 am to visit Cairo’s newest city-center showplace, the beautifully designed Museum of Egyptian Civilization that opened early in 2021. Not to be confused with the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza that we’ll enter the next day, this museum is dedicated to the mummies and sarcophagi of the twenty greatest pharaohs during the golden age of Egyptian antiquity, including Ramses II and Queen Hatshepsut. Underground like the tombs you’ll soon see in the Valley of the Kings, each mummy is dramatically lit and displayed in its own room with a description of major events during their reigns. It’s very impressive.
 
We then head to Dahshur, south of Cairo, to explore the two pyramids, the ’bent’ pyramid and the ‘red pyramid,’ that served as architectural and engineering models for the Grand Pyramids of Giza that you’ll see tomorrow.  We’ll also delight in a lunch at a fine restaurant before a tour through Old Cairo. We begin at the monumental Refaai Mosque. Purpose built as a magnificent mosque and a mausoleum for Egyptian royalty, we’ll visit the tomb chambers of the last Egyptian monarch, King Farouk, and the last Shah of Iran who could not be returned to Iran following his expulsion during the Revolution. We’ll enjoy dinner along the Nile this  evening. Meals B+L+D

Today’s foray into antiquity begins with the Great Pyramids of Giza. These are certainly the most iconic of Egypt’s ancient landmarks, and although you’ve seen many photographs of them, they never fail to thrill in person. We’ve also made special arrangements for a private field talk in an area that is off limits to visitors. Directly under the watchful gaze of the Sphinx and between his massive paws, we’ll engage with our Egyptologist to understand more about the mysteries of the Sphinx.
 
After an excellent lunch, you’ll be among the first to enter the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which shares the Giza Plateau with the Great Pyramids, for a pre-opening tour of its astounding statuary and a special presentation on the ill-fated King Tut.  Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, we travel outside Cairo to Memphis, site of Egypt’s ancient capital, to see the Colossus of Ramses II, discovered by French archeologists. At nearby Sakkara, you’ll see the world’s oldest standing stone structure, the impressive Step Pyramid of King Zoser. You’ll also be among the few to admire the vibrant drawings and inscriptions in the 4,000-year-old Tomb of Mehu, a wealthy merchant, opened recently for specially arranged visitors for the first time in many decades.
 
Following lunch, we’ll enter the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities with our fine Egyptologist for a guided tour through the largest repository of ancient artifacts in the world, including those from the tomb of King Tut. Meals B+L+D

After an early breakfast, you’ll be taken to the airport for your included flight to Luxor where you’ll board the luxurious and intimate 27-cabin Zahra, docked privately away from other ships. Settle in to your stylish stateroom and then join your fellow passengers for an a la carte lunch in the ship’s inviting restaurant.
 
In mid-afternoon, you’ll go ashore to visit two of Egypt’s most celebrated sites of antiquity, beginning with the great Karnak Temple. With our skilled Egyptologist leading the way, you’ll stand before its massive pillars and admire the grand Hypostyle Hall. Encompassing more than 50,000 square feet, this is the largest hall of any temple in the world. Your sightseeing continues at the nearby Luxor Temple, built in the 14th century BC and connected to the Karnak complex by the awe-inspiring, newly restored Avenue of Sphinxes. The temple walls of Luxor are embellished with skillful carvings of the Gods of Karnak accompanied by a festival procession of priests, musicians, dancers and sacred cows. With keen insight from our Egyptologist, today’s sightseeing offers a fascinating look into the culture and beliefs of ancient Egypt. Return to the ship for Tea in the Lounge, with time to refresh before this evening’s welcome cocktail reception and a la carte dinner with wine. Meals B+L+D

The Zahra enjoys privileged private docking facilities along the Nile, allowing you to just step off comfortably and easily without crossing other rafted boats and their many passengers.
 
Focusing on the amazing sites of the West Bank, you’ll begin your exploration early this morning in the fabled Valley of Kings. Here, the pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty abandoned the pyramid tradition of Dahshur and Giza in favor of tombs built deep in the mountainside. Each pharaoh also constructed a mortuary temple at the edge of the valley, some distance away from the actual tombs. Sixty-four ancient Egyptian rulers are buried here, but only a handful of the temples remain, including Madinat Habu - the tomb of Ramses III with its impressive exterior walls. The fabled final resting place of King Tutankhamen and the fabulously decorated tomb of Ramses VI are also among the highlights awaiting our exploration here in the Valley.
 
Also fascinating, we’ll visit the ancient Egyptian village of Deir el-Medina. More than 3,000 years ago during the New Kingdom period, this community was home to the thousands of artisans and laborers who constructed the tombs and temples in the Valley of Kings. In addition to this unusual archaeological site, your morning sightseeing also includes the Colossi of Memnon, two towering statues of Amenhotep III that stand like guards along the road to the Valley of Kings.
 
Return to the ship at midday and enjoy lunch onboard as our luxury vessel continues its journey toward Esna. This afternoon, you might wish to be on deck as the Zahra traverses through the Esna Lock. Afternoon tea and passing vistas of the Nile river banks with their small villages and timeless scenes of life highlight the relaxing afternoon. Dinner will be served this evening as we continue navigating up the Nile toward Edfu.  Meals B+L+D

After breakfast and a leisurely morning onboard, you’ll join our engaging Egyptologists ashore in Edfu to explore the Temple of Horus, considered by many scholars to be the best-preserved cult temple in all of Egypt. Built in the Ptolemaic era between 237 and 57 BCE, later than many of the other sites along the Nile, it is still a stunning example of traditional Pharaonic architecture and ranks as the second largest temple in Egypt – after the great Karnak Temple. Rich in design, intricate in detail and ingenious in its massive construction, the extraordinary quality of every element here attests to the paramount importance of the falcon-headed Horus.
 
Return to the ship and enjoy lunch onboard as we chart a course for Kom Ombo. Throughout this pleasant afternoon of cruising the Nile, you can retreat to your stateroom or delight in the passing scenery as you enjoy the convivial company of your fellow passengers, either in the air-conditioned lounge or on deck. Following Afternoon Tea, you’ll step off at our ship’s private pier to explore the Temple of Kom Ombo. Built on a picturesque bend in the Nile, where crocodiles used to sun themselves, this unusual dual-deity temple of the Ptolemaic Period is dedicated to both Haroeris (one of the oldest forms of the falcon-headed God Horus) and, appropriately enough, the fearsome Crocodile God Sobek. Return to ship with time to refresh before an a la carte dinner is served. Meals B+L+D

Following breakfast, we’ll join our Egyptologist for a comfortable drive across the Egyptian Desert on a new highway heading to one of the most impressive sights of antiquity, the temples of Ramses II. We’ll enjoy a fine lunch at a family-run restaurant on the shore of Lake Nasser and then walk a short distance to a small boat that will take us along the shoreline to see these majestic temples from the water. We’ll then explore them by land.
 
With our expert Egyptologist, you’ll behold 67-foot-high figures of the King and his wife, Nefertari, and hear the dramatic story of how they were moved 200 feet above their original site to protect them from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam. This engineering feat by UNESCO to relocate and protect this architectural wonder was so successful and precise that twice a year, on February 22 and October 22, the rays of the rising sun pierce the temple entrance and reach deep into the heart of the temple – just 24 hours later than the original plan! In addition to its famous statues, the interior hall is decorated with amazing relief carvings that depict a great battle won by Ramses.
 
Following our exploration, we’ll return to our Nile cruiser for a delightful dinner. Meals B+L+D

We’ll disembark this morning after breakfast. In contrast to the ancient wonders of Cairo and the Nile, the remarkable High Dam at Aswan is an achievement that belongs to modern Egypt. With enriching insight and narration, you’ll explore this engineering marvel; completed in 1970 at a cost of about $1 billion, it spans more than 2 miles and towers 300 feet. This morning’s excursion also includes a visit by boat to the Temple of Philae, rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser after the completion of the High Dam. Now situated on a lovely island, the earliest elements of this impressive complex include a small temple built around 370 BCE and dedicated to the Goddess Isis.
 
We’ll board another comfortable motor boat for a brief but scenic journey to visit the Nubian Museum. Designed by the award-winning Egyptian architect Mahmoud al-Hakim, the building reflects traditional elements of Nubian architecture. Inside, its carefully curated exhibits include temple, tomb and dwelling artifacts from the ancient Nubian civilization that thrived here along Nile River as far back as 2000 BCE.

Later, we fly back to Cairo for a last overnight at the airport’s convenient and stylish Le Meridien Hotel in Club Rooms. We’ll gather for a farewell buffet dinner in the hotel. Meals B+L+D
 

You’ll be chauffeured with assistance to check-in for individual onward flights.  Meals B