Grandeur of Egypt with CEO Bob Drumm

As you alight from your aircraft, you’ll be met by our fully vaccinated Cairo-based staff who will assist you with immigration formalities – from obtaining your visa through baggage claim and customs. From the airport, the drive into the city takes about 45 minutes and brings you to the banks of the Nile River. Here in an affluent and prestigious city-center neighborhood next to the American Embassy, you’ll check in to the 5-star Kempinski Nile Hotel. After checking into your stylish, Nile-view room, join us in the Jazz Bar this evening for an open bar reception and a light dinner.  Meals D

The ancient world comes to life today as you explore with our expert Egyptologist, setting out from the Kempinski at 8:00 this morning.  Thrill to the most iconic monuments in the world on the Giza Plateau … and behold the watchful gaze of the Sphinx. A camel ride across the desert sands may strike you as a bit touristy, but we guarantee you’ll never forget the experience!

At midday, we’ll take you to the landmark Mena House for lunch and then continue to Memphis, the site of Egypt’s ancient capital. Marvel at the formidable Colossus of Ramses II, on display in a small museum dedicated to this ancient wonder, and then see the beautiful Alabaster Sphinx, discovered just a century ago. At nearby Sakkara, you’ll see the world’s oldest standing stone structure, the impressive Step Pyramid of King Zoser. You’ll also be able to admire the vibrant drawings and inscriptions in the 4,000-year-old Tomb of Mehu – recently opened to visitors for the first time in 80 years.

You’ll be back at the Kempinski around 5:00pm, giving you time to refresh before we dine on the Nile this evening.  Meals B+L+D

After a sumptuous buffet breakfast, you’ll depart the hotel at 8:00 am to begin your exploration of Cairo. From the Citadel, a medieval fortification set on hill near the heart of the capital, you’ll have fine views of the city. Here you‘ll also admire the impressive Muhammad Ali Mosque, built in the mid 1800’s. Mid-morning finds you inside the highly regarded Egyptian Museum of Antiquities; with our expert Egyptologist, your visit reveals ancient artifacts that will deepen your appreciation of the sites you’ll explore along the Nile.

After a fine lunch in a local restaurant, a 1-hour mid-afternoon walking tour through the evocative streets of Old Cairo includes a visit at one of the city’s oldest churches. Continue to the colorful Khan El Khalili Bazaar where gold, jewelry, spices, rugs, textiles, and lanterns have been sold for centuries.  You’ll be back to the hotel in the late afternoon in time for dinner at the Kempinski.  Meals B+L+D

After an early breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the airport for your included flight to Luxor where you’ll board the luxurious and intimate, 44-guest Oberoi Philae at its own private dock.  Settle in to your ultra-spacious light-filled stateroom and then join your fellow passengers for a fine lunch on-board.

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, the largest hall of any temple in the world. Your sightseeing continues at the nearby Luxor Temple, built in the 14th century BCE and connected to the Karnak complex by the recently restored nearly 2-mile long 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 dinner.  Meals B+L+D

The Oberoi Philae enjoys privileged private docking facilities along the Nile, allowing you to step off efficiently and easily going ashore apart from the cluster of other ships and their passengers.

Focusing on the amazing sites of the West Bank, you’ll begin your exploration early this morning in the fabled Valley of the Kings. Here, the Pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty abandoned the pyramid tradition 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 Pharaohs are buried here. The fabled final resting place of King Tutankhamen and the fabulously decorated tomb of Ramses VII are among the five tombs we’ll enter this morning.

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 with its floor-to-ceiling views, 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 dinner is served at 7:30.  Meals B+L+D

After the ship’s arrival in Aswan and breakfast this morning, you’ll disembark the Oberoi Philae for our drive across the Egyptian desert to Abu Simbel, our expert Egyptologist on-hand. Upon arrival, we’ll enjoy lunch in a picturesque setting before boarding a boat to view the Temples, one of the most impressive sights of antiquity, from the waters of Lake Nasser.  Back on land, we’ll tour the Temples of Ramses II  and marvel at the 67-foot high figures of the King, carved from solid rock, that were moved 200 feet above their original site to protect them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, created by the construction of the Aswan Dam. The engineering feat 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 ancient architects planned. In addition to its oft-photographed statues, the interior hall is decorated with amazing relief carvings that depict a great battle with more than 1,000 stone figures.

We return to Aswan to freshen up on-board before our final dinner this evening.  Meals B+L+D

We depart the Philae after breakfast for an achievement that belongs to modern Egypt, the remarkable High Dam at Aswan that created Lake Nasser. With insight from our Egyptologist, you’ll explore this engineering achievement completed in 1970 at a cost of about $1 billion, spanning more than 2 miles and towering 300 feet. This morning’s excursion also includes the Temple of Philae, rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser like Abu Simbel 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, the namesake of our ship.

We’ll also visit the Nubian Museum, designed by the award-winning Egyptian architect Mahmoud al-Hakim.  The building itself reflects the traditional elements of Nubian architecture and includes fascinating and artfully curated exhibits encompassing temples, tombs and dwellings from the ancient Nubian civilization that thrived here along Nile River as far back as 2000 BCE.

After breakfast, you’ll be escorted to the check-in for flights to the U.S. or perhaps extensions to Israel or Jordan.  Meals B