Temples and Timeless Vistas

A five-day Nile cruise and Abu Simbel Excursion

A perfect add-on to a Cairo visit.
Weekly Year Round Embarkation Luxor or Aswan
Add Cairo stay - Add Air Fare or Sleeper Train & Flight - En Espanol

DAY 1 - LUXOR - Weekly - Year Round - Saturday (LD)

We have several boats that do start on different days of the week to accommodate your schedule: You may start this 5 day sailing Weekly on any Saturday , Monday , Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Please advise your arrival details, we will provide you with the arrival transfer to the cruise, always on a private basis. Check in on your luxury cruiser at noon. After lunch, we visit the great temples of Luxor and Karnak, then return to our Nile cruiser in time for afternoon tea.

DAY 2 - VALLEY OF THE KINGS Sunday (BLD)
We tour today as well the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings, including Tut-Ankh-Amon's tomb, and the great temple of Queen Hatshepsut, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back to our cruise.

Then it's on to Queen Hatshepsut's Temple and the Colossi of Memnon.

Afterward, we'll continue on Luxor's west bank to get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers' settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers' paradise, we'll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs.

DAY 3 - EDFU & KOM OMBO Monday (BLD)
We cruise by Esna to Edfu, where we board horse-drawn carriages for the ride to the Temple of Horus. Returning to our ship, we set sail for Kom Ombo. In the evening, there's a jolly galabia party aboard.

DAY 4 - KOM OMBO - ASWAN Tuesday (BLD)
We explore the twin Temples of Haroeris and Sobek at Kom Ombo, then sail south to Aswan. After lunch we board a graceful felucca and cruise among the islands, returning to our ship in time for tea.

DAY 5 - ASWAN - ABU SIMBEL Wednesday (B)
After breakfast we check out , then board a motor launch to visit the Temples of Philae, then proceed by private air-conditioned vehicle , with private chauffeur and private guide and head out for Abu Simbel ( drive is about 3 and half hours, this package is to allow guests who prefer to drive, to escape one more airport security check and the hassle of airports and saves you few dollars compared with flying to Abu Simbel .
In Abu Simbel : we'll marvel at the temples dedicated to Ramses the Great and Queen Neferatri, saved from rising waters of the Nile when the High Dam was built. In the larger temple, colossal figures of Ramses are seated with the gods and attended by his queen and daughters.
The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, who appears as Hathor, the goddess of love, joy and fertility, symbolized by the benevolent cow. We explore these fine temple by ourselves in the quiet of the morning, admiring their ancient aura and artistry, after which retire to a comfortable hotel for refreshments. Just as planeloads of visitors arrive to throng the temples we begin our leisurely drive back along the shore to Aswan. Please advise if you prefer to go to Aswan Airport or a local hotel in Aswan ? We are happy to help with any additional flights and / or hotel stay .
End of our service - Bon Voyage ! Itinerary is subject to change without notice.

Compare with the overnight in Abu Simbel version

Deluxe Nile Cruises

RATES per person in USD for the total 5 day Cruise
Sample : M/S Monaco. M/S Mojito. M/S Monte Carlo, M/S Adonis
M/S Beau Soleil

First Class Nile Cruises
RATES per person in USD for the total 5 day Cruise

Christmas / New Year / Easter : please add 20 % to any of the rates

Inclusions:

• All shore excursions, entrance fees, the service of an English Speaking guide.
• Welcome fruit basket upon check-in.
• Large bottle of water per person per day delivered to your cabin.
• All outside cabins, including all tax & service charges.
• All meals: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner. Afternoon tea daily onboard.
• One small bottle of water per person with each meal
• Complimentary transfer from/to airport / railway station / Cruise in each of Luxor & Aswan.
• Abu Simbel Excursion, including private transfers, private air-conditioned vehicle Aswan Abu Simbel Aswan, private guide for the tour in Abu Simbel & entrance fees.

Please click here for Rate for the Presidential suite on board
M/S Moon Goddess or M/S Amarco

Including the Service of a personal Butler service & the service of a Private guide/Egyptology on board. Private Guide for Abu Simbel Excursion

In this version we do not have the airfares between Cairo and the cruise included . We are happy to add it if you wish or you may arrange your own transportation to the cruise departure point at Luxor/Aswan.

• For Christmas/New Year's and the month of April :
  Please add %20 supplement, to any of the listed rates.

• Children discount :
  Infant up to 2 years : %75 discount on the double rate .
  Children : 40 % on the adult double rate. ( 11 years of age or younger up to 2 years ), must be raveling with an adult. No children discount on triple or single rates.
  
  
  Click here for the version with domestic air fare included between Cairo & the cruise
  

Sleeper Train: ( Officially 4 stars, we rate it 3 stars)
Sleeper overnight train leaves Cairo 07:30 PM. Private double or single compartments. Each train car has two bathrooms, one at each end of the car. Dinner & breakfast served on board. Upper & lower berth. Air conditioned. Club car for drinks & meeting other fellow passengers from all over the world.

More Choices :

• Click for the full listing  of  Nile Cruises
• Map for the Nile Cruise Route
• Rates & Itinerary for : 4 days or 8 Days Nile Cruise .
• Nile Cruise Images for : M/S Nile Dream . M/S Queen of Hansa
• Click here for this Nile cruise with a one way sleeper & one way air fare , between Cairo and the Nile Cruise.

What to Pack:
Most of the year look forward to warm, even hot weather in Luxor & Aswan, morning & evenings are cooler. For Shore excursions, we suggest comfortable cotton & natural fabric lightweight clothing. Comfortable walking shoes are essential.

Clothing on Board:
Lightweight comfortable & casual clothing. Swimsuits, sun hat. Dining room dress code is casual for breakfast & lunch, but smart casual for dinner. All ships are fully air conditioned

Nefertiti Turns Egypt Upside Down!!

The first bloodless religious revolution against the established church in Ancient Egypt
And the seat of power that rested with the priests in Karnak .
Nefertiti conducts the religious ceremony at the Temple of Aton
wearing only a see-through cloak and thong-style panties !

Nefertiti Turns Egypt Upside Down!! 1350 BC - Queen Nefertiti is reported to have led her Egyptian subjects on a wild spree of idol-smashing, temple-destruction, and forced migration, all part of a campaign of religious reformation. In Egypt a temple painting of a well-endowed Nefertiti in a chariot, wearing only a see-through cloak and thong-style panties, may explain why it was easy for Egyptian to follow her to the end of the Earth.

"From now on, there will be only one Deity, and that Deity is Aten, the Sun Disc," she has commanded.

Reliable sources in the Nile Valley report that all temples to gods other than Aten have been closed, and that a hefty fine will be imposed on anyone caught with an outlawed statuette.

Idols are to be smashed immediately, and the shards turned over to the priests of Aten.

"The capital of Egypt will now be at Tel El Amarna," reads a decree widely circulated in cuneiform on clay tablets.

"All priests are to settle within one hour's journey of the new Temple to Aten. All bidders on public works contracts will likewise have their head offices within the same specified distance."

Egyptian leaders in exile have disputed the motives behind the upheaval. "It's just a ploy to concentrate power and wealth in her hands and those of her husband, Ikhnaton," stated one defrocked priest.

"Everybody knows that Nefertiti has risen to her position on qualities that have nothing to do with religion.

She isn't called Incarnation of Beauty for nothing," he added, referring to the literal meaning of her name. The source asked not to be identified, fearing reprisals. Tel El Amarna, Nile Valley, 2004 - from Paul Glassman, special correspondent "Wow," commented Joe Shiner, an agro-businesman from Des Moines, as he toured the main temple at Tel El Amarna. "It's one thing to hear that Nefertiti was a real beauty. But it's quite another to visit in person and learn the real story." "Until I came here, I didn't know that she was behind the idea of having only one god-even before the Hebrews and Christians and followers of Mohammed.

"And now that I see her picture, I can understand why people followed her. This is not what I expected . . . not at all!" Mr. Shiner gestured as he spoke to a temple painting of a well-endowed Nefertiti in a chariot, wearing only a see-through cloak and thong-style panties.

"If she was my queen, I'd follow her to the end of the . . . "
Mr. Shiner's comments were interrupted by the approach of his wife.

Disclaimer: The facts presented are as accurate as can be ascertained from the archeological record. Mr. Joe Shiner is a composite of the satisfied clients of Nubian Nile Cruises .