Welcome aboard for this special cruise avoiding the crowds on the southern Nile as we head north to some rarely visited sites in Middle Egypt.
Day 1
- Thursday 15th April 2027 – To Cairo
We fly London Heathrow to Cairo on EgyptAir and on arrival we are met by our local representatives and travel to the Crowne Plaze Hotel at West Giza. We check in for four nights on room and breakfast basis.
Day 2
- Friday 16th April – Saqqara
A magical full day at Saqqara where we visit the Imhotep Museum and include entry to the Step Pyramid, the Unas Pyramid and the Old Kingdom mastabas of Mereruka, Ptahhotep and Kagemni. We also enter the mastaba tomb of Mehu with its brightly coloured reliefs. Enter the vast, evocative underground galleries of the sacred bulls at the Serapeum. We include a refreshing lunch break at the Sakkara Palm Club halfway through the day. (BL)
Day 3
- Saturday 17th April – Pyramids
This morning a chance to enter the intriguing pyramid of Sneferu at Meidum. Time also for the adventurous to venture into the burial chamber of Mastaba 17 nearby. On to Lahun and the mudbrick pyramid of Senusret II. The pyramid is heavily eroded due to the loss of limestone casing. We travel with lunch boxes from our hotel today. (BL)
Day 4
- Sunday 18th April – The Grand Egyptian Museum
A full day dedicated to the Grand Egyptian Museum now fully open. Wander through the astonishing Tutankhamun Galleries, admire the colossal statues on the Grand Staircase and visit the new Khufu Boats Museum building. Lunch and refreshments own arrangements whenever you need to rest in one of the many outlets on the ground floor. (B)
Day 5
- Monday 19th April – To Luxor
This morning we fly from Cairo to Luxor and on arrival we head to the West Bank and visit the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri. We have lunch at our favourite local restaurant before continuing to Medinet Habu for a guided tour. Heading back to the East Bank we check in to our luxury cruiser the SS Misr our home for the next seven nights on full board basis. (BLD)
Day 6
- Tuesday 20th April –To Qena
We set sail early today and our first stop will be at Qena. We board our coaches and head to the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor at Dendera. Here in the fabulous Hypostyle Hall, we can see the astronomical ceiling restored and cleaned to its original colour. We can view the crypt, rooftop sanctuaries and allow plenty of time to walk the outer walls. Later we sail on to Nag Hamadi. (BLD)
Day 7
- Wednesday 21st April – Abydos
Sailing on to Balyana we have a late morning trip to Abydos. An in-depth tour of the temple of Seti I with some of the most stunning reliefs to be found in all of Egypt. We return to our cruiser for a late lunch and sail on to Sohag. (BLD)
Day 8
- Thursday 22nd April – Stone Temples and Rock-Cut Tombs
An early start as we travel by coach to the newly opened site at el Hawawish. We make the climb up some one thousand steps to enter some amazing rock-cut tombs dating back to the Old Kingdom. After lunch on Misr we head out to Athribis where we find the remains of the last big stone temple built in Egypt. Dedicated to the god Min-Re, his wife the goddess Repyt and their son Kolanthes. This fascinating site has few visitors and is a real treasure still being excavated. (BLD)
Day 9
- Friday 23rd April – Sailing
A day to enjoy the beauty of sailing on the River Nile as we sail back to Nag Hamadi. Relax and enjoy the spectacular scenery watching the birdlife as we pass through this lovely area. A wonderful day for reading, taking afternoon tea on the sun deck and maybe listen to a lecture from our accompanying expert. (BLD)
Day 10
- Saturday 24th April – To Luxor
We sail early for Luxor and after we dock, we will visit Luxor Museum. (BLD)
Day 11
- Sunday 25th April – Karnak and Valley of the Kings
A full final day in Egypt as we head out to Karnak Temple after breakfast. A full guided tour looking at some of the lesser-known elements of this vast site. We return to the cruiser for lunch. This afternoon we visit the Valley of the Kings. We provide tickets with entry to three tombs of those open on the day. There will be plenty of time for those who wish to buy any extra tickets for entry to Seti I or Tutankhamun. (BLD)
Day 12
- Monday 26th April – Home
We take our private transfer from Misr to Luxor airport for our return flight to London Heathrow. (B)
Chris Naunton is an Egyptologist and author of several books including Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt (2018), Egyptologists’ Notebooks (2020), and two books for children, Tutankhamun Tells All! (2021) and Cleopatra Tells All! (2022). He regularly appears in television documentaries, most recently as co-presenter of Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara O’Briain (Channel 5, 2024). He was Director (CEO) of the Egypt Exploration Society from 2012 to 2016 and President of the International Association of Egyptologists from 2015 to 2019, and is now Director of the Robert Anderson Trust.
B = Breakfast BL = Breakfast and Lunch BD = Breakfast and Dinner BLD = Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
