Day 1:

We drive about an hour from Luxor to Esna, which is part of the Luxor governorate.

Here we explore the temple of Esna dedicated to the ram-headed god Khnum. The temple sits below street level within the town, as it was excavated from layers of earth. Enjoy discovering heritage craft traditions, including beautiful textiles, as we visit the restored Wekalet Al-Geddawi, a caravanserai, and the Ottoman-era market of Al-Qissariya.

 

We then check in to Royal House Boat and enjoy lunch on board as we sail for about 4-5 hours to El Hegz Village. This is an opportunity for true cross-cultural exchange as we visit a local family who are excited to have visitors from the wider world. Your guide will translate so you can ask them questions and enhance your understanding of village culture. Dinner and your first night on the Nile, enjoying the comforts at Royal House Boat

 

Day 2:

Breakfast on board, sailing to El Kab. From the village, we walk (or you can go by donkey, motorized tricycle, or tuk tuk) to see the massive walls of the ancient town of Nekheb and explore the New Kingdom tombs. Sail to Edfu in horse-drawn carriages to visit the Temple of Horus. Sailing with dinner and free time as you overnight on the dahabiya.

At El Kab, remains of ancient settlements date from about 3,000 BC (possibly centuries earlier) to Roman rule. The site is one of the most unique in Egypt because ancient villages and cities are rarely found. As we move inland, you will see the remains of the impressive mud brick walls and the long valley lined with tombs and shrines, including temples dedicated to Nekhbet and Thoth. We enter the decorated tombs of New Kingdom officials from the area.

 

We board the dahabiya for lunch and sail towards Edfu. Horse-drawn carriages take us to the imposing temple with its grand spaces and many hieroglyphic inscriptions. View Tell Edfu to the West of the temple, which includes houses dating from the Old to New Kingdom. If time allows, we also stroll through the local market.

We sail again. Time to relax with dinner and drift into dreams as you are now becoming part of the rhythms of the Nile.

 

Day 3:

Breakfast on board. Stepping off the Royal House Boat at Bisaw Island and the village, we take a leisurely walk through a farm, meet some of the women and children, and learn how the unique sun bread is baked in homes here. We are welcomed by the local fishermen to their boats, learning of the skills of these men who live in harmony with the Nile. Fish caught can be enjoyed as part of dinner that evening.

 

Sail to El Selsela, where we take a short walk parallel to the Nile to visit shrines and a massive quarry. Large amounts of sandstone were quarried here for temple buildings in Thebes (Luxor). Cut into the rock are the speos (chapel) of Horemheb, with its sanctuary containing rock shrines and various stelae and inscriptions. The huge quarry gives context to how much building material was sourced from this area. There is also an area of sand here where children (and children at heart) can slide and play.

 

We sail until it is time for an atmospheric barbecue dinner by moonlight and another tranquil night on board.

 

Day 4:

Breakfast on Board, A short walk from Royal House Boat, the Temple of Kom Ombo is dedicated to the crocodile-featured god Sobek and the god Horus. The connection to the power of the Nile is unmistakable as you look towards the temple. We also visit the Crocodile Museum, which includes some impressive mummified crocodiles.

 

In nearby El Daraw, we plan dinner for that night, and you learn how to shop Egyptian style, then try your new skills in the market shopping for ingredients for dinner. We also visit a camel barn to learn about these fascinating animals and the camel trade.

 

We visit a Nubian village. From about 7,000 BC, communities evolved from African Nile Valley civilisations to form the Nubian, Ancient Egyptian and Kushite civilizations. There are several Nubian communities near Daraw. Nubian civilization is one of the oldest in the Nile River valley. Nubians are a distinct ethnolinguistic group indigenous to southern Egypt and northern Sudan, but Nubians in Egypt who were displaced by the construction of the High Dam near Aswan now mostly live north of Lake Nasser. Although Nubians are historically and culturally distinct from other Egyptians, they have long been interconnected with Egypt. While many Egyptian pharaohs colonized Nubia at various times, Nubian pharaohs from the Kingdom of Kush ruled ancient Egypt in the 7th century BC.

 

Day 5:

Breakfast on board and check out of the Royal House Boat & start visiting Aswan

We start by Philae temple, giving you a picturesque approach to the site. During the 1960s the monuments on this island were relocated from the original Philae island nearby so they would not be flooded because of the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Philae includes many structures, mostly dating to the Ptolemaic era (332–30 BC).  Unfinished Obelisk. Obelisks are four-sided, tapered monuments which were called tekhenu by the Ancient Egyptians. It is estimated that the unfinished obelisk would have measured 42 meters and weighed 1200 tons, which would have made it the largest obelisk constructed by the ancient Egyptians.

 

Then visit the High Dam and enjoy views of the Old Aswan Dam and the Nubian Lake (Lake Nasser). Seeing the High Dam and lake adds to your understanding of how the changing flow of the Nile has influenced Egyptian history.  The dam was built to control the flooding of the Nile, increase water storage for irrigation, and generate hydroelectricity. However, the large area flooded caused the relocation of more than 100,000 people. Many archeological sites were submerged.

 

Transfer to Aswan airport to fly back home or Cairo.