We all have a bucket list, and Egypt has been on mine for many years. I’d like to extend an invitation to you to come along on this luxurious adventure! Together we will travel to storied Egypt, delve into its legendary past, and connect with the spirit still illuminating today. With expert Egyptologists and a certified photo instructor by your side, spend six nights aboard the Nile's finest vessel beholding landscapes that have sustained life for millennia. From the Pyramids to Valley of the Kings, Sphinx, and Tomb of Nefertari to mesmerizing Luxor guarded by massive Ramses II, nothing compares to this scale of grandness.
We will meet in Egypt on March 15, 2025, to travel on the Nile’s finest cruise vessel, the Oberoi Philae, with two Egyptologists provided by the incredible Lindblad Expeditions who has chartered this vessel for our exclusive use.
Before we set sail, we will spend (3) nights in Cairo at the St. Regis, followed by 6 nights on board the five-star Oberoi Philae, then the last night will be back in Cairo due to flight schedules. There will be an opportunity to visit Jordan & the Dead Sea following the Egypt trip.
Why Ralph Recommends this trip...
- We will enjoy planeside meet & greet with an escort through customs and immigration, baggage assistance and a transfer to the five-star St. Regis in Cairo.
- The itinerary is well balanced to offer the right mix of knowledge and relaxation.
- The entire river cruise vessel has been chartered exclusively for Lindblad Expeditions. The award-winning ultra-luxury hotel brand Oberoi is one that I adore! Their exquisite properties across Rajasthan and other parts of India offer an amazing, loving high touch service and luxury. As part of their offering, they have a 44-guest ship, to travel between Luxor and Aswan in peerless style. Extensively reconfigured in 2015 with just 22 cabins and luxurious amenities, including an Oberoi spa. Windows are nearly floor to ceiling and slide open, offering a connection with the river.
- We will have a private charter for only 44 passengers for flights within Egypt. (I personally do not want to fly with local airline Egypt air).
- We will have 2 Egyptologists with our group.
- We will have Certified Photo Instructors with our group.
Ready to book? Click here to book your spot today!
Day-by-Day Itinerary:
Saturday, March 15, 2025, Cairo, Egypt
Arrive in Cairo and check in to the five-star St. Regis, your home for the next four nights.
Sunday, March 16, 2025, Cairo / Pyramids / Sphinx
Today, after a morning welcome briefing, start by exploring the premier treasure of Egypt—the Pyramids and Sphinx complex in Giza. Learn how the magnificent Pyramid of Cheops was built from over two million blocks of stone and took tens of thousands of workers over twenty years to build. The infamous Sphinx was carved out of a single massive piece of stone and displays the Pharaoh Chefren’s head on the body of a lion.
Go inside the Great Pyramid, following the Grand Gallery’s narrow passageway to the burial chamber of Cheops. Your Egyptologist will narrate with stories and details, bringing the experience to life, while your Certified Photography Instructor will be on hand to ensure that perfect photos happen.
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before either returning to the St. Regis to relax and enjoy your accommodations or visiting the National Museum of Egyptian Culture where the Royal Mummies are now on display. (B/L/D)
Monday, March 17, 2025, Cairo / Grand Egyptian Museum and Saqqara
Egyptian treasures are the stuff of legend, and expertly guided visits to the finest collections are essential for a complete experience. The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), scheduled to open in late 2023, is the new crown jewel of Egypt and one of the world’s largest, most modern museums. Great masterpieces, including the treasures of Tutankhamun, the brightly painted sculptures of Prince Rahotep and Princess Nofret, and the bizarre relief of Akhenaten will be on display. Note: Before the opening of the GEM, guests will visit the Antiquities Museum, home to an expansive collection of ancient marvels, which will close when the GEM opens. After lunch, travel to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of the Pharoah Zoser, a revolutionary design that initiated the art of pyramid-building. Here, you’ll see some of Egypt’s most captivating wall paintings and reliefs, showing harvesting, fishing, music making, and dancing scenes. Discover the elaborate mastaba, a type of ancient flat-roofed rectangular Egyptian tomb of Mereruka (or Meri). She was not a royal but “Chief Justice and Vizier” to Pharaoh Teti of the Sixth Dynasty. This large and colorful tomb built for Meri’s afterlife is considered the largest in Saqqara. (B/L/D)
Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Islamic Cairo
Fly via private charter flight to southern Nubia, traversing almost the entire length of Egypt, and the remarkable site of Abu Simbel, on a sun-baked island in the azure waters of Lake Nasser. Two temples are found here; one large, dedicated to Ramses II’s victory at Kadesh, and one small, dedicated to his beloved Queen Nefertari. Constructed in the mid-13th century BC, Abu Simbel was excavated from the sand in 1817. The temples were moved piece-by-piece to where it sits today to avoid being lost again, this time not to sand and neglect but to the creation of modern Lake Nasser. After lunch, reboard our privately-chartered aircraft to Aswan to embark the elegant, privately-chartered Oberoi Philae, our home for the next six nights, in time for dinner. Onboard you will find spacious cabins, warm public areas and a welcoming Egyptian crew offering impeccable service. (L/D)
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Abu Simbel / Aswan / Embark Ship
Enjoy the rich buzz of Lisbon that echos amongst strong architectural, cultural and historical connections. Wander cobbled streets, bright buildings, the Sado River and endless nature.
Thursday, March 20, 2025, Aswan
This morning, visit the fine Nubian Museum before lunch onboard. Next is High Tea at the legendary Old Cataract Hotel, from where commanding views of the Nile and Elephantine Island are sure to excite. The late afternoon takes a different direction as you relax and enjoy a sail on a traditional felucca (or wooden sailboat) as the Nubian crew sing local songs and highlight the beauty of the shallow and jutting rocky cataracts of the Nile in the late afternoon light. A Nubian cultural show onboard Oberoi Philae rounds out the day. (B/L/D)
Friday, March 21, 2025, Aswan / Kom Ombo
This morning, visit the lovely Temple of Isis on the island of Philae, from which the Oberoi Philae gets its name. Like Abu Simbel, the Temple of Isis would have been lost to the floods caused by the building of the High Dam had it not been painstakingly dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its present location. Visit a granite quarry to learn how massive obelisks—tall, four-sided narrow pillars that end in a pyramidal top used as monuments—were carefully cut from solid rock and transported down the Nile. Enjoy lunch onboard as you sail to Kom Ombo. Set strikingly on a hill overlooking the Nile and dedicated to two gods, hawk-headed Haroeris and crocodile-headed Sobek, the Kom Ombo Temple, built during the Ptolemaic era, is richly decorated, and has a hieroglyphic calendar. Spend the late afternoon and rest of the day enjoying sailing to Edfu. (B/L/D)
Saturday, March 22, 2025, Esna / Luxor Temple
After an early morning sail to Esna, walk from the ship to the nearby Temple of Khnum in the town of Esna. This temple has not been fully excavated, and your Egyptologist explains how silt from centuries of the Nile’s annual floods buried the temple, which sits about nine meters below river level. As you walk back to the ship through Esna, take a moment to talk to locals, share stores and learn about Egyptian small-town life. Next we arrive to Luxor and explore the exquisite Luxor Temple, guarded by massive statues of Ramses II, with magnificent pylons, columns and statues. It has been a place of worship for millennia, as attested to by the mosque that was built atop the site. Luxor Temple is well-lit in the evenings and a wonderful site to visit after sunset. After dinner onboard have an opportunity to enjoy the evening in Luxor. (B/L/D)
Sunday, March 23, 2025, Dendera / Luxor Museum
*Please note that we will drive via motorcoaches between Luxor and Dendera Temple if our arrival coincides with low water, and cruise this section of the Nile during high water times. Start the day enjoying the remote temple of Dendera. Constructed during the time of Roman emperors, hundreds of years of black soot were delicately removed to reveal stunning artwork beneath and reliefs on the temple walls depicting Empress Cleopatra. Evening is the ideal time to visit Luxor Museum, which is beautifully lit and home to some of Egypt’s finest statuary, including the mummies of Ahmos I and Ramesses I. (B/L/D)
Monday, March 24, 2025, West Bank
Early risers can enjoy an optional hot air balloon ride for a panoramic view of the Luxor area. Afterward, journey to the West Bank of the Nile and the famed Valley of the Kings, the burial ground for hundreds of years of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs. Explore and photograph the tombs of Set I and Tutankhamun. Then visit the Valley of the Queens and the most legendary tomb of them all, that of Nefertari. Vivid paintings depict the queen’s renowned beauty and her journey to the afterlife in exquisite color and quality found nowhere else in Egypt. See the temple of Hatshepsut, dramatically set beneath sandstone cliffs. (B/L/D)
Tuesday, March 25, 2025, Disembark Ship / Karnak Temple / Cairo
Disembark Oberoi Philae and visit Karnak Temple. For some 2,000 years, 30 pharaohs added their monuments and shrines to this vast temple, making it the largest religious building ever constructed. The 134 columns of the great hall create a vast forest of stone towering 70 feet high, and the massive obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut shadows the rear of this masterpiece of human ingenuity. The reliefs and carvings created by some of Ancient Egypt’s finest artisans are dramatic. After lunch, board our privately-chartered aircraft to Cairo and check-in to the 5-star InterContinental Citystars Hotel. Gather for our final dinner with the group this evening. (B/L/D)
Wednesday, March 26, 2025, Depart Cairo or travel to Jordan
Optional Extension to Jordan: SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Additional Fees will apply.
Wednesday, March 26th Flight Cairo to Amman / Exploration of Amman / Lunch in a local restaurant / Check in at Park Hyatt Amman / Dinner at the hotel
Thursday, March 27th Exploration of Jerash / Lunch in a local restaurant / Drive to Petra / Check in at Petra Movenpick / Dinner at the hotel
Friday, March 28th Exploration of Petra / Lunch in a local restaurant / Dinner at the hotel
Saturday, March 29th Drive to Madaba / Exploration of Madaba / Lunch in a local restaurant / Drive to the Dead Sea / Check in at the Dead Sea Kempinski / Dinner at leisure
Sunday, March 30th Morning exploration of Bethany Beyond the Jordan / Lunch at leisure / Afternoon at leisure / Dinner at the hotel
Monday, March 31st Transfer to the Amman airport / Depart Amman
Airline Reservations to Cairo should start to open Mid-April 2024.
Fares and pricing
We want to speak with you prior to booking to be sure you have made the right choice, explored all options before, during and after this trip including flights, transfers, travel insurance, passports and visas.
Your All-inclusive fare includes:
- Exclusive Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic programs aboard privately chartered ships.
- All Meals and nonalcoholic beverages, along with wine and beer with meals. Coffee, tea and soft drinks on demand. Hors d’oeuvres and snacks during the evening.
- Recap, Fitness Equipment. Access to reference books and board games in the library.
- The Guidance and company of our expedition staff.
- Laundry and crew gratuities aboard.
- Gratuities for Egyptologists, drivers, service staff and porters are included ashore.
- Special access permits, photography fees, port taxes.
- Transfers to and from flights.
Your fare does not include
Air transportation; extensions; passport, visa, security, and immigration fees; meals not indicated; travel protection plan; items of a personal nature and alcohol beverages unless noted, Wi-Fi.
Note: Itinerary is subject to change. Lindblad Expeditions reserves the right to replace vessel and/or hotel accommodation, when necessary, with another of comparable size and caliber. Lindblad Expeditions reserves the right to impose surcharges based on increases in the company’s actual cost of fuel.
Deposit is only 15% to hold the cabin. Final payments due by November 1, 2024.
Ready to book? Click here to book your spot today!
Important information
We want to speak with you prior to booking to be sure you have made the right choice, explored all options before during and after this trip including flights, transfers, travel insurance, passports and visas.
Lindblad Expeditions Cancellation Policy:
Final payment is due 120 days prior to departure date.
*Linbald Expeditions' Group Coordinator is to be notified immediately of any cancellations, via email.
We recommend the purchase of Travel Insurance. Click here to view full details.
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Terms, conditions and restrictions apply; pricing, availability, and other details subject to change and/ or apply to US or Canadian residents. Please confirm details and booking information with your travel advisor.