Egypt & the Eternal Nile
Accompanied by an expert Egyptian guide, this singular small group journey through antiquity travels from vibrant Cairo and the Great Pyramids to Abu Simbel and the Upper Nile for a fascinating cruise on Lake Nasser. Then: a classic voyage along the Lower Nile from Aswan to Luxor before returning to Cairo.
Egypt & the Eternal Nile
Dates: November 27-December 11, 2026
From San Francisco (air-inclusive)*: $5,595 plus $802 airline taxes & fees
Land Only (transfers not included): $5,195.
Deposit: $500
Single Supplements: $1,495.00
*Other cities listed on the brochure, which can be downloaded on the overview tab of this trip, approximately nine months before departure. Airline prices are subject to change, and airline upgrades will be additional to the costs listed above.
Please note, all prices are for a standard, double room unless listed otherwise.
Your Tour Price Includes:
- Round-trip air transportation from listed cities; all flights within Egypt
- 13 nights’ accommodations: 6 nights in Deluxe and Superior First Class hotels; 7 nights aboard Deluxe and Superior First Class ships
- 32 meals: 13 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 9 dinners
- Extensive sightseeing as described, including all entrance fees
- Services of an Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director
- Private motorcoach transportation throughout your trip, including shore excursions
- Luggage handling for one bag per person
- Gratuities for dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drive
Book your trip today by filling out the form and emailing it to ietravel@ucsc.edu.
Travel Dates: TBD
DATE
This evening we depart the US for Egypt.
DATE
We arrive in the Egyptian capital and transfer to our hotel. As guests’ arrival times may vary greatly, we have no group activities or meals planned.
Accommodations: Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi
DATE
After a morning briefing, our full-day tour begins at Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, currently housing some artifacts from the Tutankhamun collection. Then we tour the Citadel of Saladin, housing the alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali. Tonight we enjoy a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodations: Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi
(B, L, D)
DATE
This morning we encounter the astounding Pyramids of Giza, the wonders of antiquity that have drawn visitors for millennia. Here, too, we see the enigmatic Sphinx, whose leonine body and human face were carved from a single piece of limestone, then buried by desert sands for centuries. Next, we tour the exciting (and recently opened) new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in the shadow of the pyramids. GEM’s collection showcases over 700,000 years of Egyptian history.
Accommodations: Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi
(B, L)
DATE
Early this morning we fly to Aswan. Upon arrival, we visit the Aswan High Dam, considered a marvel of engineering when completed in 1965. Then we visit the Nubia Museum, an acclaimed showcase of Nubian art and architecture with more than 3,000 ancient relics and 90 monumental pieces. From here we board our Lake Nasser boat in time for lunch, then disembark to explore the ruins of the acclaimed Temples of Philae. Tonight we dine on board as we overnight in Aswan.
Accommodations: Mövenpick M/S Prince Abbas
(B, L, D)
DATE
Today we see some sights of ancient Nubia, Egypt’s neighbor in antiquity but with a distinct culture and traditions. We stop first at “new” Kalabsha, Egypt’s largest freestanding temple, which was moved and reconstructed on higher ground after the construction of the Aswan High Dam (and the subsequent flooding that created Lake Nasser). Then we sail on to Wadi el-Seboua, where we dock for the night.
Accommodations: Mövenpick M/S Prince Abbas
(B, L, D)
DATE
This morning we see two important New Kingdom temples that, like Kalabsha, were dismantled and relocated to make way for Lake Nasser. We explore Wadi el-Seboua, the next largest of all the pharaonic temples after Abu Simbel, and see the Temple of Dakka, with its huge, well-preserved pylon. Upon returning to our boat, we sail on to Amada, where we encounter the oldest of Nubia’s Egyptian temples, the 18th-dynasty Temple of Amada.
Accommodations: Mövenpick M/S Prince Abbas
(B, L, D)
DATE
We sail this morning to Kasr Ibrim, the last remaining Nubian settlement in its original location. As it is forbidden to go ashore here, we learn about this ancient site while overlooking it from the boat’s sun deck. Then we continue on to Abu Simbel’s massive complex of temples guarded by statues of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari, with well-preserved murals inside.
Accommodations: Mövenpick M/S Prince Abbas
(B, L, D)
DATE
We disembark then travel by coach to Aswan, where we board our Nile ship. This afternoon we sail aboard small feluccas, replicas of ancient Nile sailboats.
Accommodations: Mövenpick M/S Royal Lily
(B, L, D)
DATE
We cruise today to the site of the ancient trading town at Kom Ombo, with its unusual double temple and outstanding Nile views. Then we sail on to Edfu, where tonight we attend a shipboard party.
Accommodations: Mövenpick M/S Royal Lily
(B, L, D)
DATE
This morning we visit Edfu’s Temple of Horus, Egypt’s best-preserved ancient temple. Then we cruise to Luxor, the world’s “greatest open-air museum,” whose vast temple complexes, tombs, and statues dating from 2755 BCE represent the pinnacle of Egyptian architecture. We explore the East Bank and the mile-long ruins of Karnak, considered by many to be the greatest temple complex. We also visit Luxor Temple, whose builders included both Tutankhamun and Alexander the Great. Back on board, tonight we enjoy a show of Middle Eastern belly dancing.
Accommodations: Mövenpick M/S Royal Lily
(B, L, D)
DATE
We have the choice to rise very early to see the West Bank from above on an optional hot air balloon ride (at additional cost). After we disembark our ship later this morning, we tour the haunting Valley of the Kings, where 34 royal tombs feature magnificent paintings; the Valley of the Queens; and the dramatic Temple of Hatshepsut honoring one of the few female pharaohs. We also see the massive Colossi of Memnon, two 64-foot-high statues of Amenhotep III that once guarded the gates of his own tomb.
Accommodations: Steigenberger Nile Palace
(B, L)
DATE
We fly to Cairo today, where this afternoon we visit Khan el-khalili bazaar then explore Old Cairo, including 5th-century St. Sergius Church, the Coptic church of el-Muallaqa, and the active 10th-century St. George’s church.
Accommodations: Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi
(B)
DATE
Today’s touring begins at the open-air museum at Memphis, Egypt’s first capital (3100 BCE), followed by the necropolis at Sakkara. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner.
Accommodations: Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi
(B, D)
DATE
Very early this morning we transfer to the airport for our return flight to the U.S.
(B)
B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner
Accommodations:
Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi, Cairo, Egypt/ Days 2-4, 13-14/ Deluxe
Opened in January 2025, the brand-new Hilton Cairo Nile Maadi stands across the street from the banks of the Nile, offering views of the legendary waterway from every guest room. The hotel features two restaurants, a lobby lounge, poolside bar, spa with massage treatments (for a fee), fitness center, outdoor swimming pool, laundry and dry-cleaning service (for a fee), and complimentary Wi-Fi internet access. Each air-conditioned guest room has private bath with hair dryer, minibar, tea- and coffee-making facilities, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Mövenpick M/S Prince Abbas, Lake Nassar Cruise, Egypt / Days 5-8 / Superior First Class
Launched in 1998 and renovated in 2007, the M/S Prince Abbas offers travelers a unique vantage point from which to experience treasures of antiquity in the comfort of contemporary amenities. With just 65 cabins, the 120-passenger ship offers a level of personal service well suited to small group travel. The ship features a dining room, lounge, bar, observation room/library with panoramic windows, laundry service (for a fee), gift shop, billiard room, and fitness center. Situated on the canopied sun deck are a plunge pool, jacuzzi, and bar. Your air-conditioned outside cabin has a private bath with hair dryer, window, minibar, TV, and phone. Please note that the ship docks at regular docking facilities in Abu Simbel and Aswan; at other stops you will take small launches or motorboats from the ship to shore.
Mövenpick M/S Royal Lily, Nile Cruise, Egypt/ Days 9-11 / Deluxe
An on-board experience waits for you on this 56-cabin river ship, which offers such amenities as a dining room, bar, lounge, sun deck with outdoor pool, heated whirlpool, sauna, massage treatments, fitness center, Wi-Fi internet access (for a fee), and gift shop. Air-conditioned cabins have private bath with a hair dryer, minibar, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
Steigenberger Nile Palace, Luxor, Egypt/ Day 12 / Superior First Class
Within the heart of Luxor’s historic center sits Steigenberger Nile Palace, a 303-room hotel just across the river from the Valley of the Kings. The hotel features five restaurants, three bars, a fitness center, spa with massage treatments (for a fee), sauna, steam bath, heated outdoor pool, on-site doctor, complimentary Wi-Fi internet access, bookstore, gift shops, hairdresser, and laundry and dry-cleaning services (for a fee). Air-conditioned guest rooms each have private baths with a hair dryer, minibar, in-room safe, TV, and phone.
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