Sonesta St. George 5 Day Luxury Nile Cruise – BD329

Morning

After breakfast, we visit the West Bank – The Valley of the Kings and Queens, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut at El-Deir El-Bahari and the Colossi Memnon. Valley of the Kings & Queens contains 63 tombs and stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (modern Luxor), where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, rock cut tombs were excavated for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom.

The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues as to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period. The Temple of Hatshepsut was originally dedicated to Amun and then added to by Hatshepsut, Queen and 5th Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. Her reign was the longest of all the female pharaohs. Her funerary temple stands as tribute to her peaceful and prosperous rule. It is considered one of the incomparable monuments of ancient Egypt.

The Colossi of Memnon are two massive (18m/ 60’) stone statues of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who reigned in Egypt during the Dynasty XVIII. For the past 3,400 years (since 1350 BC), they have stood in the Theban Necropolis, located west of the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor. They were so named because on some days at dawn, one of the statues would give off a high-pitched sound. Greeks, and later Romans, attributed the "singing" to Eos, Memnon's mother, mourning for her son.

Afternoon

During, lunch we sail to Esna. Enjoy our afternoon tea and in the evening a Captain’s Welcome Cocktail with Dinner on board followed by Disco & Music. Overnight in Esna.

Morning

Sail to Edfu during breakfast on board. We then take an excursion to visit the Edfu Temple, one of the best-preserved shrines in Egypt, distinguished by its huge splendid structure that blends Pharaonic and Greek architecture. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in Egypt. Back on board we have lunch and sail to Kom Ombo.

Afternoon

The afternoon excursion is a visit the Kom Ombo Temple which was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC. The temple is unique because it is perfectly symmetrical and was built for two sets of gods. The south temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world. The northern part was dedicated to the falcon god Horus. In the evening we have dinner with an Egyptian Galabeya Party. Overnight in Kom Ombo.