Between the Paws of the Sphinx

Upon arrival, you’ll be warmly greeted by our staff and assisted with immigration formalities – from obtaining your visa through baggage claim and customs. Then we’ll chauffeur you to the luxury Fairmont Nile City Hotel where a Nile-view guestroom awaits on the Club Floor.

After an excellent breakfast, today’s foray into antiquity begins with the Great Pyramids of Giza #WHS#. These are certainly the most iconic of Egypt’s ancient landmarks, and although you’ve seen them many times before in films and photographs, they never fail to inspire in person. We’ve also made special arrangements for a private field talk in an area that is off limits to visitors. Directly under the watchful gaze of the Sphinx and between his massive paws, we’ll privately engage with our Egyptologist to understand more about the mysteries of the Sphinx.  We’ll enjoy lunch before a guided tour through the neighboring new Grand Egyptian Museum. With our Egyptologist as a private guide, we’ll enter the expansive galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest archeological museum in the world. For the first time, the artifacts of Ancient Egypt’s four main Periods are on display at the same time in this colossal edifice. We’ll return to the Fairmont with time to freshen up before dinner. Meals B+L+D

After an extensive breakfast, we’re off to Memphis #WHS#, the site of Egypt’s ancient capital. Marvel at the formidable Colossus of Ramses II on display in a special building dedicated to this ancient wonder, and then see the beautiful Alabaster Sphinx, discovered just a century ago. At nearby Sakkara, you’ll see the world’s oldest standing stone structure, the impressive Step Pyramid of King Zoser. You’ll also be among the few to admire the vibrant drawings and inscriptions in the 4,000-year-old Tomb of Mehu, an ancient businessman, only opened in recent years for special visitors like ourselves. We’ll delight in an excellent lunch, and then we’ll visit the old downtown Museum of Antiquities to see the spectacular gold-encrusted artifacts, chariots, furniture and sarcophagus of King Tut, discovered in 1922.  We’ll return to the Fairmont in late afternoon with time to relax before dinner. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, we’ll depart the Fairmont for our two-hour road journey to the ancient port of Alexandria. Enjoy lunch overlooking the Mediterranean on arrival and then begin your guided exploration here in the fabled city of Cleopatra and Alexander the Great.   The Royal Library of Alexandria was one of the greatest institutions of the ancient world, drawing learned people from throughout the Mediterranean and beyond from its construction in the 3rd century BCE until its destruction centuries later. Today, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina stands as a marvel of the modern world. Shaped like a giant discus embedded in the ground, its granite facades are carved with letters, pictograms, characters and hieroglyphs from more than 120 different scripts. Inside, its main reading room can hold 8 million books and accommodate 2,500 people under its distinctive sloping roof. After our guided tour through this striking landmark, check in to the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel. Settle in to your elegant Mediterranean-View Room where you’ll have time to refresh before dinner. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, we’ll explore more of Alexandria. Founded in 331 BCE by Alexander the Great, this legendary port city has much to see that bears witness to its ancient glory. With our engaging guide, your touring begins with the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. Just discovered in 1900, this vast complex of rock-cut tombs was used for nearly 200 years starting in the 2nd century AD. With ornamented columns, labyrinthine passages, funeral halls and relief carvings in a variety of styles, the Catacombs are a vivid illustration of Alexandria’s unique blend of Egyptian, Greek and Roman traditions. At Pompey’s Pillar, you’ll discover an impressive monolithic column that was erected in 300 AD to honor the Roman Emperor Diocletian. We’ll enjoy lunch at a good restaurant before continuing with our tour.   Just outside of town, see the lovely Montazah Palace and Royal Gardens. Set on nearly 150 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds along the Mediterranean, you’ll discover two striking palaces. Built as a hunting lodge in 1892 by the last ruler of the Mohammad Ali Dynasty, the Salamlek Palace has been restored on several occasions and served as a presidential residence. On the same grounds, the newer Al-Haramlik Palace is distinguished by its fanciful blend of Moorish, Turkish and Florentine architectural elements. Before returning to the Four Seasons Hotel, we’ll also visit the ancient Roman Amphitheater. Dinner is at the hotel this evening. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, you’ll make the return journey to Cairo about 9 am, arriving in time for lunch. Then continue to the Fairmont Nile City Hotel where your Club Room awaits with time to relax and refresh before dining tonight. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, we’ll take you to the airport for your included flight to Luxor where the luxurious and intimate Oberoi Zahra awaits. Settle in to your spacious light-filled stateroom or suite and then gather with your fellow passengers for an a la carte lunch.   In mid-afternoon, go ashore to visit two of Egypt’s most celebrated sites of antiquity, beginning with the great Karnak Temple #WHS#. With our skilled Egyptologist leading the way, you’ll stand before its massive pillars and admire the grand Hypostyle Hall; encompassing more than 50,000 square feet, this is the largest hall of any temple in the world. Continue to the nearby Luxor Temple #WHS#, built in the 14th century BC and connected to the Karnak complex by the nearly 2-mile long Avenue of Sphinxes. The temple walls of Luxor are embellished with skillful carvings of the Gods of Karnak accompanied by a festival procession of priests, musicians, dancers and sacred cows. With keen insight from our Egyptologist, today’s sightseeing offers a fascinating look into the culture and beliefs of ancient Egypt. Return to ship for Tea in the Lounge, and time to refresh before this evening’s welcome cocktail reception and dinner. Meals B+L+D

The Oberoi Zahra enjoys private docking facilities along the Nile; so stepping off quickly and efficiently away from the cluster of other ships and their passengers, you’ll have more time to explore ashore with our expert Egyptologists. Focusing on the sites of the West Bank, where 64 ancient Egyptian rulers are buried in the Valley of Kings #WHS#, this early morning’s tour includes Madinat Habu - the tomb of Ramses III with its impressive exterior walls. The fabled final resting place of King Tutankhamen and the fabulously decorated tomb of Ramses VI are also among the highlights. Equally as fascinating as these tombs is the ancient village of Deir el-Medina. More than 3,000 years ago, this community was home to the thousands of artisans and laborers who constructed the tombs and temples in the Valley of Kings. In addition to this unusual archaeological site, your morning sightseeing also includes the Colossi of Memnon, two towering statues of Amenhotep III that stand like guards along the road to the Valley of Kings. We return to ship for lunch and the afternoon is free to enjoy the sights of the Nile and time to relax. Dinner is served later this evening. Meals B+L+D

After a leisurely breakfast, join our engaging Egyptologists ashore in Edfu to explore the Temple of Horus, considered by many scholars to be the best-preserved cult temple in all of Egypt. Built later than many of the other sites along the Nile, it is still a stunning example of traditional Pharaonic architecture and ranks as the second largest temple in Egypt – after the great Karnak Temple. Rich in design, intricate in detail and ingenious in its massive construction, the extraordinary quality of every element here attests to the paramount importance of the falcon-headed Horus. Return to ship for lunch and a delightful afternoon of scenic cruising. Then step off at our ship’s private pier to explore the Temple of Kom Ombo. Built on a picturesque bend in the Nile, where crocodiles used to sun themselves, this unusual dual-deity temple of the Ptolemaic Period is dedicated to both Haroeris (one of the oldest forms of the falcon-headed God Horus) and, appropriately enough, the fearsome Crocodile God Sobek. Meals B+L+D

Following breakfast, we’ll join our Egyptologist for a comfortable drive across the Egyptian Desert on a new highway heading to one of the most impressive sights of antiquity, the temples of Ramses II #WHS#. We’ll enjoy a fine lunch at a family-run restaurant on the shore of Lake Nasser and then walk a short distance to a small boat that will take us along the shoreline to see these majestic temples from the water. We’ll then explore them by land. With our expert Egyptologist, you’ll behold 67-foot-high figures of the King and his wife, Nefertari, and hear the dramatic story of how they were moved 200 feet above their original site to protect them from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam. This engineering feat by UNESCO to relocate and protect this architectural wonder was so successful and precise that twice a year, on February 22 and October 22, the rays of the rising sun pierce the temple entrance and reach deep into the heart of the temple – just 24 hours later than the original plan! In addition to its famous statues, the interior hall is decorated with amazing relief carvings that depict a great battle won by Ramses. Following our exploration, we’ll return to our Oberoi cruiser for a delightful dinner. Meals B+L+D

We’ll disembark this morning after breakfast. In contrast to the ancient wonders of Cairo and the Nile, the remarkable High Dam at Aswan is an achievement that belongs to modern Egypt. With enriching insight and narration, you’ll explore this engineering marvel; completed in 1970 at a cost of about $1 billion, it spans more than 2 miles and towers 300 feet. This morning’s excursion also includes a visit by boat to the Temple of Philae #WHS#, rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser after the completion of the High Dam. Now situated on a lovely island, the earliest elements of this impressive complex include a small temple built around 370 BCE and dedicated to the Goddess Isis. We’ll board another comfortable motor boat for a brief but scenic journey to visit the Nubian Museum. Designed by the award-winning Egyptian architect Mahmoud al-Hakim, the building reflects traditional elements of Nubian architecture; inside, its carefully curated exhibits include temple, tomb and dwelling artifacts from the ancient Nubian civilization that thrived here along Nile River as far back as 2000 BCE. Later, we fly back to Cairo, where you’ll be escorted to Club Rooms at the airport Le Meridien. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, our Egyptologist will meet you at Le Meridien to visit the two earliest pyramids in Dashur, just outside Cairo. The two pyramids, the Bent and the Red, were unsuccessful models of the Great Pyramids of Giza that we have already seen.  Following lunch, we’ll be guided through a new underground collection of the sarcophagi and mummies of the 20 greatest Pharoahs in ancient Egypt. It’s a magnificent and beautiful display. We’ll continue on to Old Cairo #WHS# and the monumental Refaai Mosque near the towering Citadel. Purpose built as a magnificent mosque and a mausoleum for Egyptian royalty, we’ll visit the tomb chambers of the last Egyptian monarch, King Farouk, and the last Shah of Iran who could not be returned to his home country following expulsion during the Revolution. We will be back to the hotel with time to freshen up before a farewell dinner. Meals B+L+D

After breakfast, you’ll be chauffeured to airport check-in for your onward flight. Meals B