Nile River Cruise: M/S Nile Goddess

Today you'll embark your Nile Cruise Ship, your floating hotel for the next 5 days. After lunch, visit the Luxor and Karnak Temples, a holy city of pylons, hypostyle halls, colossal statues, and obelisks built over many centuries, dedicated to the God Amon-Ra, his consort Mut and their son Khonsu. Overnight in Luxor.

Luxor is a city that has often been called "the world's greatest open air museum". With the number and preservation of monuments in the area, it is unparalleled to anywhere else in the world. Luxor is actually composed of three different areas: the city of Luxor - located on the east side of the Nile, the town of Karnak - located just north of Luxor, and Thebes - which is on the west side of the Nile across from Luxor.

After an early breakfast you will visit the West Bank, the Valley of Kings and Queens, and the temple of Queen Hatsheput at El Deir El Bahari. Afterwards, you'll sail to Esna. Afternoon tea, a Captain's Welcome Cocktail party, dinner, and a disco will be yours to enjoy for the remainder of your day. Overnight in Esna.

The small town of Edfu is situated on the west bank of the Nile, 56 km south of Esna and 105 km north of Aswan. Today, it is an important centre for sugar production and pottery-making. The site of Edfu was known as Wetjetser-hor (classical name-Apollinopolos Magna), the place where the god Horus was worshipped, and where the battle between Horus and his traditional enemy, Seth, in the ancient mythology took place. The main monument at Edfu is the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus on the edge of the town. The temple is perhaps the best-preserved in all of Egypt and ranks second behind Karnak, simply because of its immense size, approximately 230 by 400 feet with a pylon measuring over 100 feet high. At the temple's entrance stand two large black granite statues of Horus depicted as a falcon. The elaborate carvings on the walls of the temple are as beautiful as if they were carved just yesterday. Inside the temple is a small sanctuary where the priests of the day offered the best parts of the animals to the gods.

Today you will visit the Temple of Horus the Falcon God and then continue sailing to Kom Ombo to visit the Graeco-Roman style Temple of Sobek the Crocodile God and Haroeris. Standing serenely on a hilltop, the site offers an incredible view over the Nile. Despite being badly damaged, the temple is a beautiful sight as you approach it, particularly as a sunset nears and the colours change. Overnight in Kom Ombo.

Kom Ombo is located on a bend in the river Nile about 50 km north of Aswan. Located on the east bank, It is home to an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The temple is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris (Horus the Elder). Despite being badly damaged, the temple is a beautiful sight as one approaches from either direction on the river, particularly as sunset nears and the colours change.

This morning visit Aswan's High Dam, the ancient Granite Quarries and the Temple of Philae. In the afternoon, you will sail around Elephantine Island by felucca and see the Aga Khan Mausoleum. Overnight in Aswan.

The High Dam, Just north of the border between Egypt and Sudan lays the Aswan High Dam, a huge rock fill dam which captures the world's longest river, the Nile, in the world's largest artificial reservoir, Lake Nasser. The dam, known as "Sadd El-Aali" in Arabic, was completed in 1970 after 10 years of work.

A short trip on a motorboat to the Temple of Philae will bring you to a magnificent vista of the island, before landing at what would have been the ancient quay on the south side. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis and has many legends connected to it. The most well known legend tells the story of how Isis found the heart of Osiris here after his murder by his brother Seth.

Aswan is the best winter resort in Egypt. On its eastern bank are mosques, bazaars, the Ferial Gardens, Nubian Museum, Fatimid Cemetery, an unfinished obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut, Kitchener's Island and Elephantine Island, which is the largest in Aswan. As for its western bank there are tombs of local Pharaonic nobles and dignitaries, the tomb of the Aga Khan, the Coptic Monastery of St. Simeon, and the Old Aswan dam.

You will disembark after breakfast.

Aswan, Egypt's sunniest southern city and ancient frontier town located about 81 miles south of Luxor, has a distinctively African atmosphere. Its ancient Egyptian name was Syene. Small enough to walk around and graced with the most beautiful setting on the Nile, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. Days can be spent strolling up and down the broad Corniche, watching the sailboats etch the sky with their tall masts, or sitting in floating restaurants listening to Nubian music and eating freshly caught fish.