Nile River Cruise: Sonesta St. George

Today you board your Nile Cruise Ship, your floating hotel for the next 5 days.

After lunch, in an unforgettable excursion, you will drive to the Luxor Temple. Built largely by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, the temple served as the setting for the rituals of the festival of Opet, which was held to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with his divine office.

Next, visit Karnak Temple, erected in 1928 BC as a small shrine dedicated to Amun the God of Thebes. The temple comprises of three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples all constructed over 1300 years ago. The three main temples of Mut, Monthu and Amun are at the centre. Karnak is now the largest and oldest temple compound on earth.

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.

Today visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at El-Deir, El-Bahari and the Colossi Memnon.

The Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt is home to many pharaonic tombs of the New Kingdom, including those of King Tutankhamun and Ramses the Great. Each king's formal name and title is inscribed in his tomb, which is also adorned with his images and statues. Most of the tombs were cut into limestone following a similar pattern: three corridors, an antechamber, and a sunken sarcophagus chamber.

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut of the 18th Dynasty was built just north of the Middle Kingdom temple of Mentuhotep Nebhepetre, amid the bay of cliffs known as Deir El-Bahri. In ancient times the temple was called Djeser-djeseru, meaning the sacred of sacreds. The female pharaoh chose to build her temple in a valley sacred to the Theban Goddess of the west, on a direct axis with the Karnak Temple of Amun on the East Bank.

This evening enjoy a Captain's Welcome Cocktail and dinner on board. Overnight in Esna.

This morning you sail to Edfu. 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 of 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.

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's sightseeing includes Aswan's Old and High Dams, the ancient Granite Quarries, and the Temple of Philae. After lunch, sail around Elephantine Island and the Botanical Gardens.

The High Dam, Just north of the border between Egypt and Sudan lays the Aswan High Dam, a huge rock-filled dam that 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.

After lunch on board, enjoy a boat ride on the Nile around Kitchener's Island with a visit to the Botanical Gardens.

This evening you will have dinner on board and enjoy an Egyptian Galabeya Party on board.

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.

This morning you will disembark after breakfast.