Nile River Cruise: Sonesta Moon Goddess

Today you will board your Nile Cruise Ship, your floating hotel for the next 4 days. After lunch, you will 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 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.

This morning, cross the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings and Queens and the temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Afterwards, sail to Edfu. Enjoy lunch on board and the Captain's Welcome Cocktail and dinner following.

The Valley of the Kings in Upper Egypt is home to many pharaonic tombs of the New Kingdom, including those of King Tutankhamen 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 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 center 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.

Today you visit Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple and Sail to Aswan and end the night with a Galabeya Party aboard your floating hotel.

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. Overnight in Aswan.

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 Disembark from your hotel in Aswan after breakfast. Visit Aswan's High Dam, the ancient Granite Quarries and the Temple of Philae.

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