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A JOURNEY OF THE GODS

  • Overview
  • Accommodation
  • Itinerary
  • Fares

A journey overview

  • Cairo
  • El Minya
  • Amarna
  • Sohag
  • Luxor
  • Edfu
  • Aswan
  • Abu Simbel
  • Cairo

16 Days Exploration
  • Departing:
  • 26 Sep 2025 New release

Granted passage along the storied River Nile, we make our home aboard the privately chartered Sanctuary Nile Adventurer, our voyage charting a course navigated by only the most seasoned Egyptologists. During our in-depth discovery, we come face to face with a curated collection of Egypt's most fascinating and ancient treasures. This journey takes place for no more than 55 guests.

Map

Tour Manager - Suzanne Higman

As Your Tour Manager, Suzanne Higman Welcomes You On This Journey


We touch down in Cairo and are led to The St. Regis Cairo, where views of the Nile River abound.

Cairo is a curated collection of Egypt’s most fascinating treasures. Today, we travel back in time to the Old Kingdom, paying homage to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx that guards the tomb complex. The oldest of the world’s seven wonders, the three pyramids were built for the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Inside the Chephren Pyramid, built for Pharaoh Khafre, we are afforded unique insight into the construction of the pyramids. Among other sights in the two known chambers is a rare black granite sarcophagus. A caravan of camels is also available to take us on a ride around the base of the pyramids.

Away from the tourist crowds, and joined by our Egyptologist, an irreplaceable experience then awaits us. We are granted exclusive access to the feet of the Sphinx where the Dream Stela of Thutmose IV lies. Afterwards, visit the Sakkara Step Pyramid and Memphis. Aboard wooden feluccas, we then enjoy close-up views of the Nile, as we toast the beginning of our journey while sailing upon its storied waters. Following our short cruise, we adjourn to a local restaurant for our Welcome Dinner.

The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum is due to take place before our 2025 departures. An undertaking of truly epic proportions, the billion-dollar complex will feature some of Egypt’s most iconic artefacts, including the Mask of Tutankhamun and the statue of Ramses II. The building of the museum has been a substantial venture, having originally been scheduled to open in 2015. Should its completion not coincide with our journey, our group will instead tour the Egyptian Museum, the Middle East’s oldest archaeological museum.

A collection nearing 120,000 artefacts is on display in the Egyptian Museum, and before doors are open to the public, we take a private tour of the exhibits. Among towering statues and delicate jewels, we uncover treasures found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, as well as a room containing several royal mummies – the most famous of which being that of the prolific builder Pharaoh Ramses II.

We are then escorted to the Cairo Citadel. Home to Egypt’s rulers for some 700 years and 
a monument to medieval warfare, the fortress houses several unique mosques and palaces. Should it be a clear day, we may be able to see the Pyramids of Giza from certain vantage points. Our afternoon in Cairo is spent weaving between stalls at the Khan el-Khalili bazaar, where dried thyme and bowls of hazelnuts decorate brightly coloured shopfronts.

Rising early, we are bound for the port, and our luxuriously appointed Nile River vessel, the Sanctuary Nile Adventurer. We begin our voyage from the capital, enjoying the rare opportunity to cruise this less-frequented section of the river. Perhaps bid farewell to Cairo from your position poolside, as we raise our anchor and prepare to depart. During a cocktail reception, we sample regional wine and beer alongside a lavish dinner. The first leg of our voyage sees us cruising south to the city of Beni Suef, where we dock for the night. Gentle lapping sounds of the Nile offer us a unique lullaby.

We spend the day aboard on our own schedule while cruising further south. You may like to mingle with your fellow travellers in our vessel’s stylish lounge. Should you choose, there may also be time to receive some pampering in the onboard spa. This evening, a gourmet dinner is served and we overnight along the shores of El Minya, its nearby lights dazzling in reflection upon the water.

This morning, we reach neighbouring Beni Hassan. It is here that the richest and best-preserved Middle Kingdom tombs can be found. Carved high into the limestone cliffs of the Nile’s east bank, the tombs were built for the state’s provincial rulers. Four of the 39 tombs are open to visitors. Inside, their walls portray scenes of the rulers and their families, involved in everyday activities from hunting and fishing, to weaving and crop gathering. Depictions of several historical battles can also be seen here. After a day of exploring, we return to our luxury vessel to nourish ourselves with the delicious creations of its award-winning chefs.

The buried city of Tell el-Amarna rests along a stretch of the east bank. A sense of the uncanny pervades this desolate landscape, strewn as it is with the ancient tombs of rulers and nobles. It was here that the one-time pharaoh, Akhenaten, denounced Egypt’s polytheistic system of worship, declaring instead that Aten, the sun disc, be exalted as the one true god. Akhenaten was dubbed ‘the heretic king’ for this stance – as well as for his earlier decision to move the capital from Thebes – and his opponents did their best to erase him from history. Upon his death, the city was destroyed and abandoned. 

Following our survey of Tell el-Amarna, the Nile Adventurer welcomes us back on board. We enjoy lunch on board our vessel as we depart for the city of Sohag.

We begin our day with a buffet breakfast in the Sanctuary Nile Adventurer’s dining room. Afterwards, relax up on deck and take in spectacular views of the Nile’s lush riverbanks, which sprawl before a vast backdrop of desert. This afternoon, take the opportunity to advance your culinary repertoire with an Egyptian cooking lesson aboard our vessel.

This morning is spent exploring the holy city of Abydos, dedicated to Osiris, god of the afterlife and underworld. It’s said that while facing Osiris, one’s heart was presented upon a set of scales, to be weighed against the feather of Maat, goddess of truth and justice. If the heart weighed the same as the feather, that person was deemed to have been virtuous and achieved their immortality. If not, the soul would not be permitted to proceed into the afterlife. While here, we also learn of the many pre-dynastic kings and pharaohs who were buried in this city, as far back as 4000BC. Continue to Qena later this afternoon, where we dock for the evening.

Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of beauty and love, is often depicted in ancient sculptures and paintings as a woman with a cow’s head, or as a cow in its entirety. We see some of these images today at her temple in Dandarah. 

Afterwards, we cruise to Luxor where our Egyptologists are eager to guide us along the east bank. Here we touch on the Luxor Temple, built for the king of gods, Amun.

Forgetting your camera would be a tragedy today. Our morning is spent at the Valley of the Kings, richly decorated with carvings and bursting with treasures for generations of pharaohs to use in the afterlife. Under mindful construction, builders incorporated natural geological formations in the tombs. 

We continue to Colossi of Memnon, and a temple built for ancient Egypt’s only female pharaoh, Hatshepsut.

Our discovery of Egypt’s riches continues today, as we make our way to Karnak Temple. Walk in-between rows of sphinxes as we make our approach to the main temple complex. Among Karnak’s many distinctions is its status as the most important place of worship in all of Egypt. Generations of pharaohs were responsible for the building of this revered temple, whose Great Hypostyle Hall boasts a series of columns that covers an area greater than Notre Dame Cathedral. Stroll through the Great Court, admiring the Statue of Ramesses II, the Second Pylon and the Obelisk of Thutmose I. We proceed further into the temple complex, arriving at its most sacred spot, the Precinct of Amun-Ra, dedicated to the god of gods. Arriving back at our waiting vessel, we enjoy lunch and dinner on board as we sail to Edfu. 

We discover Edfu Temple, the largest pharaonic temple in Egypt. It remains completely preserved and is dedicated to the hero of the popular Osiris myth, Horus. Thought to be the son of Osiris, the tale portrays kingship and conflict as he avenges his murdered father. 

After exploring the temple this morning, we sail farther downstream to Kom Ombo. Resting on a bend in the Nile, the Temple of Kom Ombo was built to worship the crocodile god, Sobek, as the cold-blooded creatures were seen to frequent the warm riverbank.

We are whisked toward the island of Agilika on board a private motorboat. Here, the Philae Temple honours one of the most influential deities in ancient Egypt. We are then taken to the Granite Quarries, where an unfinished obelisk lays curiously buried in the ground. A gala dinner is served on board by white-gloved waiters.

A swift charter flight lands us in the fascinating town of Abu Simbel, where an exploration of the Temple of Ramses II awaits. The walls of the temple depict the epic Battle of Kadesh, which pitted Ramses’ army against the Hittites. This afternoon, we rejoin our chartered aircraft for the return to Cairo, where we enjoy a final evening and Farewell Dinner.

Today we are transferred to Cairo airport. Having been enlightened by the revelations of Egypt’s history, culture and gods, we return home.

Brochure