The Ultimate Nile River Cruise Immersion MS Darakum (Cairo to Aswan) 15D14N

Arrive in Cairo and enjoy a private transfer from Cairo Airport to the port where you’ll step aboard the luxurious Mövenpick MS Darakum vessel to begin the sensational cruise expedition of a lifetime.

Today, is all about enjoying all amenities and facilities on the ship while getting to know your fellow travelers. Relax at the lounge bar to light music while sipping a cocktail. Take soothing laps at the swimming pool on the ship's deck, unwind and meet new acquaintances at the outdoor lounge and soak in the sun from loungers at the deck, admiring lovely views of the Nile.

Spice up the evening with a light dinner, and retire to bed in one of the vessel's cabins, lavish with all stately amenities intended for your cosy comfort, privacy, and blissful experience.

You’ll overnight in Cairo.

This morning, early breakfast, rich in nutrients and vitality set the stage for a thrilling excursion into the wonders on the banks of the world's longest river.

We visit the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza on the Giza plateau, perched on the west bank. The Great Sphinx, wondrous and captivating, is one of the oldest monuments in Egypt, yet reclines in untainted glory. This limestone statue appears to resemble the Pharaoh Khafre, with the head of a human and the body of a lion, towering up to 73 metres 240 feet , and is reputed to date back to 2500 BC.

Yet, the Sphinx isn't the only wonder on this site on the west bank. While other staggering and unbelievable rock formations stand guard around it, there are the Great Pyramids of Egypt. These pyramids are famous globally and renowned for bearing the tombs of deceased pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Named Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure according to the Pharaohs who built them and were buried there, they also serve as a backdrop for the Sphinx. The largest of them is Khufu, the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Sated with awe-inspiring history, we head to our cruise ship to fill our stomachs with a palatable international buffet lunch. Afterward, we disembark again to visit Africa's largest museum - the Egyptian Museum inaugurated in 1902. The museum proudly holds 120,000 collections of historic elements, pharaonic objects of antiquity, artefacts, and relics that pay homage to the great ancient Egypt and reflect how far humanity has come.

The next activity, which is the last for the day, is a fire drill session, and the rest of the afternoon and day is free. Exhaust this time at your discretion, with fine options that include a nap in your cabin, a plunge into the pool, a laid-back moment on the deck admiring the views, sipping a cocktail on a sun lounger, and some social moments at the bar. The day closes with an international buffet dinner, ensued by night music, guiding you into a pleasant night's rest.

You’ll overnight in Cairo.

After a hearty breakfast, we exit the waters into land to visit Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, now literally an open-air museum littered with ruins and historical fragments of an ancient world. Some of these include the statue of Ramesses II in Mit Rahima, the alabaster sphinx, and many other historic footprints in this desolate site.

Another point of interest we’ll visit here is the necropolis of Memphis, the Sakkara, where many ancient Egyptian pharaohs were buried. Their tombs are still here, hidden in many pyramids, including the Step Pyramid - the world's oldest stone building complex.

Next is an international buffet lunch at the cruise ship to refill any lost energy on the excursion and equip us with more vitality for another tour.

Afterward, we visit a religious region known as Coptic Egypt in Old Cairo, with a high density of Christians, particularly, the orthodox bloc, that once made the place a religious fort. We will visit several religious monuments here, including the Babylon Fortress, the Hanging Church, the Jewish Synagogue, and the Coptic Museum.

We return to the vessel to enjoy a cocktail manager party and cap the day with a set menu dinner before retiring to our cosy beds. Meanwhile, night music at the bar is an offer that stands if you are in and would like to make it a pre-bedtime ritual.

You’ll overnight in Cairo.

Wake up in the comfortable confines of your cabin and get set for a day of endless sailing. A hearty early morning breakfast as usual to start the day. Afterward, we sail off the shores and waters of Cairo for the whole day, not leaving the west bank yet, but onward to Beni Suef, the capital city of the governorate of the same name.

On board, we enjoy an international buffet lunch and elevate it with communal tea time. To further spice up the experience and limit SUEF chances of you missing the land adventures, we embark on an Egyptian wine-tasting experience to leave your taste buds wondering where these delights have been all this while.

The closing act for the day is a BBQ-style dinner that promises to hit the right spot. Light music at the bar is still on the offer table before bedtime.

You’ll overnight in Beni Suef.

This morning, we continue cruising without disembarking as a traditional, delicious breakfast opens the day's itinerary and sets the right mood for more exhilarating experiences.

We sail ahead to Minya, the capital city of the Minya Governorate, south of Cairo, on the west bank of the Nile. While this city is often neglected by tourists, it flaunts a notable history as the birthplace of Maria, a copt who married the Prophet Muhammad. Its geography is inviting, as we sail between mountains and greenery.

We enjoy an Egyptian Tablya lunch aboard the vessel, the first unique menu for the trip, and dinner on the same path with an Italian buffet menu. Head to the bar for soul tunes that set your mind at rest for a healthy night's sleep.

You’ll overnight in Minya.

Welcome to yet another beautiful morning of the grand cruising expedition, and indulge in the irresistible breakfast that strikes a chord in your heart. The breakfast gives you the right mood to disembark for the first time in two nights into this less-travelled, yet historically rich region of Minya.

We disembark to visit one of the city's iconic attractions - the Tuna El Gebel, a necropolis of Hermopolis otherwise known as El Ashmunien. The necropolis is the largest Greco-Roman graveyard in Egypt, bearing the tomb and chapel of Isadora, a wealthy and beautiful woman who died on the Nile while fleeing with her love interest. Other tombs and mummies are present in the necropolis to see and wonder.

Back on our floating luxury resort, we feast on a light international buffet for lunch with the views and continue from where we stopped in the adventures.

The next port of call, Beni Hassan, is an hour's drive from the shorelines of Minya and another expansive graveyard, home to 39 tombs, all open to the public. Some of the tombs we will visit here include the tombs of Baqet III (BH15), Khety (BH17), Amenemhet (BH2), and Khnumhotep II (BH3).

We retreat to the vessel, where tea time hits the gas, and a set menu for dinner starts the night, which is garnished with a folkloric show. Bedtime calls and we spend the night floating in Minya.

You’ll overnight in Minya.

Wake up to the sunrise and a moving vessel sailing to Tel El Amarna while breakfast is served aboard. Once the capital of the late eighteenth dynasty, the city was built on the orders of the pharaoh Akhenaten. Today, it's an archaeological site filled with the tombs and ruins of the city of Akhetaten and completely abandoned since the death of the king in 1332 BC.

Here, we visit some historic sites such as the northern tombs of Tel El Amarna, the Royal Tomb of Akhenaten (father of Tutankhamun), the northern palace, and the small temples of the Aten religion.

We embark on the ship again and head for the city of Assyut, the capital of the Governorate with the same name. Still on its waters, we stop momentarily to admire the facade of Prince Tawdous Monastery while listening to an experienced guide who gives a brief account of the history of the monastery and other relevant information about it.

We resume sailing and pamper our palates with an international buffet for lunch, followed by tea time and an oriental buffet dinner. Spend time unwinding on the sun lounger deck or a dip in the pool before the grand cruise to Assyut is heightened with a Galabeya party after dinner.

You’ll overnight in Assyut.

Rise to meet the beautiful waters of Assyut and capture its views because it will be short-lived as we sail further to Sohag for 8 hours. Sohag is an interesting city on the west bank of the Nile and renowned as the “Bride of the Nile”. A floating breakfast aboard the cruise boat ensures there are no hindrances on the side of gastronomy as we enjoy the river's drift.

Lunch comes on a set menu of Egyptian Tablya, and the rest of the afternoon is free as we continue cruising to Sohag. Tea time comes after lunch, and you can enjoy swimming at the pool, keeping fit at the gym, swapping stories at the lounge bar, or reclining on the deck checking out the views.

The day ends with an international buffet for dinner and light music at the bar before answering the call of your bed waiting to absorb and cuddle you all through the night.

You’ll overnight in Sohag.

Sailing continues to El Balyana, a minor town near Abydos city in Sohag. Awake to the rhythm of the waters in Sohag as the ship leaves them behind and bless your tongues with an enriching breakfast to gear up for the day.

We sail to Abydos, an ancient Egyptian city famed for being the city of the Holy god Osiris, of the ancient and modern. We disembark here to visit the iconic Temple of Seti I bearing the Abydos Graffiti on its walls. Behind the temple is the chapel of Osirion, carved out of a stone rock and believed to be the pseudo tomb of Osiris.

Sailing continues to Nag Hammadi via the Nag Hammadi bridges with a Moroccan set menu for lunch. Next is our regular tea time, and a BBQ dinner for the night. Today's fun time, we engage in something different - a quiz to play with our memories before retiring to bed. While in bed, the ship graces the waters of Nag Hammadi, under Qena governorate on the west bank.

You’ll overnight in Nagi Hammadi.

Today, sailing continues before sunrise, towards the Nile's east bank to the city of Qena. In Qena, the crew disembarks and drives for about 20 minutes to Dendera, where we visit the Dendera Temple Complex. The temple is one of the most preserved in Egypt, featuring Hathor - the main temple, a Roman kiosk, a Barque shrine, a Basilica for Coptic Christians, the temple of the birth of Isis, a Sanatorium, and a sacred lake.

From Dendera, we embark on our vessel sailing towards a remarkable region on the east bank, Luxor - the grand home of temples. Aboard, we feast on a seafood buffet for lunch and learn the fine art of cooking.

Tea time is next, enjoyable as usual, and dinner follows on an Italian buffet, the second of its kind on the cruise. The evening rises to a crescendo as we are entertained by a belly dancer, who does some twisting magic with her waist to the awe of everyone till we enter the waterways of Luxor at bedtime.

You’ll overnight in Luxor.

Rise and shine to behold the regal city of Luxor, home of the Thebes. The city attracts visitors from far and wide, courtesy of its numerous monuments and historical attractions. We will explore this outstanding city, one of the world's oldest inhabited, but not without a vitalizing breakfast needed for the task ahead.

Afterward, we head to the west bank to see the Valley of Kings, a valley filled with an array of tombs housing the late kings of ancient Egypt. More spectacular is the fact that these tombs were carved out of stone, numbering up to 65, with more than half of them in the valley's east section. The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 18 tombs open to the public. The valley rose to global prominence after the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in it in 1922.

The mortuary temple of Hatshepsut opposite Luxor is our next stop. Feast your eyes on the many shrines and statues here, and wonder at the epic craftsmanship of the Egyptians who built this complex from sandstone, granite, and limestone. We retreat to the Mövenpick to relish an international buffet lunch and dinner, light music at the bar and the cosy warmth of our beds.

You’ll overnight in Luxor.

This morning, we relish the usual mesmerising tastes of a rich and hearty breakfast before heading to the east bank of the Nile. Here, we explore the great Temples of Luxor and Karnak, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with their chapels and tombs.

Afterward, we return to the boat for an international buffet lunch, followed by disembarkation for the Cairo-Luxor guests while those heading to Aswan proceed by sailing to Edfu, a city on the west bank between Aswan and Esan.

An international buffet on board for dinner and night music calls it a day as we spend the night in Edfu.

You’ll overnight in Edfu.

This morning, rise and ensure you spend every moment with gusto, because the cruise expedition is approaching its end. Indulge the delightful breakfast which never drops in quality and grandeur.

We visit the Edfu temple, the largest temple dedicated to the gods Horus and Hathor of Dendera. This temple is imposing, entirely made out of sandstone, and the mere appearance of its facade evokes a feeling of awe.

Following this visit, we embark on the vessel and sail to Kom Ombo, having an international buffet lunch on the way. Arriving in , we visit its temple - an unusual one that combines two temples. Although much of the temple has been destroyed by natural disasters, it's still grand and intimidating in appearance. There's also a crocodile museum within the temple housing Egyptian mummies.

We sail further to Aswan, our final destination, enjoying tea time on the way. An oriental buffet for dinner and night music caps the day as we spend the night in Aswan.

You’ll overnight in Aswan.

On the penultimate morning of this unforgettable cruise expedition, we visit the Aswan High Dam built across the River Nile to replace the Low Dam. The High Dam stands tall in prominence as one of the world's largest embankment dams.

Next is the Philae Temple, and while we've visited many temples on the cruise, this one is about the most spectacular and will blow your socks off. The Philae Temple Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is on an island, the Philae Island in the Aswan Dam, and is dedicated to the god Isis.

We return to the ship for lunch, the usual international buffet style, before disembarking to visit the Nubian Museum. There's everything to wonder about this archaeological museum starting from its location on the cliff, a pharaonic room, and the botanical garden that surrounds it. The museum was built in line with the International Campaign to Preserve Nubian Monuments and was inaugurated in 1997.

Dinner is on a set menu, followed by a Nubian show before bedtime.

You’ll overnight in Aswan.

Today, emotions crescendo as we stand at the crossroads of farewells and fresh starts. The stage is set for the grand finale of our extraordinary expedition, a chapter adorned with both bitter and sweet notes.

This morning, enjoy your last breakfast in the city of Aswan and swap stories with your fellow adventurers. Come noon, we relish a farewell international buffet for lunch and then goodbyes are in order to the crew and your friends whom you have created cherishable lifelong memories together. Disembark and enjoy a private transfer to Aswan Airport for your onward journey.

NOTE: This itinerary is provided as an example only – prevailing conditions and local arrangements may cause variation.