Europe
(172)
Italy
(57)
Germany
(22)
France
(20)
United Kingdom
(20)
Spain
(16)
Austria
(7)
Czech Republic
(7)
Greece
(6)
Switzerland
(5)
Finland
(3)
Netherlands
(3)
Portugal
(3)
Belgium
(2)
Malta
(2)
Slovakia
(2)
Albania
(1)
Bulgaria
(1)
Croatia
(1)
Cyprus
(1)
Denmark
(1)
Ireland
(1)
Romania
(1)
Slovenia
(1)
Armenia
Georgia
Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Egypt
[category] => Array
(
[name] => Country
)
[parent] => Array
(
[name] => Africa
)
)
)
Egypt: Civilisation of the Nile (13 days) - including a four-night cruise from Luxor to Aswan and excursions to Alexandria and Abu Simbel
13
days
from
A$14,960
Book today with a deposit from
A$2,244
5th - 17th December 2027
Cruise highlights
- Four nights aboard a privately chartered small ship, travelling the Nile from Luxor to Aswan.
- Two expert perspectives on the Nile, with Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Dr Ellen Jones both contributing to the onboard lecture programme.
- Private out-of-hours viewing of the Temple of Karnak
- Ancient Egypt’s defining sites, from the Pyramids of Giza and Karnak to the Valley of the Kings and temples of the Nile.
- From Alexandria to Abu Simbel, extending the journey from the Mediterranean to the far south of ancient Egypt.
- Beyond pharaohs and pyramids, exploring daily life, religion, art, and burial through outstanding museums, tombs and temples.
Ancient Egypt was a civilisation shaped by a river. The Nile sustained one of the most remarkable cultures of the ancient world, but did far more than provide water and fertile land. It was Egypt’s great artery: a means of travel and communication, a source of wealth and power, and an enduring presence in the religious imagination. Along its narrow green valley arose temples and cities; at the desert’s edge, tombs and monuments intended to last for eternity.
Egypt: Civilisation of the Nile explores this extraordinary culture through the landscape that created it. The river is central to the journey, with four nights travelling from Luxor to Aswan aboard a privately chartered small ship.
The scale and ambition of ancient Egypt are encountered at some of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. At Giza stand the pyramids and Sphinx; on the Theban West Bank, the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings penetrate deep into the desert hills. At Karnak, successive pharaohs created an immense complex of temples and sanctuaries, seen here during a private out-of-hours viewing. Travelling south along the Nile brings Dendera, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae, their temples illuminating Egyptian religion, ritual and kingship.
Cairo’s outstanding collections add another dimension. The Grand Egyptian Museum and the Royal Mummies Gallery at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization bring us face to face with the objects, images and individuals through which this civilisation can be understood.
At the heart of the tour is the four-night Nile voyage, when guests on the 10- and 13-day departures come together aboard the same private ship. Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones brings a wide-ranging understanding of Egypt’s place within the interconnected cultures of the ancient world, while Egyptologist Dr Ellen Jones draws on her specialist work in archaeology, funerary culture, iconography and epigraphy. Each gives a lecture to guests from both groups, bringing two expert perspectives to the sites and civilisation through which we travel.
This 13-day journey takes a wider geographical and historical sweep. Alexandria reveals the meeting of Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures on the Mediterranean; far to the south, the immense temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari at Abu Simbel are a spectacular expression of Egyptian kingship and imperial power.
Videos
Itinerary
Fly at c. 9.30am from London Heathrow to Cairo, arriving c. 4.20pm. Time to settle into your room before dinner. First of four nights in Cairo.
After an introductory lecture, drive to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, whose extensive collections include the remarkable Royal Mummies Gallery.
In the afternoon visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities to view one of the world’s richest collections of Pharaonic art, including treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun and the colossal limestone statue group of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.
The recently opened Grand Egyptian Museum is the world’s largest archaeological museum, bringing together artefacts spanning ancient Egyptian history and housing the complete collection from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Continue to the Giza plateau, home to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Dating back more than 4,500 years, they remain the most immediately recognisable monuments of ancient Egypt.
Drive to Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great and developed into Egypt’s capital under his successor Ptolemy I Soter, founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty.
Visit the Greco-Roman Museum, with its outstanding collection illustrating the complex cultural world of ancient Alexandria. Continue to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, built in tribute to the great Library of ancient Alexandria. The Cavafy museum preserves the apartment where the poet Con-stantine Petrou Cavafy lived and wrote, featuring manuscripts, photos and personal Alexandria memorabilia. Return to Cairo, where the fourth and final night is spent.
Free morning in Cairo, or an optional walk through the leafy Zamalek quarter of the city, home to Belle Époque and Art Deco architecture. Mid-afternoon flight to Luxor, arriving in time for dinner. First of two hotel nights in Luxor
Visit the Dendera temple complex, dominated by the Temple of Hathor. Among its most remarkable features are a richly decorated astronomical ceiling and vivid reliefs, including the famous depiction of Cleopatra VII and Caesarion.
Return to Luxor for a free afternoon.
Visit Luxor Temple, a magnificent sanctuary dedicated principally to Amun and closely linked with Karnak through the great Opet Festival. Continue to Luxor Museum, whose collections include statues from the Karnak Cachette, the mummy traditionally identified as Ramesses I and exquisite reliefs from the reign of Akhenaten.
Board the ship in time for lunch.
Drive to the Theban West Bank, the great city of the dead. Visit the Valley of the Kings, where New Kingdom pharaohs were buried in magnificently decorated rock-cut tombs, and explore the landscape of royal mortuary temples built to sustain their cults after death.
At Deir el-Bahari stands the striking terraced temple of Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt’s most remarkable female rulers.
Return to the ship for lunch, followed by an onboard lecture by Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and an afternoon sailing south.
Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt and an exceptional survival from the Ptolemaic period.
Continue to Kom Ombo, where the unusual double temple dedicated to Sobek and Haroeris, or Horus the Elder, stands dramatically above the banks of the Nile.
Sail onwards towards Aswan.
Visit the High Dam, one of the great engineering projects of the 20th century. From here there are views towards the relocated Temple of Kalabsha on the shores of Lake Nasser.
Between the High Dam and the Old Dam lies the Temple of Philae, dedicated principally to the goddess Isis and painstakingly reconstructed on Agilkia Island after the flooding of its original site.
In the afternoon visit Elephantine Island and the Temple of Khnum, the ram-headed god believed to control the Nile's life-giving floodwaters, as well as the remains of a Jewish colony there.
Evening lecture by Dr Ellen Jones.
Overnight aboard the ship in Aswan.
Disembark the ship and drive south to Abu Simbel for a first visit to the extraordinary twin temples of Ramesses II and his Great Royal Wife, Nefertari, overlooking Lake Nasser.
The vast rock-cut temples are among the most powerful surviving statements of Egyptian royal and imperial ambition.
Free time in the afternoon before returning to the temples for the evening sound & light show. Overnight in Abu Simbel.
A second, early-morning visit to Abu Simbel offers an opportunity to experience the temples at a quieter time of day.
Drive to Aswan for lunch before a late-afternoon flight to Cairo. Overnight in a hotel near the airport.
Return to Cairo airport for the c. 9.15am flight to London, arriving c. 12.30pm.
Expert speaker
Reverend Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
A renowned historian with an extensive publication portfolio, Lloyd’s scholarship spans global histories, with an emphasis on cultural interconnections through diplomacy, trade, literature, art and architecture. He has spent considerable time researching in Egypt, Iran, Japan, China and Cambodia and has major interests in the ancient, medieval and early modern Middle East, Far East and South East Asia, with a special focus on court society, monarchy and nobility. He is a regular guest on podcasts such as Empire hosted by William Dalrymple and The Ancients. In addition, he is an ordained priest in the Church in Wales.
More tours led by Reverend Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Practicalities
Superior cabin – deck 2 or 3 - 20m2
Two sharing: A$14,960 per person
Single occupancy: A$17,540
Junior Suite – deck 2 - 26m2
Single occupancy: A$18,480
Not available for double occupancy
Panorama Suite – deck 3 – 30m2
Single occupancy: A$19,170
Not available for double occupancy
Senior Suite – deck 4 – 34m2
Two sharing: A$16,570 per person
Not available for single occupancy
Senior Suite – deck 3 - 40m2
Two sharing: A$18,340 per person
Not available for single occupancy
Flights: if you would like to add flights to and from London to your booking, there is an additional cost of A$1,090 per person.
Domestic flights Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo with Egyptair; travel by private air-conditioned coach for airport transfers and excursions; hotel accommodation; ship accommodation, breakfasts, 9 lunches and 11 dinners with wine, water and coffee; all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer, tour manager and national guide.
If you choose to take the tour without international flights, the domestic flights from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo are still included.
Cairo Marriott Hotel: a functional, centrally located hotel, rated as 5-star. Steigenberger Nile Palace, Luxor: a 5-star hotel set along the Nile River. Retac Nefertari Hotel, Abu Simbel: elegant accommodation near the iconic temples, locally rated 5 star. InterContinental Citystars Cairo: a functional 5-star hotel near the airport.
Mövenpick MS Darakum is a 5-star ship, one of the most luxurious on the Nile, with 52 spacious cabins and suites. Décor throughout is modern and Moroccan in style. The restaurant’s buffet meals are renowned for their quality and feature both Egyptian and international cuisine. There is a large lounge-bar that serves afternoon tea and hosts our lectures as well as evening entertainment.
All cabins have large, panoramic windows to the outside. All include adjustable air conditioning, hair dryer, minibar, safe, television, free Wifi, mineral water and tea and coffee making facilities including an espresso machine. All bathrooms have a bathtub with shower attachment. Suites enjoy an additional seating area, complimentary soft drinks from the minibar, a bottle of wine on arrival, daily fruit and pastries and faster Wifi.
The sundeck has a small pool, plenty of shaded areas, loungers and seating.
Superior cabins on deck 2 measure 20m2.
Junior Suites on deck 2 measure 26m2.
Panorama Suites on deck 3 measure 34m2
Senior Suites on deck 3 measure 34m2
Senior Suites on deck 4 measure 40m2 and have two bathrooms.
Required for most foreign nationals. If you are flying with the group we will arrange for it to be issued on arrival (the cost is included in the tour price); if you are flying independently this must be organised prior to arrival in Egypt. Passports must be valid for 6 months from entry into Egypt.
This is a long and demanding tour not suitable for anyone with any difficulty with everyday walking or stair-climbing. Visits to the archaeological sites involve walking over rough and uneven ground and some standing. There are also some early starts, a few long coach journeys, and the daytime heat can be tiring.
Average distance by coach per day: c. 65 miles.
A maximum of 28 participants when visiting sites on land; 56 participants on board the ship and for the private visit to Karnak.
Before booking, please refer to Smartraveller to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting. As a British company we follow the advice of the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.
Dates & prices
AUD Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[id] => 01m286jn2e62teqnhv1v0jdkwr
[published] => 1
[start] => 2027-12-05 00:00:00
[end] => 2027-12-17 00:00:00
[range_type] => Fixed
[version] => Array
(
[id] => 01m1e8p9zczjam1xe8vvk90rne
[name] => 2027
)
[inventory] => Array
(
[type] => Allocation
[capacity] => 21
[errata] =>
)
[categories] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[name] => Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
[description] =>
)
)
[fields] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[__typename] => StringFieldData
[name] => tb_departure_setup_id
[string] => 31075
)
[1] => Array
(
[__typename] => StringFieldData
[name] => tb_link_speakers
[string] => [{"id":69573,"title":"Reverend Professor","forename":"Lloyd","surname":"Llewellyn-Jones","type":"Lecturer"}]
)
[2] => Array
(
[__typename] => StringFieldData
[name] => tb_departure_code
[string] => MN558
)
[3] => Array
(
[__typename] => StringFieldData
[name] => onlinetalk_booking_link
[string] =>
)
)
[elements] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[id] => 01m286jn3y5sg18104mfc0w25g
[element] => Array
(
[id] => 01m25yjtqaxrtbk286acx8z5ac
[category] => Array
(
[name] => Tour Space
)
[name] => Tour Space
[published] => 1
[is_package] => 1
)
[prices] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[id] => 01m286jn5d8vsj7nf2hwza921q
[currency] => AUD
[value] => 14960
[on_sale] => 1
[previous_value] =>
[deposit] =>
[option] => Array
(
[id] => 01m25yjttpbsdvnpebv0pc7jbt
[name] => Tour Space
[category] => Array
(
[name] => Price
)
[constraints] =>
[web_bookable] => 1
[published] => 1
)
)
)
)
[1] => Array
(
[id] => 01m286jn6f2wrf5rv7jkfjtyqd
[element] => Array
(
[id] => 01m25yjw3pf1zgf48sardscmyh
[category] => Array
(
[name] => Flights
)
[name] => Flight
[published] => 1
[is_package] => 1
)
[prices] => Array
(
[0] => Array
(
[id] => 01m286jn7nbxb5xncp68a63yn3
[currency] => AUD
[value] => 3270
[on_sale] => 1
[previous_value] =>
[deposit] =>
[option] => Array
(
[id] => 01m25yjw8f5xk64rckx2q8pt1v
[name] => Price
[category] => Array
(
[name] => Price
)
[constraints] =>
[web_bookable] => 1
[published] => 1
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
2027
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
5th - 17th December 2027
Speaker:
Reverend Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Price:
from A$14,960
(Based on two sharing)Related tours and events
Sign up to our e-newsletter
e-newsletter recipients are the first to hear about our future plans and our tours as they come on sale. By signing up you agree to our Privacy policy.
My Wishlist
Please note that all saved tours will be removed if you clear your cookies.
Sign up to our e-newsletter
E-newsletter recipients are the first to hear about our future plans and our tours as they come on sale.