Northbound Passage Through Egypt Aboard Oberoi Philae

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sail the Nile, seamlessly connected to the landscape by floor-length windows and gracious open spaces, making the Oberoi Philae the elegant centerpiece of your trip
• Travel effortlessly and in style with first-class hotels and private internal flights
• Look to seasoned Egyptologists to balance the deluge of discovery with stories, daily recaps, and modern updates
• Capture each moment in perpetuity with your National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions Certified Photo Instructor's guidance and encouragement
• Extend your expedition in Cairo or Jordan, including Petra and the Dead Sea
• Enjoy special access to the Sphinx, an after-hours visit to the Antiquities Museum and tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum

ITINERARY

Some departures follow a modified itinerary.

Day 1
Cairo, Egypt

Arrive in Cairo, the ancient capital of Egypt, and check in to the five-star St. Regis hotel, your home for the next four nights.


Day 2
Cairo / Pyramids / Sphinx

Today, after a morning welcome briefing, start by exploring the premier treasure of Egypt—the Pyramids and Sphinx complex in Giza. Learn how the magnificent Pyramid of Cheops was built from over two million blocks of stone and took tens of thousands of workers over twenty years to build. The infamous Sphinx was carved out of a single massive piece of stone and displays the Pharaoh Chefren’s head on the body of a lion. Privileged access takes you inside the barrier for an up-close experience with the Sphinx.

Go inside the Great Pyramid, following the Grand Gallery’s narrow passageway to the burial chamber of Cheops. Your Egyptologist will narrate with stories and details, bringing the experience to life, while your National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions Certified Photography Instructor will be on hand to ensure that perfect photos happen.

Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before either returning to the St. Regis to relax and enjoy your accommodations or visiting the National Museum of Egyptian Culture where the Royal Mummies are now on display.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch


Day 3
Cairo / Grand Egyptian Museum and Saqqara

Egyptian treasures are legendary, and expertly guided visits to the finest collections are essential for a complete experience. This morning, travel to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of the pharaoh Zoser, a revolutionary design that initiated the art of pyramid-building. You will also see some of Egypt’s most charming wall paintings and reliefs, showing scenes of harvesting, fishing, music-making and dancing, as well as the elaborate and exquisite mastaba of Mereruka, the largest in Saqqara. While not a royal, Mereruka (or Meri) was, among other things, “Chief Justice and Vizier” to Pharaoh Teti of the Sixth Dynasty, wealthy enough to build such a large and colorful tomb for his afterlife.  

After lunch, explore the galleries of the newly opened and highly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) with expert Egyptologists. Witness the 3,200-year-old statue of Ramses II in the Grand Hall, the Solar Boat and select treasures from the prehistoric to the Greco-Roman period. Only the King Tut Hall remains unopened as his treasures are still at the Museum of Antiquities, which you'll enjoy during an uncrowded, privately guided after-hours exploration later today.

This evening, enjoy an exclusive after-hours guided tour of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. Discover the museum’s expansive collection of ancient marvels—without the crowds—alongside your Egyptologists. 

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 4
Islamic Cairo

With the guidance of your Egyptologist, who will share narratives and personal experiences, today welcomes exploration of some of Cairo’s most outstanding architecture and monuments to Islam. Atop the Citadel overlooking Cairo sits the commanding Ottoman-era Muhammad Ali Mosque, completed in 1848. Its five domes can be seen throughout the city.

After lunch at a local restaurant, explore the Khan el Khalili bazaar, Egypt’s most famous and largest market dating back to the 14th century, for the best taste of Cairo’s vibrant and sometimes frantic pace. You can find anything from filigreed silverwork to semiprecious stones, and other souvenirs.  

Next, stroll the exquisite El Moez Street, which dates back to the 10th century, making it one of the oldest in Cairo. Marvel at the Islamic architecture as you arrive to the Qalawun Complex, comprised of a mausoleum, a madrasa and a hospital—and considered to be among the finest examples of Islamic architecture in Egypt.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 5
Abu Simbel / Aswan / Embark Ship

Fly via private charter flight to southern Nubia, traversing almost the entire length of Egypt, and the remarkable site of Abu Simbel, on a sun-baked island in the azure waters of Lake Nasser. Two temples are found here; one large, dedicated to Ramses II's victory at Kadesh, and one small, dedicated to his beloved Queen Nefertari. Contructed in the mid 13th century BC, Abu Simbel was excavated from the sand in 1817. The temples were moved piece-by-piece to where it sits today to avoid being lost again, this time not to sand and neglect but to the creation of modern Lake Nasser.

After lunch, reboard our privately-chartered aircraft to Aswan to embark the elegant, privately-chartered Oberoi Philae, our home for the next six nights, in time for dinner. Onboard you will find spacious cabins, warm public areas and a welcoming Egyptian crew offering impeccable service.

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner


Day 6
Aswan

This morning, visit the fine Nubian Museum before lunch onboard. Next is High Tea at the legendary Old Cataract Hotel, from where commanding views of the Nile and Elephantine Island are sure to excite.

The late afternoon takes a different direction as you relax and enjoy a sail on a traditional felucca (or wooden sailboat) as the Nubian crew sing local songs and highlight the beauty of the shallow and jutting rocky cataracts of the Nile in the late afternoon light. A Nubian cultural show onboard Oberoi Philae rounds out the day.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 7
Aswan / Kom Ombo

This morning, visit the lovely Temple of Isis on the island of Philae, from which the Oberoi Philae gets its name. Like Abu Simbel, the Temple of Isis would have been lost to the floods caused by the building of the High Dam had it not been painstakingly dismantled, moved, and reconstructed at its present location.

Visit a granite quarry to learn how massive obelisks—tall, four-sided narrow pillars that end in a pyramidal top used as monuments—were carefully cut from solid rock and transported down the Nile.

Enjoy lunch onboard as you sail to Kom Ombo. Set strikingly on a hill overlooking the Nile and dedicated to two gods, hawk-headed Haroeris and crocodile-headed Sobek, the Kom Ombo Temple, built during the Ptolemaic era, is richly decorated and has a hieroglyphic calendar.

Spend the late afternoon and rest of the day enjoying sailing to Edfu.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 8
Esna / Luxor Temple

After an early morning sail to Esna, walk from the ship to the nearby Temple of Khnum in the town of Esna. This temple has not been fully excavated, and your Egyptologist explains how silt from centuries of the Nile's annual floods buried the temple, which sits about nine meters below river level. 

As you walk back to the ship through Esna, take a moment to talk to locals, share stores and learn about Egyptian small-town life. Next we arrive to Luxor and explore the exquisite Luxor Temple, guarded by massive statues of Ramses II, with magnificent pylons, columns and statues. It has been a place of worship for millennia, as attested to by the mosque that was built atop the site. Luxor Temple is well-lit in the evenings and a wonderful site to visit after sunset. After dinner onboard have an opportunity to enjoy the evening in Luxor.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 9
Dendera / Luxor Museum

Please note that we will drive via motorcoaches between Luxor and Dendera Temple if our arrival coincides with low water, and cruise this section of the Nile during high water times.

Start the day enjoying the remote temple of Dendera. Constructed during the time of Roman emperors, hundreds of years of black soot were delicately removed to reveal stunning artwork beneath and reliefs on the temple walls depicting Empress Cleopatra. 

Evening is the ideal time to visit Luxor Museum, which is beautifully lit and home to some of Egypt's finest statuary, including the mummies of Ahmos I and Ramesses I. 

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 10
West Bank

Journey to the West Bank of the Nile and the famed Valley of the Kings, the burial ground for hundreds of years of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. Explore and photograph the tombs of Set I and Tutankhamun. Then visit the Valley of the Queens and the most legendary tomb of them all, that of Nefertari.* Vivid paintings depict the queen's renowned beauty and her journey to the afterlife in exquisite color and quality found nowhere else in Egypt. See the temple of Hatshepsut, dramatically set beneath sandstone cliffs.

*Note: The tomb of Nefertari is temporarily closed for renovations. In the meantime, we will instead visit the spectacular Ramesseum, the funerary temple of Ramses II.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 11
Disembark Ship / Karnak Temple / Cairo

Disembark Oberoi Philae and visit Karnak Temple. For some 2,000 years, 30 pharaohs added their monuments and shrines to this vast temple, making it the largest religious building ever constructed. The 134 columns of the great hall create a vast forest of stone towering 70 feet high, and the massive obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut shadows the rear of this masterpiece of human ingenuity. The reliefs and carvings created by some of Ancient Egypt's finest artisans are dramatic. 

After lunch, board our privately-chartered aircraft to Cairo and check into the 5-star InterContinental. Gather for your final dinner with the group this evening.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day 12
Cairo

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for flights home.

Departure Time: Anytime.

Departure City: Cairo, Egypt

Meals Included: Breakfast

WHAT'S INCLUDED

• Exclusive Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic programs aboard privately chartered ships
• Professionally guided excursions
• Arrival and departure transfers for any flights into and out of Cairo, including airport assistance
• Hotels as indicated in the itinerary
• All meals as indicated in the itinerary, both aboard and on shore
• Snacks, premium coffees and teas, nonalcoholic beverages and drinking water
• Beer and wine with meals
• Guidance and company of our leading expedition staff, including a Lindblad Expedition-National Geographic certified photo instructor
• Presentation about the destination by expedition staff
• Access to lounges, observation decks, library stocked with regionally relevant literature and other shared spaces
• Complimentary Wi-Fi aboard the ships
• Access to exercise equipment
• Laundry aboard the ships
• Crew gratuities
• Gratuities for Egyptologists, drivers, service staff and porters
• Park and site entrance fees, photography fees, special access permits and port taxes