Arrive at Aswan airport or train station. Your private guide meets you and transfers you to the cruise ship for embarkation. After settling in and having lunch on board, begin exploring Aswan. Visit Philae Temple — the island temple of the goddess Isis, reached by a short motorboat ride. One of the most beautifully situated monuments in Egypt, Philae was relocated stone-by-stone during the UNESCO Nubia Rescue Campaign of the 1970s. Visit the Aswan High Dam — one of the world's largest embankment dams, built in the 1970s and transforming Egypt's agriculture and electricity supply. Visit the Unfinished Obelisk — still lying in the granite quarry, showing exactly how ancient Egyptians carved 1,000-tonne monoliths from solid rock. Optional: Abu Simbel day trip can be arranged for this afternoon (+$180 pp — must be pre-booked). Welcome dinner on board. The ship sails north overnight toward Kom Ombo. Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Morning: visit Kom Ombo Temple — the unique double temple built simultaneously for two gods: the crocodile god Sobek (fertility and military power) and the falcon god Haroeris. The adjacent Crocodile Museum displays over 300 mummified crocodiles recovered from the area. The temple walls contain rare medical instruments carved in relief — evidence of ancient Egyptian surgery. The ship continues north. Afternoon: visit the Temple of Edfu — dedicated to the falcon god Horus, this is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt. Its towering entrance pylons, inner halls and sanctuary have survived almost intact for over 2,000 years. Hieroglyphic texts on the walls describe the eternal battle between Horus and Seth. Nubian show and Galabeya party on board in the evening — guests are invited to dress in traditional Egyptian galabeya robes. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Optional: hot air balloon over the West Bank at sunrise — one of Egypt's most breathtaking experiences, floating above the Valley of the Kings as the sun rises over the Nile (+$120 pp, must be pre-booked). Visit the Valley of the Kings — the ancient royal necropolis where pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried for over 500 years. Choose 3 tombs from 65 available, including those of Ramesses II, Seti I and Merenptah. The Tomb of Tutankhamun requires a separate ticket (+$25 pp). Visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari — carved into the cliff face in three colonnaded terraces, dedicated to Egypt's most powerful female pharaoh. Visit the Colossi of Memnon — two 18-metre quartzite statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that have guarded the entrance to his mortuary temple for 3,400 years. Afternoon: Karnak Temple — the largest ancient religious complex ever built, covering 100 hectares. Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall with its 134 massive columns, the Sacred Lake and the Avenue of Sphinxes. Farewell dinner on board. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning: visit Luxor Temple — built on the east bank of the Nile by Amenhotep III and completed by Ramesses II. The temple is particularly beautiful when illuminated at night. Its entrance features a remaining obelisk (the twin stands in the Place de la Concorde in Paris), colossal statues of Ramesses II and a Roman chapel built inside the ancient walls. Breakfast on board. Disembark after the Luxor Temple visit. Your guide transfers you to Luxor airport or train station. Optional extension: fly to Cairo for the Pyramids and Grand Egyptian Museum, or add 3 nights at the Red Sea. Meals: Breakfast

Arrive at Luxor airport or train station. Private transfer to the cruise ship for embarkation. Settle into your cabin and have lunch on board.

Afternoon: visit Karnak Temple — the largest ancient religious complex ever built, covering 100 hectares. Highlights include the Great Hypostyle Hall (134 massive columns, some 21 metres tall), the Sacred Lake, the Avenue of Ram-headed Sphinxes and the sanctuary of Amun Ra built over 2,000 years by successive pharaohs from the Middle Kingdom to the Ptolemaic period.

Evening: visit Luxor Temple — built by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II on the east bank. Spectacular when illuminated after dark. The entrance obelisk, colossal statues and inner colonnade are among the finest surviving examples of New Kingdom architecture.

Welcome dinner on board. The ship sails south overnight.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Optional: hot air balloon at sunrise over the Valley of the Kings (+$120 pp — must be pre-booked the evening before).

Visit the Valley of the Kings — the royal necropolis of the New Kingdom pharaohs. Choose 3 tombs from 65 available. The walls are covered in detailed paintings from the Book of the Dead guiding the pharaoh through the underworld. Tomb of Tutankhamun requires a separate ticket (+$25 pp).

Visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari — three colonnaded terraces carved into the cliff face, one of the most elegant temples in Egypt.

Visit the Colossi of Memnon — two 18-metre quartzite statues that once marked the entrance to the largest mortuary temple ever built in Egypt.

Afternoon: sail south through the Esna Lock. Nubian show on board in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Morning: visit the Temple of Edfu — dedicated to the falcon god Horus, this is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt. Its towering pylons, colonnaded halls and intact sanctuary have survived over 2,000 years. The walls are covered in hieroglyphic texts describing the Myth of Horus and the eternal battle between good and evil.

Sail south to Kom Ombo. Afternoon: visit Kom Ombo Temple — the unique double temple dedicated simultaneously to Sobek (crocodile god of fertility) and Haroeris (the elder Horus). The symmetrical design means every hall, column and sanctuary is doubled. The adjacent Crocodile Museum displays over 300 mummified crocodiles with golden death masks.

Galabeya party on board in the evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Arrive Aswan. Morning: visit Philae Temple — the island temple of the goddess Isis, reached by a short motorboat ride across the Nile. Relocated stone-by-stone to its current island during the 1970s UNESCO rescue campaign. Its columns, painted ceilings and Nilometer are among the finest in Egypt.

Visit the Aswan High Dam — completed in 1971, this 3.8-kilometre dam created Lake Nasser (the world's largest man-made lake) and transformed Egypt's agricultural and electrical capacity.

Visit the Unfinished Obelisk — still attached to the bedrock in the ancient quarry, showing clearly how ancient Egyptians shaped and separated enormous granite monoliths using wooden wedges and water.

Optional: sunset felucca ride on the Nile around Elephantine Island and Kitchener's Island (+$25 pp).

Farewell dinner on board.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast on board. Disembark after breakfast and private transfer to Aswan airport or train station.

Optional: Abu Simbel day trip from Aswan on this morning (+$180 pp — departs 4:00am, returns by 1:00pm — must be pre-booked).

Optional extension: continue with a Lake Nasser cruise to Abu Simbel, or add Cairo and the Pyramids to your trip.

Meals: Breakfast