Tour Itinerary

Direct flights are available with Thomson's every Wednesday from Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester. (Not included in holiday price)

Our itinerary is designed to maximise your enjoyment and enable you to see as much of the history, culture and beauty of the Nile in the time we have available. However should you wish to design your own unique schedule we will do our utmost to accommodate you.

We are aware that not everyone in your group may want to visit every place of interest, THATS OK. We are an individual travel company that caters for individuals! We will offer all of our guests the best options to see the antiquities of the Nile but we understand that some will at times want to languish in the luxury of travel as it was in days gone by; away from the madding crowd, or just disembark and do your own thing. Should you wish to participate in our escorted tours all entrance fees, tipping and the service of your tour guide are included.

DAY 1 Morning flight direct to Luxor. On Arrival you will be met by our representative who will arrange for your bags to be tagged and taken directly to your Cabin on the ship. You then board our luxury air conditioned coach and enjoy refreshments from the onboard bar as you are driven through Luxor and on to Esna. There you will join the Princess Donia and be met by Captain Hassan and his crew. Join us for cocktails on the upper deck hosted by Abdul our English speaking tour guide who will be happy to discuss your exciting week ahead and answer any questions you may have. Dinner will be served around 9pm.

Day 2 Awake and breakfast at your leisure. The princess Donia will set sail at 8am and your magical, mystical tour of the Nile begins! Lunch will be served on the upper deck* with time to relax and view life on the Nile as we sail towards Edfu. En-route (optional) we will make a brief stop for an escorted tour of El Kab temple, a trip not possible on the larger cruise ships. You will return on board to continue our journey up the Nile. In the evening Captain Hassan will moor The Princess Donia on the banks of the Nile, beside a village or in the enchanting countryside. Be Mesmerised by the most beautiful sunset that gives way to a sky full of stars.

DAY 3 Whilst sleeping we gently sailed into Edfu; enjoy breakfast, meanwhile we will arrange a kalaash (horse and carriage) for passengers wishing to make the journey to Edfu Temple, one of the largest and most intact of Egypt's monuments. Two beautiful granite statues of the Falcon God Horus flank the entrance. After your visit to the temple, either ride or walk through the bazaar, this is an extensive bazaar where you can barter for souvenirs, spices and perfumes. We will set sail at 12 noon for our private island "El Fouza" where we will disembark for a barbeque lunch. After lunch you can relax as we sail to Gebel el Silsila, another of our less frequented destinations. You will be amazed as we tie up alongside the Speos of Hormheb. If possible dinner will be served in the grounds of the illuminated temple or on the upper deck of The Princess Donia whilst soaking up the tranquil atmosphere with music to match the mood.

DAY 4 Breakfast at your leisure as we sail into Kom Ombo. Listen to the sounds of the water buffalo as they wade in the shallow water besides the banks of the Nile, the Donkeys as they go about their day to day business and the various bird life of the river. We have arranged a visit to the Greco Roman Temple at Kom Ombo. The temple building is totally symmetrical with two entrance's two halls and two sanctuaries dedicated to the Falcon God Haroeris (Horus the Elder) and the Crocodile God Sobek. Lunch will be served as we head for a small island where we will moor for the evening and enjoy dinner at this atmospheric location.

DAY 5 Enjoy the privilege of luxury as we sail to Aswan, the gateway to Nubia and the Sudan. The highlights for today will be a visit to the Temple of Philea and the Aswan Dam. The Aswan Dam was constructed in the 1960's. This masterpiece of engineering has brought stability to the agricultural year, keeping at bay the annual flooding of the Nile and creating Lake Nassar the vast inland sea that now occupies a large part of ancient Nubia. The rest of the day and evening will be at your leisure. Be sure to be back in time for our EGYPTIAN EVENING OF FUN, with Egyptian cuisine, Belly Dancer and Arabic Music. Dress in your bespoke Gallabeyah, our gift to you.

DAY 6 Today we start our return journey. After the frivolity of last evening it will be a welcome opportunity to relax, sunbathe, read or just enjoy the nostalgia and the slow pace of life these beautifully crafted ships have to offer. Take care to appreciate the landscape and meditate on the wonders of the Nile. Meanwhile acquaint yourself with the crime; the crime is murder, but whodunit? In true Agatha Christie style there will be murder on the Nile but which one of your fellow guests is the Murderer, and remember you could be the next victim! So sharpen your wits and solve the crime before daring to retire to bed.

Day 7 After breakfast your air conditioned coach will be waiting to escort you to the West Bank of the Nile. Abdul will take you on a Trail of Discovery of perhaps the greatest of all civilisations including the famous Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Deir el Medina (Workman's Village) and the magnificent Queen Hapshepsuts Temple. We will enjoy a picnic lunch and our tour ends at the colossi of Memnom before returning back to the ship to relax and prepare for our Gala Dinner ( for the ladies a hairdresser will be on board to provide a little extra pampering) which will commence with cocktails/champagne in the Salon at 7.30pm. Dinner will be served on the upper deck* at 8.15. This will be an evening to remember with the ambience and service of days gone by when the gentry dressed for dinner and good manners prevailed!

FINAL Day After breakfast, we bid farewell to Captain Hassan and the crew. Your luggage will be collected and stored on the coach before setting off for the city of Luxor.  Arrangements have been made at a 5 star hotel for those who want to relax around the pool. Escorted tours will be available to Luxor Temple, Karnak and the Luxor Museum. Lunch will be provided at the hotel and the coach will collect you from the hotel for the short drive to Luxor airport. Have a safe journey home and please come back and see us soon!

Lee Allan

* Weather permitting

** Tours subject to availability

For urgent enquiries go to "contact us"