Ancient Wonders of Egypt and the Arabian Kingdom

Rise before dawn for one of the most extraordinary experiences in Egypt: an optional hot air balloon ride over Luxor’s legendary West Bank, launching at 4:30 AM. As you ascend gently into the still morning air, the first golden light of sunrise illuminates the patchwork of emerald fields, desert plateaus, and ancient monuments stretching out below you — a breathtaking panorama that no photograph can fully capture.
After landing, your day continues with a guided visit to the iconic Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone sentinels standing guard over the plains. From there, explore the extraordinary Hatshepsut Temple, the mortuary masterpiece of Egypt’s most celebrated female pharaoh, carved dramatically into a cliff face at Deir el-Bahari. The day’s highlight arrives with a visit to the Valley of the Kings — the vast royal necropolis where Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Seti I, and dozens of other great pharaohs were laid to rest amid elaborately painted tombs. Afterwards, your cruise sets sail south towards Esna, carrying you gently into the heartland of ancient Upper Egypt as you enjoy a well-earned dinner onboard.
Overnight: On board 5-star Nile Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Begin the day with a leisurely breakfast onboard as the Nile slides past green sugarcane fields and golden desert cliffs. You dock at Edfu to visit one of the most remarkably preserved temples in all of Egypt — the magnificent Temple of Horus, dedicated to the falcon-headed sky god. Built during the Ptolemaic period, this vast sandstone monument is in astonishingly complete condition, its towering pylons, richly carved corridors, and inner sanctuaries offering an unrivalled window into ancient Egyptian religion and architecture. Marvel at the enormous statue of Horus in falcon form standing at the entrance.
Rejoining the cruise for a delicious lunch, you sail further south to Kom Ombo, where an unusual double temple awaits — uniquely dedicated to two deities simultaneously: Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility and protection, and Horus the Elder. The temple sits dramatically on a bend in the Nile, and its twin colonnaded halls, each a mirror of the other, are richly decorated with intricate reliefs. A small onsite museum houses genuine mummified crocodiles excavated nearby. As evening falls, the cruise continues towards Aswan for a restful night onboard with dinner under the stars.
Overnight: On board 5-star Nile Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After a relaxed breakfast onboard, step ashore to discover the wonders of Aswan, one of Egypt’s most atmospheric and historically layered cities. Your first destination is the sublime Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis and reassembled on its present island after being carefully dismantled and relocated above the rising waters of Lake Nasser — a remarkable feat of modern engineering in service of ancient heritage. Arriving by motorboat, you will find the temple’s colonnaded courtyards and reliefs simply breathtaking.
Next, visit the Aswan High Dam, an engineering marvel completed in 1971 that fundamentally transformed Egypt’s economy and landscape by controlling the Nile’s floods and generating vast amounts of hydroelectric power. Appreciate the scale and ambition of this twentieth-century achievement before continuing to the Unfinished Obelisk — an awe-inspiring monument abandoned mid-carving in its granite quarry, still attached to the bedrock. At nearly 42 metres in length and weighing an estimated 1,168 tonnes, it would have been the largest obelisk ever erected, and the visible chisel marks and ancient tools offer a fascinating glimpse into the working methods of ancient Egyptian stonemasons. Return to the cruise for lunch and dinner.
Overnight: On board 5-star Nile Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Following a nourishing breakfast onboard, today offers two spectacular optional excursions to choose between, each offering a profoundly different but equally rewarding experience. For those drawn to living culture, a visit to a traditional Nubian Village provides an intimate and joyful encounter with the Nubian people — one of Africa’s oldest civilisations, with a rich artistic heritage expressed through vibrantly painted homes, handcrafted jewellery, and warm hospitality. Learn about their history, customs, and the resilience of a community that was relocated when the High Dam was built.
Alternatively, embark on the unforgettable journey to the Temple of Abu Simbel — one of the most dramatic ancient sites in the world. Carved directly into the mountainside under the reign of Ramses II, the temple’s façade is guarded by four colossal seated statues of the pharaoh, each over 20 metres tall, their serene expressions gazing across the desert for over three thousand years. The adjacent smaller temple, dedicated to Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor, is equally moving. Like Philae, these temples were painstakingly relocated in the 1960s to save them from Lake Nasser’s rising waters. Return to the cruise for a memorable dinner.
Overnight: On board 5-star Nile Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is entirely yours to simply breathe, unwind, and absorb the extraordinary landscape slipping past as the cruise gently retraces its route northward from Aswan back towards Luxor. There is nowhere to rush and nothing to tick off — just the quiet magic of the world’s longest river and the ever-changing panorama of its banks.
Settle into a sun lounger on deck and watch farmers tending their crops in ancient rhythms unchanged for centuries, as water buffaloes wade through the shallows and white egrets wheel overhead. Pick up a book in the onboard lounge, enjoy a long lunch with a glass of something cold, or take the opportunity to chat with fellow travellers and compare notes from the days’ adventures. Many guests find this sailing day among the most treasured memories of the entire journey — a rare, unhurried interlude in a busy world. As the afternoon light turns amber and the minarets of distant villages catch the fading sun, the Nile offers a profound sense of stillness and timelessness. A three-course dinner onboard brings the day to a satisfying and comfortable close, with Luxor drawing nearer through the night.
Overnight: On board 5-star Nile Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Your final full day on the Nile returns you to Luxor’s East Bank — the city of the living, as the ancient Egyptians conceived it — for an exploration of its extraordinary temple complexes. Begin with the incomparable Karnak Temple, the largest religious building complex ever constructed by human hands. A succession of pharaohs expanded and embellished this vast sacred precinct over more than two millennia, and walking its processional avenues of ram-headed sphinxes, through the Hypostyle Hall’s 134 colossal columns, and past sacred lakes and obelisks, is an experience that defies the imagination.
In the afternoon, visit the elegant Luxor Temple, situated right in the heart of the modern city, its great court and granite statues of Ramses the Great still commanding in their grandeur after three thousand years. As the day draws to a close, you also have the option of a vibrant shopping excursion through Luxor’s lively tourist bazaar, where stalls overflow with hand-carved alabaster, papyrus paintings, spice sachets, natural perfumes, and colourful textiles — ideal for gifts and mementos. The evening brings a final celebratory dinner onboard the Nile Cruise, a chance to reflect on the extraordinary journey you have shared.
Overnight: On board 5-star Nile Cruise
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning marks the transition from the ancient world of the Nile to the dynamic modern heartland of Saudi Arabia. After enjoying a final breakfast onboard your beloved Nile Cruise, bid farewell to your floating home and the remarkable river that has carried you through millennia of history. Your transfer to Luxor International Airport will be arranged, and our representatives will ensure the process is smooth and stress-free.
The flight to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, signals the beginning of a very different but equally compelling chapter of your journey. As you cross from Africa into the Arabian Peninsula, you will be moving from one of the world’s oldest civilisations into one of its most rapidly evolving modern states — a country that is actively rediscovering and celebrating its own remarkable ancient heritage while simultaneously building one of the world’s most ambitious economies and cultural visions. Upon arrival in Riyadh, our representative will meet you in the arrivals hall and transfer you efficiently and comfortably to your hotel, where you can check in, freshen up, and prepare for the days of discovery that await you in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Overnight: at Hotel in Saudi Arabia
Meals: Breakfast

Depending on your flight schedule, today may be primarily a day of arrival, transfer, and gentle orientation in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia’s capital is a city of striking contrasts and surprising depth — its gleaming skyscrapers and sweeping eight-lane highways mask a historic core that stretches back centuries, and its cultural life is currently undergoing a remarkable and genuine renaissance.

Upon anding at King Khalid International Airport, our representative will meet you in the arrivals hall and escort you to a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle for the drive into the city. Riyadh sits on the edge of the Najd plateau, and the vast desert landscape surrounding it immediately conveys a sense of the Arabian Peninsula’s scale and drama. Check in to your hotel and take some time to rest and reorient after your travels. If you arrive with energy to spare, the hotel concierge can suggest nearby cafes, restaurants, and walkable areas to begin your first gentle encounter with this extraordinary city. The evening is entirely at your leisure — perhaps a quiet walk, an excellent Saudi dinner at a local restaurant, and an early night in preparation for tomorrow’s full programme of exploration through Riyadh’s history and heritage.
Overnight: at Hotel in Riyadh
Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel, step into the rich tapestry of Riyadh’s history and culture. Your first destination is the vibrant Dirah Souq, an atmospheric traditional market in the old city quarter where the air is thick with the scent of sandalwood and oud. Browse stalls piled high with antique carpets, Saudi daggers, intricate silverware, and treasured pieces of cultural heritage — a world away from the city’s gleaming malls.
Nearby, the formidable Masmak Fort commands the landscape as both a symbol and a story. Built of mud-brick and gypsum, this restored nineteenth-century fortress was the site of the legendary 1902 raid by Abdulaziz ibn Saud, which recaptured Riyadh and set in motion the founding of the modern Saudi state. The fort’s museum is superb. After a leisurely lunch, your afternoon takes you to the extraordinary UNESCO-listed site of Ad-Diriyah, on the outskirts of the city. This was the birthplace and spiritual capital of the first Saudi Kingdom, and its At-Turaif district is a stunning complex of Najdi-style mudbrick palaces and mosques. Currently undergoing sensitive and ambitious restoration, Ad-Diriyah offers a profound sense of the deep roots of Saudi identity before you return to the hotel for the evening.
Overnight: at Hotel in Riyadh
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After a final breakfast at your Riyadh hotel, check out and transfer to King Khalid International Airport for your flight to AlUla — one of the most extraordinary and least-visited heritage destinations on the planet, now opening its arms to the world after centuries of quiet isolation. The short flight carries you northwest across the Arabian Peninsula, and from the air the scale of AlUla’s dramatic valley and sandstone escarpments is immediately evident.
Upon arrival, complete immigration formalities and meet your representative for the transfer into town. Your afternoon introduction to AlUla begins with the Old Town Tour, led by a Rawi — a traditional Arabic storyteller and guide whose role is as much keeper of oral memory as historical interpreter. Wander through the haunting remnants of AlUla’s former settlement, inhabited continuously from the twelfth century until the early 1980s when residents relocated to the modern town nearby. Its 900 houses and 500 shops, built from stone and mudbrick over countless generations, now stand in dignified silence, the narrow lanes still carrying whispers of the pilgrims, merchants, and settlers who once thronged them. AlUla Castle, dating to the tenth century, crowns the settlement with quiet authority. Check in to your hotel to rest before tomorrow’s ancient wonders.
Overnight: at Hotel in AL ULA
Meals: Breakfast

Today is a full immersion into AlUla’s staggering archaeological and natural heritage. Begin with a visit to Hegra — Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and the southernmost major city of the great Nabataean civilisation, the same people who built the legendary rose-red city of Petra in Jordan. Here, more than 110 monumental tombs have been carved with breathtaking precision into the sheer faces of massive golden sandstone outcrops, their ornate facades adorned with eagles, Medusa heads, and intricate inscriptions dating back over two thousand years. The scale and artistry of the site are genuinely staggering.
After lunch, explore the Dadanite and Lihyanite ruins — remnants of two ancient kingdoms that flourished here long before the Nabataeans arrived, contributing layers of history to this remarkable valley. A short bus ride brings you to Jabal Ikmah, a spectacular open-air library of rock inscriptions, petroglyphs, and ancient rock art covering an entire canyon face in texts from multiple civilisations across thousands of years. As the sun begins its descent and the sandstone glows amber and copper, make your final stop at Jebel Al-Fil — Elephant Rock — a towering natural monolith shaped uncannily by millions of years of wind erosion into the silhouette of a great elephant. It is the perfect, unforgettable finale to a day of wonders.
Overnight: at Hotel in AL ULA
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast and check-out from your AlUla hotel, take a last lingering look at that extraordinary landscape of sandstone cliffs and golden desert before transferring to AlUla Regional Airport for your onward flight to Jeddah — Saudi Arabia’s cosmopolitan gateway city on the shores of the Red Sea. The contrast could hardly be more dramatic: from the serene silence of the ancient desert to one of the Arab world’s most vibrant, creative, and commercially energetic cities.
Jeddah has been a crossroads of the world for well over a thousand years, serving as the principal port of entry for Muslim pilgrims travelling to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and consequently accumulating a layered cultural richness that sets it apart from other Saudi cities. Merchants from across Arabia, Africa, India, and the Ottoman Empire settled here over the centuries, and their legacy is woven into the architecture, cuisine, and character of the city. Upon arrival at King Abdulaziz International Airport, our representative will greet you and transfer you to your hotel. The rest of the afternoon and evening are yours to explore at leisure — perhaps a stroll along the Corniche to catch your first views of the Red Sea, or an early dinner in the old city, letting Jeddah’s warmth and energy wash gently over you.
Overnight: at Hotel in Jeddah
Meals: Breakfast

Your day begins with breakfast at the hotel before heading into the heart of old Jeddah for a guided walking tour of Al-Balad — the city’s historic centre and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right. Narrow alleyways wind between towering merchant houses whose overhanging Rawasheen screens of intricately carved wood filter the light into patterns of astonishing delicacy. Your knowledgeable guide brings to life the history of each street, pointing out the hidden gems of the Old Market, local galleries, and the aromas and flavours of authentic Hijazi cuisine.
Stand before Beit Nassif, the extraordinary five-storey mansion that once housed the city’s most powerful merchant family and later welcomed Saudi Arabia’s founder as a guest — its famous old neem tree, growing through the building itself, has become a symbol of the city. Visit the Old Gold Market on Gabel Street and the historic Ukash Mosque before emerging for a drive along Jeddah’s celebrated Corniche, the sweeping coastal boulevard where the world’s tallest fountain, King Fahd’s Fountain, launches its jet of water nearly 300 metres into the sky above the Red Sea. The afternoon takes in the atmospheric House of Islamic Art Museum and the lively Jeddah Waterfront. Return to the hotel for a peaceful final evening.
Overnight: at Hotel in Jeddah
Meals: Breakfast

Your final morning dawns in Jeddah. Enjoy a relaxed and unhurried breakfast at the hotel, savouring the last flavours of this remarkable region: perhaps fresh Arabic bread with honey and labneh, a glass of sweet tea, or a rich Saudi coffee scented with cardamom and saffron. Allow yourself a few quiet minutes to gather your thoughts and your memories.
Check out of the hotel at the appointed time, and our representative will arrange your transfer to King Abdulaziz International Airport in comfortable, air-conditioned transport.
Meals: Breakfast