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See the glories of Egypt

An illustrated itinerary of one of our many gay travel adventures. This information supplements our
shorter Overview of The Nile in Style.

From our comfortable home on the Nile, explore the riches of antiquity as you experience a leisurely cruise through the land of the pharaohs and visit the famous sites to explore their treasures.

1-3: Cairo

We arrive at Cairo Airport at noon local time, if flying on Egyptair from New York, and drive across the Nile. We stay three nights at the lovely Mena House Oberoi Hotel with its attractive gardens, terraces and fine restaurants, overlooking the grand pyramids at Giza. We will enjoy a reception and our Welcome Dinner at our hotel as we begin our journey into Egyptian history and culture.

The next morning after breakfast, we drive to nearby Giza, its landscape dominated by the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mycerius, and by the Sphinx. For those who are not claustrophobic, exploring inside one of the pyramids is an awesome experience. We also inspect the beautifully restored solar boat of King Chephren and enter the Valley Temple in which the mummified body of the king rested before being interred in his pyramid.

The next day we enter the bustle of Cairo, the greatest metropolis of the Middle East, to explore highlights of Islamic Cairo. Luncheon is at the Felfela restaurant in downtown Cairo and in the afternoon we tour the Egyptian Museum, including the fabulous jewels of King Tutankhamon. Our Cairo tour will include the alabaster Mohammed Ali Mosque on the Citadel overlooking the modern downtown, and the rarely-visited Gayer-Anderson House, the former home of Great Britain's last pasha.

One evening, we will attend the spectacular Sound and Light performance at Giza, unforgettably set against the backdrop of the three great pyramids and the Sphinx.

4: Aswan

After checking out from our Cairo hotel, we fly to Aswan, where we drive to the harbor and embark on the ss Karim for our 7-night cruise, with full breakfast, luncheon, afternoon tea and dinner daily.

5-9: Cruising the Nile

During our week's cruise we enjoy our ship's amenities and the ever-changing river scenery of palm trees, rolling hills, golden sand dunes and cultivated land. We'll pass several villages where, from the ship's sundecks, we can view the activities on the riverbank. There are also splendid opportunities for bird watching. The captain will decide on the exact order and timing of our shore visits, but during the week we will go ashore to visit the temples of Kom Ombo, Esna, Edfu, Karnak and Dendera, and the pyramid of El Kula.

In the temple of Kom Ombo, we inspect the Roman double temple dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and to Haroeris, a form of the sun god. This temple is most picturesquely sited on the riverbank.

Another stop is Esna, where we visit the temple of Khnum, the creator god; and then Edfu, where we drive in horse-drawn carriages to the enormous and best preserved temple in upper Egypt, dedicated to Horus, the sacred falcon god.

A highlight will be anchoring near the village of Nag' el Mamariya and walking past fields and palm groves to the curious small pyramid of El Kûla. It uniquely has its corners, not its sides, oriented to the cardinal points of the compass. But while the pyramid is what draws us to this particular village, it is the experience of witnessing daily life in a village that rarely sees tourists that is the abiding memory for most travelers here. (There is no Nile pier at this village, so only our small ship is able to get close enough to shore to put out a plank for stepping ashore.)

During one recent trip we observed a mother selling freshly baked bread from a blanket in front of her home, young boys on donkeys following us on the path and practicing their very limited English, and the mayor in his distinguished robes shooing away the youngest children to make sure no-one begged from their honorable visitors. Contrary to stereotypes, it was also fascinating to see the variety of clothing on both adults and children in this, the most conservative town we visited along the River. Some girls and women wore modest headscarves (usually in very stylish colors!), but others wore western clothes and did not cover their heads. Likewise, while many of the boys and men wore the traditional gallabiya robes, others wore button-down shirts and blue jeans.

Our ship will anchor for two days at Luxor, the modern name for ancient Thebes, once the capital of Egypt, which consists of two cities lying on the west and east banks of the Nile.

Here we cross to Western Thebes early in the morning for a busy day of sightseeing, starting with the Tombs of the Nobles where their custodians hold up mirrors to throw light onto walls painted with amazingly bright, lively scenes of everyday life in Egypt 3000 years ago. We drive on to the grand Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and then to the Valley of the Kings.

For those tour members who would enjoy an hour's hike, we recommend the dramatic cliff path: you will be rewarded by a magnificent panorama of the Nile valley below, revealing the narrow green, cultivated strip of fields and the surrounding desert. Hikers will rejoin the rest of our group in the Valley of the Kings and then inspect several of the tombs, including that of Tutankhamon.

A typically Egyptian luncheon is provided on the terrace of the inn near Medinet Habu. In the afternoon we stop to see the two vast Colossi of Memnon and the Ramesseum, then return to the ss Karim. In the evening, we enjoy the sound and light show at the magnificent Karnak Temple. Each "act" of the show is performed in a different part of the temple, with the audience walking from place to place.

From Luxor we travel by bus to the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor at Dendera. This is one of the best preserved of Egypt's ancient temples, built in the 1st Century B.C. on the site of an earlier Old Kingdom temple. Columns with capitals bearing heads of Hathor support the large Hypostyle Hall. Of special interest are staircases that lead onto the roof, where we find several chapels, one with a famous zodiac ceiling, and a kiosk that is a shrine to Osiris. On the south outside wall of the temple are large reliefs, including one depicting Cleopatra, and said by many to be a true portrait of the queen with Caesarion, her son by Julius Caesar. Because Dendera is 30 miles beyond Luxor, most tourists do not visit there, so we are more likely to tour the temple in the company of inquisitive school children and students from nearby colleges.

After lunch back on the ship, we visit Eastern Thebes with its immense Temple of Karnak, the largest religious building in the world. Ancient Egyptians came to present petitions at more than twenty sites within the temple complex, the most impressive being the vast Hypostyle Hall of Seti I. It has been said that the pyramids are more stupendous, the Coliseum in Rome covers more ground, and the Parthenon of Athens is more serene, but for sheer majesty, this hall with its gigantic columns exceeds them all. It is truly one of the wonders of the world.

We also visit the ruins of the impressive Temple of Luxor before returning to the ship. During dinner we will sail back upstream to Esna where after waiting our turn, the ss Karim is raised through a lock some forty feet to the upper level of the river.

10: Aswan

We reach Aswan in the morning for a restful day in this enchanting town with its near-perfect, dry climate, and amazing texture of light. You may wish to stroll through the bazaar where Nubian spices, handicrafts and charms are for sale and where gallabiya outfits are custom-made overnight.

During the day we will board a traditional boat called a felucca, then tack across the river under a billowing white sail to see the abandoned 6th Century Coptic monastery of Saint Simeon, and the fine Aswan Botanic Garden on Kitchener Island. During our final evening on the ship, Nubian dancers and musicians come on board to entertain us, with one turning into a whirling dervish, who spins fast and continuously for more than 10 minutes!

11: To Cairo or Begin Extension

Those not participating in the Aswan Extension will disembark from the ss Karim today, then drive to the Aswan Airport for a flight to Cairo. Rooms will be reserved at a hotel near the airport until flight time, whether in the evening or the next morning. Depending on the arrival time in Cairo, you may have time for some last sightseeing in the city.

Members of the optional extension will check in at Aswan's famous Old Cataract Hotel today (pending availability). From its terrace, you can sip tea while gazing out at the rich orange dunes across the river, the white sails of the feluccas, the lush green island in the middle of the river, the brown water of the river, and the luxuriant bougainvillea and other flowers in the gardens and around the swimming pool.

12: Abu Simbel and Philae Temple

Those not taking part in the Aswan extension will fly home from Cairo today.

Those on the extension will take a morning 30-minute flight to Abu Simbel to view the rock tombs that were raised from the riverbank so they would not be inundated as Lake Nasser filled up behind the High Dam. They rank among the most stupendous monuments of ancient Egypt and mark the most southern extent of the kingdom of the Pharaoh Rameses II.

During our stay in Aswan, we will also make a brief stop at the High Aswan Dam, and take a small motorboat to the island of Philae with its graceful temples. For many years they were submerged, but have now been raised and re-assembled on the Nile above the Old Aswan Dam. The rest of the day is free to enjoy your last day in Upper Egypt, in our legendary hotel or shopping in the bazaar.

13: Aswan to Cairo

We check out of the Old Cataract Hotel after breakfast, then drive to the Aswan Airport for our flight to Cairo. We transfer to a hotel near the airport where rooms are reserved until late evening or early morning, depending on your departure times. Depending on the time of our arrival in Cairo, we may visit Cairo's famous Khan-el-Khalili bazaar, then have dinner together before our departures for home or for the Siwa Oasis.

14: Departure Day or Start Siwa Extension

Those of us on Egyptair to New York transfer to the airport for our 9:00 AM nonstop flight, which arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in mid-afternoon. After clearing US Immigration and Customs, tour members with destinations in other parts of North America may make suitable connections. (Please confirm flight times with us before making onward reservations.)

Those joining the Siwa Extension (only offered for selected Nile in Style departures) will depart from our hotel near Cairo Airport and head west into the desert toward Siwa today.

Because of the remote and unique nature of this excursion, the itinerary is subject to change, but following is the planned itinerary for the Siwa extension:

Days 1 and 2: Nine hour drive from Cairo to Siwa, with an overnight stop at a seaside resort near El Alamein.

Days 3 and 4: Daily explorations of the village of Shali, surrounding archeological sites, and the lush countryside of the oasis.

Day 5: Drive from Siwa back along the coast to Alexandria, where we stay for two nights.

Day 6: Explore the antiquities of Alexandria, including the National Museum with artifacts from the ancient library and the lighthouse, Pompey's Pillar, Roman catacombs, and the Montazah Gardens.

Day 7: In the afternoon, drive from Alexandria to our hotel near Cairo Airport, so flights can be booked for the night of Day 7 or on Day 8.

Day 8: Departure day for home.

15-21: Siwa Extension

Our journey takes us to one of the most isolated of Egypt's oases in the vast Western Desert, 300 miles from the Nile. Siwa was celebrated in antiquity for its Temple of the god Ammon, to which people from all over the Mediterranean region, Asia, and Africa traveled to consult its oracle. Alexander the Great visited it in 331 BC, guided across the desert by crows, and the temple priests crowned him with the rams' horns of Ammon. We will explore the temple as well as many historical sites. We will also ride into the desert to watch sunset over the majestic sands and experience a culture practically unknown to modern travelers.

The oasis is extremely fertile and its 300,000 date palms and extensive olive groves and fruit orchards have made its inhabitants prosperous. The main town, Shali, used to be fortified, and the oasis tribe of warriors, the zaggala—their name means “club bearer” in the Siwa language—defended it against desert raiders.

For many centuries, it has been the custom that these stalwart men may not reside in town and may not marry until the age of forty, and they live a carefree bachelor life with each other in the palm groves, cultivating the dates and olives. Scholarly reports from the early 20th century describe some of the rituals and customs of these men, including much drinking of loubki, the highly intoxicating liquor made from the hearts of palm trees, and boisterous dances and songs. Since the 1940s the prudish Egyptian authorities have forbidden these uninhibited ceremonies (which are reputed to continue in secrecy) but the oasis still is an all male enclave: all the staff in the hotels, restaurants, cafes, shops and offices are men, most of them wearing the traditional gallabiya robes, and all are extremely courteous and polite to strangers. Women are sequestered in their houses and only rarely does one glimpse a female figure shrouded from head to feet in a blue cotton tarfottet. Even the donkeys that draw the oasis' hundreds of ubiquitous two-wheeled carts are all male!

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