Sonesta Dahabiya, the latest addition to the Sonesta Nile Cruises portfolio, combines comfort and beauty in a most inspiring way, promising a remarkable, rewarding cruise experience of legendary hospitality.

The Sonesta Dahabiya will take you back in time to a gentler, more gracious era in a 7-night cruise experience between Luxor and Aswan. A unique experience down the Nile by traditional small sailing vessel that was commonly used during those elegant days of the monarchy (1920s - 40s) when aristocrats and sophisticated travellers loved to cruise the Nile in style. We've revived those elegant days with modern comforts and conveniences.

Being part of the Sonesta Nile Cruise's high-scale brand portfolio of deluxe service Nile cruisers, facilities aboard the Sonesta Dahabiya are endless, including a stylish lounge, an open-air oriental style jacuzzi, a spacious and partially shaded sundeck.

Offering 5 deluxe cabins and 2 elegant suites (with private terrace), Dahabiya allows you to experience an imaginary world of luxury and privacy. All cabins and suites feature private direct-dial telephones, individual climate control. hairdryers, mini-bars, safety deposit boxes, plasma TVs and movie programs.

Sonesta Dahabiya : LUXOR to ASWAN Itinerary - Add Cairo stay and Abu Simbel

Day 1: Saturday - Luxor (or Aswan)
Transfer is included in Luxor from : Your hotel or Luxor Airport ( Please advise your arrival details)
Private Chauffeur. Private air-conditioned vehicle for your transfer.
Embarkation in Luxor for a relaxing week sailing the Nile on a luxuriously appointed dahabiya.
Today we visit the magnificent temple complex of Amon-Ra at Karnak, with its vast hypostyle hall of 137 columns, followed by the imposing 28 th Dynasty Luxor Temple, and Luxor Museum , then on to : Deir El Medinah is on Luxor's west bank you get a totally different perspective on ancient Egyptian life, at the ancient workers' settlement of Deir el-Medinah. While most of the imposing stone monuments and sites of Egypt honor the lives and after-lives of royalty, Deir el-Medinah gives us unique and surprising insights into the ordinary citizens who constructed and decorated the tombs.

Here we'll see the excavated homes shared by laborers with their domestic animals. These quarters were surprisingly large, with three good-sized rooms, courtyard, kitchen, and even storage cellars. While ancient Egypt might not have been a workers' paradise, we'll see that artisans and builders were highly regarded in their community. We are proud to be the only operator to offer regular visits to this singular ancient settlement in its tour and cruise programs. If you wish to add a very unique experience of touring the only fully restored royal tomb of Her Majest Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramses the Great , pleade click here.

Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur
Overnight moored on the Nile banks of Luxor.
Evening Sound and Light show at Karnak . Please bring a jacket.
Cabin amenity for tonight : A fruit basket awaits you in your cabin with our compliments.

Day 2: Sunday
Today we head to the West Bank for visits to the burial places of the Pharaohs - the Valley of the Kings - where Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. Continue to the adjacent Valley of the Queens, the temple of Medinet Habu , the Ramesseum and the Colossi of Memnon
In the evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Luxor souks and water front. Overnight moored in Luxor.
Cabin amenity for tonight : Kartouches with your names in Hieroglyphic with our compliments. Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur

Day 3: Monday - We Include the Tour to Esna Temple .
Today will be a leisurely day. After breakfast, we sail to Esna, go through Esna Locks .
Private guide to visit Esna Temple . Cabin amenity for tonight : Egyptian sweets platter . With our compliments.
Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur

Day 4: Tuesday - On Board Your Nile Cruise
This morning you will sail to Edfu to visit the wonderfully preserved Temple of Edfu.
Overnight moored beside a Nile island. Cabin amenity for tonight : Galabya ( the local flowing traditional garb) ,with our compliments. Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur

Day 5: Wednesday- On Board Your Nile Cruise
Today you will sail to Kom Ombo visit see the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon-headed Horus, god of the morning sun.
Overnight moored beside a Nile island. Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur

Day 6: Thursday - Aswan - Soheil Island
A leisurely day sailing to Aswan where the dahabiya moors overnight. Upon arrival we invite our interested guests to a short camel ride to a nearby Nubian Village, time permitting we may be able to go to Soheil Island. In the evening your guide will call on you for a horse-drawn carriage ride throughout Aswan souks and waterfront. Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur

Day 7: Friday - Aswan
Today you will visit the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1971); the Old Dam (completed in 1902). You will also visit the Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, a structure rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser at the time of the High Dam's construction . We tour the Nubian Museum before heading back to the Sonesta dahabiya .

For nature lovers we include a tour of the Botanical Garden Island in Aswan ( while others will simply have you sail around the island without setting foot on it !), then we go on to Gharb Sehail and tour some of the mini nature protected Islands in the middle of the Nile with sandy beaches and beautiful rare plants .

Evening Sound and Light show at Philae Temple .Private Egyptologist. Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle-Private Chauffeur

Day 8: Saturday - Aswan
Breakfast aboard the dahabiya and check-out. We’ll disembark at Aswan after breakfast. You’ll continue your travel homeward, or perhaps you’ll choose to linger for a few days where royalty have traditionally spent a winter in the fine, dry climate amid splendid dining and entertainment. Add Dendera . Add Cairo stay and Abu Simbel . Click here for Sonesta Dahabiya - ASWAN to LUXOR Itinerary

• Rates for the suite with private balcony : Double or single cabin : Total for the SUITE : USD $ 18,325 USD
  This is the total per suite not per person
  

Upgrade to the Suite with your own private Terrace

Add Cairo stay and Abu Simbel . Add Dendera and Abydos Temples

Rate Includes:

• The 9 Day version : Cairo and the Deluxe Dahabiya cruise , or the 17-day version with Alexandria

Your Jacuzzi on board the Dahabiya - Cruise the Nile like a Pharaoh.

Add Dendera and Abydos Temples.

-----Original Message----- : Trip to Egypt April 2010
From: William Situ [mailto:william...tu@......com]
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 01:21 PM
To: omar@travelinstyle.com, info@travelinstyle.com
Subject: Reflections on Egypt Trip

Dear Omar, Azza, Fatima & Team

It's been a few weeks since we returned from our trip to Egypt, and I have finally settled down back to the hurried pace of life in New York. Just wanted to express my thanks to you and your team for planning a wonderful 12-day trip to Egypt. Throughout the trip, we were impressed by the professionalism of your staff, and the level of care and planning for each day's activities, travels and meals. The tour guides are educated in their field and they gave us a good explanation and tour of the different sites and temples that we visited. The travel between different sites was well executed as we were shepherded by private vans, and your staff made sure we arrived at the airports early, and got picked up on time. Egypt is a large country, and we went to many different sites, and the transition and travel in between was smooth. The hotels you picked were very nice and relaxing, especially in Aswan and Luxor. We had good experiences dining in chosen restaurants in Cairo. The cruise was relaxing and efficiently took us to the different temple sites between Luxor and Aswan.

Ever since I was a kid, I had wanted to visit Egypt and see that all the country had to offer. I have read a lot about the history and mythology of the sites before the trip. And with your team, you had fulfilled that dream of mine. Words cannot express all that I had experienced and seen, and it was truly a trip of a lifetime. I have uploaded all of my travel photos on Flickr which you can feel free to look at. What I cannot capture in words, I have captured in photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamsitu/sets/

Best regards,

William Situ

Tomb of Seti I: The Mighty Pharaoh :

For preservation purposes, the tomb is closed to the general public and visiting requires special permits. Please book at least 60 days in advance, to allow us to secure the permit in time.. If you wish to add this unique tour, please click here

Our tour includes special and private access to Seti I ’s tomb, the largest and most exquisitely decorated of the 62 sepulchers in the Valley of the Kings. Although famous for being the father of Ramses II, Seti I was considered a great leader during his 11 year rein, known for his military achievements and cultivation of the arts. Despite Seti I’s short life, his tomb is the most completely decorated, preserved and finished in the valley. Every inch of the passageways and chambers in the 446 foot long tomb are not just painted, but are also fully decorated with highly refined bas-relief. The quality and extensiveness of the design set the standard for all the Pharaohs that came after.

The discovery of this spectacularly preserved tomb in 1817 by the circus strongman-turned-Egyptologist, Giovanni Battista Belzoni, made headlines that ignited Egypt-mania throughout Europe. Excitement for Seti I’s tomb struck again in 2007 when further excavation by Egyptian antiquities chief at the time , Dr. Zahi Hawass found a 570 foot passageway descending from the tomb. Entering into Seti I’s tomb, we will capture the spirit of discovery of these archeologists as we explore one of Egypt’s most treasured and rare experiences.