Egypt holidaysfrom Nairobi

A life well travelled is missing something without one visit to Egypt. The oldest and best-preserved sites on earth are here, and so are souks, reef diving and a river that made the whole civilisation possible.

Herodotus called Egypt the gift of the Nile, and the phrase still describes how the country reads on a map: everything of consequence within sight of the water.

Where you’ll go

Cairo. Giza and the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, Saqqara and Memphis, and the part people remember, Islamic Cairo at street level, at night.

Aswan. Slow, southern and Nubian, with island temples and the untouched stretch of the river.

Edfu and Kom Ombo. Temple towns on the west bank, reached from the deck of your boat rather than a coach.

Luxor. The largest open-air museum in the world: Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and balloons over the west bank at first light.

Alexandria. A Mediterranean city with a Greco-Roman basement: the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, the Roman amphitheatre, the Citadel on the water.

Hurghada. Clear, calm water most of the year, and the reason our nine-day itinerary ends there rather than in a city.

Practical notes

Draft: awaiting owner verification. Indicative only; confirmed in writing with your quote.

• Nile cruises run in both directions and the sailing days set the shape of the whole trip. We fix the boat first.
• Abu Simbel and the Luxor balloon are usually optional extras rather than inclusions.
• Egyptian visa rules differ by passport. We confirm yours before you book flights.