Nile River Cruise: M/S Nile Goddess

Today you will embark your Nile Cruise Ship, your floating hotel for the next 4 days. After lunch, and sail on the Nile by felucca. Before dinner attend the Captain's Welcome Cocktail reception. After dinner enjoy the Nubian Folkloric Show. Overnight in Aswan.

Just north of the border between Egypt and Sudan lays the Aswan High Dam, a huge rock fill dam which captures the world's longest river, the Nile, in the world's largest artificial reservoir, Lake Nasser. The dam, known as ''Sadd El-Aali'' in Arabic, was completed in 1970 after 10 years of work.

Aswan, Egypt's sunniest southern city and ancient frontier town located about 81 miles south of Luxor, has a distinctively African atmosphere. Its ancient Egyptian name was Syene. Small enough to walk around and graced with the most beautiful setting on the Nile, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. Days can be spent strolling up and down the broad Corniche, watching the sailboats etch the sky with their tall masts, or sitting in floating restaurants listening to Nubian music and eating freshly caught fish.

After breakfast you will visit the High Dam, the Granite Quarries and the Temple of Philae. Set sail after lunch to Kom Ombo and have afternoon tea before visiting the temple shared by the two gods Sobek and Haeroris. Sail to Edfu afterwards where Dinner and a Galabeya party will be your evening fare. Overnight in Edfu.

A short trip on a motorboat to temple of Philae will bring you to a magnificent vista of the island, before landing at what would have been the ancient quay on the south side. The temple was dedicated to the goddess Isis and has many legends connected to it. The most well known legend tells the story of how Isis found the heart of Osiris here after his murder by his brother Seth.

Kom Ombo is located on a bend in the river Nile about 50 km north of Aswan. It is home to an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The temple is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris (Horus the Elder). Despite being badly damaged, the temple is a beautiful sight as one approaches from either direction on the river, particularly as sunset nears and the colours change.

The small town of Edfu is situated on the west bank of the Nile, 56 km south of Esna and 105 km north of Aswan. Today, it is an important centre for sugar production and pottery-making. The site of Edfu was known as Wetjetser-hor (classical name-Apollinopolos Magna), the place where the god Horus was worshipped and where the battle between Horus and his traditional enemy, Seth, in the ancient mythology took place. The main monument at Edfu is the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus on the edge of the town. The temple is perhaps the best-preserved in all of Egypt and ranks second behind Karnak, simply because of its immense size, approximately 230 by 400 feet with a pylon measuring over 100 feet high. At the temple's entrance stand two large black granite statues of Horus depicted as a falcon. The elaborate carvings on the walls of the temple are as beautiful as if they were carved just yesterday. Inside the temple is a small sanctuary where the priests of the day offered the best parts of the animals to the gods.

After breakfast, you'll visit the Horus Temple in Edfu before setting sail for Luxor. Your afternoon and evening will consist of lunch, the Whirling Dervish and Belly Dance show, and after dinner there will be music in the lounge bar. Overnight in Luxor

Luxor is a city that has often been called ''the world's greatest open air museum'', with the number and preservation of monuments in the area, it is unparalleled to anywhere else in the world. Luxor is actually composed of three different areas: the city of Luxor - located on the east side of the Nile, the town of Karnak - located just north of Luxor, and Thebes - which is on the west side of the Nile across from Luxor.

This morning after breakfast, you'll disembark and visit the West Bank across the Nile from Luxor, where you will find the Valley of the Kings which includes the tombs of the Thebian rulers, and the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, the only woman pharaoh to reign in ancient Egypt (in the new Kingdom). Her temple, with its impressive architecture, is traditionally associated with Hathor, the goddess of love and joy. It was formerly surrounded by tropical gardens with plants imported from Somali land.

This afternoon, visit the East Bank including Karnak and Luxor Temples before disembarking your ship.