Since learning about ancient Egypt at school, I remember declaring one day I would see the Pyramids and sail down the Nile. That desire never faded, in fact over the years as my love for travel grew and my desire to see the world and experience new cultures got even stronger, it’s a trip which was firmly at the top of my list.
Our first trip with AmaWaterways was sailing along the Mekong exploring Vietnam and Cambodia. We loved every aspect of this trip, the organisation from Ama, the knowledge of the guides, the wonderful crew, it was all faultless. So I knew that they were who Mr B and I wanted to make our dream trip to Egypt come true.
I can happily declare it not only met my expectations and gave me everything I had ever dreamt of, from exploring the Nile and the many incredible sights along the way, it exceeded my expectations at every turn.
Our ‘Secrets of Egypt and The Nile’ cruise was 11 nights in total. All organised by AmaWaterways, we had three nights pre-cruise and one night post-cruise in Cairo staying at the St Regis, an absolutely spectacular hotel. You can read my review on the St Regis Cairo by clicking her.
On your first full day in Cairo you are introduced to your Egyptologist and split into your ‘groups’ – we were on the green bus. You stay with the same group of passengers and Egyptologist throughout your trip. It’s amazing how well you get to know everyone on your bus throughout your journey and we met some truly wonderful people.
Our Egyptologist was Dina. There are really not enough adjectives to describe how amazing she was! Her wealth of knowledge, her personality, her sense of humour, Dina was a huge part of making this trip as truly special as it was.
You are given an audio box which you keep for your entire stay. These allow you to always hear your Egyptologist on all your tours, so don’t forget to take it with you on every trip.
Our itinerary was full-on, but it meant that we wouldn’t finish this once-in-a-lifetime holiday thinking we missed out on anything. Every early morning was absolutely worth it!
Day 1 – Cairo
Let the adventure begin, our first day of exploring Egypt!
Alabaster Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, was our first stop.
The mosque makes up part of the impressive skyline of Cairo and when you are there it is even more impressive.
Its beautiful structure, the open courtyard and the stunning interior of the prayer hall.
The afternoon saw us explore the Egyptian Museum.
At our time of visiting this was still home to the mask of Tutankhamun along with the innermost and middle coffin, which have all now been moved and relocated to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). These are the most ‘famous’ artifacts we saw at the museum, but honestly, I was in awe the entire way round. This was my first real in-person look at the history that was to behold us on this trip.
The statues, the coffins, the canopic jars, the sarcophagus, the chairs, the fragments of wall with the detailed hieroglyphs, the papyrus, it was all breathtaking. The enormity of what we were seeing and what we were going to see on this trip I really felt when we were walking around.
In the evening we had a welcome drinks reception in the St Regis organised by Ama. It was a great way to meet all our fellow passengers in one room and get a real overview of our upcoming adventures from our wonderful cruise director Remon.
Day 2 – Cairo
The day we saw the Pyramids. Our day started by visiting Sakkara, home to the famous Pyramid of Djoser, aka the Step Pyramid. Why start the day there? Well the Step Pyramid is the first pyramid ever built and the first large-scale stone building in Egypt. Even more magnificently, it is approximately 4,700 years old!
Sakkara is also home to a number of other pyramids and tombs. It is where we had the opportunity to go inside the Pyramid of Unas, an opportunity Mr B and I jumped at.
The narrow passageways required us to crouch down when walking to get to the burial chamber. Once inside the chamber, you could stand up and marvel at the ceilings covered in painted stars and the walls which are covered with hieroglyphs. It is known to be the first pyramid to contain the text.
Our next stop of the day, the magnificent Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only one of the original 7 Wonders of the World which still stands today. Seeing it in person, incredible. No photos or video will ever do it justice, the size and magnitude, I believe, you can only truly appreciate in person.
Even the size of the individual stone blocks were mindblowing to see.
Seeing the iconic Egyptian structures that you get taught about from a young age in person really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience which is absolutely priceless.
After an extraordinary morning, our adventure continued by exploring the GEM. Officially opened in November 2025, when we visited just four weeks before there were endless wonders and treasures to see.
Like the original Egyption Museum, it is home to an abundance of items which are truly fascinating. The museum itself is also extremely impressive, including the outside structure, whilst the inside is large, airy, extremely spacious, well laid out and most importantly when in Egypt . . . it has great aircon!
Day 3 Cairo & AmaLilia
Before our flight to Luxor we had one more stop which was to explore Coptic Cairo. Located in Old Cairo, it’s a historic Christian neighbourhood.
We visited The Hanging Church, The Abu Serga Church, The Ben Ezra Synagogue and walked through the little alleys lined with books, postcards and other souvenirs.
From there we went to the airport to board our flight to Luxor. The organisation from Ama at getting us booked and checked in to this internal flight made it all a breeze.
After the brief and easy flight we made our way to our beautiful floating home for the week, AmaLilia. We were welcomed onboard, our cases delivered to our cabins and lunch was ready and waiting for us.
After having time to settle in and unpack in the evening before dinner, we had the captain’s welcome reception where we were introduced to the senior crew.
Day 4 – Luxor
This was a particular standout day for me. It’s one of those days I will forever look back on in amazement and wonder.
We started the day by visiting Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs and nobles’ tombs were cut deep into the rock.
The first tomb we went into was Tomb of Seti I. It’s one of the largest, deepest and most decorated tombs in the valley. It is truly stunning, with ten chambers and seven corridors and highly decorated walls and ceilings. At approximately 3,300 years old it is mindblowing to see the detail inside the tomb.
We next explored arguably the most famous tomb, the Tomb of Tutankhamun. His mummy and sarcophagus remain in his tomb to this day. When I was stood in the tomb, I felt overwhelmed and honoured by what I was seeing.
Our next visit was to the Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut ruled for over 20 years, the longest of any female pharaoh of ancient Egypt. The architecture of this temple is astounding.
Our final visit of the day was to admire the Colossi of Memnon, the two large stone statues and like many things on this trip, are great in size.
Day 5 – Edfu
Temple of Horus, one of the best-preserved temples, is dedicated to the famous falcon-headed God.
The entrance is grand and features reliefs of the pharaoh defeating his enemies.
We explored the temple grounds admiring the impressive temple, walking the corridors and gazing at the high ceilings, hieroglyphs and reliefs.
The way she talked about the history, re-lived the stories with such passion and enthusiasm, it added even more amazement to what I was already feeling being on these special grounds.
Day 6 – Aswan
Our visit to the Philae Temple was unique from the beginning as this temple is located on an island which has to be reached by boat.
The main temple complex is dedicated to the goddess Isis, the wife of Osiris, mother of Horus.
However, there are also smaller temples on the complex dedicated to other pharaohs. Of course, the complex is filled with more beautiful hieroglyphs and carvings.
From the complex we took our boat to a local Nubian village. We were welcomed by local song. The welcoming nature, friendliness and energy radiated from the locals and we truly felt welcomed. We joined in with local dancing and were given dates and hibiscus tea.
To complete yet another wonderful day we enjoyed sailing on a Felucca. These traditional wooden sailing boats we saw frequently on the Nile. It was a fun experience getting to sail on one rather than just admiring them from afar.
Day 7 – Aswan
The majority of guests opted to take the additional paid-for excursion to Abu Simbel, however after much consideration, Mr B and I chose not to partake.
Luckily for us, our wonderful cruise manager Remon offered a walk into Aswan for those that wished to join him.
We saw local life and walking the streets we could really see the difference between Aswan and Cairo. Our leisurely walk back went through a local market and whilst we had no official shopping time the group were happy to slow the pace down whilst I made a few purchases!
The afternoon saw all guests visit the Temple of Kom Ombo. We sailed from Aswan at lunch and our beautiful AmaLilia actually docked in front of the temple so no coach transfer required for this visit.
This temple is unique as it is a double-sided temple with one side dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed God, and the other side dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed God.
The temple has some stunning detail and incredible features including engravings of many surgical instruments.
Next to the temple is the Crocodile Museum, home to mummified crocodiles which are thousands of years old. Another unique sight, the museum also showcases other artifacts.
Day 8 – Luxor
We visited The Karnak Temple complex which consists of temples, pylons, chapels and statues. It spans approximately 200 acres.
The main area is dedicated to the temple of Amun-Ra. The temple has an impressive 134 sandstone columns.
Along with an obelisk which is the second largest in Egypt.
As we were driving in Luxor, I glimpsed at the Avenue of Sphinxes. We then got to see it in-person during our visit to the Luxor Temple.
The Luxor Temple is another temple which wows with gigantic statues and impressive columns which impress due to the size, but as you get closer the detail on them was something which I never lost fascination for.
This temple is also unique in the way it is home to Abu Haggag Mosque, an active mosque. It was previously converted to a church by the Romans which means that it has over 3,400 of continuous religious worship.
Day 9 – Qena
The final temple of our Egyptian adventure and was it possible we left the best till last?
The Temple of Hathor, one of the best-preserved temples in all of Egypt. For many years it was covered by sand which is believed to be the reason it is in the remarkable condition it is in.
The temple is so highly decorated with its stunning astronomical ceilings.
The walls and pillars are covered with detailed hieroglyphs. And the thing that really took my breath away was the colour, so much beautiful colour. I was seeing it with my own eyes and I was utterly amazed.
As you explore the temple further we were amazed further by the many chambers, again highly decorated.
Even the stairways leading to the roof are decorated.
Before this holiday some may assume that after visiting so many temples they may all start to merge, but honestly, I never stopped being amazed at the age, the detail and the history we were seeing and exploring.
Day 10 – Cairo
After an early morning flight, all organised for us by AmaWaterways and Remon, we landed back in Cairo.
One last trip had been organised for us, a private tour of the Abdeen Palace.
We were welcomed with a drinks reception and we then enjoyed a private lunch in one of the palace’s banquet halls.
Following lunch, we enjoyed a private tour of the palace. I have to say I was surprised at the grandeur and luxury within. From its detailed architecture, impressive chandeliers, paintings, furniture and ornaments.
Our holiday was over, but not really, as the memories, the sights, the history, everything we experienced on this holiday I have dreamt about for so many years. It will truly live with me forever.
Read about the beautiful AmaLilia, our beautiful river cruise ship which we sailed on for a week . . .
AmaWaterways AmaLilia Review: Life Onboard The Luxury River Ship
What is the food like sailing down the Nile on an AmaWaterways cruise? Read my blog post below . . .
AmaWaterways Dining Review: Dining & Cuisine on a Nile River Cruise
https://www.amawaterways.co.uk/river-cruises-nile
