The Nile on Board Sanctuary 'Sun Boat III'

Luxury and Intimacy on the Nile

The interiors of 'Sun Boat III' are designed with true authenticity in mind — not a stereotypical "Pharaonic" look, but rather a design that genuinely reflects all facets of Egyptian culture. A&K Vice Chairman Jorie Butler Kent envisioned a British Colonial theme, which local designer Shahira Fahmy realized through a harmonious mixture of European, Egyptian and Bedouin influences.

View 'Sun Boat III' Deck Plan

The Sahara Lounge, with its lush draperies and inviting, indigenous handicrafts, suggests an Egyptian royal hunting tent. Hanging linens in the cabins help diffuse the bright desert sunlight. The H. Carter Lounge, with an array of cozy seating, wood details and antique accoutrements, boasts the intimate ambience of a colonial club or drawing room, making it an ideal place to relax — with a cocktail in hand — after a long day of sightseeing.

Perhaps the ship's most stunning feature, however, is Cleopatra's Oasis, where 'Sun Boat III's' passengers go to take a dip and watch the verdant landscape scroll by. With its free-flowing organic shape, surrounding potted palms and breezy, linen-swathed gazebos, the pool is every bit as peaceful and inviting as its name suggests.

Because 'Sun Boat III' has a shorter draft than other Nile cruise ships, she can sail off the beaten path to Denderah and Abydos year-round; by contrast, other vessels cannot sail north of Luxor when water levels drop annually between November and February.

'Sun Boat III' offers an unsurpassed Nile cruise experience, bolstered by A&K's impeccable on-board service and top-notch amenities: elegant dining either on the Sun Deck or in the ship's colonial-style dining room, lively on-board lectures by your A&K Egyptologist and a festive night of native cuisine and music. Combined with shore visits led by the finest guides in Egypt, it is hardly surprising that Architectural Digest dubbed 'Sun Boat III' the "Jewel of the Nile," and that the readers of Condé Nast Traveler named the vessel one of the world's top cruise ships in 2009.