To sail along this hallowed, storied river is to voyage back in time to Ancient Egypt. Along the Nile’s palm-fringed banks lies the world’s greatest open-air museum: pharaohs’ tombs more than 4,000 years old, cities hewn from sandstone, astonishingly well-preserved temples framing the cloudless blue sky. Our Nile cruise boats are consistently voted the best on the river, from boutique luxury cruisers to a handsome dahabiya – a traditional sailboat. They retain a sense of the 1920s romance of Agatha Christie’s day, with breezy open-air restaurant decks and cocktail bars, alongside modern trappings such as air-conditioning in every suite, with pools and daybeds on the top deck from which to spot temples, egrets and water buffalo. Resident Egyptologists on board our boats tell intriguing stories and translate legends out of hieroglyphs. They will take you behind the scenes and unlock the secrets to some of Egypt’s most spectacular sites, arranging immersive experiences exclusive to A&K guests – whether you want to join an archaeological dig or visit a temple out of hours without another soul around.

Our luxury Nile cruises travel between Luxor and Aswan, in both directions. Luxor – either the showstopping beginning or the grand finale of a Nile cruise – is the site of Thebes, ancient capital of the pharaohs, home to Karnak Temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site the Valley of the Kings, burial grounds for Tutankhamun and Ramses II. Upstream at the southern end of the Nile, around Aswan, the river is quieter, with fewer visitors. Mornings start sleepily, the air cool and golden, fishing boats and dahabiya going about their daily business.

Along the way our cruise boats moor at private jetties where you can hop off and discover more under-the-radar treasures to really get under the skin of the country. Take a cooking class, for example, and learn how to make Om Ali, a classic Egyptian dessert. Watch a traditional Oud trio’s hypnotic performance. Take afternoon tea on the banks of a private island.

Everyone who takes a Nile cruise tells us it is the greatest journey they have ever made. It is ineffably romantic, endlessly fascinating. And you can do it however you like: take a cabin and travel solo; take a suite for a wildly romantic break; join one of our group journeys; or – the dream – charter an entire riverboat for your family and friends, and set your own course. However you choose to travel, it will be the voyage of a lifetime.