Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent has announced it is building a new riverboat, which the company says is set to be the finest new craft on the Nile.
Marking a new golden age of river cruising in Egypt and the fifth vessel in the region for A&K, the group will draw on the experience gained from four decades of cruising in the region. A&K says the new vessel will have all the facilities and services of a high-end floating hotel.
Facilities will include two restaurants (indoor and outdoor), a spa, gym, social spaces, swimming pool, and a sundeck for relaxation between shore excursions. Living spaces will be some of the most generously proportioned and well-appointed suites on the market.
Each of the 32 cabins will have floor-to-ceiling windows and Juliet balconies above the water, marble bathrooms and 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Two presidential suites will each come with an outdoor hot tub on their own private decks.
The vessel’s name will be revealed in coming months, says Abercrombie & Kent. Construction has already begun at Massara Shipyard in Egypt and is expected to be completed in Autumn 2025.
It will sail with a hand-picked crew that includes renowned Egyptologists. As with the group’s other vessels, guests will have access to a team of well-connected fixers – who can arrange anything from private after-hours access inside the Pyramids of Giza; to intimate dinners inside ancient temples.
The new ship will also be available for private charters. A&K already operates four boutique river boats on the Nile: the Nile Adventurer, Sun Boat III, Sun Boat IV and Zein Nile Chateau.
“Nobody knows Egypt better than Abercrombie & Kent,” said Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group.
“We pioneered luxury Nile cruises more than four decades ago, and every year we continue to further elevate this enchanting voyage, with extraordinary experiences at every stage of the journey, accompanied by Egyptologists and storytellers to bring Egypt’s luminous history to life.”
Abercrombie & Kent, now also owners of Crystal, has a longstanding relationship with the Nile that dates back to 1977 when founder Geoffrey Kent, inspired by an encounter with David Niven on the set of Death on the Nile, launched the company’s first Nile river cruise.
The luxury travel group says the intrigue of Egypt continues and is expected to continue in 2024, with the long-awaited opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum that will showcase an extraordinary collection of Ancient Egyptian treasures.
For more information, visit abercrombiekent.com.au