Cruises This Luxury Tour Company Is Raising the Bar on Egyptian Cruises With a New Nile Riverboat Abercrombie & Kent will launch its fifth Egyptian riverboat to cruise the Nile in fall 2025 — and two onboard suites will have private decks with hot tubs. By Rachel Chang Rachel Chang Rachel Chang is a travel and pop culture journalist who contributes to Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Lonely Planet, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on January 16, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Sarah El Akkad/Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent When Abercrombie & Kent founder Geoffrey Kent was in the Egypt in the 1970s, he encountered a film crew at the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan — then called the Old Cataract Hotel — shooting Agatha Christie’s "Death on the Nile." Over dinner with British actor David Niven, he came up with the idea to build river boats that were “to be the most luxurious vessels on the Nile, with panoramic windows, lavish marble detailing, and a swimming pool,” he posted on Instagram. In 1977, the luxury adventure travel operator launched its first Nile cruise. Now, more than four decades later, Kent’s continuing to up the game, announcing this week that the company is currently building its fifth Egyptian riverboat, a bespoke yet-to-be-named ship that will set a new standard in sailing the Nile. Sarah El Akkad/Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent Currently under construction in Egypt’s Massara Shipyard with a target inaugural voyage in the fall of 2025, the boat will have 32 cabins, each with floor-to-ceiling windows and Juliet-style balconies. They’ll all be decked out with marble bathrooms and 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. Both of the two presidential suites will have its own private deck with an outdoor hot tub. Additionally, onboard amenities include an indoor and outdoor restaurant, as well as a spa, gym, swimming pool, sundeck, and communal spaces. Sarah El Akkad/Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent Promising to deliver the “most immersive Nile cruise experience yet,” according to a statement released by Abercrombie & Kent’s, the riverboat will be staffed by a hand-picked crew of Egyptian experts. “Much more than just a cruise, the new boat experience will be a privileged doorway into the enduring mysteries and secrets of ancient Egypt,” the company added. Among the VIP experiences that can be arranges are after-hours access to the Pyramids of Giza and private dinners inside ancient temples. Reute Butler/Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent Reute Butler/Courtesy of Abercrombie & Kent “We pioneered luxury Nile cruises more than four decades ago,” Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group said in the same statement. “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.”