Travel along the Nile past banana fields, palm plantations and ancient villages in a restored 19th-century dahabiya with fully catered cabins. The private voyage takes you to a number of otherwise off-limits archaeological sites along the river’s banks.

Carved into a hillside gorge near Luxor, the Valley of the Queens was the burial place for the wives of pharaohs. Here, an expert guide leads you through its many chambers, including its most famous tomb, that of Nefertari, which is normally closed to the public. Its vividly preserved murals depict her journey into the afterlife among falcon and heron deities.

Egypt’s former capital for a thousand years, Alexandria remains its primary window to the Mediterranean. Visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, which showcase the city’s hallmark fusion of Pharaonic and Greek styles, and the Citadel of Qaitbay, a fortress built on the site of the great Pharos Lighthouse.

Explore the faded bohemia of Tangier’s rambling gardens and tiled interiors. Located on the northern tip of Morocco, the seaside city is a crossroads to Europe that artists and writers flocked to from the 1920s to 1950s. It retains a raffish appeal in colonial-era neighborhoods with long boulevards and a centuries’-old Moorish medina.

Head inland to Chefchaouen, whose electric-blue riads, mosques and houses stand in stark relief to the arid Rif Mountains. Its cultural legacy includes Berber tribespeople, Muslims, and Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition. Meet craftspeople of hand-woven rugs, brass teapots and decorative pottery and Berber artisans of ironwork and textiles.

Further south lies Fez, Morocco’s spiritual and cultural capital. Explore the walled old city and hear the call to prayer rolling through the surrounding valley. Its busy souks contain stall holders tending to bunches of mint, wild artichokes and rose water, and Fassi pastries filled with spiced meats and almonds.