Egypt – What To Expect From a Nile River Cruise
The incredible River Nile in Egypt is the world’s longest river and it has played an essential role in creating the life that we see along this valley today. In ancient times the Nile River predictably flooded every year generating fertile sedimentation along its shores. Rich soil for good crops and plenty of water for irrigation ensured that Ancient Egyptians could thrive in this area for thousands of years. The legacy left by this ancient civilization can be found scattered along the Nile, comprising of incredible monuments, sculptures, tombs, artifacts and hieroglyphs that have been uncovered and deciphered from archeological investigations. A visit to this area provides an insight into the golden age of the Pharaohs and rulers of Ancient Egypt showcasing accomplished architecture, stunning art, advanced technology, and science. Cruising along the still, dark waters of the Nile, learning about the life and death of Pharoes, their Gods, religious traditions and also the ordinary lives of Egyptian’s that have existed here for thousands of years has been in our wish list for a very long time.
Finally, we made it here and expectations were high. Choosing the right option for us took a little research since there are so many different options for cruising the Nile. We opted for a 7 days cruise from Luxor to Aswan, flying from London directly to Luxor and were met on arrival by our cruise representative who arranged our minibus transfer from the Luxor Airport to our cruise ship MS Tulip.
Our floating hotel for the week.
Our flight was a bit delayed and we ended up arriving at around 11 pm on board our cruise ship. The crew had sandwiches and drinks waiting for us, although none of us had much of an appetite, we nevertheless enjoyed the opportunity to unwind. We also met Ahmed, the guide who would be accompanying us for the duration of our trip. He gave us an overview of the itinerary and next day’s instructions. There were 11 of us in our tour group, and although there were other tour groups onboard the cruise ship, we were glad to find out that the boat was only half full.
Our Itinerary looked as follows:
Day 1– Flight London to Luxor, transfer to the cruise ship, late night going to bed.
Day 2 – Early start with a visit to the Valley of The Kings, also called “Valley of the Tombs of the Kings” which is a place used as a burial site for almost all the Kings or rather Pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties ( Circa1539–1075 BC). The Valley of the Kings also contains the tombs of nobles as well as the wives and children of both nobles and pharaohs.
There are 63 tombs and chambers that have so far been found in these limestone hills. More are likely to exist… the experts believe there are 3 more to be found and excavations are ongoing to discover more. The most famous resident in this valley is the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Tomb of Rameses IV, Valley of the Kings.
Brian and I inside the Tomb of Rameses IV
A ticket to visit 3 of the tombs was included on our cruise package. Brian and I also chose to visit the Tutankhamun Tomb at an extra cost, paying directly to our guide who purchased the extra ticket for us. The tombs are different in size and how they are decorated. Interestingly many of the tombs even have some graffiti written by ancient tourists, with some of the graffiti dating back to 278 BC. Not all tombs are open to the public at any one time, they usually rotate the tombs that can be visited to prevent overuse and damage.
Our guide Ahmed was great at explaining the history and meaning of what has been found here in this valley. Entering the tombs, walking through the narrow corridors covered in beautifully painted images and texts was just mind-blowing. The tombs were so incredibly detailed and ornate, with almost every inch of walls and ceiling alive with brightly coloured hieroglyphs that had survived for thousands of years in the darkness. The Valley of the Kings was definitely a huge highlight of this trip for us and should not be missed by anyone visiting this area.
Afterward, we also visited the Temple of Hatshepsut – Hatshepsut came to the throne of Egypt in 1478 BC, and is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning for over two decades and was one of Egypt’s first female pharaohs.
Temple of Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple carved below the limestone cliff is strikingly beautiful, an amazing architectural masterpiece.
On the way back to base we visited an Alabaster shop where we learned a little about how the vases and lamps are made and to make any purchases if we wished. I guess these commercial stops are a compulsory part of the itinerary in a bid to encourage tourists to spend some cash into the local economy, we certainly can’t blame them for that. Altogether there were 3 of such stops included in our 7-day itinerary.
We also stopped briefly, just long enough for taking few photos, at the Colossi of Memnon, before returning to our cruise ship in time for lunch and a leisurely sailing towards Esna.
Colossi of Memnon, Luxor
Day 3 – Early morning sailing to Edfu and a visit to the Temple of Horus. Our cruise ship docked not far from the Temple and we were all taken there by horse and carriage. An activity that would have been delightful and successful if not for the poor state of the horses who all looked quite thin and overworked. Our carriage driver also looked very thin and undernourished, like many Egyptians we have met on the Nile Valley, certainly no obesity issues around here.
Horse and carriage ride to Temple of Horus
Our guide Ahmed reassured us that they would have been paid fairly and even given extra tips. We all felt slightly uneasy about the horse and carriage leg of this trip but agreed to participate since it is clear that our tourist dollar does help the economy of this area (I am not sure what the answer is, but if I visited again I would ask to use the tuk-tuks instead, although that option was not on offer to us). The Temple of Horus was nevertheless hugely imposing and beautiful and its history fascinating.
The Temple of Horus
Horus, believed to be the son of Isis and Osiris, was a God of the sky, whose role was protecting Egypt’s ruler. Ancient Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was the “living Horus”. The Temple of Horus was started during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII Auletes.
Our guide Ahmed was great at bringing the history alive for us.
The sandstone walls are covered in interesting hieroglyphics and dazzling friezes depicting images of Ancient Egypt’s powerful rulers. A colossal gateway leads into the towering columns of the huge Forecourt. The columns are beautifully decorated with drawings and hieroglyphics. We wandered around feeling like small ants underneath the giant columns. Having a guide was indispensable and we lucked out with Ahmed who was a very knowledgeable historian. University educated, he was so passionate about Ancient Egypt, it was great to learn so much from him.
We stopped at a perfume shop on the way back to our cruise boat… some members of our group also managed to get neck, back, and knee massages there. But not many of us were keen to purchase any perfume. We arrived back in time for lunch and set sail for the Ptolemic Temple of Kom Ombo afterward. Our cruise boat glided effortlessly along the river, and we hardly noticed any movement. We spent time on the upper deck enjoying the scenery and the life of the people who live along the shores of the river. Occasionally people would wave to us, or we would hear children shouting a cheerful “Hello…Hello”.
We passed many small communities along the shores of the River Nile.
Brian and our tour companion Derek enjoying the views along the Nile.
Ptolemic Temple of Kom Ombo
The Temple of Kom Ombo rises dramatically above the banks of the Nile, and as we arrived the sun was going down and the Temple was all lit up and glowing against the dark skies. Together with our guide, we walked from our cruise ship, past the many gift sellers (thankfully they were not too aggressive here, Ahmed explained that as we moved South the population was becoming largely Nubians who are famously friendly and laid back.). After exploring the Temple it was a short walk to the Crocodile Museum, which has a collection of mummified crocodiles.
Mummified crocodiles at the Crocodile Museum
Tonight our cruising ship was hosting an Egyptian night and we were all encouraged to wear our recently purchased galabeyas, a traditional Egyptian garment native to the Nile Valley. It was a fun evening with our fellow travelers and we even managed a bit of a boogie on the dance floor. Unlike sea cruising, there is not a lot to do in the evenings on this river cruise ship, so having an organized event was a welcome distraction, although some people were so exhausted after the full-on day activities that they opted for an early night instead.
Some members of our group dressed up for an Egyptian party. Our guide Ahmed in the middle.
Day 4 we sailed to Aswan, where we visited the Aswan High Dam – The dam is fed by the River Nile and the reservoir forms Lake Nasser.
Brian and I at the Aswan High Dam
The dam successfully controls the Nile River floods, which occur annually, by regulating the river flow and supplying water for irrigation throughout the year and during droughts. It is also used to feed 12 power turbines providing half of Egypt’s power demands. Construction began in 1960 and was completed in 1968 with funding help provided by the Soviet Union, following the withdrawal of funds from the USA, UK, and the World Bank. It was officially inaugurated in 1971. Construction of the dam was not without controversy, and it created tensions between various countries. The dam’s site also submerged certain historical sites and caused the relocation of about 100,000 Nubian inhabitants.
One of these submerged historical sites was the Temple of Philae, which was relocated from its original site on Philae Island to Agilika Island as part of a rescue project led by UNESCO. The temples were dismantled up into sections, which were carefully numbered and re-erected in the same relative positions on Agilika.
We boarded one of these small boats to visit the Temple of Philae
Part of the Temple of Philae
After the High Dam, we were taken by tour bus to a Nubian Village, where we boarded a small boat for a visit to the Temple of Philae. It was wonderful to see it from the water first before landing on the Island and exploring it with our guide Ahmed who brought its history alive for us.
During our return boat trip and just as we were docking at the port, unfortunately, one of the ladies in our group lost her balance and fell backward onto the boat and ended up injuring herself a little bit, luckily nothing too serious.
Lunchtime was fast approaching, but we had one more stop where we visited the “Unfinished Obelisk”. Laying like a sleeping giant among the stone quarries, it gives a glimpse into the rock carving techniques of Ancient Egypt and provides evidence of how obelisks were quarried. This huge granite Obelisk was commissioned by the powerful Hatshepsut to celebrate her sixteenth year as pharaoh, but it was abandoned following visible cracks that appeared on its surface. One can only imagine what would have been the punishment for whoever misjudged this project. We were in awe of the sheer size of this piece of rock. Even with modern technology, carving such a huge single piece of rock, weighing hundreds of tons, would be a massive undertaking. Thousands of years ago, with primitive tools, it would have taken years of work and huge numbers of workers, especially when it came to transporting it to its final destination along the banks of the Nile. Once again, we found ourselves staring in awe at the ambition and scale of this ancient civilization, nourished by the fertile waters of the mighty Nile.
Unfinished Obelisk, Egypt
Another great highlight of our day 4 was the afternoon sail on a traditional Felucca. In short, a felucca is a traditional Egyptian wooden boat with a canvas sail. Not a large vessel, although they do come in different shapes and sizes. Our group of 11 had a vessel all to ourselves, plus our guide Ahmed.
Traditional wooden Felucca boat
We also had two young Nubian guys as our sailing crew. They told us that although they spend a lot of time on the boat, in the evenings they go home to their families since they live not far from Aswan on a small Nubian Island.
Day 5 – Was probably the most tiring, but also the most exciting day of our journey. Our wake up call was about 4 am and soon after we joined our guide Ahmed plus our travel companion Derek and together we boarded a minivan bound for the Great Temple of Abu Simbel 3 hours away from Aswan, to Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. It was a cold morning and we shivered in our seats all the way to Abu Simbel, even though we did take a fleece each with us. There is an option of flying there instead, but it is a lot more costly.
There are two huge Temples on this site, originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the reign of Ramesses II of the 19th Dynasty. They serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari. The Great Temple is dedicated to Ramesses II himself with the Small Temple, dedicated to his favorite wife Queen Nefertari. Both Temples are gorgeous.
The Great Temple of Abu Simbel was carved out of the mountain on the West bank of the Nile between 1274 and 1244 BC by Ramses II. A temple dedicated not only to himself but also to Egyptian Gods Ra-Horakhty, Amun and Ptah. Over the centuries the desert sands completely covered the site and this temple was lost to the world until 1813 when it was accidentally rediscovered by the Swiss explorer Jean-Louis Burckhardt (although like so much in Egypt, it was “discovered” by a European when a local person said come and have a look at this… lots of sand shifting later, there it was. The temple was finally all cleaned up and ready to be entered again in 1817 after a clear up project lead by Giovanni Belzoni.
There are four colossal statues of the pharaoh fronting the Great Temple, although unfortunately one of the heads has broken off.
Inside the Great Temple of Abu Simbel
Inside one of the chambers of Abu Simbel
The Small Temple, dedicated to Queen Nefertari.
Unfortunately by the end of the century, there were plans afoot for a dam on the Nile and therefore Abu Simbel was doomed to be buried again, although on this occasion it would end up many meters underwater. A UNESCO sponsored campaign managed to sort out finance and expertise from more than 50 countries to save it. Archaeological teams cut the temples up into more than 2000 massive blocks and reconstructed them inside an artificially built mountain, 210metres away from the water and 65metres higher than the original site. The temples were carefully oriented to face the original direction, and the landscape of their original environment was re-created on and around the concrete, dome-shaped mountain. There is a great little museum on site explaining all about this incredible and very costly project.
The sun illuminated figures of Ra-Horakhty, Ramses II and Amun. Although Ptah is never illuminated.
Every year in October, the first rays of a rising sun reaches across the Nile, penetrating the temple and moving along the hypostyle hall into the sanctuary, where they illuminate the figures of Ra-Horakhty, Ramses II and Amun. Although Ptah is never illuminated.
Although this day of exploring was very tiring with the 6 hours by mini-van round trip to Abu Simbel, we felt that it was totally worth the effort and the price tag, since this excursion was not included in our cruise package. Our traveling companions who chose to fly there reported that although the flying time was short, there was quite a lot of waiting around the airport. They felt it was worth the extra money since they were able to leave later than us and it was overall a shorter day for them. However you get there, don’t miss this Wonder of the World.
Day 6 – Was an all-day sailing back to Edfu and then Luxor, and we welcomed the more relaxing pace and a chance to catch up with some sleep since there was no early morning wake up call. Many of the other people on our cruise ship returned home or moved on somewhere else from Aswan. There were only 8 people left in our group now and just 10 ( a couple from Germany who were not part of our group) of us sailing back to Luxor. Brian had acquired a cold bug and so did others in our group, so the chance to relax was just perfect. Although we did tear ourselves away from the sundeck to visit the ship Capitan and learn all about the Nile River Navigation system used. Spoiler alert…they don’t use GPS and navigation relies on local knowledge. Glad I have only found out about this piece of information at the end…gulp.
Relaxing on the upper deck.
There is no denying that we took full advantage of a relaxing day, reading books, chatting with friends and watching the world go by from the comforts of our cruise ship. We arrived in Luxor later in the evening.
Day 7 – We overnight in Luxor ready for our return home tomorrow, but before then we had another exciting day ahead of us, visiting the huge Karnak Temple Complex near Luxor and an evening sound and light show back at Karmak, after dinner.
The name Karnak is derived from the Arabic word Khurnak meaning “fortified village”. The complex consists of four main parts, of which only the largest is currently open to the general public. Approximately thirty pharaohs contributed to the buildings, enabling it to reach a size, complexity, and diversity not seen elsewhere. Built over the course of several centuries it is one of the largest and oldest religious monuments in the world.
Entrance to Karnak Temple Complex, with the tallest surviving ancient obelisk on Earth, standing at 97-feet tall and weighing about 323 tons, built by Hatshepsut. (Remember the obelisks are a single piece of granite… just staggering)
Avenue of Sphinxes at Karnak Temple Complex
We could hardly believe the size of the towering columns inside the complex, huge pillars and the beautiful Avenue of Sphinxes. Hatshepsut built many of the monuments, including twin Obelisks erected at the entrance to Karnak Temple, one still stands, as the tallest surviving ancient obelisk on Earth, but the other has since broken in half and tumbled down.
Karnak Temple
In the evening there was an optional excursion to see a Sound and light show at the Temple of Karnak. There were 4 of us who took up this excursion, and it was really interesting to see the temple at night looking very mysterious and enigmatic.
Waiting for the Sound and Light Show at the Temple of Karnak.
The light show itself we felt was a little disappointing and the sound system was not great, so we could hardly hear the stories told. But overall we enjoyed it and we were glad that we made the effort to attend.
Day 8 – Early morning transfer to the Luxor airport for our flight home… goodbye Egypt.
Tips For Your Nile River Cruise
A Nile cruise is a fantastic way to see the Nile Valley in comfort, appreciating the sites from the water as well as exploring on land. But choose your Nile cruise carefully, since cruising ships vary a lot not only in size but also in the level of comfort, service, food, cleanliness, etc. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend our cruise company (Discover Egypt), boat (MS Tulip), and itinerary, although this is not a sponsored post.
- The best time to visit is between September and May, for cooler temperatures, we visited in early December and loved it. It can get super hot here from June to August, although it will also be cheaper.
- Take advantage of the bottled water handed out before the tours, it’s hot and the desert air is very dry. and you will get thirsty. Also pleased to say that we had no tummy problems at all, and the food on the boat was excellent. Egypt has a bit of a reputation for food hygiene shortcomings (to put it delicately) but on our boat they were absolutely scrupulous on this point and nobody had any problems.
- Take comfortable shoes, you will be walking a lot, and be very careful with uneven paths, steps, and potholes. A Japanese lady on our boat fell in one of the temples and broke her hip, and had to return home to Japan for surgery. This brings me to the next point… make sure you have good travel insurance.
- Dress appropriately; Egypt is a conservative country, so modesty is a good idea. We visited in December and found that temperatures were warm around 25 degrees C during the day, but cooler in the evenings and very chilly in the early mornings. So dressing in layers is a good bet. If doing the trip to Abu Simbel by minivan/bus (which costs extra btw) make sure to take warm clothes for the journey. We had a fleece but it wasn’t enough (we traveled in December).
- Be patient with the persistent street vendors, your nerves will be tested to the limit. Haggling for merchandise is not only encouraged, but expected and also necessary since the prices start from more than double what the article is actually worth.
- Tipping at the end of your trip will be expected by your cruising crew and your guide. In fact, everyone expects a tip in Egypt, be warned.
- In most public toilets there will be a small charge, make sure to have some small change on you or otherwise they will also accept a one-dollar bill.
Have a great time…we certainly did.
looks like fun. I have some friends doing this in March or April, I’ll send them a link to your blog!
Pam, this trip is full of jaw-dropping wonders, I think your friends are going to love it. March/April will be a good time to come since the weather is not super hot just yet, although it will be quite warm. Now is the time to come to this corner of the world, Egypt is back in “Vogue” so to speak, since for the last 6 years due to various political issues and some terrorism, there has been a huge fall in tourism. But it is starting to pick up again, although it is not back to the high numbers that it used to be. Thank you for sharing the link.
I really enjoyed reading about this. I shared a link here on my Twitter feed.
Cheers, Amy
Amy, I am so glad you have enjoyed it and thanks for sharing the link. It is a wonderful trip and I can’t recommend it more, we absolutely loved it. I think you would love photographing this incredible place.
A cruise down the Nile river has been on my bucket list for a long time as well Gilda. Thanks to your post, info and recommendations, my interest and enthusiasm for seeing this fantastic county has been reawakened. A terrific way to say goodbye to 2019! Anita
Anita, this bucket list item was a huge success, sometimes you dream of visiting a place and end up disappointed, but certainly not here. It is everything and more than I had expected, even for people who are not history buffs will be impressed with what is on offer here. There were few solo travelers in our group, including a lady who has been coming here for many years. She used to visit with her husband and since becoming a widow she feels that this place has many wonderful memories. So she keeps returning and loving it. Thank you for your comment Anita 🙂
As always love reading your blogs.
Radha, thank you very much, your support is very much appreciated. I am so glad you have enjoyed this post. Brian and I are off to SE Asia tomorrow and I hope to keep posting regularly about our journey. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Gilda, I have to say that this is one of my absolute favorite blog posts of yours, maybe the top. You and Brian look marvelous. Your recap had me enthralled and it brought back great memories. It is such a magnificent country and you captured your cruise so very well. Isn’t it amazing how many more tombs are yet to be discovered? Those pharaohs were vain and they certainly made sure they were in your face so to speak. I can’t wait to return, and maybe even do the cruise. I have been wanting to since l saw it on Poirot :-).
Kemkem, you have made my day. Thank you for your support, I really appreciate it. I am so glad it brought back some good memories,isn’t the Nile Valley just mind-blowing incredible? It is indeed amazing that so much more is yet to be discovered. The Pharaos were super vain, huge egos and they wanted to be immortal…they had so much power and money that somehow they have managed to live forever through all the wonders built in their name. I would have loved to have visited Cairo as you did, but it was not to be this time, we will definitely return to Egypt in the future.
How did you feel about safety while you were there? When I read about a tour bus on the way to Giza (I think), being blown up, I was wondering whether I would feel safe in Egypt. On a trip to Mexico our tour bus had armed police cars ahead and in back of our bus which was a little concerning. It sounds like you felt well taken care of. Did you do any exploring on your own in Egypt?
Suzanne, we felt very safe indeed. Egypt is no strange to troubles, but they are taking security very serious there, since tourism is very important to its economy. We have had plenty of terror attacks in London in the past 2 years, but it will never stop me from visiting, in many ways, there is an element of risk everywhere nowadays. We were well taken care of, the tour company took care of every detail. Our guide was fantastic, I think we particularly lucked out with Ahmed since he was so passionate and knowledgeable about Egypt. I would not hesitate to recommend this trip and I think now is the perfect time to go.
This is so timely Gilda! We have friends going next November. We will send this to them. Great detailed info. Will add it to our Europe bucket list. Did you find it crowded?
Cheers
Hi guys, November will be a great time for your friends to visit the Nile Valley since the weather will be very pleasant. It was not crowded at all, Egypt used to receive huge numbers of tourists, but since the well-publicized terror attacks and political unrest, the tourism industry has suffered. Things are starting to improve and tourists are coming back, but still not near the number of people that they used to receive. Our cruise boat was only half full, very pleasant indeed. The whole package was just perfect and very good value for money. Happy New Year to you and I hope you will make it there soon.
It’s definitely a bucket list trip, this one, Gilda! 🙂 🙂 The scale of the architecture and the skill of the Egyptians is amazing. I would love to see it.
Jo, this trip was on my bucket list for eons…so pleased we finally managed to visit Egypt. This Nile Cruise exceeded our expectations, I would not hesitate to recommend it, I think you and your husband would love it.
What an incredible experience Gilda. They were indeed an advanced and complex civilasation. Loved the photos. The guide seemed really jolly! Thank you for sharig.
Val, I was gobsmacked at how advanced they were. Although I had learned about Ancient Egypt at school…such a long time ago (gulp) I can’t say I was able to really understand how amazing this Ancient Civilization was. Having Ahmed to explain it all and bring history to life was fantastic. He was a lot of fun and super Knowledgeable about Egypt, we all loved him. It is a fascinating country. Happy New Year to you my lovely 🙂
Hi Gilda, It looks like the trip I did some years ago and I agree, a great way to see these temples, they’re amazing and enormous! fabulous country and such history. Michaela
Michaela, it was a bucket list wish for us, but somehow it eluded us for many years. We are very glad we did it as a cruise on the River Nile, it is the perfect way to explore this region. I am glad you have enjoyed it also. I hope 2020 will bring you many adventures, our paths might cross in SE Asia, we are leaving for Bangkok today.
Hi Gilda, we hope you have arrived safely in Bangkok, would be cool if we were to meet up somewhere in SE Asia! Safe travels, we not far behind you now Michaela & Phil 😊
What an amazing trip Gilda. Your explanations, descriptions and suggestions are awesome. WOW!
Dave
Dave, thank you. We learned so much during this week long cruise on the Nile River, having a guide made all the difference. I hope my post will be helpful to others considering this trip.
Excellent adventure. True story: I taught sixth grade for several years and one of the subjects I taught was ancient civilizations. Egypt was always big fun. The students made 3D maps, they did archaeological digs (small scale) and at the end of the 6-weeks of study, we had an Egyptian festival. My name for the six weeks was Queen Maghamsetput. 🙂 One of these days I’d like to cruise the Nile and see the pyramids.
Patti, wow…I had no idea you taught Ancient Civilizations at 6th grade level? How fantastic, your are a proper history buff. I giggled at the name given to you “Queen Maghamsetput” hahaha, I can imagine your lessons being a lot of fun. Happy Birthday to you today…maybe a trip to Egypt would be a good birthday present? You have to start dropping hints for Abi 🙂
Hey Gilda!
Like everyone else, I really enjoyed this post. I feel like I took the trip with you. I remember reading another blogger’s post about Egypt on a similar tour and it actually put me off ever thinking about visiting. You capture a bit of the magic that most people feel when they think of pharaohs,tombs and ancient civilizations.
With each post, I learn a little bit more about you and I think that’s what makes your blog special/interesting to me. It’s great to read about a place,food etc…but it’s also nice to read about your real life experiences/impressions as well. So I’m adding likes to “boogie on the dance floor” to your special skills :).
Lissette, thank you for your generous comment. I am so glad to hear that my post has made you change your mind about visiting this region. I was gobsmacked at the kind of history found in this area, so unique, I don’t think even the Egyptians knew (until quite recently) the true value of what has been found here. Unfortunately we did not manage to visit Cairo this time, but there is always next time. The “boogie on the dance floor” was after a glass of something strong, so it was more a case of limbs moving in a crazy manner rather than any special skills hahaha. But thanks for the vote of confidence 🙂
I know Dave has already commented but of course I want to get in my two cents worth. I especially love the specific the at the end. This really does look like the best way to visit Egypt. I’ll be referring back to this one in the future. Well basically we could just use your blog as a travel guide for most anywhere! XO
Sue, I really think a cruise is a great way to explore this part of the world. There are other ways, like for example hiring a car with a driver and guide. A guide really is essential, since we gained so much more from the experience. We really lucked out with Ahmed, he was so passionate and knowledgeable. I think you and Dave would enjoy exploring this region. Thank you for taking the time to comment, I really appreciate it.
It was perfect the first time. This is very really unique helpful information. I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up.
Thank you Ghulam, I am glad you have found this post helpful. Thank you for your comment!
Hello! This is definitely a trip that impressed me! The ancient architecture is amazing! The Great Temple of Abu Simbel …I want to be there!
Tori, this trip is very special, I would not hesitate to recommend it. There are so many very unique things to see and learn about this region. Abu Simbel in particular, is very impressive. I hope that you will make it there very soon. Thank you for your comment!
What a wonderful travelogue Gilda! Such comprehensive detail – somewhere I might consider one day. The architecture and whole experience sounds fascinating. Also like the way you cover the human side, the stories of the locals and those poor horses! It must be a hard life and tourists presumably have been put off by potential threats and instability in the region. Good to have your perspective and thanks for sharing your wonderful photos! 🙂
Rosemay, thank you for your lovely comment. I think you would love this trip, which is an absolutely fascinating place to visit. For me a dream come true to finally been able to visit this region. I would recommend doing it with a guide and in fact on a Nile cruise is a perfect combination, although adding Cairo would probably have been an extra added bonus. We might go back and visit Cairo next time. One of the ladies on our cruise has been back every year for 20 years, can you imagine? But I think that would be a bit over the top for me 🙂
I was here two weeks ago!
I hope you have enjoyed it as much as we did? Thank you for your comment.
One of my big desires is to travel the Nile, from its source and all the way to the ocean (and yes, I am aware there are two branches of the Nile). The part in Egypt is of course one of the most interesting parts, at least historical and maybe even cultural. I really enjoyed reading your cruise on the lower Nile.
Otto, this Nile cruise has been on my travel wish list for so many years, it was wonderful to finally make it there. To travel the entire length of the Nile from its source all the way to the Ocean will be epic, I really hope you can make it there in a near future. Although with the current travel restrictions, we are all bracing ourselves for few months or even longer of travel uncertainty.