Nile River Cruise

Take a Slow Boat Through the Nile to Meet the Sphinx

Whenever you think of a cruise holiday, it invariably involves visions of the mighty ocean viewed from the high deck of a fabulous five star floating hotel where all your material wishes are fulfilled. But there’s a catch here. The fact is that, till your mammoth cruise ship calls at any port en route to your destination, you are unable to fathom how people at the other end of our lonely planet live. In other words, you don’t have the faintest idea about how the people in the banks live. You can’t really see their culture, way of life or relics that have been left by their ancestors.

However, if you take a river cruise, you may sample most of these. Take, for instance, a cruise through the River Nile in the land of the Pharaohs. But before booking your Nile cruise, you should know that the river cruise ships on the Nile stand nowhere in comparison with the seagoing 1.30,000 ton leviathans. The main reason for this is that, these ships need to be narrow because obviously the river here is narrow. And that’s why they cannot accommodate most of the modern-day facilities and amenities that we have come to expect in larger sea-going cruise liners. But having said this, these Nile river cruises are still fantastic in many ways.

And the best part of the whole thing involves identifying yourself with the world’s famous ancient sites while the enchanting Egyptian scenery passes by. Tourist attractions along the Nile include the incredible Pyramids, the legendary Sphinx, the controversial tomb of Tutenkhamun, temple of Luxor, Valley of the Kings and many other stunning time-worn monuments and obelisks. At times you may feel as if you are travelling in a time-machine that has brought you face to face with Queen Cleopatra’s Egypt. Isn’t that an incredible experience?

As for your creature comforts, most of these vessels boast luxurious cabins and princely suites on both decks. You do not have to make any compromises there. Egyptian and continental cuisine are served to all passengers. Apart from classical furniture adorning most of the cabins and suites, air conditioning is a standard feature for all cabins. But you might not need it in the evenings when you relax on the deck, taking in the river breeze.

You may board the cruise ship in Luxor for a 5-day cruise, touching at Esna, Edfou, KomOmbo and Assouan. You will be able to visit all the prime archaeological sites of Upper Egypt. There are both shorter and longer tours. Most Nile river cruises are between 3 and 7 days. In fact, there are some cruises that go to as far as Sudan. There are guided excursions in almost all of them. Egyptologists will tell you about the history of the place, highlighting on the more interesting tales. There are wonderful leisure activities every evening.

Here are some attractions you will see.

• Abu Simbel – stunning statues of Rameses II, guarding the entrance to the temples.
• Karnak – Located at Luxor city, you will definitely not want to miss the Great Hypostyle Hall. It will not just impress you, the hall will actually leave you spellbound.
• Valley of the Kings – This is where you can see the last resting place of 60 pharaohs. All the tombs are underground. The most famous tomb is of Tutankhamun or King Tut.
• Edfu – This is the 2nd largest temple in the country after Karnak. It is also the best preserved.
• Esna – This is a sanctuary from the Ptolomaic era.
• Hapshepsut – See the tomb of the greatest female pharaoh of Egypt.
• Kom Ombo – There are two temples here. One for Sobek and the other is for Horus.
• Luxor – A grand structure beside the Karnak Temple.