What Should You Hope For On A Nile Cruise
For quite a few years, River Nile cruises have been carrying holidaymakers and visitors on a magical journey back in time along this wonderful river. A combination of exploring the wonders of historic Egypt combined with a peaceful journey south from Luxor to Aswan is ever well liked with visitors.
A traditional River Nile cruise lasts 7 nights and run Monday to Monday. Direct flights from United Kingdom bring travellers to Luxor where they are moved to their cruise ship to check in. The next morning, the journey into age-old Egypt starts out with a pay a visit to to the East Bank of the Nile at Luxor such as the Temples of Karnak and Luxor.
The following day, the sightseeing continues on to the West Bank of the Nile which includes the Valley of the Kings just before returning to the cruise boat for lunch. Soon after lunch, the ship departs Luxor travelling south for Edfu. Just after an overnight mooring at Edfu, there are further outings to temples at both Edfu and Kom Ombo prior to continuing to Aswan.
The following day, it is time to take a look at Aswan and a more up-to-date construction; the Aswan High Dam. Built in the 1950s, the Aswan High Dam produced Lake Nasser, itself a cruise destination. After lunch, there is time to sail on a classic Egyptian Felucca along this very picturesque section of the Nile. The Cataract Hotel in Aswan overlooks the River Nile and it is here that Agatha Christie published part of her well-known novel, “Death on the Nile”.
After an overnight stop in Aswan, there is free time available to explore the town or otherwise, there is an optional tour to the wonderful Temple of Abu Simbel at the far end of Lake Nasser. It is quite a distance to Abu Simbel, either nearly an hour by plane or 3 hours but it is really worth the hassle.
Aswan signifies the turn-around point for Nile cruises and now the ship heads back north the 80 miles to Luxor. The journey takes a couple of days with an over night stay at Edfu prior to returning to Luxor. The week cruising the River Nile is over and visitors return to the airport and home.