What Can You Hope For On A River Nile Cruise
For quite a few years, River Nile cruises have been taking travellers on a magical journey back in time along this outstanding river. A combination of exploring the wonders of historic Egypt combined with a gentle journey south from Luxor to Aswan is ever desirable with visitors.
A standard River Nile cruise lasts seven nights and run Monday to Monday. Direct flights from Britain bring visitors to Luxor where they are moved to their cruise vessel to check in. The following morning, the journey into age-old Egypt commences with a visit to the East Bank of the Nile at Luxor including the Temples of Karnak and Luxor.
The next morning, the sightseeing moves on to the West Bank of the Nile which includes the Valley of the Kings prior to coming back to the cruise boat for lunch. Immediately following lunch, the cruise ship departs Luxor proceeding south for Edfu. Following an overnight mooring at Edfu, there are further outings to temples at both Edfu and Kom Ombo before continuing to Aswan.
The next morning, its time to take a look at Aswan and a more modern construction; the Aswan High Dam. Built in the 1950s, the Aswan High Dam formed Lake Nasser, itself a cruise choice. In the afternoon, there is time to sail on a classic Egyptian Felucca along this very attractive section of the Nile. The Cataract Hotel in Aswan looks out onto the River Nile and it is here that Agatha Christie published part of her popular book, “Death on the Nile”.
Soon after an overnight stop in Aswan, there is some time available to explore the town or alternatively, there is an optional excursion to the outstanding Temple of Abu Simbel at the other end of Lake Nasser. It is a long way to Abu Simbel, either nearly an hour by air or 3 hours but it is worth the hassle.
Aswan is the turn-around point for Nile cruises and now the cruise boat heads back north the 80 miles to Luxor. The journey takes two days with an overnight stay at Edfu before going back to Luxor. The week cruising the River Nile is over and visitors return to the airport and home.
