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Holiday in Egypt: Travel in Absolute Luxury in a Nile Cruise

Published: 05/31/2009 by Andrew Muigai

Since the ancient Egypt days, the Nile river has been a favorite travel destinations in Egypt. Today, a luxury cruise in the Nile is without doubt one of the most enjoyable holiday activities for anyone seeking to enjoy the splendor of ancient Egypt while on vacation in this African country. The cruise ships are literally floating hotels complete with lounges, restaurants, bars, swimming pools, discotheques and shops on board. The luxury cruise is a very pleasant and relaxing way to get close to the historical attractions of Egypt, most of which are not far off from the banks of the Great River Nile.

The rooms in a typical Nile cruiser are smaller than those of land based hotels but they have air conditioning, TV and enough room for twin beds, private shower, nightstand and dresser. The quality of cruisers varies and they are graded with stars just like hotels. Top end cruisers have spacious suites and amenities almost equal to those of ocean cruisers. A majority of visitors who have been to Egypt say that the romance of Nile cruisers surpasses other riverboats anywhere else in the world.

The length of a cruise varies from three, to four, to seven nights. Many of Egypt’s important historical monuments can be seen while on this cruise tour, especially in the short stretch between Aswan and Luxor. Some budget travelers and lovers of adventure opt for fellucas ” traditional sailing vessels ” instead of the luxury cruise boats. Compared to the cruise ships, Fellucas have very basic amenities, but are good for budget travel.

One of the best starting points for your Nile cruise is Aswan city. The deep and calm river Nile is at its most glorious at Aswan, a city that has for long been the gateway between Egypt and the Southern parts of Africa. The region from Aswan southwards was often referred to as Upper Egypt, being upstream of the Nile. Further downstream, the Nile goes through hard rock surface, resulting in cataracts and rapids.

Aswan is the home of a dark-skinned people, the Nubians, who are related to the people of Northern Sudan. The Nubian museum is one of the historical attractions in Aswan. The museum highlights the culture of Nubians from ancient days. At Elephantine island, you can also see a number of traditional Nubian villages.

About 48 km north of Aswan lies the historical Kom Ombo, home to the famous Graeco-Roman temple. Ptolemy VII is credited with having started the construction of this temple in the early second century BC. A number of his successors continued the work. This includes emperor Augustus in around 30BC.

The Graeco-Roman temple is in fact two separate temples, each dedicated to a different god. The southern temple is in honor of the crocodile god ” Sobek, while the northern temple is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god. Each temple has its own sanctuary, entrance, colonnades, and hypostyle hall. You get a chance to see mummified crocodiles in the Sobek temple.

Another travel destination you must visit during you Nile cruise is Luxor. No other site in Egypt can rival Luxor’s magnificence, diversity, and range of monuments. The city was also known as Thebes by the Greeks. Around 2040 BC, Luxor was Egypt’s capital. In the seventh century BC, Luxor survived an attempt by the Assyrians to destroy it. However, its stature slowly declined from then, till the first century BC when it was finally destroyed by the Romans.

The necropolis complexes in the valley of the kings is one of the main attractions in Luxor, alongside the valley of the queens, and the tombs of the nobles. A number of temples also straddle the Luxor region. Being on the west bank of the Nile, Luxor was the burial ground for the royals and the nobles, owing to the Ancient Egyptians tradition of burying their dead in the direction of the setting sun.

The best period to travel to Egypt for a Nile cruise is the cooler season starting November to March. Since this is also the high season in Egypt tourism, starting early every day will help you avoid crowds. You should also consider hiring a local guide when visiting the historical attractions. Usually, if you buy an Egypt package, the guide will be provided.