What To Expect On A Nile Cruise
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 | Uncategorized
For decades, cruises on the River Nile have been taking holidaymakers 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 fantastic with holiday makers.
A regular cruise on the Nile lasts seven nights and run Monday to Monday. Direct flights from UK bring visitors to Luxor and then they are transferred to their cruise vessel to check in. The next morning, the journey into age-old Egypt starts out with a take a look at to the East Bank of the Nile at Luxor such as the Temples of Karnak and Luxor.
The next day, the sightseeing heads over to the West Bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings before going back to the boat for lunch. Just after lunch, the cruise ship departs Luxor heading south for Edfu. Immediately following an overnight mooring at Edfu, there are further outings to temples at both Edfu and Kom Ombo prior to continuing to Aswan.
The next day, its time to experience Aswan and a more modern construction; the Aswan High Dam. Built in the 1950s, the Aswan High Dam produced Lake Nasser, itself a cruise place. After lunch, there is time to sail on a traditional Egyptian Felucca along this very beautiful section of the river. The Cataract Hotel in Aswan looks out onto the Nile and it is here that Agatha Christie wrote part of her well known book, “Death on the Nile”.
After an overnight stop in Aswan, there is some time available to explore the town or alternatively, there is an optional trip to the outstanding Temple of Abu Simbel at the southern 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 effort.
Aswan represents the turn-around point for Nile cruises and now the ship heads back north the 80 miles to Luxor. The journey lasts two days with an over night stay at Edfu just before returning to Luxor. The week sailing along the River Nile is over and tourists return to the airport and home.