Egypt Vacations: Enjoy An Unforgettable Luxury Nile Cruise
River Nile remains one of the leading destinations for people traveling to Egypt ever since the ancient Egypt days of the Pharaohs. Today, the Nile maintains this top position in Egypt travel partly due to the incomparably enjoyable Nile cruise adventures. If you are taking a vacation in Egypt, you should not miss the chance to see the historical sites of Egypt along the banks of the Nile, while relaxing aboard the floating hotels that are the cruise ships. The ships have all the amenities of a modern hotel including restaurants, bars, lounges, shops, swimming pools, and discotheques.
A typical luxury cruise ship in the Nile has air-conditioned rooms, though the rooms are slightly smaller than those of ordinary Egypt hotels based on land. The rooms have adequate space for twin beds, a private shower, nightstand and dresser, and a television. Like hotels and lodges, the cruisers are star graded according to their quality. Most of the top rated (5-star) cruisers are nearly as equipped as the luxury ocean cruise ships. Many travelers to Egypt agree that the Nile cruisers' romance setting is superior to that of any other riverboats in the world.
Nile cruises normally take three, four or seven nights. During the cruise visitors see the most important and interesting monuments of ancient Egypt on the shorter and more popular cruises that ply between Luxor and Aswan. The more adventurous travelers or those on a tight budget avoid the luxury cruisers in favour of fellucas- the traditional Nile sailboats. The amenities on fellucas are very basic but are still a good option for budget visitors.
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 home to the Nubians, a dark skinned people, related to the people of the northern Sudan. You can see some Nubian villages at Elephantine Island. The Nubian museum celebrates Nubian culture right from prehistoric times.
Kom Ombo is another historical site along the Nile, situated about 48km north of Aswan. Its main attraction is the Greco-Roman temple, whose construction was started in the second century BC by Ptolemy VII. A number of successive Roman emperors contributed to completing its construction, including emperor Augustus around 30BC.
The Temple of Kom Ombo actually consists of two separate temples, each with its own entrance, colonnades, hypostyle hall and sanctuary. The southern temple is dedicated to Sobek -the crocodile god, while the northern one honours Horus - the falcon god. If you have not seen mummies before, be sure to see the mummified crocodiles in the Sobek part of the temple.
Your next stop and highlight of the Nile cruise is Luxor. The range, magnificence and diversity of the monuments in the Luxor area is unsurpassed in all of Egypt. Known to the Greeks as Thebes, Luxor became the capital of Egypt at around 2040 BC. The city survived the sacking by the Assyrians in the 7th century BC, but steadily declined, and was finally destroyed by the Romans in the first century BC.
Among the celebrated monuments dating from Luxors heydays are the necropolis complexes at the Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens and Tombs of the Nobles. You will also come across some outstanding temples scattered in the region. The Egyptians buried their dead in the direction of the setting sun and the west bank at Luxor was the final resting place of royalty and high officials.
The period from November to March is the best season for traveling to take a Nile cruise, owing to cooler temperatures. This being the peak tourism season in Egypt, you should start your tours early in the day to avoid crowds. It is also advisable to hire a local guide when visiting the monuments, though normally the guide will be provided if you buy a Nile Cruise package from a good travel agent.