| | Nov 12, 2005 - Luxor to Aswan Nile Cruise - Exploring Ancient Egypt | (click to enlarge)
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 | Sunrise over ancient Thebes, Luxor
| | Almost 300 ships sailing between Luxor and Aswan
| | Statue at Temple of Karnak
| | Obelisks at Temple of Karnak
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 | Temple of Karnak Hieroglyphics
| | Statues at Luxor Temple
| | Rams that once lined the road between the Temple of Karnak and Temple of Luxor
| | View of the Valley of the Kings
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 | Feluccas docked on the Nile
| | At the famous tomb!
| | Dier al Bahri - Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut
| | Horus the falcon god
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 | Fishermen on the Nile
| | Inflight
| | Birds of the Nile
| | Vendors selling their goods at the Esna Locks
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 | Hieroglyphics in Edfu at the Temple of Horus
| | Hieroglyphics at the Temple of Horus
| | Nile Sunset
| | With our Nile Cruise friends Dave and Mary
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 | Kom Ombo - dual Temple of Sobek and Haroeris - the falcon and crocodile
| | Traditional Feluccas on the Nile
| | Scenes along the Nile
| | Busy Nile in Aswan
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 | Temple of Philae
| | Feluccas on the Nile in Aswan
| | Cruise mate Ian and Maryangela from London
| | Shopping the market in Aswan
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 | | | | On a Felucca ride in Aswan
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| Luxor to Aswan Nile Cruise - Exploring Ancient Egypt
From Cairo we took an overnight train to Luxor. We were pleasantly surprised at the excellent quality of our train, better than any overnight journeys we had taken while in Europe. We received our own private sleeper car complete with seats that converted into bunk beds, a small sink and mirror with both dinner and breakfast included. We arrived in Luxor at 5:30 AM to a train station that was quite a sight. The litter along the tracks was piled high as we wound our way down the dark and dirty platform barely wide enough to hold more than 2 people across. The air was pleasantly cool and skies were still dark as we made our way through they throng of Egyptians trying to coax us to their hotel of choice and to our driver and guide who took us to our boat - The Radamis I by Movenpick. We were very pleased to find we were able to board the ship even though it was about 6 AM and our room was ready by 8 AM with a free upgrade to one of the 4 suites that were on board! A great way to start the cruise!!
With almost 300 cruise ships plying the waters of the Nile between Luxor and Aswan they have come up with quite and interesting way of docking the plethora of ships. Whether by choice or not, ships are pulled up beside each other and tied together anywhere from 2 - 5 ships across. If you are going ashore and are on the 5th ship from the shore, you literally walk through all the lobbies and step between the ships that have so cleverly aligned all of their doors allowing guests to pass through much like it is one extended hotel lobby with 5 front desks.
The next 5 days laid out ahead of us was a busy agenda:
Day 1 - Luxor - Temple of Luxor, Temple of Karnak
Day 2 - Luxor - Valley of the Kings (including King Tut's Tomb), Valley of the Queens, The Funerary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, - Cruising the Nile and Esna Locks
Day 3 - Edfu - Temple of Horus, Kom Ombo- Cruising the Nile and Aswan
Day 4 - Aswan - Lake Nasser & the High Dam, unfinished Obelisk, Temple of Philae and a felucca ride along the Nile
Day 5 - Aswan - day at leisure and flight back to Cairo
Throughout the cruise we had all of our activities and sightseeing coordinated and included by the ship accompanied by a professional guide who stayed with us and our small English speaking group for the duration of our cruise. The cruise was an incredible experience to further build upon the taste of ancient Egypt we received in Cairo at the pyramids and Cairo museum. While on board we experienced the wonders of ancient Egypt by visiting many ancient temples decorated with sculptures and hieroglyphics, the Valley of the Kings with the tombs of ancient pharaohs including that of King Tutankhamun, the Valley of the Queens, the Funerary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut., the High Dam and Lake Nasser along with taking in the sights and life along the Nile Valley. Our professional guide was able to bring to life the history and beliefs of the early Egyptians as well as interpreting the ancient hieroglyphics that adorned the walls of the temples and tombs we explored along our way. He would explain the gods the Egyptians worshipped and draw similarities from their ancient religion to religions around the world today. Without his explanations and knowledge the trip would have lacked insight and the thought provoking ideas he presented to us that made the adventure that much more meaningful and leaving me with a pursuit to learn more.
Unfortunately the tombs we visited in the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens did not allow for any photography to take place so we can not share with you visuals of the incredibly painted and carved walls with their well preserved hieroglyphics that you can not imagine are so many thousands of years old and still there for us to enjoy today. The history of Egypt is awe inspiring and overwhelming that you could devote a lifetime of study to Egyptology. For us, the 5 day cruise was a great introduction to both the history of Egypt and for snapshots of life along the Nile Valley as it is today. We had a comfortable trip, met some great people while onboard and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in seeing Egypt.
From Aswan we flew back to Cairo for one night and then from there on to the growing city of Dubai - a modern hub in the Arab Middle East!
**** Carl's 10 Travel Tips for Egypt ****
1. Make sure you always carry small currency for tipping the locals. Any service rendered by someone and they will be looking for a tip or 'baksheesh' as they call it. You are not obliged to tip and use your own discretion. Often they are not shy to ask you for it.
2. Pay to have a guide when visiting all historical sights. Guides can make the history come to life for you and give you a much better understanding and appreciation for what you are viewing. If you are not on a group tour hire a private guide to take you around as they are relatively inexpensive and well worth the money.
3. Egypt is safe and friendly so get out and explore. You will be hassled to purchase their goods without a doubt, but just tell them 'No Thanks' or 'Shukran' in Arabic. If you get lost don't hesitate to ask someone as they will more than likely do all the can to help you out (we had one person walk us a few blocks to the restaurant we were looking for).
4. Bargain for your purchases. Bargaining is common almost everywhere you go in Egypt. Don't get too carried away though - remember a few dollars is really nothing for us in the grand scheme of things but could mean a dinner or two for a family in Egypt.
5. Watch what food you eat and stick to bottled water only in Egypt. Some travellers get a case of travellers' diarrhoea while in Egypt by the food or water.
6. There are currently almost 300 boats cruising up and down the Nile between Luxor and Aswan ranging from very poor quality to excellent 5-star ships. Remember you get what you pay for and it worth being on a good quality ship since they usually provide all your meals and tours with guides.
7. Cairo is a crazy busy city - overpopulated, dirty, polluted but safe and worth exploring. Crime is low so don't be afraid to set off on the streets on your own and just use your common sense and general safety precautions.
8. When you are doing the Luxor to Aswan (or vice versa or roundtrip) cruise try to allow time when in Aswan to go to see Abu Simbel. It is either a 3 hours drive (one way) or short flight and not included with most cruises but is supposed to be incredible. (Unfortunately we did not budget the time for it and missed out this trip...save something for next time!) If you are prebooking flights from home make sure you also arrange a guide to get the most of the outing.
9. If you like beaches, snorkelling or diving make the trip out to the Sinai Peninsula where you have a full range of resorts at reasonable prices and you can also easily get a desert excursion or two in with local Bedouins if you choose.
10. The overnight train from Cairo to Luxor was the nicest overnight train we have taken on the trip with a room for two and small sink. Much better than expected and nicer than the European trains. An option over flying if you are looking to save a few dollars on your trip.
www.carlhenderson.ca
www.imagestoframe.com
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