The Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor
Updated: May 12
I remember studying the ancient Egyptian civilization in history books from my primary school. All along I had a vision of Egypt to be a land of Pharaohs adorned in jewels, crowns and long robes striding through the endless deserts to secret sacred temples divinely blessed as a blooming growing garden. One of the oldest and culturally richest civilizations after the Mesopotamiam and Indus Valley dating back to 3150 BC, Egypt truly comes alive to reveal mysteries hidden ! It is simply miraculous how the ever standing pyramids, the majestic Sphinx, the giant statues of Pharaohs were made of rudimentary tools, quarrying in incredible amounts of stone and with such precision - that in itself makes for every travelers' fantasy !
So, I was there on the Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor to join my husband who was on a business trip from work, brother-in-law and good friend to take a not-so-long due vacation in a land of unparalleled beauty.
For the perfect itinerary of Cairo & Giza, please look no further. Please refer to my blog post '4 days itinerary of Cairo and Giza'.
Let's start with an early morning flight to Aswan from Cairo.
The Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor
Day 1 - Aswan High Dam, Temple of Philae, Kom Ombo Upon landing in Aswan, we were transferred to our 5 star Nile cruise 'Grand Son Cruises'. After checking in, we had half a day to explore Aswan before our cruise started its sail to Luxor.
We started our tour with a visit to the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk, the largest known obelisk and most ancient stone, taller than any obelisk. In the middle of the Egyptian desert lies one of the largest embankment dams in the world. And yes, the Aswan High Dam is in Egypt !!
We also visited the charming Temple of Philae which was built during the Greco-Roman period 280 BCE. The temple lies on Agilkia Island in southern Egypt. This island is in the Nile River near Aswan and so the only route to the temple is on a motor boat, which gives you a scenic view of the island. The main temple is dedicated to the Goddess of Love Isis, also known as the goddess of motherhood, healing, and birth, while there exist many other smaller temples dedicated to other deities and pharaohs.
It's intricate detailing of Egyptian history of how Isis brought Osiris back to life and then gave birth to Horus, and mummified Osiris after his death is seen on the walls of the temple. After the tour, we returned to the cruise to start our sail to Luxor around 2 pm. A buffet lunch including continental, Arabic and Indian cuisine was served on-board.
Our next pit stop was 5 pm when we disembarked to see the magnificence of the city of Kom Ombo, to pay a visit to the great Temple of Sobek, also known as the Double Temple. The city of Kom Ombo, also known as the City of Gold (Nubt) is located on the Nile, 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Aswan. Now an agricultural town, Kom Ombo is famous for the temple of Sobek, This temple is dedicated to Sobek the crocodile God and Horus the falcon-headed God. Thats why the name double temple, because of its architecturalkly identical columns, hypostyles, courts and sancturies, making everything a set of two.
Much of the temple was destroyed, however it has been greatly reconstructed, restoring many of the scriptures and reliefs. The below image of this intricately carved column, which is part of a destroyed wall is my favourite.
The river Nile was known to be infested with dangerous crocodiles because of which the ancient Egyptians were always scared of nearing the river. However, there was a myth that if the crocodiles were worshipped, they wouldnt attack the ancient Egyptians. In Kom Ombo there used to be a lake full of crocodiles which were worshipped and raised. Do not miss the temple sanctuary which houses multitudes of mummified crocodiles. This is very exciting for the kids and adults alike. Overnight was on the Cruise.
BEWARE ! Honestly, the Nile Cruise did not live upto its expectation. Noted to be 5 star, the rating certificate of the cruise had expired and the rooms weren't in great condition. The cruise was full-board, meaning Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner on the cruise was covered in our package, however the food was tasteless and at times inedible.*** The highlight of the cruise was the top deck with a full fledged bar, sun beds and swimming pool. Relaxing on the sun beds, Kom Ombo from Edfu.
Day 2 - Edfu and Luxor Our visit to the Temple of Edfu was scheduled at 8 am the next day. The city of Edfu lies half-way between Luxor and Aswan and approximately 60 kms north of Kom Ombo. Upon arrival in Edfu city, you will be a little disturbed by the sight of carriages driven by pitiful horses, a source of income for the less fortunate Edfu inhabitants. It leaves you no choice but to embark on one of the horse carriages to be ridden to your destination. As a goodwill to the animal, we paid the horse rider handsomely.
Our destination, a 15 minute ride to the Temple of Horus in Edfu is dedicated to falcon-headed God Horus. It is considered to be one of the most well-preserved cult temples in Egypt. As history has it, It was the 'home' and cult centre of the falcon god Horus of Behdet. Do ensure you don't miss out on seeing - the Birth House, the Pylon, the spacious Court of Offerings, black granite Horus statues, rectangular Hypostyle Hall and the Festival Hall.
After our visit to the temple of Edfu, our very generous Egyptologist Sayed bought us some really good Falafel to hog on before breakfast at the cruise.
Post breakfast, we enjoyed the relaxing sail through the day, wind blowing in our faces, enjoying the view on the banks of the Nile, soaking in as much greenery as possible and trying the local Saqqara beer made our day !
Luxor - Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple
In the evening around 5 pm, we reached our final destination Luxor. This evening was set for a visit to Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple. Karnak Temple, dedicated to Amun and dating back to 2000 BC is an impressive sight, while Luxor temple which dates back to 1392 BC is a magnificent sight.
Karnak temple was at its time, the most significant religious institution built. An effort of more than a dozen pharaohs in the making of a temple complex taking them thousand of years into construction (between the Twelfth and Twentieth Dynasties) with several carvings and hieroglyphs is a site of historic significance in Egypt. It was said to be built by the pharaoh Akhenaton in the worship of the sun god Aten. The Temple of Amun-Ra is on monumental significance as a place of worship of ancient Egyptians. The temple was believed to be a point of communication and exchange between the god Amun-Ra and Egyptians. It attains a size, complexity and diversity not seen elsewhere. One of the key things to see here is the Hypostyle Hall, known to be one of the world’s greatest architectural achievements. It is decorated with 134 enormous pillars, the highest 70 feet tall, and each about 45 feet around.
The Karnak temple's entrance is via an Avenue of the Sphinxes, or Sacred Way. In former days, this avenue ran two miles from Karnak to Luxor Temple. The final point of this temple is the inclusion of the sacred lake and the stone statue of Scarab Beetle. It is believed that if you walk around the stone statue in an anti-clockwise direction, your wish will come true - 1 round for good luck, 5 rounds for marriage, and 7 for kids !!!
When the site was discovered by Napoleon’s scholars and archaeologists in the early 19th century, the buildings were in ruins. Major conservation efforts have helped restore this invaluable historical site.
This cult temple of its time is surrounded by statues of Ramses II and Ramses III.
Luxor Temple - Luxor, also anciently knows as Thebes, is famously known as the City of a Hundred Gates. The temple welcomes you with the 24-metre high First Pylon, built by Ramesses II. This main entrance to the temple complex was originally bound by six colossal statues of Ramesses, of which four were seated and two were standing postures. Only two seated statues have survived. There also remains a 25-metre tall pink granite obelisk.
Beyond the first pylon lies the Great Court of Ramses II, where sculptures of ancient Egyptian pharaohs stand tall.
After walking through the ancient magnificence of the pharaohs and listening to hours and hours of pharaonic history, our feet and brain needed some resting. So we decided to relax and enjoy dinner at the much acclaimed restaurant Sofra, recommended strongly by travellers on Foursquare. The quaintly designed décor of the restaurant (actually an ancient house) and a Egyptian cuisine (as realistic as it can get) made for the night. Stuffed pigeon with rice, duck and chicken Tajin are the highlights of the menu, including the local food Koshery and their apple mint shisha. Well-stuffed, we spent the night on the Cruise.
Day 3 - Valley of the Kings, Alabaster handicrafts store, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut & Colossi of Memnon After breakfast, we disembarked from your cruise to visit the much awaited 'Valley of the Kings', a visit to the Alabaster handicrafts store, visit to the wonderful Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Photo Stop by the Colossi of Memnon.
I look at the Valley of Kings as the grandeur of the kings in having mausoleums dug deep into the ground, hidden away from the commoners, considering their funeral be special and grand to be remembered thousands of years later. This valley lies on the Nile's West Bank in Luxor. At the Valley of Kings, our package included entry into the 3 fascinating tombs of Seti I, Ramses II and a high priest. We bought the optional ticket to enter the tomb of Tutankhamun, a boy king whose mummy is well preserved in his tomb. At the Tombs, photography is strictly prohibited. The indigenous archaeologist Howard Carter is famed for his discovery of this tomb in 1922. This place is a MUST DO, it will yield a plethora of surprises !
The Alabaster handicrafts store is located on the west bank of the Luxor governorate. On your way to visiting the memorable Valley of the Kings, we noticed a building almost like a museum. The collection they have in-store claims to be handmade. They are excellent replicas of the known ancient Egyptian art masterpieces.
Awe-struck by the elaborate decorated tombs, our next pit-stop was at an enchanting Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Around the age of 12, Hatshepsut, daughter of King Thutmose I, became Queen of Egypt when she married her half-brother, Thutmose II. She was the female king of Egypt, one of the greatest Queens and the first to rule ancient Egypt and reigned in her own right C. 1473–58 BCE. This temple is of historical importance because Queen Hatshepsut wanted to potray to the ancient Egyptian people that she was a great leader and is capable of ruling the dynasty like a pharaoh. It took her 15 years to complete this temple, however after her death, Thutmoses III destroyed her name and image from the walls of the temple. The fight for women empowerment never ceases.
The photo below was taken with my darling friend and fellow travel enthusiast Abhishek in front of the statue of Queen Hatshepsut in three forms: a pharaoh, the god Osiris, and the guise of a sphinx.
We then proceeded to take a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon - basically three gigantic stone structures of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III, who reigned in Egypt during the 18th Dynasty, his wife Tiye, and his mother Mutemwiya. They are all symbols of rebirth and they have portrayed through the construction of these statues that they withstood several natural disasters.
We got dropped off at the second most recommended hotel Al Sahaby lane restaurant, overlooking the Luxor temple from its rooftop. We thanked our driver and guide Sayed for their charming services and wished that Ínsha Allah' we would cross paths again. Now, this restaurant Al Sahaby (Nefertiti Restaurant) specializes in international, Egyptian and Bedouin food. It has a traditional charm to it, though the food is very exorbitantly priced ! After a late and sumptuous lunch of camel meat, chicken tajin, koshery and umm ali, we decided to laze on a Felucca ride.
We enjoyed a relaxing Felucca ride during sundown. It's the best time to soak in the views and enjoy the breeze and calm of the Nile. Although the prices are a bit steep, its quite an enjoyable experience after a long tiring day.
$30 One Person Traveling Alone.
$20 From 2 to 3 Persons.
After the Felucca ride, which was walking distance from our cruise, we visited the Mummification Museum, again a stone's throw from our cruise. A perfect place to understand how the whole mummification process began and how it is done on both human and animal remains. Goosebumps eh!
Day 4 - Luxor - Hot air Balloon Ride The itinerary for today included an unbeatable view of Luxor from a hot air balloon, and a day off to explore by ourselves. Today, we chose Sindbad tours for our Hot Air Balloon ride as they proposed a cheaper deal than Egypt Day Tours. Even before day break at 4 am, waking up in the wee hours of dawn to explore the ancient wonders of Luxor from high above, got Kelkar and Rahul in god-speed mode. Sidd and I decided to skip this part, one, for babies below 2 years of age weren't allowed and second, we had taken relief from the fact that we were not missing much as we had done a hot air balloon ride at Cappadocia.
The hot air balloon ride starts from the west bank of the Nile River, and you board a shared balloon basket (luckily we were just 11 of us) for a 45-minute flight. Cost for one person was USD 60. They got a bird’s-eye view as the sunlight illuminated the temples and mountains below. For the longest time, they hovered over Karnak, Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple and other monuments, marvelling again and again over God's own creations.
After the ride, it was time to check out from our cruise. We checked in to hotel Steigenberger which was a 15 minute drive into the city. We decided to re-do Sofra and Luxor temple, this time in day light. We hired a local cabbie for the entire day and paid a total of EGP 150 for all day until drop off to the Hotel at night.
Day 5 - Luxor Museum & Sound & Light show at the Karnak temple
We next headed to the Luxor museum, the supreme council of antiquities, open from 9 am to 4 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm. The museum houses artifacts from the ancient Thebes (modern Luxor), mostly consisting of pharaonic art and ancient household items. It also includes an area dedicated to Egypt's Golden Age. The artefacts were so well preserved, it was a joy reading and understanding the story behind each one of them in golden silence inspected by the museum care takers.
A pit-stop at Al Aboudy Coffee Shop - for some good cappuccino and so-so Italian pizza was helpful to subdue our built-up hunger post our early lunch.
and then we made our way to the Sound & Light show at the Karnak temple. The Karnak Sound and Light Show highlights the dramatic history of ancient Thebes. The show narrates the achievements of some great Pharaohs, with poetic descriptions of the ancient treasures. As visitors walk through the complex of temples, pharaohs arise to tell the story of their interesting lives, as haunting music mysteriously flows through this ancient city. Ancient and poetic voices tell the visitors about the birth of Karnak temple and the heroic achievements of pharaohs and god Amun. The enchanting and supernatural experience to listen to the sound effects and gaze at the magnificent ruins was the perfect ending to our Nile Cruise.
With this comes an end to the Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor. When we returned to our home base, my baby's paediatrician asked me if it was safe to travel to Egypt, especially with a baby. My answer was, don't worry, you are in the land of the Gods and Pharaohs :)
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We thank our tour agency EGYPT DAY TOURS for the lovely execution of the meticulously planned itinerary and the time invested by our Egyptologists Bassem and Sayed to dispatch every little information they had to make our tour worthwhile, comfortable, inspiring and most of all comfortable and accommodating considering we had a baby on board. Hats off to Egypt Day Tours !
Egypt Day Tours
https://www.egyptdaytours.com
Email: info@egyptdaytours.com
Phone: 24/7 Support number (Call /Whatsapp / Viber) +201006808857
WATCH OUT FOR:
Unless you plan to buy the souvenir or artefact sold by a vendor, it is better to avoid showing any intent or interest in it.
Being from India myself and I've witnessed the hackling and hounding for money culture and I do understand why they do it, so I totally sympathise with them, however it is also my advice to you to not encourage these vendors from gifting you anything for free or for your baby, as they might come back hounding you for money post your tour.
Also try to avoid wearing their headgear, even if they insist on trying, for they wont take it back and you will be forced to pay for the headgear.
Please do mention Egyptian Pound or Sterling Pound and not just Pound for any transaction
Please mention per head price and total price and confirm the same before taking on anything
Tipping is a mandate in Egypt. It would be nice to budget aside money for tipping for the guide, driver, cleaner, server, camel rider, horse cart rider, boat rider, washroom cleaners, porters and anyone that offers a service.
Unfortunately, we did face some racism on board the cruise, where we were clearly informed that sofa tables were for special guests like the British nationals, while tables and chairs for Asians.
WHAT TO WEAR:
Women preferably wear loose baggy pants, loose fully covered tops to avoid any kind of public lewdness, more specifically in local areas in Cairo.
In Tourist friendly areas like Luxor and Aswan, you may wear shorts and dresses too.
On board the cruise, you may also wear your bikins and swimsuits in the pool area
Always carry a scarf/stole to cover your head while entering places of worship like the mosque or church etc.
TRAVEL WITH A BABY: Good tips available for all ages of babies to travel easy and safe. http://www.babycenter.com/0_travel-with-baby-how-we-can-help_7155.bc
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