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I've heard about Nile River Cruise, do u have any idea about it? and how long does it takes?

Thanks a lot!!!

Nile River has been the lifeblood of Egypt for more than 5,000 years and cruising is the great idea to experience the wealth of Egyptian history culture and architecture.


Nile River cruises are part of longer Egypt tour itineraries which you can visit visit the legendary pyramids and Sphinx in Giza, the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo and Djoser's Step Pyramid in Sakkara- "MUST-SEE"Egyptian treasures.


Most of the Nile River Cruising trip, they emphasis on visiting Luxor, where you can see the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, ancient Egypt's longest ruling female pharaoh, and the Temple of Karnak, the largest temple complex built by man. Excursions are offered from Luxor to the Valley of the Kings, the resting place of more than 60 pharaohs, including the mysterious boy-king Tutankhamun.


There might be possibility that you may visit 2,000-year-old, beautifully preserved Temple of Horus, the falcon god, or hop aboard a felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing vessel also High Dam at Aswan, one of Egypt's modern marvels.


The usual cruise is aboard a Nile cruiser, often referred to as a floating hotel(packages starts from 3-4 or 7 nights). Indeed, the better boats have most the accommodations of a land based hotel, including small swimming pools, hot tubs, exercise rooms, nightclubs, good restaurants, stores and even small libraries. The amenities depends on the price that you are willing to pay (range in price between about $55.00 USD to almost $300.00 USD per night, with seasonal increases of between 25% to 50% during Christmas and Easter).


In around April, locks on the Nile river are closed due to water levels, ultimate time for a Nile cruise is between October and mid April, when the weather is fairly cool, but the locks are all open.
However, most cruise boats operate all year. If the locks are closed, cruise operators will arrange boats on either side of the locks, and a transfer must be made between boats.


There are many travel agents that you can contact for cruising reservation.

Most of the reservations should be booked in advance approx. 30-45 days. Therefore I think you must be careful to prepare this trip!

Hey, that was a pretty well researched piece of information, I must say. I went to Egypt but missed out on the river cruise, and after what you have written, I know what I missed! May be, I'll, in a year or two, get back to this historical destination.

Thanks for the info.

Do u know? Where your cabin is situated on the ship can make a big difference.

Front
Avoid cabins near the rear of the boat because motor vibrations could interfere with your sleep.

Bottom
Lower floor cabins provide less exciting views of the passing riverbank scenes than higher ones do.

Entertainment
If you sleep early, skip accommodations directly over and under the room where the nightly Nile Cruise entertainment is held.

Staircase
Voices are sometimes loud enough to reach inside a cabin located near public staircases.

kame,
Thanks for that info. I’ll keep it in mind for the future.

Peechan
Let me start by saying that I’ve never done a Nile cruise so you can factor that into whether you think my advice is worth considering . I’ve avoided cruises in the past because I don’t like the rushing around and ‘herding’ aspect of them. I see the cruise ships all the time in Luxor, with the huge groups being shuttled from place to place and just know it’s not something I would enjoy. Others who have done the cruises have said that they weren’t quite what they expected and that there wasn’t nearly as much ‘cruising’ as they’d imagined. I guess that would depend on the length of your cruise as well. At night, the boats are also moored four and five across leaving many unlucky individuals wit h the ‘view’ of the cabin of the ship next to them.

Having said that, the stretch of Nile from Luxor to Aswan is MAGICAL. I’ve done the trip by road (the road hugs the Nile for much of the way) and was just mesmerized, so I would never want to put anyone off it. There are many, many people who have done the cruises and loved them. I would just suggest that people manage their expectations.

From my own experiences visiting the sites, and Egypt in general, I humbly suggest the following to get the most out of your visit to Egypt.

1) Do your excursions separately to maximize your cruise time. If you have the time, I would add a few days before and after your cruise (in Aswan and Luxor) and visit the sites on your own. I am a strong advocate of booking your own independent local guide. Not only are they inexpensive, but you have the luxury of being able to move at your own pace, enjoying a more personal experience and contributing DIRECTLY to the local economy. You can then book your cruise ‘without excursions’ which will not only work out cheaper for you in the long run, but you can then relax on the boat in peace and quiet when everyone else is out.

2) Skip the cruise altogether and do a day trip to Dendera via the Lotus boat. Base yourself in town to to the excursions and then take the Lotus Boat to Dendera Temple. Dendera Temple is one of my favorite temples and is often left off of cruise itineraries. The boat leaves at around 7am and gets to Dendera around 11am. You then get your time at the temple, and then it’s a 4hr trip back. A long day, but what you DO get is a full day of sailing on the Nile, uninterrupted except for the 2 hours at Dendera. Lunch and tea are served on deck and it all costs about $60. The Lotus Boat ( a huge boat with a swimming pool and anything else you would want) can be booked through any hotel, hostel or local tour operator.

3) Take a Lake Nasser Cruise! I’ve been looking into this personally because it better fits my idea of a cruise. Lake Nasser is the body of water south of Abu Simbel. Only five boats do this route vs the 300+ that do the Luxor/Aswan stretch so the cruise is inevitably more peaceful. The boats are smaller and there are fewer sites to visit along that route. The two most popular boats are http://www.kasribrim.com.eg/

Now that I’ve seen 95% of the sites in Luxor and Aswan (and between) I would probably do a Nile cruise just to experience it, but I really think you get a more authentic view of Egypt by basing yourselves in the towns. Even if you do do a cruise, be sure to wander around on your own and experience the intoxicant that is Egypt and the friendliness of its people.

NP

Thank you so much Nile Princess!!!
That's why i said u r a real princess

I think i'll try the Lotus Boat to Dendera Temple and also Lake Nasser Cruise. Hope i can experience something extraordinary

Also thanks all u guys for your time and all these informations.