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.
The rooms in a typical Nile cruiser are smaller than those of land based hotels but they have air conditioning, TV and enough room for twin beds, private shower, nightstand and dresser. The quality of cruisers varies and they are graded with stars just like hotels. Top end cruisers have spacious suites and amenities almost equal to those of ocean cruisers. A majority of visitors who have been to Egypt say that the romance of Nile cruisers surpasses other riverboats anywhere else in the world.
Nile cruises may take three nights, four nights, or seven nights. On the trip, you will get to see a good number of the important sites and monuments of ancient Egypt especially on the more popular and considerably shorter cruise between Luxor and Aswan. If you are on a budget or have an adventurous heart, you may opt for sailing the Nile in a felluca " the traditional nile sailing vessels. The felluca option lacks most of the amenities of the luxury boats, but helps you save on costs.
River Nile is deep calm and is at its most glorious at the Aswan - in deed a good place to embark on your Nile cruise. Aswan was for long Egypts southern frontier city and gateway to Africa. This was the region known as Upper Egypt, being upstream of the Nile. After Aswan, the Nile passes through a section of hard rock, resulting in rapids or cataracts.
One of the historical attractions in Aswan is the Nubian museum, which highlights Nubian culture from way back in time. Nubians are the dark-skinned residents of Aswan who are closely related to the northern Sudan people. You can see several Nubian villages at Elephantine island in the Nile.
About 48 km north of Aswan lies the historical Kom Ombo, home to the famous Graeco-Roman temple. Ptolemy VII is credited with having started the construction of this temple in the early second century BC. A number of his successors continued the work. This includes emperor Augustus in around 30BC.
The Graeco-Roman temple is in fact two separate temples, each dedicated to a different god. The southern temple is in honor of the crocodile god " Sobek, while the northern temple is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god. Each temple has its own sanctuary, entrance, colonnades, and hypostyle hall. You get a chance to see mummified crocodiles in the Sobek temple.
Another travel destination you must visit during you Nile cruise is Luxor. No other site in Egypt can rival Luxor's magnificence, diversity, and range of monuments. The city was also known as Thebes by the Greeks. Around 2040 BC, Luxor was Egypt's capital. In the seventh century BC, Luxor survived an attempt by the Assyrians to destroy it. However, its stature slowly declined from then, till the first century BC when it was finally destroyed by the Romans.
The necropolis complexes in the valley of the kings is one of the main attractions in Luxor, alongside the valley of the queens, and the tombs of the nobles. A number of temples also straddle the Luxor region. Being on the west bank of the Nile, Luxor was the burial ground for the royals and the nobles, owing to the Ancient Egyptians tradition of burying their dead in the direction of the setting sun.
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.
The rooms in a typical Nile cruiser are smaller than those of land based hotels but they have air conditioning, TV and enough room for twin beds, private shower, nightstand and dresser. The quality of cruisers varies and they are graded with stars just like hotels. Top end cruisers have spacious suites and amenities almost equal to those of ocean cruisers. A majority of visitors who have been to Egypt say that the romance of Nile cruisers surpasses other riverboats anywhere else in the world.
Nile cruises may take three nights, four nights, or seven nights. On the trip, you will get to see a good number of the important sites and monuments of ancient Egypt especially on the more popular and considerably shorter cruise between Luxor and Aswan. If you are on a budget or have an adventurous heart, you may opt for sailing the Nile in a felluca " the traditional nile sailing vessels. The felluca option lacks most of the amenities of the luxury boats, but helps you save on costs.
River Nile is deep calm and is at its most glorious at the Aswan - in deed a good place to embark on your Nile cruise. Aswan was for long Egypts southern frontier city and gateway to Africa. This was the region known as Upper Egypt, being upstream of the Nile. After Aswan, the Nile passes through a section of hard rock, resulting in rapids or cataracts.
One of the historical attractions in Aswan is the Nubian museum, which highlights Nubian culture from way back in time. Nubians are the dark-skinned residents of Aswan who are closely related to the northern Sudan people. You can see several Nubian villages at Elephantine island in the Nile.
About 48 km north of Aswan lies the historical Kom Ombo, home to the famous Graeco-Roman temple. Ptolemy VII is credited with having started the construction of this temple in the early second century BC. A number of his successors continued the work. This includes emperor Augustus in around 30BC.
The Graeco-Roman temple is in fact two separate temples, each dedicated to a different god. The southern temple is in honor of the crocodile god " Sobek, while the northern temple is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god. Each temple has its own sanctuary, entrance, colonnades, and hypostyle hall. You get a chance to see mummified crocodiles in the Sobek temple.
Another travel destination you must visit during you Nile cruise is Luxor. No other site in Egypt can rival Luxor's magnificence, diversity, and range of monuments. The city was also known as Thebes by the Greeks. Around 2040 BC, Luxor was Egypt's capital. In the seventh century BC, Luxor survived an attempt by the Assyrians to destroy it. However, its stature slowly declined from then, till the first century BC when it was finally destroyed by the Romans.
The necropolis complexes in the valley of the kings is one of the main attractions in Luxor, alongside the valley of the queens, and the tombs of the nobles. A number of temples also straddle the Luxor region. Being on the west bank of the Nile, Luxor was the burial ground for the royals and the nobles, owing to the Ancient Egyptians tradition of burying their dead in the direction of the setting sun.
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.
About the Author:
The author works with Africapoint, online Africa travel agents that provide Egypt travel and Egypt resorts reservation services.
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