Nile Cruises-General Information
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Most Nile cruise boats are privately owned and feature about 60 cabins with dimensions of 3.00 meters by 5.25 meters.  Each cabin generally contains wall-to-wall carpeting, a private bathroom with shower, color TV with one or more video channels, a music system and telephone.  The boats are fully air-conditioned and each cabin generally contains an individual control.

Nile cruise boats, generally in the range of 65 meters long, 12 meters wide and with a draught of 1.25 meters, are built according to Lloyd's Register specifications.  The boats often have three decks.  Cabins are not pre-assigned but are distributed on a first come, first served basis upon arrival.

The vessels generally boast the following facilities:

* Swimming pool
* Sun deck with recreational facilities
* Lounge and discotheque
* Restaurant accommodating all passengers in a single sitting
* Boutique and gift shop
* Hairdresser and barber shop
* Laundry service

Nile cruises include all meals beginning with lunch on the first day and ending with breakfast on the final day.  Guided sightseeing is included as per the itineraries.

Nile cruises do NOT include drinks of any kind nor tips to your guide or cruise boat staff.  Roundtrip transfers between airport and cruise boat in Luxor and Aswan are not included and will be quoted separately.  If you elect to prepay roundtrip transfers, our agents in Luxor or Aswan will reconfirm your onward domestic flight with EgyptAir.

After breakfast on the last day of your Nile cruise, you must clear your room prior to taking the final tour.  Later in the day you are welcome to return to use the public facilities on the boat (toilets, restaurant, lounge areas) for as long as you wish, but you will not be able to access your room again.  However, your luggage will be stored for you free of charge by the boat until such time as you wish to retrieve it prior to your flight.

Below are (A) a typical 4-night Nile cruise itinerary from Luxor to Aswan and (B) a typical 3-night Nile cruise itinerary from Aswan to Luxor.  The cruise itinerary of your boat may vary slightly from the typical itineraries below.  Your itinerary will be posted aboard ship on a daily basis and is subject to possible amendment, depending on local conditions on the Nile at the time of your cruise.
 

A TYPICAL 4-NIGHT CRUISE FROM LUXOR TO ASWAN:

DAY ONE:

  Noon:  Embarkation before lunch at Luxor.
  PM:    After lunch, visit Karnak & Luxor Temples.
            Overnight at Luxor.

DAY TWO:

  AM:    Visit Luxor's West Bank to see the Valleys of the Kings
            & Queens, Hatshepsut's Temple (Deir El Bahari) & the
            Colossi at Memnon.
  Noon:  Sail to Esna and overnight at Esna.

DAY THREE:

  AM:    Sail to Edfu & visit the Temple of Horus.
  PM:    Sail to Kom Ombo & overnight at Kom Ombo.

DAY FOUR:

  AM:    Visit Kom Ombo Temple & sail to Aswan.
  PM:    Visit the Aswan High Dam, the unfinished obelisk in the
            granite quarries & Philae Temple.  Overnight at Aswan.

DAY FIVE:

  AM:    Disembarkation after breakfast.  Then take a final
            sail in a felucca (an Egyptian sailboat) around
            Elephantine Island in Aswan.  Cruise sightseeing ends
            about midday at Aswan.
 

A TYPICAL 3-NIGHT CRUISE FROM ASWAN TO LUXOR:

DAY ONE:

  Noon:  Embarkation before lunch at Aswan.
  PM:    After lunch, sail in a felucca (an Egyptian sailboat)
            around Elephantine Island in Aswan.  Then visit the
            Aswan High Dam & the unfinished obelisk in the granite
            quarries.  Overnight at Aswan.

DAY TWO:

  AM:    Sail to Kom Ombo, visit Kom Ombo Temple, & sail to Edfu.
  PM:    Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu.  Then sail to Esna
            for overnight.

DAY THREE:

  AM:    Sail to Luxor.  Upon arrival, midday at leisure in Luxor.
  PM:    Visit Luxor and Karnak Temples.  Overnight at Luxor.

DAY FOUR:

  AM:    Disembarkation after breakfast.  Then visit Luxor's West
            Bank to see the Valleys of the Kings & Queens,
            Hatshepsut's Temple (Deir El Bahari) & the Colossi at
            Memnon.  Cruise sightseeing ends about midday at Luxor.
 

APPENDIX:  GENERAL INFORMATION ON ABU SIMBEL

The famous site of Abu Simbel south of Aswan directly on Lake Nasser consists of two unique temples which were raised by UNESCO during construction of the Aswan High Dam and the creation of Lake Nasser. If you wish to include a visit to Abu Simbel in your itinerary, you must fly Aswan-Abu Simbel-Aswan (A) after completion of your sightseeing on the final day of your cruise if your cruise begins in Luxor or (B) prior to check-in on the first day of your cruise if your cruise begins in Aswan.  The flight time is some 40 minutes each way. It is customary to spend only about two hours at Abu Simbel.  This is adequate time to visit both temples.  Additional detailed notes on the logistics of visiting Abu Simbel are included below.

Your flight to Abu Simbel on EgyptAir will be via Aswan.  If your flight originates in Cairo or in Luxor, your baggage will be taken off the aircraft at Aswan and kept safely on a baggage cart until you return from Abu Simbel.

Upon arrival at Abu Simbel you will proceed directly through the small airport terminal to one of the free buses waiting outside. These will take you to a parking lot near the site of the temples. There you pay your admission fee (approximately L.E. 80, equivalent to something over USD 14) at the ticket kiosk and follow the crowds down around the side of the hill to the front of the temples.  Your entrance fee includes an English-speaking guide, who should be waiting for you there.

At the conclusion of the tour you will walk back to the same parking lot where the same free buses should be waiting to take you back to the airport terminal.  At this point you will check in for your return flight to Aswan.  Everyone does exactly the same thing at Abu Simbel and it is customary to remain there for only two hours.  This is adequate time to see both temples.

Once back at Aswan, remember that your bags have already arrived ahead of you.  They will not be on the moving luggage belt.  After retrieving your bags, you will either proceed to Aswan by taxi or prepaid private transfer or else you will wait at the airport if you have an onward flight to Luxor or Cairo.  The Aswan Airport is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Aswan.  It is situated near the Aswan High Dam.  The nearest hotel is the Amoun Hotel on Lake Nasser.


Last updated 30 December 2006