Arrival in Egypt is something that can only be called overwhelming.  The fact that the cradle of culture and civilization resides here can feel like so much more than you can handle that you might be tempted to only take it in small increments… Oh what a mistake that would be.

After flying from Cairo to Aswan, being picked up at the airport and shown around it becomes pretty obvious, you are not in Kansas anymore.  Stopping by the temple of Philae suddenly you will be transported back in time to a place where ancient peoples built Temples to honor gods of the old world.  One of the first thing noticed is all of the hieroglyphs… they cover everything.  Each one telling a story, filling every surface with history and mythology.  The architecture itself is worth the trip, but the history, oh the history…..

Boarding the cruise ship is it’s own fun.  Checking in among the rest of the passengers, meeting the crew, exploring the ship and finally going to your room.  These cruise ships are all shaped the same.  Oddly.  Each one has its own personality, its own look, and its own form of luxury.  Our boat, the Nile Dolphin, is a ‘5 star’ ship that cruises the Nile over and over.  5 Star is very relative here as for most Americans it would be 4 star.  The ship is nice and fun to be on, with a pool and a deck on the roof with a bar.  The food is good with a fun buffet style.  Not spectacular but good.

The real amazing parts of the cruise are the stops.  Making stops at Edfu, Esna, Kom Ombo, and finally Luxor there is so much to see and do along the way.  Places like Sobek Temple, Abu Simbel, Luxor Temple and more will wow you at every excursion.  Riding in a traditional fluka sail boat, taking a hot air balloon ride over the Valley of Kings, smoking a hookah, visiting local markets, having Turkish coffee barely scratches the surface of the cultural and historical things you can experience.  The people in these cities are very kind and welcoming, you will be rewarded for the courage it takes to venture out into the cities.  Having a home base on board the ship comes in very handy as everything revolves around the Nile.

A Nile river cruise is an amazing way to experience some of the major cultural and historically significant places in Egypt.  If you stay in Cairo you can visit some pretty incredible things, but you’ll miss the majority of what Egypt has to offer.  These cruises are cost effective, fun, relaxing, and amazing.  The crews are attentive, the ships clean, and the food good.  You can’t go wrong with a Nile cruise if you want to experience more of Egypt than Cairo alone.   And we think you should!

make sure to mention FarFromLocal when you contact him.

Sam is an amazing tour guide. Check out this website and then ask for him specifically.