Egypt is defined by the Nile River. The annual flooding and receding of the river’s waters, which leaves a thick layer of rich silt to stave off the encroaching desert, has shaped the country’s fortunes throughout its history. The pharaohs’ great pyramids, as well as Egypt’s arts, food, and culture, attract tourists, which is the country’s main industry. A Nile River cruise is combined with visits to some of Egypt’s most important archaeological sites on a Nile River tour.
Because the Nile was the lifeblood of ancient Egyptian civilization, its banks are now dotted with ancient tombs and temples. Luxor, 676 kilometers south of Cairo, is Egypt’s most dramatic historical site and is frequently referred to as the world’s largest open-air museum. Thebes was the ancient capital city of the Pharaoh of the New Kingdom and is now known as Luxor, which houses more than half of Egypt’s antiquities and is a must-see for any visitor to the country. Aswan is known as the Nile’s “Jewel.” Mountains, cliffs, and jagged outcrops are formed when pink and grey granite thrusts upward through Nubian sandstone.
Felucca Boat
The Felucca is a Nile Riverboat with low wooden dhows and benches amidships, which are traditional Mediterranean boats with picturesque lateen sails set forward. For overnight travel by six to eight persons, larger feluccas are modified yachts with traditional sails attached to the boat. Smaller boats offer one- to three-hour day trips that allow you to see the Nile’s banks in the silence that river travelers have known for millennia.
The Luxury Nile Cruise
On the Nile, luxury cruises are the most popular mode of transportation. Between Aswan Dam and Luxor, the river can accommodate luxury cruise ships and smaller luxury yachts. A luxury cruise includes excellent to opulent cabin accommodations as well as all of the cruise ship’s amenities, such as gourmet meals, onboard spas, swimming pools, lounges, and entertainment. Many tour packages included additional visits to well-known tombs and temples. Guest lecturers who are Egyptologists, archaeologists, or museum antiquities experts are common on most luxury cruises.
Dahabiya Nile Cruise
A Dahabiya Nile Cruise is a passenger sailing boat that sails down Egypt’s Nile River. A shallow-bottomed, barge-like vessel with two or more sails is what the term usually refers to. Similar crafts are depicted on the walls of Egyptian Pharaohs’ tombs, indicating that the boats have been around for thousands of years in some form or another. Due to similar, gilded state barges used by the Arab rulers of Egypt in the Middle Ages, the name derives from the Arabic word for “gold.”
The Dahabiya was the standard for tourists traveling up and down the Nile until the 1870s. The tour companies, on the other hand, began to introduce the steamboat on the rivers, bringing with them the organizational know-how to turn a three-month trip into a month-long sightseeing tour. Only the wealthiest travelers were entitled to travel with Dahabiyas. Because the size of the Dahabiyas boats does not have facilities onboard, the same a luxury Nile cruise ship, such as swimming pools, sauna, or shops
Egypt Tour Packages
If you have more than 5 days, the Egyptian Nile cruise can be the highlight or central activity of your trip. Excursions to archaeological sites and city tours that include meals, museums, and shopping are available on Nile cruises. The Museum of Antiquities is a must-see, as are the Pyramids of Giza. Cairo is a good city for a day trip on a felucca or dinner cruise.
Safety
On the Nile, there’s a buzz; you can feel the optimism in the air. Ancient temples are being restored, souvenir vendors are no longer desperate, and riverboats are once again stacked four deep along the banks of the Nile at Luxor. If security permits, now is a good time to visit. Temples and historic sites are filling up again, but not to the same degree as in the past when you had to fight your way through a sea of selfie sticks to get a good shot.
This article was updated and re-written in part by Hesham El Gammal; on April 5th, 2025 + fact-checked.
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