Nile Cruise Holidays in Egypt By Claire Bryant
A cruise down the world’s longest river is the perfect way to spend your holidays in Egypt. There are many Nile cruise holidays to choose from, however travelling from Aswan down to Luxor on the Oberoi Zahra Cruise is a luxurious choice and a fantastic way to visit some of Egypt’s most famous temples and tombs.
Aswan
When you select the Oberoi Zhara Nile Cruise, your holiday in Egypt begins in Aswan, where the Old Cataract Hotel is based. This hotel was famously the inspiration for Agatha Christie’s ‘Death on the Nile’ and, as a consequence, the hotel in Egypt has attracted everyone from Princess Diana to Margaret Thatcher. Enjoying afternoon tea on the famous hotel balcony, whilst overlooking the Nile, is an experience to remember on your holiday in Egypt. However, you should be warned that there is an entrance fee for the famous Grand Terrace.
Whilst the cruise docks in Aswan you can also visit the famous Temple of Philae. During the evening you can attend a spectacular sound and light show on the temple grounds. Philae Temple is dedicated to Osiris and is even considered to be one of the burial places of the ancient winged god.
Abu Simbel
No holiday in Egypt is complete without a trip to Abu Simbel. Visiting this breathtaking site is possible during a Nile cruise holiday. Abu Simbel consists of two massive rock temples situated on the banks of Lake Nasser. The temples were carved during the reign of Rameses II and depict him and Queen Nefertari to commemorate his victory at the Battle
of Kadesh. If you can arrange your holiday in Egypt during the month of October then you should definitely attempt to visit the festival on the 22nd. On this date at sunrise, shafts of light illuminate the statues of Ramses, Ra and Amun, leaving Ptah, the god of darkness, firmly in the shadows. Ramses arranged this bout of architectural egotism to commemorate his birthday and coronation, the temple also lights up in February. However due to the fact that the temple was moved during the 1960s, the festival now takes place a day later than Ramses had originally intended.
Luxor
Luxor is the final port of call for your Nile cruise holiday in Egypt and it is from here that you can arrange an excursion to the nearby Valley of the Kings. Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs were buried in this valley for nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th centuries BC. The valley is known to contain over 63 tombs and the most famous of these is that of Tutankhamen. The tombs at the Valley of the Kings differ in size from a simple pit to a more complex tomb with over 120 differing chambers. Whilst on your holidays in Egypt you can also visit the Temple of Luxor which has a dromos of Sphinx connecting it to the nearby Karnak Temple. Between Karnak and Luxor Temples is the famous Mummification Museum which features everything you could possibly want to know about mummification and even has a few mummified remains for you to look at. Luxor’s bustling bazaars are the perfect place to end your holidays in Egypt and as they sell all manner of items, from effigies of ancient gods to spices and fragrant incense, they are the perfect place to pick up a souvenir or two of your Nile cruise adventure.
