Egypt’s Nile River is one of the world’s bucket-list cruise destinations, brimming with mighty pharaonic monuments, lush landscapes and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. From the Great Sphinx of Giza to the Karnak Temple in Luxor, you’ll marvel at the world’s greatest wonders on board AmaWaterways’ 12-day sailing from Cairo. Read on to follow every step of the itinerary.
Herodotus called Egypt the gift of the Nile. This river — the longest in the world — flows through the country from south (Upper Egypt) to north (Lower Egypt) for the final 900 of its 4,000-plus miles. It was the fundamental life force of the Nile that gave rise to the glories of Ancient Egypt.
This 12-day land and cruise journey is a showcase of Egypt’s treasures. It includes a round-trip seven-night cruise from Luxor, traveling through Upper Egypt’s languid Nile Valley, taking in the region’s world-famous painted tombs and Nile-side temples. Plus, four nights in Cairo promises enough time for history-lovers to steep themselves in the fascinating heritage in and around Egypt’s capital.
Journey highlights include a full day dedicated to exploring the pyramid fields of Giza and Saqqara, an exclusive tour into the vividly painted burial chambers of Seti I’s tomb in Luxor, and a stop in Qena, to admire Egypt’s most magnificently decorated temple.
Temple of Horus at Edfu
EDFU
Cruising the Nile Valley between Luxor and Aswan offers up scenic vistas of sun-dappled countryside. Sugarcane fields and tiny villages slide past while egrets perch like baubles in the feather-fronds of date palms. Upriver (south) from Luxor, the fortress-like pylon (gateway) of the Temple of Horus at Edfu is one of the Nile’s major attractions. Edfu was a cult center for the worship of falcon-headed Horus throughout pharaonic history. The Ancient Egyptians believed this was the site of the final battle between Horus (son of Osiris and Isis) and his uncle Seth (god of violence and disorder).
The temple was built relatively late, during the Ptolemaic period, which explains its remarkable state of preservation. Construction began in 237 BCE under Ptolemy III, and was completed in the reign of Ptolemy XII (father of Cleopatra). Carved into the entrance pylon are two mammoth wall reliefs of Ptolemy XII, posed mid-stride while presenting defeated enemies to Horus. Within the temple, the two sights not to be missed are the Passage of Victory reliefs, depicting scenes from Horus and Seth’s battle, and the inner-temple laboratory, where the walls are covered in scent-blend recipes to aid the priests who once created incense here.
Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut
LUXOR
An open-air museum of the pharaonic era, Luxor (ancient Thebes) rose to become Upper Egypt’s religious capital during the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BCE). Modern Luxor sweeps along the Nile’s east bank, soundtracked by the riverfront corniche’s trotting horse-drawn carriages, and home to the two famed pharaonic temples which were the cult-center of the god Amun-Ra. On the west bank, the green patchwork of fields and squat villages is speckled with mighty memorial temples and flanked by the craggy Theban escarpment, where New Kingdom pharaohs secreted their rock-cut tombs.
The richly painted burial chambers in the barren Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens read like a who’s who of New Kingdom Egypt. There are at least 175 tombs here, though only a select few are open to the public. The jewel of the Valley of the Kings is the tomb of Seti I, the longest and deepest in the necropolis. An exclusive tour of this royal tomb, with its midnight-blue astronomical ceiling, vivaciously colored scenes on raised reliefs and rare stenciling examples is an adventure into the masterwork artistry of Ancient Egypt. Afterward, explore the Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut. Hewn into the foot of Deir al-Bahri’s limestone cliff, this is the most dramatically situated of the west bank’s temples. No west bank itinerary is complete without a visit to the Colossi of Memnon. These two 1,000-ton statues of Amenhotep III have been a tourist attraction since the days of Ancient Rome.
On return to Luxor, it’s time to explore the east bank. Heady with the scent of spice and incense, the Luxor market throngs with crowds after dark and is the place to hunt down handicrafts. The Karnak Temple Complex spans 247 acres, making it one of the largest religious sanctuaries ever built. At its core is the Temple of Amun-Ra, where Thebes’s main god resided. Strolling within the temple’s 59,000-square-foot Great Hypostyle Hall, surrounded by a stone forest of 134 towering papyrus columns, is a highlight of Luxor. Karnak is connected to Luxor Temple, in the center of the modern town, by the 1.5-mile Avenue of Sphinxes. This was the processional route of Ancient Egypt’s annual Festival of Opet. Luxor Temple itself is mainly the work of Amenhotep III, though Ramses II added plenty of flourishes including the finely chiseled reliefs depicting the 1274 BCE Battle of Kadesh covering the first pylon (gateway).
Feluccas on the Nile River
ASWAN
Aswan is Egypt’s most relaxed city. Lateen-sailed feluccas (Egyptian sailboats) skim around lush islands on the wide yawn of the Nile while a backdrop of tangerine-hued dunes looms over the fertile riverbank thread, which holds the city on the east bank and huddles of Nubian villages on the west. Aswan was on the border between the two glorious civilizations of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Nubia, and this cultural blend remains an important part of the city’s identity. To explore Aswan’s Nubian heritage, head to the Nubian villages on Elephantine Island, check out the Nubian Museum, or take a stroll through Aswan market with its pyramid-piles of dried karkadai (hibiscus) and colorful basketry.
Aswan is also the port for excursions to the temples of Abu Simbel. Hewn out of a mountainside in the 13th century BCE, and guarded by colossal statues of Pharaoh Ramses II, it was one of Ancient Egypt’s most audacious building projects. Due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the mid-20th century, the temple complex was deconstructed and rebuilt block by block at its present-day location to save it from being submerged under the rising waters of Lake Nasser, as part of a massive UNESCO-led salvage operation that also included Philae’s Temple of Isis.
For a close-up experience of Nile-side life, board a felucca for an Aswan boat tour. Keen photographers should keep their eyes peeled to spot kingfishers, sunbirds and herons while gently sailing around the river’s boulder outcrops and islands. Because Aswan is really about sitting back and soaking up the scenery, don’t miss a visit to the Old Cataract Hotel for high tea on the terrace. This heritage hotel offers commanding Nile views and has played host to everyone from Winston Churchill to Agatha Christie, who wrote part of Death on the Nile while staying here.
Temple of Isis
KOM OMBO
Before departing Aswan, there’s time to tour Philae’s Temple of Isis, renowned as one of the best examples of classical pharaonic temple design. Dedicated to the worship of the goddess Isis, this was one of the final seats of Ancient Egypt’s religion, which was supplanted by Christianity around 550 CE. The temple, now relocated to Agilkia Island, is accessed by a short motorboat ride. The Nubian village on neighboring Heissa Island is a fascinating last stop, with plenty of the houses still decorated with bold geometric designs in primary colors, and traditional talismans to ward off the evil eye.
Traveling downriver (north), cruisers should make sure to be on deck for the dramatic approach to Kom Ombo, when the temple’s grand colonnade of papyrus columns appears as the ship rounds the riverbend. Kom Ombo was a cult center for the local crocodile god Sobek and the Temple of Kom Ombo (built between 180 BCE and 47 BCE) is jointly dedicated to Sobek and Haroeris (Horus the Elder). The temple’s priests raised sacred crocodiles here and many of these crocodiles’ mummified remains are exhibited at Kom Ombo’s Crocodile Museum. The temple’s two most fascinating features are its dual dedication, which means the interior is split into two symmetrical sides, and the famous wall-relief depicting surgical instruments, found in the temple’s narrow outer passageway.
Temple of Hathor
QENA
Dendera, on the Nile’s west bank facing the city of Qena, was Ancient Egypt’s cultcenter dedicated to the goddess Hathor. With its hypostyle halls studded with Hathor-headed columns and ceilings awash with lavish blue-hued scenes, Dendera’s Temple of Hathor is a remarkable surviving testament to the spectacular artistic achievements of Ancient Egypt.
The superb level of interior preservation is thanks both to the temple’s youth and an amazing multi-year restoration project that has painstakingly revived the original colors of the decoration. While the oldest temple sections date back to the 1st century BCE, during Ptolemaic rule, the outer hypostyle hall was only completed later, under the reign of Roman Emperor Tiberius.
Soak up the ceiling scenes depicting sky goddess Nut in the outer hypostyle hall and in the sanctuary chapel, then tackle the steep staircase down to the crypt to explore claustrophobic passageways covered in intricate reliefs. Afterward, a trip up to the roof using the western staircase is an experience not to be missed. This is the processional route the priests would have used during Dendera’s New Year Festival and the walls along the stairs depict scenes from the ceremony. Whether you’re a first-timer or an Egyptophile, this itinerary has something to please everyone.
By Jess Lee
