Is there any river in the world quite like the Nile? We don’t think so.
Egypt as we know it today could not exist without the Nile. More so than the Rhine or the Danube in Europe, or the Yangtze in China, the Nile was, is, and forever will be the economic lifeline of this land. From its numerous awe-inspiring temples and the many small villages lining its banks, to the ancient city of Alexandria, home to one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, and the engineering marvel of the Aswan High Dam, no other river in the world is so intertwined in the lifeblood of the surrounding area, nourishing as it has, over 5,000 years of culture and history of the Land of the Pharaohs.
A Nile River cruise is more than just a cruise down the Nile.
A vacation trip to Egypt is best enhanced by including several days in the teeming and exciting city of Cairo, capital of this ancient land. You'll have a chance to explore this incredible urban sprawl — where the ancient and the modern collide and coexist — in many cases side by side, in forming the Arab World’s most westernized metropolis.
Of course, you’ll also have plenty of time to see the remarkable, nearby Pyramid complex, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, which after 3,800 years is still the tallest man-made structure in the world. You’ll also have plenty of time to get an up close and very personal view of one of the most photographed relics in the entire world, the remarkable alabaster Sphinx and other structures in the area. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site — do not miss the extraordinary Sound and Light show, the Cairo museum with its incredible archeological treasures, and for those of you with the shopping gene, don’t miss the Khan-al-Khalili Bazaar, the ancient worlds answer to our modern malls. One of the most interesting areas of the Bazaar are the spice dealers, do stop in and buy some of the thousands of spices they have for sale.
But make no mistake, the Nile River, what you really have come all this way to see, is your gateway to the many wonders of this magnificent land and its truly one of a kind archeological and architectural marvels. Relaxing on the Sun Deck of your deluxe cruise vessel, perhaps by the pool with a cold drink in your hand, you watch as the sun sinks slowly into the west, perfectly framing the incredible sights that each day brings. As we all learned from elementary school geography classes, the Nile is the longest river in the world. But, did you know that the Nile is formed by two rivers, the Blue Nile flowing from the highlands of Ethiopia, and the White Nile from the Lake Victoria region in Uganda? These two great tributaries meet in the city of Khartoum, Sudan, and flow as one for a bit over 4,100 miles north before ending in a massive delta, a lush and fertile 155 mile wide area, that fronts the Mediterranean Sea.
Below are a few of the cruise highlights that you've traveled so far to see...
While the river itself is tremendously long, the majority of river cruising on the Nile takes place between the two cities of Luxor and Aswan, a distance of about 140 miles, with pre- and post-cruise stays in Cairo. The cruise itself takes either 3 or 4 nights depending on your starting point. Between these two cities lies a staggering display of the power and might that was ancient Egypt and a photo journalist's dream come true. Let’s just cover a couple of our favorites: the temple complex of Karnak-Thebes and the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.
In ancient times, the city of Thebes with the nearby Karnak temple complex housed over 1 million inhabitants. You will need to fuel up before your tour of this complex as it is huge, almost a mile long by a half-mile wide. This is not surprising as construction lasted for almost 1500 years! Across the river is the the necropolis (the burial ground for the ancient city of Thebes) a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is here that you'll find the Valley of the Kings where the tomb of the boy king Tutankhamen was found, and next to it the Valley of the Queens, where the tomb of Queen Nefertari, wife of the Pharaoh Ramses, is situated.
If you've not previously read our destination discussion of the Egypt and a Nile River cruise, we invite you to do so to gain even more clarity into why we so enthusiastically recommend this cruise.
One final and interesting side note to consider. Most itineraries will feature a visit to the Temple of Hathor, one of the best preserved in Egypt and famous for one of the very rare depictions of Queen Cleopatra and her son Caesarion, reputedly fathered by Julius Caesar. It is interesting due to the little known fact that Cleopatra was not Egyptian, but Greek — Macedonian in fact, a descendant of Ptolemy, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, and the last person to rule as Pharaoh.
For a longer cruise experience, and one we strongly recommend, book a cruise-tour itinerary that includes sailing along the shores of Lake Nasser. Formed by the construction of the Aswan High Dam, this 345 mile long lake is the largest artificially created lake in the world. The highlight of your Lake Nasser cruise, and indeed one of the highlights of a trip to Egypt, is a visit to the incredible Temple of Abu Simbel, two massive temples hewn out of solid rock during the reign of Ramses II. But what you have to realize is that these temples were built hundreds of miles away. They had to be completely dismantled, moved, and reassembled in a gigantic undertaking in 1968 due to the rising waters of Lake Nasser which threatened to submerge the two structures.
The Nile has played a major role in the cultural, political, social, and spiritual life of Egypt. Egypt itself is a land of uncounted treasures that will never cease to amaze even the well-traveled visitor. Let the experts at Premier River Cruises assist you in planning your trip to this incredible destination.Because a Nile River cruise is probably only enjoyed once, and because the selection of the right cruise and land portion will be critical to your overall enjoyment, we encourage you to plan early and talk with one of the experts at Premier River Cruises.
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