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  • Cruise the Nile River: Visit Luxor, The Necropolis of Thebes and the Temple Complex of Karnak

    Cruise the Nile River: Visit Luxor, The Necropolis of Thebes and the Temple Complex of Karnak

    Cruise the Nile River and you’ll get to explore ancient temples and learn about historic civilizations. And, you’ll have the chance to relax on one of the world’s most beautiful waterways.

    There are several companies offering Nile cruises, and many of them present roughly the same itinerary. So, choosing one river cruise line over another for your trip down the Nile may just come down to your budget, and the type of accommodations and public spaces you want to spend your time in.

    If you’re considering a Nile cruise, think about what type of river ship you want to travel on. Then make sure the cruise line you’re leaning toward will let you experience all of the following and more:

    Visit the Luxor – The Luxor Temple is one of the world’s greatest open-air museums and it’s filled with the awe-inspiring monuments from an intriguing ancient civilization. The Luxor is also known as the southern shrine and it was constructed in approximately 1400 BCE.

    The Necropolis of Thebes – On the West Bank of the Nile, you must visit the Necropolis of Thebes, which was the capital of Egypt during the period of the Middle and New Kingdoms.

    The Valley of the Kings – The Valley of the Kings is where the pharaohs were buried and were believed to have met their God in the afterlife.

    Colossi of Memnon  – The Colossi of Memnon consists of 2 massive stone statues built to guard a temple that no longer exists.

    Temple Complex of Karnak – This temple is the largest in Egypt.

    Temple of Horus – The Temple of Horus is the second largest and best-preserved temple in Egypt.

    Aswan – Aswan is one of the most scenic locations along the Nile River, located in a spot where the Nile meanders around scattered botanical islands and rocky cataracts.

    These are just some of the highlights of a Nile River cruise. To get more details on historic places you can see along the Nile, explore itinerary options with cruises lines like Viking River Cruises, Avalon Waterways and Uniworld.

  • How to Book Nile River Cruises

    Nile River cruises give vacationers in Egypt (or permanent residents of the nation, for that matter) the opportunity to see quickly and conveniently many of the country’s most important tombs and temples. A Nile River cruise is also an excellent way to witness the daily happenings of Egyptian life, as almost everyone in the country lives on or very near the river. As we explained in our recent overview of Nile River Cruises, the Nile River is in many ways like a huge freeway that passes the areas and monuments of Egypt that the average tourist is inclined to see. One matter we didn’t cover in this last article, however, was how to book a Nile River cruise. Below we explain how to book a cruise on the Nile River, as well as supply some advice for booking this unique type of cruise vacation.

    To begin, a general point about Nile River cruises: they are a lot different than regular cruise vacations (i.e., the cruises on the ocean that you take through a major cruise line). Cruises on the Nile tend to focus primarily on day trips and sightseeing, so you likely won’t spend as much time on the ship as you would on a more standard cruise at sea. This makes sense for a couple of different reasons. One, the cruise ships on the Nile are far smaller than the major cruise ships that sail the ocean, so there is not nearly as much to do on board. (There is sometimes a pool and a few places to lounge in the sun, but that’s about all.) Two, people tend to visit an exotic and ancient land like Egypt precisely to see the historically significant sites, and for this reason Nile River cruises are designed to enable travelers to do this. Basically, Nile River cruises are less about the on-board experience and more about seeing all that Egypt has to offer. This is helpful to keep in mind because it means that the cruise ship you travel on is less important than the itinerary it offers. When looking to book a Nile River cruise, you should perhaps be less worried about the ship you are sailing on than you might otherwise be.

    There are a number of outfits that offer Nile River cruises, ranging from major companies that specialize in a broad range of different travel itineraries, like Abercrombie & Kent, to smaller ship operators that focus only on Nile River cruises, like the appropriately named Nile Cruises. Of course, a number of companies fall somewhere in between, like Red Sea Holidays, which focuses on vacations to Egypt, and Viking River Cruises, which only offers river cruises. Any one of these companies and many more can be directly contacted (either online or through a phone number) to set up a Nile River cruise. Some of these companies can also set up larger vacation packages for Egypt, where a Nile River cruise is merely one part of your trip to Egypt.

    You can also use one of the major aggregator sites for vacation deals, but these are often harder to use than usual. For instance, we had trouble finding many good Nile River cruise options using Expedia and Priceline, which are in general good sites for finding cruise deals. However, Cruise.com brought up a ton of great Nile River cruise options, with a recent search supplying 16 different cruises offered by three cruise lines. So, deals can be found using the aggregator sites, but you have to be a little persistent and check out a few.

    Overall, booking a Nile River cruise is fairly straightforward, but it can be slightly more challenging than lining up a regular cruise vacation. Although there are plenty of Nile River cruises offered throughout the year, they aren’t offered by the major cruise lines, so you can’t just call up your favorite cruise line and book your trip through them. It’s also a little harder to use the major deal sites that many cruise vacationers have become accustomed to using. There simply aren’t as many Nile River cruises listed on these sites as there are cruises to, say, the Caribbean or Alaska. However, with a little effort and research, you’ll definitely find plenty of options from which to choose.

  • Nile River Cruises

    Nile River cruises are of course cruises that take place on the Nile River in Egypt. Like other river cruises, Nile River cruises are distinct from regular cruises (i.e., cruises that sail the world’s oceans) in that the vessels used for them are smaller, and in general a Nile River cruise will have a greater focus on engagement with the Egyptian land (because you are always close to shore, not in the middle of the ocean). Below you will find some basic information about Nile River cruises, including what Nile River cruise ships are like and what you can expect during a voyage up the Nile River.

    The Nile, the longest river in the world, is the lifeblood of Egypt. The overwhelming majority of the population lives right along the Nile, and not coincidentally many of the famous monuments of the country – the Luxor, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, etc. – are right along the shores of the Nile. As such, taking a Nile cruise is one of the best and most efficient ways to see Egypt, including not only its world-renowned temples and tombs, but also the daily lives of many of its people, who can be seen farming the land along the shore of the river. The Nile is like a freeway that just so happens to pass by most of the parts of the country that the average tourist is inclined to see.

    For this reason, taking a Nile River cruise is quite a bit different from taking a regular cruise, as we mentioned above. The focus of the journey will be on taking tours around Egypt’s sites, not spending a ton of time on the ship itself. There are no climbing walls or elaborate live shows on the cruise ships that go up and down the Nile. However, ships are equipped with a restaurant and bar, and many ships have pools and decks to lie out on. Again, though, the focus of most Nile cruises is to take day tours, so if the goal of your vacation is to read and drink by the pool, a Nile cruise is not the best option. The ship will primarily be used for entertainment at night (e.g., “Egyptian nights,” where passengers can dress in traditional attire and eat local food) and sleeping.

    Nile River cruises are unlike any other cruise vacations you might go on. The on-board experience is one of the major components of most cruises, but this is far less true of a Nile River cruise. You can of course largely set your own agenda, and it’s not like you’re forced to take excursions you don’t want to take, but the ships on the Nile simply do not offer the types of activities and entertainment possibilities that huge cruise ships on the ocean do. This is of course not an inherently good or bad thing, it’s just the way Nile River cruises are, and this should be kept in mind if you are thinking about cruising the Nile in the future. And if you are thinking about taking one, check out our article on how to book a Nile River cruise.

  • Nile Cruises

    One of the best ways to explore everything from exotic islands to historic places of interest is on a river cruise. A river cruise is a form of travel that typically takes place aboard a small vessel that navigates the inland waterways of the world. Unlike large cruise ships, river cruise ships allow the passenger to get up close and personal with the countryside, culture, and unique aspects of animal and marine life.

    While river cruise ships tend to be much smaller than bigger ships, many have the same amenities and they are seen as just as elegant as some of the larger, high-end vessels. Some river cruise ships may resemble five-star hotels with luxurious accommodations as well as passenger sun decks, dining rooms, lounges, fitness facilities, swimming pools, casinos and other entertainment facilities. In addition, many river cruise ships offer both onboard and off board tours of everything from museums and galleries to dozens of other historical and exotic points of interest.

    There are so many river cruises on the market today that it’s becoming more and more difficult to choose just one. There are, however, several popular river cruises that won’t disappoint. The most popular river cruises include: Nile (Exotic River), Mississippi (North American River), Yangtze (Exotic River), Mekong (Exotic River), the Danube (European River), Rhine (European River), Seine (European River) and Volga (Russia River).

    Nile River cruises allow the passenger to experience Egyptian history and culture on an intimate level as the smaller Nile River cruise ships will visit some of the most remote parts of Egypt — places larger cruise ships just can’t reach. A Nile River cruise also gives the passenger an opportunity to get up close and personal some of Egypt’s most stunning pieces of architecture.

    Local Egyptian guides will take you to sites such as Luxor on the ancient site of Thebes, ancient Temples, the Valley of the Kings, and the High Dam in Aswan, to name a few. While Nile River cruises are typically part of a larger itinerary which may include may include a visit to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, the pyramids and Sphinx in Giza, Djoser’s Step Pyramid in Sakkara, and Alexandria, in some cases Nile Rive cruises can last from seven days up to 47 days! The most popular Nile cruises range from 9-15 days.

    There are many different cruise lines and tour companies that offer a wide variety of Nile River cruises ranging from Red Sea Gateway Nile cruises to Passage through Egypt tours. Some of the top cruise lines and tour companies include: African Tvl, A & K (Abercrombie & Kent), Contiki, Insight Vacations, Gap Adventures, Viking River Cruises, Brendan Worldwide Vacations, Globus, Trafalgar, Uniworld River Cruises, Tauck Cruises, Collette Vacations, and Gate 1 Travel.

    Depending on a variety of factors such as cruise line, type of cruise, season, class, destination, and length of cruise, a Rhine River cruise can cost anywhere from $230 for a 4-day cruise up to $8,700 or more for a 15-day luxury cruise. 47-day budget cruises may cost around $6,100.

    In some cases, a Nile River cruise that’s part of a longer cruise itinerary may also include hotel stays. In these cases, you may enjoy savings up to 40%. If you are interested in booking a Nile River cruise, visit any of the cruise lines or tour companies listed above or you can visit VacationsToGo.com to browse through a wide variety of Nile River cruise offerings along with just about any discount, promotion or deal available. You can also contact your local cruise travel agent.

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