Cairo and Nile Cruise October 2022
We stayed at the Steigenberger Pyramids Hotel in a Pyramid View Room. It is a great hotel with fantastic views across to the Pyramids, the rooms and bathrooms are very spacious. The pool is big and the hotel had various nice areas to relax.
On our first day we went to the Cairo Museum as the new Grand Egyptian isn't open yet (which is just opposite the hotel). A lot of artifacts have been moved over but they still have the main ones at the Cairo Museum so its still a great place to visit until the new one is open. Tutankhamun Sarcophagus’ were amazing to see as well as other important figures, our Egyptologist took us to the main areas of the museum to explain the history. She was very knowledgeable and accompanied us to a very picturesque place for lunch.
In the evening we went to the Pyramids light and sound show, if you don't expect a masterpiece in technology then you won't be disappointed, the narration tells their history and with the Pyramids and Sphinx lit up at night, it was a great thing to see.
Our Egyptologist took us in the morning to the Saqqara region, considered to be the first Egyptian pyramid ever built and you can walk inside it for free. We were shown the hieroglyphics on the walls and the workmanship inside them is just so incredible, how they did it back then is just amazing.
After lunch, we visited the Giza Pyramids and paid approx £20 to walk inside the Great Pyramid. It is only about 4ft high in places and can take around 10-15 mins to walk to the Tomb, there is nothing inside but its still a great experience.
The Pyramids are just awesome, you can actually get up close to them and touch them, they really are as amazing as you think they would be.
The following day we flew to Luxor to join our Nile Cruise.
The boat itself is 4 star and was refurbished in 2018. The majority of our group had upgraded to the Upper Suite Balcony cabins (the only balcony cabins on the boat), the rest have a window facing out towards the Nile.
The Balcony cabins are really spacious with a walk in wardrobe, larger bathroom (corner bath) plus the balcony itself, its worth the extra cost I thought.
The boat has a gym, sauna, massage service, library, gift shop and a great sun deck with cabanas, swimming pool and sun loungers. They serve afternoon tea and with full board basis you certainly don't go hungry.
The dining times are flexible and work around your excursions. You can pre-purchase a drinks package or pay as you go, the drink prices are not overly expensive I thought.
We had a new guide for the Nile Cruise, he stayed with us for the whole 7 nights and was a mine of information, he was just incredible, very friendly and he looked after us.
Our first morning we visited the Valley of the Kings and saw inside the tombs of Rameses I, Rameses III and Merentpah. We also saw Tutankhamun’s mummy, this is an extra £15 but this is a highlight not to be missed.
Onwards from there was a visit the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Queen Pharaoh and a stop to the Colossi of Memnon, both are very impressive.
The next day we visited the Temple of Horos at Edfu and then sailed upstream to Kom Ombo to visit Ptolemic Temple and then continued on to Aswan where were moored up for 2 days.
Once settled in Aswan we visited the High Dam, the Old Granite Quarries, an unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Philae on Agilika Island, which was another highlight and a place you reach by small boats.
The next morning was a visit to Abu Simbel, this has been on my list for years and it didn't disappoint, the statues and temples of Rameses II and his wife Nefertari were once underwater and now relocated above ground, you can watch a video of how it was moved. The whole area is massive and we didn't want to leave. It was a 10 hour round trip on the coach starting at 5am (you can fly but it is a lot more expensive), the journey was comfortable though plus you go through the Sahara Desert and we saw a mirage, which you don't see everyday!
Next morning we boarded a Felucca to sail close to Kitcheners Island, this was a relaxing way to spend a couple of hours and on our last day we visited Karnak and Luxor Temples, just when you thought you had seen a lot of temples, these two are very impressive and finished the holiday on a high. We went back in the evening for the Karnak Light show but to be honest this was very disappointing and not something I would recommend doing.
Included throughout were a few stops to different outlets: Papyrus, Jewellery, Alabaster, Hand Made Carpet factory, where you can see the craftmanship and have the opportunity to purchase as well. A highlight was strolling through Aswan market and haggling with the locals.
By booking with our Tour Operator they have a private dock along the Nile so there was only us or at most 2 boats (apart from at one stop). All other boats were 4 or 5 abreast and would not have had a nice view of the Nile once docked, so as well as being nice and quiet it was easy to get off and on the boat rather than having to walk through a few boats.
You do have to do your research when booking a Nile Cruise, many boats and food hygiene is not always up to scratch but I would have no hesitation in recommending the Tour Operator we travelled with and they are highly rated in Egypt.
If Cairo and Nile Cruise is on your bucket list, then please do get in touch.