Nile Cruise Aswan-Luxor
I have long wanted to go on a cruise on the Nile to see the ancient Egyptian temples and touch the thousand-year history. Tez Tour offered the most successful options, and in terms of the quality of the services provided, they are one of the best. I chose from two options for four-day cruises: Luxor-Aswan (from Sunday to Wednesday) and Aswan-Luxor (from Wednesday to Saturday). I liked the first option more, because. on the last day of the cruise in Aswan, there is an opportunity to go on an optional excursion to Abu Simbel. You need to go to it only with an escort that leaves at 5 in the morning, so in the second option from Aswan to Luxor this is not possible. On the other hand, the second variant successfully follows the growth of interest, ending with the unsurpassed Luxor, where you can spend more time than in the first variant. As a result, depending on our time possibilities and dates, we went on an Aswan-Luxor cruise (nothing, there is still a reason to return to Aswan and visit Abu Simbel another time).
At the appointed time on Wednesday, at 5 am, the Tez-tour guide called for us to take us to the ship to Aswan. On the way, we also stopped at Safaga and picked up another pair. As a result, our Russian-speaking group consisted of 4 people. By 12 o'clock we had already arrived in Aswan, where our guide Musat was already waiting for us, settled us into cabins, told our further program and collected 15 dollars in tips for the team. In addition to us, there were a lot of Indians, Japanese and French on the ship. I liked the ship "Mojito", although it does not reach those declared 5 *, rather 4. But what food! lunch and dinner were different every time, desserts too, and everything was very tasty. But drinks are not included in the price, they should have been paid extra. But in principle, you could bring your own water to the boat (because it is expensive there), the main thing is not to bring your drinks to the restaurant and bar. On the upper deck you can sunbathe and plunge into the pool, there is also a bar and tables under a canopy for relaxation.
Upon arrival, we immediately had lunch and went on a sightseeing tour of Aswan, where we visited the Aswan Dam, near the monument of Soviet-Egyptian friendship and looked at the unfinished obelisk. Our guide also offered additional excursions for $45 to the Nubian village, where you can see crocodiles and a botanical garden, as well as an evening laser show in an ancient temple. But our companions did not want to go anywhere, and it is not profitable for two to make such excursions, or it is very expensive for us. On the way back to the ship, we were taken to an aroma oil shop, well, where would we be without it.
I set sail at night, and in the morning, at about 7 o'clock, we had already arrived in Kom Ombo. After breakfast, we went on an excursion to the temple of Sobek (crocodile god) and Horus (falcon god) - this is the only temple in Egypt dedicated to two gods at the same time, and is located right on the banks of the Nile. Musat told us the history of Egypt, and this temple in particular, showing everything on the example of the images on the walls.
Then until lunch we just rested on the upper deck, sunbathed and admired the banks of the Nile, passing by. After lunch we arrived at Edfu, where there is another temple of Horus. We were taken to it in horse-drawn carts. Local Arabs manage to take a couple of pictures of tourists in riding carts, and very successful ones. Then, upon their return, everyone can find their photo already printed in the design, with views of the Horus zram, and buy it for $ 5. In the evening at 5 o'clock on the upper deck everyone was treated to tea with desserts, it was very pleasant to sit in the upper bar with a mug of tea. And in the evening we passed the locks in Esna. Thus purely the cruise itself takes one day.
The whole next day we had excursions in Luxor. A big plus of visiting Luxor during a cruise is that you can start everything early in the morning, while there is no big heat and crowds of tourists who have come from Hurghada, although there are also plenty of tourists from other ships. We started at 6 am, first visited the colossi of Mesnon, the Valley of the Kings, then the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, with a stop at the "factory" of the stone, and finished everything at the Karnak temple. Compared to a similar tour from Hurghada, everything was without haste, and also in a very small group (which is a big plus). In addition to the excursions included in the program, the guide offered us several additional options: in the afternoon, visit a banana garden (see how bananas grow and taste them right from a palm tree) or a horse-drawn carriage ride through the old Luxor, in the evening, a light and sound show at the Karnak temple and the next day, on the way home, check in Dendera for another temple. We decided to take only the evening show at the Karnak temple, and after lunch just relax after a busy morning program. The evening show at the Karnak temple is held in different languages, according to the schedule, but not in Russian. For Russians, they give radio transmitters, you can listen to the translation through headphones. The show is simply mesmerizing.
The next morning, we vacated our cabins and were taken to the hotel in Hurghada, arrived even earlier than expected, and as a result got another full day at sea.
We were very pleased with Kruih, it's just an ideal option to see a lot of Egyptian antiquities, without haste and long journeys, in a comfortable environment, especially since some places you won’t see except on a cruise.
