If you’re thinking about visiting Egypt, it’s quite likely that you’re considering a cruise up the Nile as part of your itinerary. Sailing up the Nile used to be the only way visitors could get to see some of the amazing temples and tombs along the river banks. These days you can hop on a plane to Luxor or Abu Simbel, but the romantic idea of a cruise is still alive and well. A Nile cruise also gives you an unfettered glimpse into rural Egyptian life, that has changed little over the course of Egypt’s long history.

On a luxury Nile cruise you’ll enjoy great food, air-conditioned cabins, a plunge pool, and highly educated guides well versed in Egyptology. You really need a good guide because after you’ve stopped at 3 or 4 sights along the way (including Esna, Edfu, and Kom Ombo) you will be getting your Gods confused.

It’s this feeling of being “templed out” that led us at African Portfolio to consider offering one of our Egypt tours without the cruise. We call it — Essential Egypt.

What, no cruise? Opting out of the Nile cruise, especially on a vacation that will last less than 10 days, makes sense to us. You still get the opportunity to sail on the Nile, but for an evening on a traditional felucca, not for half your trip on a luxury boat. The extra time (in our opinion) is better spent with a visit to Abu Simbel, Aswan and a few extra days in Luxor. These sights are the most impressive in Egypt, and the more time you have to truly understand their history, the more meaningful your whole Egyptian vacation becomes.

Of course, we’ll customize any trip to Egypt for you, so don’t hesitate to contact us, and we do have a wonderful Egyptian tour that includes a cruise.