Nile cruise

Downstream or upstream

Between Aswan and Luxor, the Nile flows north. The direction of the cruise can change its length: on the Oberoi Zahra, Aswan to Luxor, with the current, takes 3 nights, and Luxor to Aswan, against the current, 4 nights; the Oberoi Philae sails both ways in 4 nights. Departures are on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The choice of direction depends mostly on the rest of the trip:

• Ending in Luxor leaves time to stay on after the cruise: the West Bank and Karnak deserve three days, and Luxor airport links to Cairo in about an hour.
• Ending in Aswan lets you go straight on to Abu Simbel, by road, by air or on the Lake Nasser cruise, which leaves from Aswan.
• The 6- or 7-night itineraries add Dendera, north of Luxor, and Abydos on the Oberoi Philae.

Dahabiyas, the Nile's traditional sailing boats, follow their own route: they embark at Esna, about 53 km south of Luxor, and reach Aswan in 5 nights. Sabaro's guide "Choosing your cruise" compares the boats, cabins and booking conditions.

The stops, heading upstream

Most of the cruise temples date from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, later than those of Luxor. In upstream order from Luxor:

• Esna. The Temple of Khnum, the ram-headed god, stands in the heart of the town. Since 2018, an Egyptian-German team from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the University of Tübingen has been removing the soot and grime of two thousand years. In October 2023, the restoration of the ceiling was completed: hundreds of figures and astronomical scenes have recovered their original colours. Boats then pass through the Esna lock.
• El Kab, between Esna and Edfu, is a stop reserved for dahabiyas.
• Edfu. The Temple of Horus was built from 237 to 57 BC, under the Ptolemies. Long buried under the debris of later houses, it was cleared from 1860 by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette, which explains its state of preservation. Entry costs 550 Egyptian pounds (EGP) for a foreign adult.
• Gebel Silsileh, served only by dahabiyas, is an area of sandstone quarries on both banks: more than a hundred quarries supplied the stone for many temples. You see the Speos of Horemheb, a rock-cut temple, and thirty-two rock chapels of New Kingdom officials.
• Kom Ombo. The double temple is dedicated to two gods, Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, Horus the Elder, with two axes and two sanctuaries side by side. A Roman-period relief shows what are believed to be surgical instruments, and the Crocodile Museum stands next door. The site is open until 9 pm local time, which allows a visit at dusk.

Life on board

A cruise day follows the heat and the river. Visits are best made early in the morning; the middle of the day is spent sailing, on deck or by the pool; late afternoon is the best time to watch the banks slide by, between palm groves, villages and desert. On the Oberoi Philae as on the Nour El Nil dahabiyas, an Egyptologist leads the visits.

Sabaro advises keeping half a day free before boarding and after disembarking, for the sites in both towns that are not on the programme. On the Oberoi Philae, boarding is at 12 noon and disembarkation at 8 am, local time.

Seasons and heat

The 1991-2020 normals of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for Luxor and Aswan follow the same curve:

• From November to February, an average maximum of 23 to 30 °C: the best season for sightseeing, with cool evenings on deck.
• March, April and October, 30 to 36 °C: visits are made early.
• From May to September, above 39 °C, and up to 41 to 42 °C in July and August. The Nour El Nil dahabiyas do not sail from June to August, because of the heat.

On 2 August 2027, the total solar eclipse passes almost over Luxor: an occasion for a summer cruise, provided you accept the heat.