Long Nile cruise ...

[Mark_T]

Security is ever present, but never really gets in the way.

 

We have police or army escorts both on land and on the river as well as a few stationed onboard, but they are casual and relaxed.

 

There is no feeling of being at risk at all, but the Egyptian authorities are taking no chances.

 

You will see nothing but happy locals waving, from young children to their grandparents, everyone is pleased to see us and almost no sign of the traditional sellers of postcards etc. once out of Giza.

 

I'm sure we will see them again when we get to Luxor though

 

We would have no hesitation about booking this cruise at all...

[Mark_T]

Tried a few photos but the upload speed is limited at this forum chokes on resizing my rather large images, so I'll spend some time resizing first on the next 'sea day'.

[Mark_T]

To continue with the cruise, the next day we were just sailing, weather was warm and sunny but not too hot.

 

We greatly enjoyed the cabanas on the top deck along with the attentive but never pushy service, providing cool drinks or tea/coffee as you prefer.

 

The food continues to be of good quality. Simple but well cooked dishes with various Egyptian elements mixed in.

 

Seating at meal times has remained fixed with tables assigned by tour group, but there has still been a little flexibility in moving some if those around for better adjacency between groups.

 

There is no elevator on the ship, but to be honest, if that is a concern, then this is probably not the best cruise to be considering as everything ashore involves walking across rough ground and frequently climbing many steps.

 

The average age is in the 60-70 range with a few at both extremes, including some in their 80's and 30's.

 

it is always possible to stay on the coach if the particular climb is too much but as long as rough ground is manageable then there will be something to see in most locations.

[Mark_T]

Our full day of sailing the previous day brought us to Beni Suef, from where we had an early start (ready to leave at 6:00am) and a long drive to the pyramids at Maydom and Hawara.

 

This was also a great opportunity to get deep inside one of the pyramids and also a reminder that when your guide says he will wait outside it is because he knows what is inside :)

 

The descent was through a long steep sloping tunnel about 4' high at best, with wooden flooring which had raised bars to stop you sliding down, so the best approach was sideways going down. Not one for the claustrophobic :)

 

Not a lot of decoration in this one and nobody stopping you taking photos as the locals are not stupid enough to go down there either :)

 

Worth doing though, and taken at a slow pace doable for even the older almond us.

 

The other pyramids were viewed from the ground, no further climbing involved.

 

The ship provided a packed snack lunch as it has been a long time since breakfast, but there was also a full lunch available when we got back onboard around 3pm.

[Mark_T]

Another full days sailing the following day as we headed for Minya, which I'll cover when I next post.

[cormike1]

Thanks Mark for answering my question about security. We are trying to book now for Nov. So far Viking has nothing for that time frame. Our Travel Agent is looking at Insight Tours now. There are 3 possibilities that includes our anniversary date so hopefully one of them will have space. I am following along and enjoying your posts. Thank you!

[cormike1]

We're going!!!!! Got a spot Oct. 30th-Nov.10th with Insight. It is not too long but it has everything I really want to see and includes actually sailing to and docking at Abu Simbel. This was one of my "must sees" so I am thrilled I will get to see this amazing place. I have always loved Egyptian history so I am so looking forward to this trip. Now your posts will even be more fun to read Mark. Thanks so much.

[Mark_T]

Excellent news :)

 

I'll try to post more this afternoon.

 

Internet has been unreliable for the past few days, but is better now we have reached Luxor.

[jpalbny]

Welcome back! Have missed your reports, and I am looking forward to hearing all about the trip.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[Wendy The Wanderer]

So glad to be reading these posts after all this time! I see you're in Luxor already, but I haven't heard much detail about the trip from Cairo to there. How many stops did you make, and what else did you see?

 

We're going!!!!! Got a spot Oct. 30th-Nov.10th with Insight. It is not too long but it has everything I really want to see and includes actually sailing to and docking at Abu Simbel. This was one of my "must sees" so I am thrilled I will get to see this amazing place. I have always loved Egyptian history so I am so looking forward to this trip. Now your posts will even be more fun to read Mark. Thanks so much.

 

Wow, that's great that you can sail to Abu Simbel. This must mean you are spending some days sailing Lake Nasser? Just be aware of the heat. You are wise to wait until the end of October--we were there in the third week and it was perishing hot, about 40C.

[cormike1]

So glad to be reading these posts after all this time! I see you're in Luxor already, but I haven't heard much detail about the trip from Cairo to there. How many stops did you make, and what else did you see?

 

 

 

Wow, that's great that you can sail to Abu Simbel. This must mean you are spending some days sailing Lake Nasser? Just be aware of the heat. You are wise to wait until the end of October--we were there in the third week and it was perishing hot, about 40C.

 

Wendy....we fly from Cairo to Aswan and board the ship and then sail on Lake Nasser to Abu Simbel. We stay overnight there and then sail onwards. Thank you for the tip about the weather. I knew it would be hot but hopefully not that hot lol. Is there high humidity Wendy or Mark? That is what kills me is high humidity along with the high temp. Definitely a hat for me....fair skin and a hat for my husband...bald lol. Thanks.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wendy....we fly from Cairo to Aswan and board the ship and then sail on Lake Nasser to Abu Simbel. We stay overnight there and then sail onwards. Thank you for the tip about the weather. I knew it would be hot but hopefully not that hot lol. Is there high humidity Wendy or Mark? That is what kills me is high humidity along with the high temp. Definitely a hat for me....fair skin and a hat for my husband...bald lol. Thanks.

 

Well we apparently caught a heatwave, hopefully it won't happen to you. No, it wasn't humid, but the heat and sun was a killer. It was too hot to sit out on the sun deck most afternoons.

[jklc123]

Cormike 1

 

Sailing on Lake Nasser sounds wonderful. Do I assume correctly that you transfer to another ship to sail down the Nile? Uniworld used to offer an itinerary that included the Nile to Aswan and then a switch to another ship for the Lake Nasser portion as there are no locks on the Aswan Dam.

[H2Otstr]

We're going!!!!! Got a spot Oct. 30th-Nov.10th with Insight. It is not too long but it has everything I really want to see and includes actually sailing to and docking at Abu Simbel. This was one of my "must sees" so I am thrilled I will get to see this amazing place. I have always loved Egyptian history so I am so looking forward to this trip. Now your posts will even be more fun to read Mark. Thanks so much.

 

Congratulations !!! Will you be getting your visa ahead or once you get to Egypt?

[cormike1]

Cormike 1

 

Sailing on Lake Nasser sounds wonderful. Do I assume correctly that you transfer to another ship to sail down the Nile? Uniworld used to offer an itinerary that included the Nile to Aswan and then a switch to another ship for the Lake Nasser portion as there are no locks on the Aswan Dam.

 

Yes we do....we do 3 days on Lake Nasser and 3 days on the Nile. We are going to be packing and unpacking a lot for this cruise but we did a 28-day tour of the British Isles a couple of years ago and I learned all about "Packing Cubes" and how terrific they are! I never pack without them no matter what type of vacation we go on. I just love them and I am sure they will be so handy for this vacation.

[cormike1]

Congratulations !!! Will you be getting your visa ahead or once you get to Egypt?

 

Our travel agent just said to get it in Egypt so that is what we will do. I know we will have to line up after a long night flight but oh well.

[Mark_T]

So much still to type and so little time so I'll finish this when we get back.

 

Re the Visa, we got to Cairo early afternoon as there were no lines and no waiting, couldn't have been easier.

 

Make sure you get a landing card from your airline to fill out.

 

Only takes a couple of minutes, but if you don't get one that is the only thing you'll have to do before clearing immigration so make sure you have a pen handy.

 

The visa booth will also change money for you.

[cormike1]

Thanks again Mark for the Visa info and the paper needed for Immigration. I was going to get the Visa ahead of time but it is a lot more money that the $25 U.S. so I will get it in Egypt. Looking forward to reading more and your pictures.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I concur about the visa for Egypt. It was easy peasy at the airport.

[Mark_T]

Back home now, had a great trip to Abu Simbel on our last day on the river, before flying back to Cairo for an overnight stay then home today.

 

For those who have made that trip in the past, it is interesting to note that the old 'convoy' approach to the land route to Abu Simbel is no more...

 

The convoys are gone, the only control now is that the road is only open to tourists between 5am - 4pm and there are 3 check-points spread along the road.

 

This all changed about 3 months ago apparently.

 

For now though, sleep I think. Tomorrow I'll do some more of the daily event updates and see if I can get some of the photos uploaded.

[cormike1]

Looking forward to hearing more of your trip Mark. I have a question for you if you could answer it please. Did the men wear jackets at dinner? My husband does not want to pack his blazer but will if it is required. He usually wears dockers and short-sleeved dress shirts in warm weather. Would that be acceptable? Also if you can help me out....what did the women wear? Thanks so much for your help.

[Mark_T]

Did the men wear jackets at dinner? My husband does not want to pack his blazer but will if it is required. He usually wears dockers and short-sleeved dress shirts in warm weather. Would that be acceptable? Also if you can help me out....what did the women wear?

 

The weather tends to dictate a more casual approach.

 

A very small number of the men had brought jackets but they really didn't appear after the first night or two, your husband's preferred approach should work just fine.

 

Similarly the women were dressed for comfort, with a few sparkly tops for effect and perhaps a little dressier on the special nights like the farewell dinner, but even there, the range was considerable and nobody could have felt out of place. I'd say aim for 'smart casual' as the high-point and you'll be fine, but do pack a few options for layering as by the time you go, it will be well past the extreme heat of the summer and you may want something to make it a little more comfortable when sitting outside in the evenings.

 

Clothing is cheap and readily available in Egypt though so it is also a perfect excuse to add a few of their shawls and wraps to your collection :)

[H2Otstr]

Mark T, did you have to carry your passport with you?

 

My husband's friend went to Egypt a few years ago and said he reused to ride the camels because they have fleas :D. Did you ride one? Any fleas? A camel ride is included on our trip.

[Mark_T]

Our passports stayed on the ship at all times, we never had to carry it with us.

 

We didn't ride a camel, but I'd suggest applying bug repellent anyway as a general precaution even if not riding.

 

The camels we saw all looked clean and well cared for.

[H2Otstr]

Our passports stayed on the ship at all times, we never had to carry it with us.

 

We didn't ride a camel, but I'd suggest applying bug repellent anyway as a general precaution even if not riding.

 

The camels we saw all looked clean and well cared for.

 

Thank you. I'm glad that we don't/won't have to carry our passports. I will pack insect repellant when we go. I still have some left from our Amazon River cruise :).