Which Egypt excursion..Pyramids & Nile or Caravans in the Sand?

[cadburysmom]

Trying to decide which excursion to do in Egypt. Definitely want to see pyramids which both excursions include but can't decide whether to do the one including a Nile cruise or the one with the camel ride.

 

I would really love to travel the Nile, and maybe glimpse a few hippos ;) but the thought of riding a camel with the pyramids in the background sounds incredible.

 

Anyone done either or lucky enough to have done both?

[Amaranthine33]

Trying to decide which excursion to do in Egypt. Definitely want to see pyramids which both excursions include but can't decide whether to do the one including a Nile cruise or the one with the camel ride.

 

I would really love to travel the Nile, and maybe glimpse a few hippos ;) but the thought of riding a camel with the pyramids in the background sounds incredible.

 

Anyone done either or lucky enough to have done both?

 

I have questions:

 

How much time do you have in Cairo?

Where along the Nile is the cruise? Is it only in Cairo?

 

I was in Egypt last year. I went on Nile cruise for four nights from Luxor to Aswan and never saw a hippo. If your cruise is on the Nile in Cairo then you can forget about seeing anything in the water because the water is quite dirty and it's brown.

 

As for the camel ride, you can arrange that on your own at the Pyramids. Camel rides can be arranged for 15 or 30 minutes. That said, it is MUCH easier to have the ride pre-arranged by someone else (i.e. cruise or tour director). The camel keepers are really aggressive, as they all want your business, so it can be overwhelming and a little scary.

[JordanF]

Which cruise line?

[cadburysmom]

I have questions:

 

How much time do you have in Cairo?

Where along the Nile is the cruise? Is it only in Cairo?

 

I was in Egypt last year. I went on Nile cruise for four nights from Luxor to Aswan and never saw a hippo. If your cruise is on the Nile in Cairo then you can forget about seeing anything in the water because the water is quite dirty and it's brown.

 

As for the camel ride, you can arrange that on your own at the Pyramids. Camel rides can be arranged for 15 or 30 minutes. That said, it is MUCH easier to have the ride pre-arranged by someone else (i.e. cruise or tour director). The camel keepers are really aggressive, as they all want your business, so it can be overwhelming and a little scary.

 

Amaranthine, thanks for your input!

 

Well, I guess that answers my question about the Nile cruise. ;)

 

I'll be visiting Alexandria during a 12 day Med cruise and these are shore excursions offered by the cruiseline. The "Nile cruise" I was referring to was actually a lunch cruise offered in conjunction with a day trip to the pyramids.

[cadburysmom]

Which cruise line?

 

Royal Caribbean.

 

We want to take advantage of the WOW promotion so hopefully by this time tomorrow we'll be booked on the Jul 10 sailing of the Legend of the Seas. :D

[NAS-KARR]

Suggest you go to "AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST" board under ports of call and tap the brains of the pros over there. Lots of help there.

 

 

 

CIAO,

[JordanF]

We recently spent two weeks in Egypt (with Grand Circle), and it was terrific. I went to the RCCL web site and read the tour descriptions. Hands down, I would pick the camel ride. This appears to be a subtantial desert journey that takes you to the step pyramid.

 

The Nile cruise appears to be an urban lunch cruise. While I am sure it would be nice, you won't see anything all that special while on it--and certainly not any hippos. The tour does stop at the Citadel, which is pretty nice, but since you have to pick one--go for the camels!

 

Have a great time!

[bfos]

DO CARAVANS TOUR!!!! We had the most incredible time. The camels were soooo much fun. The lunch at the country club was actually very good too. This trip the 12 day on legend was absolutly amazing. Be sure to rest on the down days because it is really intense. I would not have done this particular tour any other way. It was awesome for the entire family!

[paul929207]

At the pyramids, there at many people offering camel rides, if you just want a quick (5 or 10 minutes) ride to snap some pictures. Just be careful, there are lots of stories of tourists being ripped off on the camel rides. Have your guide recommend an honest one.

[JordanF]

It sounds like your camel ride is not right at the pyramids--this is probably for the best. Our camel ride was there--it was fun, but pretty short and when they took our picture on the camel with our camera, I pretty much had to buy the camera back! (Hey--it seemed like a lot of Egyption Pounds, but when I converted it to dollars, it was no big deal, just part of the fun. Also, I must say that these are some of my favorite pictures from the whole trip!)

 

The description in the RCCL web site makes it sound like your camel ride will be in a different place. Still, bring small bills with you!

 

The thing you learn about Egypt right away is that all the action in along the river, and then, pretty much nothing but the Sahara Desert! You will be in this--it is "way cool!"

[Lady Chew]

We were on Legend for the 9/17 cruise ...

 

We took the Pyramids & River Nile excursion ... the river cruise was nice, but not outstanding. No hippos, no crocs, no anything. Food was decent, entertainment was fun ... (the bathrooms were excellent)but we didn't see anything special and there was no commentary pointing out areas/buildings of interest.

 

We just cruised down a couple of miles while eating and turned around and came back. It was a nice break in the middle of the day, and a lot of folks in our group really needed it. In hindsight, Mr. Chew & I would've taken a different excursion.

 

The folks on our cruise who took the Caravans in the Sand sounded like they had a lot more fun!

[Amaranthine33]

We were on Legend for the 9/17 cruise ...

 

We took the Pyramids & River Nile excursion ... the river cruise was nice, but not outstanding. No hippos, no crocs, no anything. Food was decent, entertainment was fun ... (the bathrooms were excellent)but we didn't see anything special and there was no commentary pointing out areas/buildings of interest.

 

We just cruised down a couple of miles while eating and turned around and came back. It was a nice break in the middle of the day, and a lot of folks in our group really needed it. In hindsight, Mr. Chew & I would've taken a different excursion.

 

The folks on our cruise who took the Caravans in the Sand sounded like they had a lot more fun!

 

If you have time on your own and want a nice, but affordable lunch, then I recommend:

 

Fish Market (Downtown Cairo) - it's on the 2nd floor of a riverboat with grand views of the Nile. It is located across the street from the Four Seasons hotel. You pick your seafood and tell the cook how you want it cooked. The prices are expensive for Egypt, but cheap by our standards. You'll find lots of businessmen and well-to-do families and the ladies-who-lunch kind of crowd. (If you're looking for American food then TGIF is on the first floor).

 

Grand Hyatt (Downtown Cairo) - has a revolving rooftop restaurant. Be forewarned that they have a dress code. It's best views are at night.

 

Mena House (Giza, right next to the Pyramids) - is a five star hotel. It's fancy, but very affordable. My friend and I ate a HUGE meal at the Indian restaurant and the bill was less than $40.

[Amaranthine33]

Posted twice. Oops! Sorry.

[murphysmum]

Hello...

 

A bit tongue in cheek, but...it IS possible to see hippos in Cairo. We did!

 

The Four Season's First Residence is situated between the Nile and the Cairo Zoo and gardens. We got in late at night, but when we woke we saw a family of three hippos in their pool right down from our balcony. Not the same as seeing them in the lower Nile, but fun. There were also literally thousands of white birds (ibis I think) flying from tree to tree making the entire spectacle quite magical.

 

There is also a wonderful display of blue fiance (sp?) hippos on the second floor of the Egyptian Museum. The guides seem to ignore them, but they're beautiful and have quite a history.

 

Enjoy!

 

murphysmum;)

[Deets]

Would anyone have a website address for the Caravans in the Sand tour in Egypt?

[Lisichka]

Royal Caribbean.

 

We want to take advantage of the WOW promotion so hopefully by this time tomorrow we'll be booked on the Jul 10 sailing of the Legend of the Seas. :D

 

If you ended up booking your cruise for July 10th, join us on the roll call. Many of us have started organizing our own tours in Egypt, Turkey and Naples....and we still have some openings. The exact same tours (no wait....better) than RCI offers at a fraction of the cost.