Tips for Egypt/Nile Cruise

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Planning a once in a lifetime holiday in Egypt to see the great historical sights & to incorporate a Nile cruise. Would also like to see the museum in Cairo. Want a Death on the Nile type experience. Looks as if it will cost about £5k per person which is a hell of a lot of money for me and would involve using a lump sum from my pension so it would need to be perfect! Any tips/ideas? How long should we allow? What were your favourite places? Anything you wish you’d done differently?

That's doesn't sound right, but I can't remember what we paid.

Several years ago, we did Cairo, Nile cruise Luxor-Aswan & back, plus Luxor stay.

In 2022, we again did Cairo, Nile L-A (7days), plus Lake Nasser cruise (4 days).
So, 11 days cruising, I'd suggest 2 days each in C. & L.

2022 we went with discoveregypt.co.uk . They do packages, but we had a tailor-made arrangement that involved multiple flights, transfers, hotel, 2 cruises, excursions every day, & full board most of the time.
Everything went very smoothly, I highly recommend them.

There are always outbreaks of noro and vomiting/diarrhoea bugs on those cruises. I'd take dioralyte, paracetamol and alcohol hand gel.

I've never done a cruise but been to Cairo and Luxor on different trips. This info is pre-covid, so obviously things might have changed. When I went, for Valley of the kings, the ticket allowed entrance to 3, different tombs. Look up beforehand had a which ones you want to go in. We did a sunrise hot air balloon ride which was lovely, but they have occasionally had a poor safety record.
We had an afternoon/evening tour around Luxor temple. It was much cooler than the heat of the day. Have a fabulous time.

"There are always outbreaks of noro and vomiting/diarrhoea bugs on those cruises. "

Wrong.

Nile cruise sickness was in the news all the time a few years ago, but hopefully the hygiene has improved.

https://www.thetraveldoctor.com.au/gastro-and-the-nile-cruise/

Food Poisoning on da vinci nile cruise ship - Luxor Message Board - Tripadvisor

Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships in 2025 | CruiseMapper

Nile Curse: Why did I get Diarrhea in Egypt?

We've just done Cairo, Luxor and the time on the coast.
I loved Luxor and stayed at the Hilton.
Amazing hotel, swimming pool overlooking the Nile and Valley of the Kings/Queens. Excellent cocktails, food and vibe!
Karnak Temple also a must see.
Cairo tricky museum wise as they are slowly transferring things from the Old Egyptian Museum to the new museum.
However the "Mummy Museum" a must see.

Thank you! What time of year did you go please? I ideally would like it to be warm enough so we can sit on board in summer clothes and eat outside but not so hot we can’t explore.

Thank you. Who did you travel with please?

We did this back in 2011. I recommend spending a night at the Mena House Hotel in a room with a view of the pyramids.

Audley travel- first class with own transport and guide

The museum
in Luxor is lovely, check if it opens in the evening.

We booked with discover Egypt in October 2023. I paid £7k for 2 adults and one child for 2 nights in Cairo and entry to museums / pyramids with guide and then a 5 night cruise down to Luxor. This was a 4 star plus ship.
Unfortunately we didnt end up going as the troubles in Gaza erupted that week and we were told that although the British Govt was still ok with travel to the nile delta, our guide and cruise would have armed guards. Funnily enough, it put us off and we ended up cancelling, claiming through travel insurance and going somewhere with the machine guns, but discover Egypt were not helpful, would not let us reschedule and had little sympathy about the situation.

I have done several over the years (there is no way you can see everything you want to in one visit), but would definitely say that if this is your "once in a lifetime" you must do Lake Nasser as well - I found some of the sites there to be more vibrant and "true" than their more famous cousins. Look for a tour that transfers you to the Lake cruise boat in the late afternoon but sets sail the next day. These usually allow you to do the sound and light at Abu Simbel, and to tour the Abu Simbel site early next morning before all the crowds arrive. It's often just your boat and nobody else because the guards all go for breakfast!

And a book that I wish I had read before I went - which would have been hard since it wasn't published! - is Empress of the Nile. I had no idea that Abu Simbel was effectively saved by a woman archaeologist who was a living Indiana Jones. Her story, like those of many great women, has been overshadowed and lost.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empress-Nile-daredevil-archaeologist-destruction/dp/1911344269

I did a week there 25 years ago with Voyages Jules Verne, and would happily do so again.

Seven nights: four in Cairo, three on the river cruiser. From Cairo we did a day trip to Alexandria (long day but well worth it, especially as Eid-ul-Fitr began that night). We flew to Aswan to board the boat then sailed down to Luxor.

The trip covered pretty much everything you could do on that itinerary so was pretty intensive. Some observations, in no particular order:

• Domestic flights back then weren't for the faint-hearted. Not sure about now;
• Driving standards - even from the coach drivers - were poor. Our driver missed an exit off a dual carriageway in thick fog so just reversed 50m or so down the road;
• Norovirus is one thing, but the Cairo trots is a real thing. Even something as innocent as using tap water in a hotel or on a boat to clean your teeth can give you the shits;
• Security is everywhere and can seem intrusive, but it's mostly for show. I reckon about half the metal detectors we were asked to walk through weren't even plugged in;
• It's normal for the river cruisers to tie up alongside others three or four deep, so you have to walk through several other boats to get to yours. This can get confusing!
• Cairo has a serious smog problem from burning wood and charcoal, the kind that sticks in your throat and makes you feel like you've swallowed razor blades;
• Some hotels in Cairo are well-located and easy to get out of to do things yourself. We had one in Giza which wasn't near anything, which meant eating in the hotel or going hungry;
• We went in December and were quite surprised how cold it got on an evening. The sound and light show at the Pyramids requires proper winter coats. Less of an issue south of Luxor. Daytimes were pleasant in the sun - plenty of Brits were sunbathing.

Hope this helps.

Following this interesting thread for inspiration 🙂

Grateful for all the suggestions. Am praying that things will be more peaceful in a year’s time

I went in 2015 & we had an armed guard the whole tour. My parents went in 2019 & other family in 2023 & they both had armed guards too. It’s standard practice for every tour as far as I’m aware & has been for a long time, nothing to do with Gaza. You don’t even notice the bodyguard after a few days & it’s not like they are walking around with their gun out on show.

The heavy security has been a thing at least since the Luxor massacre in 1997.

That is completely untrue. I have been on a couple of cruises and nobody was ill. I know a lot of others who have been too and not been ill.

@SooticaTheWitchesCat That is good for you.
Do you not recall the multiple news articles about outbreaks a few years ago??? I posted a list up thread about them. As I said, hopefully hygiene standards have dramatically improved because they were notoriously bad for a long time!