We’re about to embark on a new adventure this summer, but until it’s complete here’s one of the highlights of our Egypt trip in November 2019: the five-day Nile Cruise.

Ever since I was a kid and watched Peter Ustinov playing Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, I wanted to do the same route as the characters in the story. Although events on board the ship were far quieter than in the film, it was a very relaxing trip. On top of that, the Nile was a welcome bit of calm compared to the chaos all around it, especially back in Cairo.

We did the Nile part of the trip as part of a larger 13-day visit to Egypt. After a short flight from Cairo to Luxor, the cruise began shortly after we visited the temples at Karnak and Luxor. From there we boarded the boat that would take us up the Nile to Aswan.

The ship was named Le Fayan. The rooms were comfortable, the crew was friendly and the food was excellent. We were the only passengers on board aside from one large tour group. At some points during the tour, the large group was led by the famous (and controversial) Egyptologist and former government minister Zahi Hawass. We only saw the group during the meals as they had a different itinerary and a much fancier tour.

We did a private tour and just had our guide with us on board, so we were sometimes a bit forgotten for service during the meals. But overall we were very satisfied with the quality of the boat, our room and the food we were served on it.

As we travelled down the Nile, there was a stark contrast between the fertility and greenery of the Nile and the expansive desert that surrounded it. The river itself was busy much of the time as people travelled on fellucas, fishing boats, large tour boats and various other watercraft.

The next day we stopped to visit the famous Valley of the Kings where many of the pharaohs were buried, which I posted about in a previous blog. After finishing up there we went to the Temple of Hatshepsut in the afternoon. From the boat we were driven through the desert, passing various ruins in various states of decay.

Before long we arrived at the entrance to the temple complex. Built as a mortuary temple sometime around the 15th century BC, its wide appearance on the flat plain against the backdrop of low hills was striking. Hatshepsut was the daughter of Thutmose I (1520-1492 BCE).

She married her half-brother before later becoming pharaoh after her father and half-brother died. The became a co-ruler with her son, starting from when he was two years old. In order to secure her position, Hatshepsut took on male roles and was depicted with masculine traits and clothing.

The style and layout of this temple was very different the others and although busy with tourists there were plenty of quieter places to find. We were allowed to walk around the temple freely with only a few sections roped off.

Back on board the ship we had a buffet lunch on the deck. The meals were good, with buffet breakfasts and set course dinners with the occasional lunch buffet on the deck.

Later in the afternoon we stopped to see the Colossi of Memnon. The massive stone statues were part of a ruined mortuary temple that was the largest of the Thebian necropolis. Although the features are worn away, the twin statues depict Amenhotep III sitting down with his hands resting on his knees and his gaze facing towards the Nile.

The temple was washed away long ago by the annual flooding of the Nile–it appears the original building spot was far from ideal!

All that remained was the two worn statues standing in the middle of an open floodplain, with only a few smaller statues further in the distance. The whole scene felt a bit lonely.

After about 30 minutes checking out the Colossi, we drove back to the boat for dinner as evening was approaching. We drove through small towns on the way back to Luxor. Life for average people in Egypt was very different from that in the tourist areas. You could also feel the presence of the army and police everywhere.

After dinner we went on top of the deck to enjoy the sunset. Kim ordered a coffee and I got a Sakura beer. Drinks were extra and quite expensive so we limited what we had on board.

The weather was excellent during the entire trip, and we enjoyed the sunset every night. In the evening the boat left Luxor and made its way south. The next post will include the trips to Edfu and Komombo on the following day.