Since the ancient Egypt days, the Nile river has been a favorite travel destinations in Egypt. Today, a luxury cruise in the Nile is without doubt one of the most enjoyable holiday activities for anyone seeking to enjoy the splendor of ancient Egypt while on vacation in this African country. The cruise ships are literally floating hotels complete with lounges, restaurants, bars, swimming pools, discotheques and shops on board. The luxury cruise is a very pleasant and relaxing way to get close to the historical attractions of Egypt, most of which are not far off from the banks of the Great River Nile.

The rooms in a typical Nile cruiser are smaller than those of land based hotels but they have air conditioning, TV and enough room for twin beds, private shower, nightstand and dresser. The quality of cruisers varies and they are graded with stars just like hotels. Top end cruisers have spacious suites and amenities almost equal to those of ocean cruisers. A majority of visitors who have been to Egypt say that the romance of Nile cruisers surpasses other riverboats anywhere else in the world.

Nile cruises may take three nights, four nights, or seven nights. On the trip, you will get to see a good number of the important sites and monuments of ancient Egypt especially on the more popular and considerably shorter cruise between Luxor and Aswan. If you are on a budget or have an adventurous heart, you may opt for sailing the Nile in a felluca ” the traditional nile sailing vessels. The felluca option lacks most of the amenities of the luxury boats, but helps you save on costs.

Aswan is arguably the best place to start your Nile cruise. At Aswan, the calm and deep Nile river is at its most glorious. For long, Aswan was Egypt’s main gateway to other parts of Africa. The Nile region from Aswan and areas upstream of the Nile is often called upper Egypt. From Aswan and further downstream, there are several rapids and cataracts as the river passes through hard rock surfaces.

Aswan is home to the Nubians, a dark skinned people, related to the people of the northern Sudan. You can see some Nubian villages at Elephantine Island. The Nubian museum celebrates Nubian culture right from prehistoric times.

About 48 km north of Aswan lies the historical Kom Ombo, home to the famous Graeco-Roman temple. Ptolemy VII is credited with having started the construction of this temple in the early second century BC. A number of his successors continued the work. This includes emperor Augustus in around 30BC.

The so called Greco-Roman temple actually consists two separate temples, with separate entrances, sanctuaries, hypostyle halls, and colonnades. The temples are dedicated to different gods, with the northern temple honoring Horus, the falcon god, and the northern one dedicated to the crocodile god ” Sobek. You can see mummified crocodiles in the northern temple.

Your next stop and highlight of the Nile cruise is Luxor. The range, magnificence and diversity of the monuments in the Luxor area is unsurpassed in all of Egypt. Known to the Greeks as Thebes, Luxor became the capital of Egypt at around 2040 BC. The city survived the sacking by the Assyrians in the 7th century BC, but steadily declined, and was finally destroyed by the Romans in the first century BC.

Some of the important sites and attractions in Luxor include the Valley of the Kings and its necropolis complexes, the valley of the queens, and the tombs of other nobles. Due to its position in the Western bank of the Nile, Luxor was the burial ground for the nobles, including kings and queens. This follows the ancient Egypt tradition of burying their dead in the direction where the sun sets. You will also see a number of outstanding temples in Luxor.

The best period to travel to Egypt for a Nile cruise is the cooler season starting November to March. Since this is also the high season in Egypt tourism, starting early every day will help you avoid crowds. You should also consider hiring a local guide when visiting the historical attractions. Usually, if you buy an Egypt package, the guide will be provided.