Are you ready for an adventure like no other? Could the Nile be the alluring getaway you have been waiting for? A river that stretches through 11 countries might just be the trip of a life time you have been waiting for.
For many who travel down the Nile, it is a life source – giving water, fertile land and a means of transport through 11 countries.
For others, it is the destination of a lifetime and a connection to the past for its rich culture and mysterious antiquity that has and continues to gravitate historians, archaeologists and tourists alike.
Travel expert Catriona Rowntree has travelled the world for over 23 years, exploring the sights each place has to offer and seeing the world through the lens as host of Getaway.
In the hundreds of trips and countless journeys she has experienced, Rowntree has decided to share her favourite trips by water.
Here’s why, according to The World of Cruising, you should travel to Egypt and the Nile.
There are views everywhere you turn
One of the best parts about taking a scenic trip ashore down the mystique river of the Nile means everywhere you turn is a picture-perfect postcard view.
It’s not just a home that is overwhelmingly reminiscent of your History textbook – it is the place where temples have risen and fallen, where tributes in honour of pharaohs have been carven from the lands soil.
Rowntree wrote: “But the river itself … glorious! You won’t take a bad photo. The light is exquisite. Little children in tiny feluccas, sliding up next to your boat to sing for you or ask you to buy belly-dancer costumes.
“The difference with this tour is that the devil is in the detail. It’s not the castle in the distance, or the rising vineyards snaking up the castle in the distance…
“But it is the lone fisherman by the river’s edge, the elegant birdlife, the animals gently roaming in and out of the water…”
It’s a historical treasure
Without the serene waterway that is the Nile, there would be almost little to no ways to access the antiquities of Egyptian life there is on offer today, nor any way to see them.
The Nile is not just a life source nor a large and magical chunk of history to hook your talons into – it is a basin that covers more than 10 per cent of Africa and spreads through 11 countries and holds an otherworldly connection to locals that has existed for over thousands of years.
Being able to undergo a journey like a cruise along the Nile is stepping into a part of the Egyptian way of life.
The historical river hosts connections to temples centuries old and heirlooms virtually untouched. It’s an easy glide from the waterway to marvels that rest on the banks of the river plains, including the Kom Ombo Temple and finally Aswan for the unfinished obelisk, Qena and Hathor’s Temple at Dendera, Luxor Temple, the Temple of Horus at Edfua, a felucca cruise to a Nubian village, and the Osiris temple complex at Philae, raised from the floods.
The ports are magical
From the banks of the Nile in Cairo to the tomb of Tutankhamun and the Valley of the Kings, cruisers will get the opportunity to explore it all at each of the handy ports created to take you as close to the wonders of Egypt as possible.
Tour the Egyptian Museum which hosts the world’s largest collection of pharaonic antiquities and experience the significant artefacts that have stood the test of time. However, if you’re interested, you better get in fast! Queues start early.
Luxor is another key port and is the home of the Temple of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings and Queens. Just a short trip from the main part of the city lies a little piece of earth you will never quite see ever again, with over 100 rooms to find yourself in and 63 tombs to see for yourself.
The city of Luxor also features the Mummification Museum, giving you a whole new understanding of the age-old culture that enamours Egypt and gives insight just as to why it’s considered “the cradle of civilisation”.
“Luxor, for me, is where that reputation all fell into place,” Rowntree writes.
Whether you’re a solo traveller or a big family – Egypt is a getaway for all
Both a wonderful holiday for both single travellers looking to explore the world of Egypt alone and families ready to take it all on together – cruises on the Nile cater to everyone.
Would you like to take a scenic tour along the mystical River Nile?
This article was made in conjuction with Over60.