subject: River Nile Cruises In Egypt [print this page] For centuries, the magnificent Nile River has captivated the world. As the longest river, and the source of life for one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the Nile is a sight to set your eyes on - and sailing on it is an experience not to be missed! Check out one of these Nile Cruise packages and embark on the trip of a lifetime!
This article is not meant to be a review of specific cruise ships, though we have included pictures from boats that range from fairly standard, to luxury. Over the coming months, we will, however, attempt to provide specific reviews of Nile Cruisers. In preparing to write this article on Nile River cruises, I started out looking to see what I could find on river cruises outside of Egypt. I knew, for example, that there were certainly a few cruise ships that ply the Mississippi river in the US. And of course, I found out that there are numerous river cruises around the world, in places such as Europe, Russia, South American and a few other places.
I even expected, and sought out, river cruises that might match the quality and sophistication of the Nile Cruise lines, but alas, that was not to be. I did find nostalgia riverboats boats on the Mississippi, barges in Europe, and even a few more modern looking vessels elsewhere, but nothing to match the Nile offerings. Of course, this is probably due to the fact that Nile Cruises have been an uninterrupted tradition in Egypt for hundreds of years, evolving and growing into a competitive, sophisticated industry, with facilities reflecting this. Of course, few other rivers can offer the scenery, much less the antiquities of a Nile Cruise, and most other cruises around the world are relatively simple and short in comparison.
The Nile has always, and will probably always be a travel corridor for Northern Africa. While the River itself flows to the North, into the Mediterranean Sea, the prevailing winds along the Nile are to the South. Therefore, for at least the last 5,000 years, the Nile has been a great route, with boats drifting North, and raising their sails for the return trip upriver. And unlike many other rivers, the population and building activities are all concentrated along the Nile, as the land quickly becomes inhospitable only a few miles east or west of it, for the most part. So dominant is the river that the two ancient sections of Egypt are, confusingly for most people, called Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt is actually Southern Egypt, because it is "up river", while Northern Egypt is Lower because it is down river.
The fascination with Nile cruises is understandable. Actually, it is not the best way to see as much of Egypt as possible given a one or two week vacation, nor is it the cheapest. Certainly some of the attraction is romance and the allure created by writers such as Agatha Christie. For some, it might be bragging rights, being able to tell friends that they sailed up the Nile. For others, it may be the intimacy of a tour group, and getting to know fellow travelers which the confines of a boat trip creates.
For many, and particularly for those visitors to Egypt taking a second cruise, viewing ancient Egypt in a highly comfortable and relaxing manner must be the main pull of the Nile Cruisers.
While these cruisers may sometimes resort to a pharaonic design flavor, there is nothing nostalgic about most of the accommodations. New and grander boats are being built all the time, and overall, these are the best river boats in the world. This is not to say that there are exceptions. Strangely, the river boats one sees on the Nile range as much in quality as hotels in Egypt. So while my references in this article are to mainline tourist boats, beware that there are other, less desirable alternatives, and one should always check out the boat that they are booked on. All of the boats found in our Nile Cruiser section are mainline tourist boats, and while there may be extensive differences in their luxury accommodations, all of them are fine River Boats.
