| Cruising down the Nile |
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| Written by David Dean, Product Manager from Voyages Jules Verne | |
Egypt is dominated by the Nile, a green line through a country of empty desert, where almost the entire of the country’s civilization resides. Herodotus wrote: ‘Egypt is the Gift of the Nile’ and a medieval Arab poet continued: ‘and the Nile is the gift of the Good God’.
No truer words have been spoken, as the Nile offers passage to some of the greatest wonders of the world. One’s view of the Nile has been coloured by films such as ‘Death on the Nile’ and documentaries on the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter; – but for once reality is even better than the expectation. For the interested traveller, a Nile cruise ticks all the boxes: the wish to take advantage of an experienced guide, the desire for independent exploration and the attraction of relaxing in a warm climate amidst scenic river landscapes on a comfortable cruise vessel. The cruise began with an exclusive flight on a Voyages Jules Verne charter to Aswan. Nile cruises are normally between Luxor and Aswan, with most starting from Luxor, but flying to Aswan has two main advantages, firstly it avoids the more crowded Luxor airport; and secondly you’ll be cruising in the opposite direction to most vessels. Aswan is site of the Old Cataract hotel which was opened in 1899 under the orders of a certain Mr. Thomas Cook to receive his Nile cruise passengers. It has hosted many of the rich and famous and it was here that Agatha Christie’s world famous mystery novel, ‘Death on the Nile’, was based and later where the 1978 film of the same name was partly shot on location. Cruising to Edfu to visit the Temple of Horus allows time to relax and admire the Nile scenery looking out for the birdlife and rural scenes. All the guides are Egyptologists trained at Cairo University and they really make the temples come to life.  Luxor, formerly known as Thebes, contains the greatest temple, Karnak, where you’ll find the Hypostyle Hall of Columns. It’s truly unforgettable; Karnak is unlike the other temples in that it’s like a city with many temples spread over an extensive area. Crossing to the West Bank, the visit to the pharaohs’ tombs in the Valley of the Kings is the undoubted highlight. The tomb of Tutankhamun is just one of many tombs to be inspected and walking down into the lavishly decorated tombs is an awe-inspiring experience. On the way back to Aswan, the temple of Kom Ombo lies next to the Nile and repays the visit. Nearer to Aswan, was the Temple of Philae, which fascinatingly, isn’t in its original location, as it had to be relocated in the 1960s when the Aswan dam was built. Rather aptly, the word ‘Philae’ means ‘the end’ in Egyptian, and it really was a fitting end to a wonderful trip. The cruise David Dean took was The Gift of the Nile. Departures are on Mondays from December 2007 to April 2008. Visit the website for more information. |
