The Nile Cruise

I spent four days / three nights sailing up the Nile between Aswan & Edfu on a Felucca.

    The Nile Felucca's              

    The Nile Valley                   

    The temple of Kom Ombo  

The best way to see life on the Nile is to board a felucca and  sail for four days from Aswan to Luxor. 

Feluccas are small sail boats that travel down river and usually against the wind so constant tacking is involved. Each day on the felucca is different from the last and it is very relaxing trip with amazing scenery. It is best to put away your watch and take things as they come.

The boats are fairly small with no rooms just the decks to live, eat and sleep on, although there is protection during the day from the sun (a sheet across the top of the boat) at night there is no protection from insects and mosquitoes. You will be living in very close proximity to the people on your boat for the duration of the trip and you are likely to know the people on you boat a lot better at the end of he trip that you did at the beginning.

Good Points

This was very relaxing trip with excellent weather. It gives you time to relax, read, play cards, or just admire the beauty of the Nile around you. 

Bad points

One of the main problems on the boat was the lack of toilet facilities during the day, although very basic facilities were set up during the night. At night mosquitoes can be a problem, unless you have a net you are guaranteed to get bitten several times, mosquito spray is only a deterrent and will not totally protect you. 

Rating: 9 / 10

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The Nile Valley 

The Nile in Egypt runs the length of the country from Cairo in the North to Abu Simbel in the south, although it originates from the highland lakes of Uganda and Ethiopia.

About 95% of  Egyptian people live in or around the Nile valley. While Cairo and Alexandria account for about a quarter of this, the bulk of people still live in small towns and villages in the farming community and the peasant farmers still remain the bedrock of Egyptian society.  The different farming practices are much in evident up and down the sides of the Nile. 

Good Points

The sunsets over the Nile are the best I have ever seen. The sides of the river are very picturess especially with the palm trees overhanging the river and rolling desert behind them. 

Bad Points

Sometimes the beaches are very messy due some felucca trips being very irresponsible in leaving there litter behind, this is one problem that really needs to be addressed by the Egyptian government  as tourism is there biggest business. 

Rating: 9 / 10

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 The Temple of Kom Ombo 

This temple stands on the east bank of the Nile, in an area that used to be noted for its large amount of crocodiles that basked on the beaches here (unfortunately there is no longer any croc's north of the Aswan damn)

This temple was once buried in sand, which helped protect it from Coptic iconoclasts, but unfortunately that also damaged it by washing away its pylon and forecourt, there is still a lot to see here.

Both the gods Horus and Sobek were worshipped here, this is very evident in the writing's on the wall.

Good Points

An Impressive structure & ruins with a fair bit to see.

Bad Points

We found no reel guide to show us around and we only new what was told to us by our tour leader prior to the visit, I would have liked some more info.

Rating 7 / 10

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