Nile River Cruise Photo Gallery (Luxor to Esna)

A cruise on the Nile is one of the quintessential experiences in Egypt. My 3-day cruise began in Luxor heading further upstream to Aswan. These are not very big cruise ships like those that sail the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, but cozier boats of about 4-5 stories. Since there are so many ships and the docking room is limited, boats park one after another, and passengers go through other boats to reach land.

My boat was quite luxurious, fitting the 5-star category. It was small enough for all rooms to have a view, with a big door that can be opened to feel the river breeze. The top deck has recreation facilities with lounge chairs, a small pool, and a covered area.

After a morning exploring the Valley of Kings, I was happy to be on board in luxury to relax for the afternoon. Watching the kids living along the riverbank run out to say hi to you and the surprisingly lush landscape was quite relaxing from the comfort of my room, or top deck.

It seemed the boats all moved together like a convoy.

After sunset, I noticed a series of small boats coming over to surround the cruise boats that had slowed and stopped by the lock. I was initially worried whether they were attacking the convoy of tourists, but apparently they're just opportunistic merchants selling wares wrapped in plastic bags, which they would hurl onboard to interested tourists. They even attached themselves to the cruise boat by rope to remain steady..

"One dollar, one dollar ..."

It took about 2 hours after we arrived at Esna's locks to finally pass through.

Egypt Gallery Main Page