Next year my wife and I celebrate our ruby wedding anniversary. We would like
to go to Egypt for a week’s cruise on the Nile, with a second week in a
hotel. I understand that at certain times of the year the Nile cruises are
cancelled due to low water levels, and would therefore appreciate some
advice as to the best time to travel (and any other tips) in order to make
this holiday an unforgettable one for my wife. We would like to visit the
usual sites — the Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, Cairo Museum. Nigel
Bevan, Bristol
Times Travel writer and cruise expert Caroline Hendrie responds:
Although Nile cruises operate all year round, some months are better than
others and certain dates should be avoided.
Most cruises sail between Luxor and Aswan, where the major sites are scattered
along the banks, and can be visited on a liesurely one-week round trip. When
the lock closes at Esna, usually for two weeks in December for cleaning, the
boats have to tie up there, meaning that Luxor and the Valley of the Kings
have to be visited on longer coach excursions.
When I found myself marooned in Esna (a small town, not conducive to after
dinner strolls), on a three-star boat during lock cleaning week one December
many years ago, I was so fed up and frustrated I jumped in a taxi and fled
to the Hilton in Luxor for the last couple of nights.
This year the lock will close from December 1-15. A new, parallel lock has
been built, and when it is fully operational there will be no more bottle
necks at Esna (while one lock is closed the other will stay open), but it is
not worth risking booking your trip for next December in case this is
delayed. The lock at Esna has also been closed in June in past years
(although it wasn’t this year) but with temperatures reaching 40C (104F)
from June to September, this is not the time of year for a sightseeing
holiday.
Good months are October (about 30C in Aswan) or February and March (25-30C),
when it is hot and sunny but not too debilitating thanks to the lack of
humidity. During those months Cairo (your base for the Pyramids and the
museum) will be in the pleasant low 20s.
A whole week in a hotel in crowded, polluted Cairo could feel too much, so I
would suggest you spend a week on the Nile followed by three nights in
Cairo, or if you wish to spend two weeks in Egypt, add on a few more days in
a hotel with pool in Luxor, or take a three or four-night cruise on Lake
Nasser from Aswan.
On Lake Nasser, which only has a handful of tour boats on it, you will have
the magical experience of sailing right up to the temples of Abu Simbel when
the crowds have gone - on Nile cruises there are optional tours to Abu
Simbel, most of which leave in a convoy of coaches at 3am from Aswan. Flying
in and out - quicker and more expensive - can also be an option.
The Nile is teeming with boats of varying quality from basic but romantic
feluccas, to dodgy tubs, up to luxury yachts.
Discover Egypt (020 7407 2111) is
the UK’s largest Nile cruise operator and offers a variety of vessels. In
March 2008 a Classic Egypt tour, of a seven-night Nile cruise and three
nights in Cairo with a mix of charter and scheduled flights and 12
excursions, starts at £1,049pp on four-star Viking III and staying at the
four-star InterContinental Pyramids Park.
A similar package, but on the five-star Alexander
the Great (a “boutique” boat with fewer, larger, attractive cabins)
followed by the five-star Mena House Oberoi in Cairo, starts at £1,999pp.
As it is your ruby anniversary you may wish to push the boat out even more by
sailing on the new, luxury Zahara, which is operated by Oberoi and offered
by Cox & Kings (020-7873
5000). It is the first vessel on the Nile to have a five-star hotel-quality
spa. It also has a gym and good-sized swimming pool. Chefs from India
produce Asian cuisine as well as local and international dishes.
The Zahara has the added comfort of its own moorings at Luxor, Edfu, Aswan and
Qena, meaning you won’t have to trample through rows of boats moored side to
side to get to the docksides at busy times. Three nights in a Pyramids-view
room at the Mena House Oberoi followed by a week on the Zahara, all
sightseeing and scheduled flights from the UK on British Airways and
internal flights on Egypt Air, costs from £2,895pp in March.
Both Cox & Kings and Discover Egypt can also book hotel stays in Luxor and
Lake Nasser cruises.
My wife and I were there in early March this year .Temp fine, visit VOK early as it gets hot later, Nile cruise a highlight. Cario has high polution, we stayed at the Ramses Hilton and enjoyed , it is close to the museum.
Went with Trafagar, great tour well organised. good guide essential
Geoff
Geoff Hakes, Umina Beach, Australia