Cruise the Nile without the crowds, recommends Joanna Booth
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There were 10 of us in the Pharaoh’s Bed, yet we could have rolled over many times without anyone falling out.
In fact, visiting Trajan’s Kiosk – also known as the Pharaoh’s Bed – with a mere handful of others is an absolute privilege.
This small but picture-perfect temple, part of the Philae complex, sits on the shore of an island overlooking the calm waters of Lake Nasser. It’s an idyllic, atmospheric spot, and standing beneath the exquisitely-carved columns it’s easy to feel as if you’ve stepped back in time – particularly when there aren’t hordes of other tourists around to break the spell.
Privileged position
Those who cruise the Nile this winter will have the kind of experience money couldn’t buy in 2010 – and at a bargain price.
Visitor numbers in those pre-revolutionary days meant that finding a corner of any of the historic temples and tombs to call your own was a distant dream. Now, with less than 10% of the ships that once sailed back in action on the waterway, it’s not hard to frame photos of proud obelisks and intricate reliefs without gaggles of sun-hatted tourists spoiling the composition.
Sailing in November with Orbital Travel on the Mayfair, I experienced a crowd-free Nile first hand. It really is a game changer, particularly at smaller temples, or at those like Philae that sit within a restricted site. There’s no queueing, no peering around pushy groups to catch a glimpse of a particular carving, and you’re not straining to hear your guide above the dulcet tones of 10 others in the vicinity. If clients have the temples and tombs of Ancient Egypt on their wishlist, then urge them to book for this season, before the crowds return.
And tourists are coming back. Numbers to the Egyptian Red Sea are looking healthy, and those working on the Nile report a slight uptick too, as the political stability the country has experienced under President Fattah el-Sisi begins to reassure visitors.
My trip couldn’t have felt safer or more peaceful. It’s hard to imagine an experience much more tranquil than floating along the Nile, watching a landscape that in places feels as if it hasn’t changed for thousands of years slide by – especially when you’re doing it from the comfort of a shady sun-lounger or a quietly bubbling hot tub on the rooftop of your ship.
Before the trip, I had wondered whether the hawkers would be in overdrive, made desperate by the lack of tourists. I needn’t have worried. Despite the lack of targets, street sellers were remarkably respectful and not too pushy.
Tourism is nearly as key to Egypt as the Nile itself, and the Egyptians are completely committed to ensuring every tourist has a good time. We were incredibly well looked after both on board and off the ship. Every excursion ran like clockwork and our Egyptologist guide Adel was always on hand to explain each sight and set it in context.
Old favourites
The 100 miles or so of the Nile between Luxor and Aswan is classic cruising territory, and the majority of Orbital’s customers opt for seven-night round-trip itineraries from Luxor, so they can pack in as many highlights as possible. Prices, including Egyptair flights from Heathrow, transfers and excursions, start from £689 in January and £709 in February and March on a full-board basis, with an all-inclusive supplement of £90.
On Luxor’s east bank, signature sights include the Temples of Luxor and Karnak. The latter is utterly spectacular, and huge – the second-largest ancient religious site in the world, after Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
With only a fifth of the tourists that visited this site pre-revolution, we were able to take a relaxed wander through the forest of 134 columns in the Hypostyle Hall, snap photos of the well-preserved statue of Ramses II without interruption, and pause for a while to decide what to wish for in front of the temple’s scarab beetle statue.
Legend dictates that you rotate three times for health, four for wealth and seven for fertility, but you can pick only one option.
The West Bank has even richer pickings: the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the twin Colossi of Memnon, who sit, 18m high, rather unceremoniously by the roadside, wearing their 3,400 years a little wearily.South of Luxor, cruises stop at Esna to visit the temple, and to pass through the lock. This could take hours in heavy traffic, but we passed through with no wait at all.
Next comes Edfu, one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, and Kom Ombo, an unusual double temple dedicated to both Horus and Sobek the crocodile god, with a collection of mummified crocs in the museum next door.
The furthest stop upstream is Aswan, where highlights include Philae Temple and the High Dam itself. It’s also the starting point for optional air or road excursions to the temple of Abu Simbel.
While they’re in Aswan, recommend clients make time for drinks at the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract, an absolute stunner of a historic hotel that was a favourite of both Winston Churchill and Agatha Christie, who wrote much of her novel Death on the Nile here. We sipped sunset G&Ts in the glow of the rose granite terrace, and felt suitably in the pink.
Smaller sights
A night or two added on in Luxor will allow clients to see a few extra sights, and the current quiet period is the perfect time for return visitors and first-timers alike to experience the incredible tombs in the Village of the Workers. Created for their own remains by the craftsmen who worked for the kings, the tombs here display exquisite workmanship. They’re small, so numbers are severely limited, creating long queues in the busy, pre-revolution days.
We were the only group at both the tombs of Inherka and Senedjem on the morning we visited, and so were able to linger, gazing at frescos so perfectly preserved and with colours so bright and fresh they look like they were completed yesterday.The writing is on the wall: now is a great time to cruise the Nile.
Tried & tested: Mayfair
The 74-cabin Mayfair cruised only twice before the revolution, and so despite the fact it’s four years old this ship looks brand new. It is sleek, stylish and spacious, with an art deco feel throughout, from the curving main staircase to the mirrored walls and Chinoiserie touches.
Cabins are impressive both in size and decor, with sumptuous soft furnishings giving a more hotel-room than ship feel. There are extensive facilities, including LCD TVs with an in-house movie programme, and a tub in the bathroom, rather than just a shower.
The Nile Avenue’s elegant surroundings – all monochrome, silver, starched tablecloths and chandeliers – make dining feel rather an occasion, and the choice of food is extensive.
Lunches and dinners are à la carte, except on themed nights when there’s a buffet groaning with dishes.The public areas of the ship are exceptional, from the first-deck Library offering a quiet nook to the Bel Air Lounge Bar, where you can sink into the plush sofas with a pre or post-prandial drink. The real wow is the classy sun deck, with numerous wooden sun loungers and cabanas, two hot tubs, a plunge pool and a bar.
Tried & tested: Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa
Almost everything at the Hilton comes with a Nile view – this luxurious hotel has a huge frontage right along the river. The infinity pool, ringed with cabanas, loungers and hammocks, is Nile-side. Drinks at the swim-up bar, breakfast on the terrace outside the main Rosetta Stone restaurant, and even the gym’s treadmills come with views of the Nile.
Sitting on cushions and watching the Nile flow by can be accompanied by meze and shisha at the Diwan cafe, steps from the water, or with an afternoon tea or a glass of champagne at the Sunset Bar and Terrace. The spa has a glass-fronted, bankside treatment room so you can keep the Nile in sight during a massage.
And the river greets you upon waking; of the 236 rooms – furnished comfortably in a classic style – 123 have a Nile view, but
the current low occupancy means all guests are automatically upgraded. From £128 per room per night.
