How to choose a Nile cruise

Boats have sailed up and down the Nile River for thousands of years; not only for trade but also for pleasure. Cleopatra and Julius Caesar sealed their storied union by cruising the Nile in opulent style, and Victorian tourists piled onto traditional sailing barges and later, steam ships, in search of Egypt’s ancient treasures. Today the river may no longer be vital for transporting goods, but it remains one of the most romantic ways of seeing the country’s highlights. Not only will you get to explore the tombs and temples near Luxor, Edfu and elsewhere, but the sights and sounds you’ll encounter along the river are a window onto a world which in many ways has remained unchanged since the time of the pharaohs.

There are three different options for cruising the Nile: a small ship cruise, a dahabiya or a felucca. You’ll usually spend your time on just one type of boat, though many small ship cruises offer the option to spend a day, or even a night on board a felucca. While you could certainly fly to Egypt just for a cruise, most people explore the river as part of a longer holiday that includes the pyramids, Cairo, the Red Sea and other highlights.

These traditional wooden boats, powered usually by sail, although sometimes by oars, offer travellers the chance to travel the River Nile as people have since time immemorial. Carrying between six and eight passengers, they don’t have cabins or running water, but you do get a mattress on deck for night time stargazing (and sleeping!), and during the day a canopy offers shade and protection from the sun. Some captains have installed toilet facilities on board and on some tours a support boat will join you to provide a clean toilet, shower and kitchen. Your sailing crew (usually Nubian) will prepare your food, which is simple and often vegetarian.

Almost all journeys start from Aswan, and since feluccas are forbidden to sail on the Nile after dark, it will take longer to visit all the main sights. No matter, the real benefit to felucca travel is the chance to interact meaningfully with locals as well as to reach destinations that the larger ships can’t, such as visiting Daraw for the camel market or hiking through the sands of Wadi el- Chott. All guiding, meals, cabins and historical site visits are included in the price of a cruise.

A dahabiya, essentially a houseboat with sails, offers the nostalgic allure of a felucca without the need to rough it. These elegant vessels were much loved by upper class Egyptians and Victorian tourists in the 19th century but fell out of favour after the introduction of the steamship to Egypt in 1869. Now back in vogue, a typical dahabiya accommodates between 12 and 20 passengers and has a spacious lounge, wood panelled cabins with en suite bathrooms, a library and an upper deck for dining. A resident chef cooks fresh food bought daily from markets and farmers, and trips are accompanied by a professional Egyptologist. Some boats are the real 19th century deal, while others have been built as replicas, but all are much smaller than the ubiquitous cruise ships.

Three- to five-day tours usually start or end in Aswan or Esna, while seven-day itineraries go from Luxor to Aswan, or vice versa. Their schedules are less rigid than those of the larger ships, so as well as the main temples at Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo, they can also stop at El-Kab and Gebel el Silsila historic sites, where the bigger boats can’t dock. Some tours also offer walks and village visits, to help you get a handle on local life. As with the other boats on the Nile, meals and outings are included.

Most Nile cruises travel exclusively on the Luxor-Aswan section, and last between three and seven nights. This is only a small part of the river, but most of the key historic sites – including the temples of Kom Ombo, Karnak and Edfu – are along this stretch. It's also possible to cruise from Cairo to Luxor but this option has yet to match the popularity of the Luxor to Aswan routes.