The River Nile is Egypt's lifeline. In ancient times, annual flooding left rich soil deposits and life-giving water, turning the desert into farmland. But the annual floods could occasionally rage, destroying homes and taking lives. Today’s Nile has been tamed by the Aswan Dam, but as in ancient times the precious Nile waters are used in vital irrigation schemes. And they are also used to carry tourists on cruises that visit the great antiquities sites of ancient Egypt.
The banks of the Nile were home to the great Pharaonic civilizations, and their remains – temples, tombs, and necropoli – are strung like pearls along the necklace of the river. It is along the Nile, and even on the Nile, that most tourists in Egypt spend most of their time.
Nile Cruise Boats
More than 200 cruise boats ply the Nile, cheerfully honking to each other as they pass along the river or line up to go through the locks. The benefits to seeing Egypt this way are obvious: First of all, of course, is the convenience. There's a huge difference between being transported via a bouncing bus versus a comfortable private room on a cruise ship (not to mention not having to pack and unpack every day). The range of cruise boats is from moderate to luxury five-star, but all of them have comfortable rooms, dining rooms, and an upper deck for watching the shoreline float past. A typical itinerary is four or five days, but can be longer or shorter depending on where you embark and disembark. The Aswan to Luxor run is popular, because both cities have airports; there is also an airport at Abu Simbel, near the Sudan border.