Stephanie Holmes learned a lot sailing on a river cruise on Egypt’s Nile. Here’s what you need to know before you go.
Sailing down the Nile is a dream trip, but you should time it carefully. The high season of November to February brings cooler temperatures but larger crowds. And tourism is on the rise – a record 15.4 million tourists visited Egypt in 2024.
If you’d prefer fewer people, choose the shoulder seasons of September to October and March to April. Prices will be lower and crowds will be smaller, but these times of year also come with a compromise. The former means temperatures of up to 43C when you’re in the desert areas around Luxor; the latter means potential windy conditions and sandstorms.
I visited in early September, and at times the oppressive heat was exhausting and a little nauseating. This meant we had prepare for the sun each day by drinking lots of water, wearing hats, sunglasses and loose linen or cotton clothing and standing in shade when we could.
On a river cruise, you’re in and out of air-conditioned coaches and the temperature-controlled comfort of your ship, so it’s best to keep a layer, like a shawl or cardigan, with you for longer drives on the coach.
Despite the heat, the benefits of shoulder season outweighed the downsides for me, especially when visiting sites like Tutankhamun’s tomb and the Valley of the Kings. Fighting for space with fellow tourists in tiny temple entrances is not my idea of a holiday.
Nile cruising is growing in popularity, and a variety of new ships have been launched in the past five years.
Viking alone has launched six new Nile ships since 2022 – Osiris, Aton, Sobek, Hathor, Thoth and Amun – joining Ra, which was in service pre-Covid. Five more are on order, to be launched by the end of 2027.
I cruised on Hathor, which launched in 2024, and you could tell. Everything felt fresh and new, combining Viking’s signature clean lines and Scandi-style design with Egyptian-inspired artworks and vintage photos of archaeologists and adventurers.
You’ll find three decks of guest rooms, a fourth with a lounge bar, patio-style restaurant Aquavit Terrace, an aft infinity pool, and an upper sun deck with comfortable lounge seating under sailshades, meaning there is ample space for the maximum capacity 82 guests. (However, it was typically too hot to use the sundeck or pool during the day in September).
Additional facilities include a 24-hour coffee lounge, guest services desk, boutique, computer stations, and lots of lounge seating in prime vantage points to watch the Nile pass by. There was no guest laundry, so be prepared to pay for the ship’s laundry service, or bring a detergent bar to do your own.
The crew – most of whom were Egyptian, including Captain Soliman Mohamed – were excellent, going out of their way to help us with any request.
There are 41 cabins, ranging from standard staterooms to the two 48sq m Explorer Suites. We were in a 38sq m Verandah Suite, which, as well as having separate living room and bedroom with en suite, also had a multitude of in-built storage options, a dining table, and mini-library of destination-relevant books.
Titles included Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, multiple tomes on Tutankhamun and Cleopatra, and Egypt’s most fascinating antiquities. I loved nothing more than curling up on our suite’s leather sofa, book in hand and curtains open for a relaxing afternoon after a rewarding morning’s exploring.
Another benefit to travelling with Viking is that the company is one of the few with its own docks along the river. Many companies must share, and we often saw ships rafted together, sometimes six deep, which makes disembarking and embarking quite the rigmarole. On Hathor, we were ship-to-shore within seconds. Rafting together can also mean sleepless nights if ships have to run diesel generators, so it’s worth checking a company’s docking policy before you book.
I downloaded hours of podcasts and audiobooks about Egypt and its centuries of history months before our trip but somehow, didn’t get round to listening to any of them. It proved not to matter – our Viking programme directors were all qualified Egyptologists whose knowledge stretched from the Old Kingdom (c.2700-2160BC) through to modern day and the most recent archaeological discoveries.
Can you learn more than 5000 years of history in 12 days? No. But, thanks to your expert programme directors, you’ll absorb some of Egypt’s fascinating ancient history, its gods and pharaohs, famous archaeologists and adventurers, and its culture and character. You’ll visit world-famous sites like the Great Pyramids of Giza, but you’ll also see lesser-known gems like the Step Pyramid of King Djoser at Saqqara – the world’s first monumental stone structure, built in 2670BC. Other highlights include the Valley of the Kings and awe-inspiring temples at Luxor, Dendara, Esna and Philae.
Catering to its predominantly American clientele, Viking Hathor’s daily menu featured classics like hot dogs, steaks, burgers and pasta. But there was also the chance to try local dishes, with a daily regional tasting menu at dinner, and smaller samples at breakfast and lunch.
Local favourites for me included aish baladi (Egyptian sourdough flatbread), kofta (elongated meatballs), koshari (a type of stew with macaroni, lentils and rice), molokheyyah (spinach, garlic and coriander soup), ful medames (slow-cooked fava beans), and fatayer (pancakes stuffed with fruit).
Blogs and travel videos I’d researched before travelling to Egypt had painted a somewhat negative picture, suggesting safety issues and overbearing vendors constantly hassling visitors.
As a woman travelling with a male partner on an organised guided tour, my experience will almost certainly differ to that of a solo female going it alone. But I was at first pleasantly surprised at how warm and welcoming the people we encountered were.
Learning a few key Arabic phrases certainly helped. Saying “sabah al khair” (good morning), shkran (thanks) and anla shkran (no thank you) was met with genuine warmth and often led to conversation. One security guard at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, on hearing where we were from, exclaimed “Ah, New Zealand. Good butter; kind people,” and it was nice to know our reputation preceded us.
As we got further upriver and closer to Aswan, the vendors got more persistent. Our guide Karima was great at letting us know when to engage and when to - as she put it - “Play Helen Keller”: walk straight through, don’t make eye contact, don’t smile or reply. It felt rude at times, but the constant sales push did get overwhelming by the end of our cruise. All part of the experience, I guess.
Travelling with Viking meant that all on-board tips were covered. But off the ship, it’s suggested you tip your coach, felucca (sailboat) and water taxi drivers, and any local guides you may encounter.
There are also opportunistic locals at most tourist sites. They’ll offer to take a photo for you, help you to a better vantage point, carry something for you, show you something they’re selling. Feel free to accept, but know that it comes with expectation you’ll tip in return. Again, a firm “anla shkran” will get you out of most of these situations.
There’s something utterly captivating about river cruising. Trying to write this story while on board was near impossible; I was transfixed with the views passing by as I typed.
More than 95% of Egypt’s 100 million population live on or around the banks of the 6650km-long river. The yearly flooding of the Nile delta brings fertile soil and lush green flood plains.
Passing by on the comfort of your cruise ship, you’ll see ever-changing landscapes, from agricultural land, banana and date palms, to imposing limestone mountains and arid sandscapes; cities with ancient temples and intricate minarets atop mosque domes. Get ready to wave as you pass farmers and fishermen, children splashing and swimming, and look out for abundant birdlife, like the pied kingfisher, purple herons, and spur-winged lapwings.
You’ll come home with hundreds of photos and video clips and none of them will quite capture the Nile’s true beauty.
EGYPT
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Cairo with one stopover in Dubai with Emirates, or Doha with Qatar Airways.
DETAILS
Viking Cruises’ 12-day Pharaohs and Pyramids tour. viking.com
Stephanie Holmes travelled for the New Zealand Herald courtesy of Viking Cruises.