Follow in the footsteps of Egyptian kings

All aboard

Like many classical Egypt tours, my trip centres on a Nile cruise and begins with a Cairo overnight before an early morning hop to Aswan, Egypt’s southernmost city, to commence the well-trodden voyage to Luxor. It was at Aswan’s delightful Old Cataract Hotel that Agatha Christie penned Death on the Nile and, having caught Kenneth Branagh’s recent cinema adaption of the classic whodunnit, I’m gifted a foretaste of what lies ahead.

Awaiting to embark the chi-chi MS Esplanade, I tick off Aswan’s major sites with my guide Ahmad, including Aswan Dam and Unfinished Obelisk Quarry. Motorboating out to Philae I also learn of the lighter side to temple complex life, its temple to Hathor offering dutiful visitors the chance to grab a drink and unwind.

“We say ‘one hour for God, one hour for happiness’,” Ahmad says between regaling me with tales of Aswan’s many British influences, from Christie connections to Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Gardens. “You British have had your finger in all the butters!” he chuckles.

My first morning onboard sees me wake early with the sensation of movement as the boat languidly carves its course to Kom Ombo. Heading to the deserted top deck I survey my scrolling surroundings from the comfort of a swing chair, egrets flitting about the palm tree-lined riverbanks as the light lengthens – a study in timeless serenity that serves as a gentle reminder there’s more to Nile cruising than temple hopping.

Back in my cabin the boat’s gentle progress and rhythmic lapping wake proves soothingly soporific while the scenery grows lusher as we approach our first stop. By now it’s clear that cruise traffic remains quietened although Branagh’s movie and new launches such as Viking Aton should muster added interest.

Temple time 

“Is this papyyyyrus? Is this the papyyyyrus? Not the looootus?” implores the aged American of her harried guide while she gazes quizzically at Kom Ombo’s hieroglyphic-covered entrance and I brave the daily, temple touring post-breakfast bunfight. 

Being connected to both a good and an evil god lends Kom Ombo a singularly schizophrenic style while the remarkable carved images adorning its walls veer from medical details to decidedly racier depictions. The latter moves Mohamed, my latest guide, to inform me ancient Egyptians had sex seven times a day. “Before – not now,” he counters, adding, “They were very strong.”

From Kom Ombo it’s a short sail to Edfu. The well-preserved temple, which I approach via horse and cart, impresses instantly with its grand scale. 

Predictably though the “open-air museum” of Luxor, ancient Thebes, proves the main event. Calmer and greener than Cairo, the city was a centre for worshipping Amun-Ra, King of the Egyptian Gods, and I waste no time exploring the West Bank sites, starting with Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple, a colonnaded cliff-face marvel whose audacious majesty stops me in my tracks.

Though the Valley of the Queens tempts with spectacular tombs such as Nefertari’s I focus on the Valley of the Kings, dropping in on King Tut and three of his 60 or so illustrious neighbours whose tombs are secreted into this storied landscape. Venturing downtown as the evening light fades I join the tourist throng at Luxor Temple before escaping to stroll the grand ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes stretching to Karnak temple, the renovated route having reopened last November. 

Returning to MS Esplanade to find my fellow passengers sporting their finest galabeya (a loose-fitting traditional garment) for that evening’s Egyptian Night I resolve to revisit Luxor after breakfast to stroll the riverside corniche and browse the souk. I also duck into the wonderful Sofitel Winter Palace hotel to eye the staircase from which Carter announced his King Tut discoveries to a captivated world.

Cairo cool

From Luxor the resort of Hurghada, served by the likes of easyJet, lies temptingly close but with time against me I hotfoot it to Cairo for a second Nile-side overnight at the Sheraton, rattling around an impossibly large suite, serenaded by the tuneless backdrop of honking car horns. 

With the Grand Egyptian Museum yet to open I focus my limited time on the existing classical attractions and navigating the fabulous, sprawling Khan al-Khalili Bazaar. This while considering the obvious side trips such as the Giza Plateau and coastal Alexandria. 

I also consider how with such exciting new products such as the NMEC, Avenue of Sphinxes and GEM coming online now marks an excellent time to be selling Classic Egypt tours. And selling they are, as Discover Egypt’s director Philip Breckner assures me. Indeed, Discover’s trade business has been “phenomenal” since last year, he says, the recent lifting of Covid restrictions adding further momentum. Indeed, such is demand that “last minute is impossible” and with flights and hotels for popular 2023 dates filling fast, advance bookings are the smart choice.

“The future’s looking good and Egypt has bounced back in leaps and bounds,” declares Breckner, adding, “The natural thirst to make the most of the some of the world’s top open-air museums is as compelling for travellers today as it was when Agatha Christie wrote her novels.”  

Book it: Discover Egypt features a 14-night full-board cruise from Cairo to Aswan, or vice versa, onboard the 17-suite Steigenberger Senator. Priced from £3,845pp, including flights from Heathrow, transfers and guided excursions with an Egyptologist. discoveregypt.co.uk. For more information, see egypt.travel and for flights, see egyptair.com