Nile River

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through desert, from Sudan into Egypt. Most of its cities lie along those parts of the Nile valley north of Aswan; and nearly all the cultural and historical sites of Ancient Egypt are found along the banks of the river.

Most Nile River cruises visit Luxor on the site of ancient Thebes, where the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and the Temple of Karnak are located. Excursions are offered from Luxor to the Valley of the Kings, the resting place of more than 60 pharaohs, including Tutankhamen. On your Nile River cruise, you may also visit the 2,000-year-old, beautifully preserved Temple of Horus, or hop aboard a felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing vessel. Many Nile River cruises also visit the High Dam at Aswan, one of Egypt's modern marvels.

Things to see and do

* Cairo – Giza pyramids
* Luxor – Valley of the Kings
* Aswan - High Dam
* Abu Simbel – ancient temples
* Esna & Edfu

Cruise Season – Oct - April
Currency – Egyptian pound (LE) (EGP)
Language – Arabic
Land Area – 995,440 km² (Egypt)
Population – 79,000,000 (Egypt)
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time – GMT plus two hours
International Country Telephone Code – +20

Port Location – The principal Nile River ports are located at Luxor and Aswan.

Transport Links – Cairo International Airport is well served by EgyptAir, the national carrier, and others such as British Airways, Air France etc. The airport is located on the north-eastern outskirts of the city at Heliopolis.

Cairo's main railway station - Ramses Station (Mahattat Ramses) - is located on Midan Ramses. Trains run to Cairo from most other regions and cities within Egypt.

Egypt can be accessed by bus from Israel from the bus stations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. You will take a bus to Eilat where you can cross over the border into Taba and take a bus to Cairo or into the Sinai. Buses arrive to Cairo from virtually all over the country. The two main destinations are Midan Ramsis and Cairo Gateway, formerly known as Turgoman, but vehicles also sometimes stop at other destinations, notably Abbasiya.

A car ferry runs between Aqaba in Jordan and Nuweiba in the Sinai. The ferry departs at 13:00 as per time-table, but in fact there are often delays of around 40 minutes. A weekly ferry also runs between Wadi Halfa in Sudan, and Aswan in Egypt. There are also ferry boats available to and from Red Sea to ports in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.