I chose to take a dayabiya sailing boat for my Nile cruise. They usually have 8-14 rooms but with only three guests it was very special!

I joined two American women who immediately reduced my fear of group travel to zero!

We started in Aswan and finished in Luxor over four nights.

Philae Temple was our first stop.

It was relocated to Agilkia Island in the 1970’s to save it from the flooding after the High Dam was built.

Our guide, Wael, was very good at explaining in simple terms!

The resident cat appeared to like being photographed!

Our home for four days. With only three guests we could pick any place we wanted to sit on the main and upper deck!

Even though we were headed downstream, there wasn’t enough wind power to always sail.

We had a tugboat with a 50 m line, so it was still quiet on the dayabiya.

Since our boat didn’t have an engine, it would pull us towards the shore and then back off and nudge us as needed.

Securing us to the shore.

The rooms were like a regular hotel room but with a changing view!

One night there was a wedding that was fun to watch.

Then all the guests made their way home on a variety of taxi boats.

Waking up after a quiet night with a view from my balcony.

Breakfast! Meals were very good with everything I like – vegetables, beans, chicken, beef.

Lunch

Villages along the route.

Because we were on a different schedule from the big ships, we had the temple of Kom Ombo almost to ourselves.

Kom Ombo was constructed between 180-46 BC. It is dedicated to two gods, the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Horus.

It was unique in having two identical entrances, columned halls and sanctuaries.

Next door was the Crocodile Museum with twenty mummified crocodiles that were once considered sacred as manifestations of the god Sobek.

The largest was 4.3 m, the smallest 2 m.

Of course the first thing we thought after was ‘let’s go swim in the Nile’!

Fortunately all the crocodiles only live on the other side of the High Dam.

Putting up our sail.

Another dayabiya to show what it looks like.

Because we were a small boat, we could stop at Gebel el-Silsila. It was the primary sandstone quarry for major temples like Kom Ombo and Karnak.

There were also 32 shrines cut into the rock. The major one was Speos of Horenbeb, built during his reign (1323-1295 BC)

Sharif always welcomed us back with fresh juices!

We spent the night anchored by an island where we could tour the village. They are self sufficient with crops, fishing and livestock.

The larger riverboats travelling during the night.

The next stop was Edfu Temple.

It was constructed between 237 and 57 BC during the Ptolemaic period.

It is dedicated to Horus, the ancient falcon-headed god. It was buried under sand until 1860 so is well preserved.

This The two massive front walls are called pylons.

This ‘boat’ in the inner sanctuary was used for religious processions.

Restoration work to remove the old black deposits from cooking fires of later Roman inhabitants.

After our free time for photos, the meeting spot was always the cafe!

Tying up for another night.

Sunrise from my balcony.

It was an early day as we were leaving the boat and heading to Luxor.

The Colossi of Memnon are two massive 18 m, 27 ton, stone statues from around 1350 BC.

They originally guarded the entrance to Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple.

Next stop was Valley of the Kings.

It was the burial grounds for pharaohs (and other rich people).

Over 60 tombs are carved into the sandstone hills. After seeing how the pyramids advertised their location to thiefs, these were hidden.

It’s the hottest part of Egypt so appreciated the electric carts.

The three tombs we went into all had similar long hallways with hieroglyphics depicting the journey to the afterlife.

Tomb of Rameses III (1218-1155 BC)

Tomb of Rameses IV, who succeeded his father, Rameses III

Tomb of Rameses IX who ruled 1128-1110 BC.

Next stop – Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut.

Built by Queen Hatshepsut (1473-1458 BC) who was the only woman who ruled ancient Egypt after some pretty gutsy moves!

When Pharaoh Thutmose III died his only male heir was a toddler. So Hatshepsut, who was both his aunt and his fathers’ primary wife, stepped in as regent.

5 to 7 years later, instead of handing over power, she had herself crowned pharaoh and a co-ruler with her nephew but never really shared.

To establish legitimacy as a pharaoh she proclaimed her divine birth as the daughter of the god Amun-Re. She claimed the god visited her mother and created her. She also depicted herself as masculine with a false beard to look more legitimate.

Time for lunch and a little shopping. Hand carved alabaster is a local specialty.

Another shop from Aswan.

Karnak Temple is the largest religious complex ever built.

Construction was about 1970 to 30 BC, though most was during the Middle Kingdom (2000-1700 BC).

Walking past the end of the Avenue of Sphinxes that connects to Luxor Temple, 2.7 km away.

The Great Hypostyle Hall was massive with 134 pillars (21 m)

Walking around the giant scarab beetle statue seven times is supposed to bring good luck.

Sacred Lake

Streets of Luxor

Bread shape I haven’t seen before.

Date roll.

Grilled beef kofta

Luxor Temple was built by multiple pharaohs over 180 years with major work beginning around 1390 BC.

The site remained in use for over 3,400 years.

I first went when it opened at 7 in the morning but went back another day to see it illuminated. Other major sites closed at 5 or 6 except for the Sound & Light shows.

Avenue of Sphinxes is a 2.7 km processional way that connects the temples of Karnak and Luxor.

It originally had 1,060 statues.

View from an overpass.

Then a dark trip back home.

Luxor has the East and West Banks of the Nile.

The Valley of the Kings are in the sandstone hills behind the West Bank. It is an agricultural area with a quieter village feel.

The main city with all the big hotels and temples are on the East Bank.

I stayed in a small hotel on the West Bank and travelled back and forth by private boat for 100 pounds (Cdn$2.70) or public ferry for 25 pounds (Cdn$0.67).

I did notice the lack of safety measures!

Laid back West Bank

East Bank

Train station

With the millions of tourists here, they have built some nice riverside infrastructure.

But with all the tourists there are also double the people wanting to sell you a taxi boat ride, a feluca boat, a horse carriage, a taxi, a tuk tuk or just money.

I have never felt more irritated with the persistence and guilt inducement while understanding the poverty.

A big disappointment was the balloon rides were cancelled for the summer due to the hot weather just before we arrived. Guess too much ‘hot air’ balloon!

Now it’s a flight to Cairo for a few days and then Alexandria on the north coast. Looking forward to the cooler temperatures!