Wonderful news from Egypt: Cruise ships are sailing between Cairo and Luxor again.
For the past 15 years, cruise ships have been unable to sail this stretch of the Nile, but now that the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism has reopened the route, Sanctuary Retreats will host a series of ten-night river cruises down the Nile from Cairo to Aswan on board the Sanctuary Sun Boat III. The first trip departed on Sunday, August 19, and more will be announced soon.
“This stretch of the Nile has not been open to visitors for decades and provides a unique opportunity to explore an astonishing third of the world’s ancient monuments in Upper Egypt in just ten days,” said Katherine Gershon, Sanctuary Retreats Sales & Marketing Director.
Highlights along this re-opened section of the Nile way include the colorful rock tombs of Beni Hassan which date back some 2,000 years; the ruins of Tuna el-Gebel which house thousands of mummies of falcons, baboons and ibises; and the white limestone temple at Abydos, the center of a holy city unusually dedicated to Osiris, Lord of the Netherworld.
The Sanctuary Sun Boat III is a five-star Nile Cruise boat in 1930s colonial chic style with 18 cabins. For more information, visit www.sanctuaryretreats.com.