Ports of Call on your Nile Cruise

KOM OMBO
The Kom Ombo temple is situated on the banks of the Nile some 30km north of Aswan and is unusual in that it is dedicated to two gods – Horus, the falcon-headed god and Sobek, the crocodile-headed god. The temple has two of everything to accommodate the two gods, and among the reliefs on the walls - mainly from the time of Ptolemy XII - are detailed a set of medical instruments.

Also visible here are mummified crocodiles and well-preserved bases of previously full-height walls, allowing you to see how the Egyptians used wooden inserts and water to get the stone blocks to butt up so close.

LUXOR
Map of Egypt Luxor, Egypt’s tourist capital, has been called the world’s greatest outdoor museum and rightly so, for it is home to many of Egypt’s most well known temples and tombs. Explore the town by taxi or take a leisurely ride in a calèche (horsedrawn carriage).

The West Bank is where you will find the fascinating tombs of the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings, including that of Tutankhamun from which a wealth of ancient treasures was recovered. The tombs are now empty but are decorated with hieroglyphics in beautiful colours. Other important sites well worth a visit include Queen Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple, the two giant statues known as the Colossi of Memnon, the Ramesseum which is the Mortuary Temple of Ramses 11 and the Habo Temple, which is built in the form of a fortified town and features unique reliefs of a sea battle.

On the East Bank lies the awesome Karnak Temple which comprises three main temples, built and enlarged over a thirteen hundred year period. It is still yielding new treasures, including some exquisite statues unearthed in 1989 and now in the Luxor Museum, a visit to which should not be missed. The Luxor Temple runs parallel to the river and was built by Amenophis 111 in dedication to Amun - the principal God of Thebes during Egypt’s New Kingdom.

EDFU
The Edfu temple is situated some 100km south of Luxor, on the west bank of the Nile, and is probably Egypt’s best preserved temple. After Karnak, it is the largest temple in Egypt and was built by the father of Cleopatra around the 1st Century BC in dedication to the falcon-headed god Horus. Probably due to its late construction, the level of preservation is so good that some of the roofs still survive.

ASWAN
Aswan, Egypt's most southernmost city, is larger but much quieter than Luxor. Small enough to walk around and graced with the most beautiful setting on the Nile, the pace of life is slow and relaxing. In Aswan the Nile is at its most beautiful - wide, green and sprinkled with pretty islands covered in palm groves and tropical plants, set against high desert hills topped with the Aga Khan’s Mausoleum as a dramatic backdrop.

Aswan has plenty to see and do, from the intriguing Unfinished Obelisk and granite quarries, to the romantic Philae Temple set on a flower-filled island. Modern attractions include the Aswan Dam and the High Dam, with Lake Nasser, the world’s largest man-made lake behind it, and the Nubian Museum. Egypt’s finest temples at Abu Simbel can be reached by road or air from Aswan. More leisurely pursuits include strolling up and down the broad Corniche or watching the magnificent sunset while sipping a ‘sundowner’. Visit Aswan’s famous market street, Sharia as-Souq, full of the scent and colour of spices and perfumes.