Egypt Contiki: Cruise the Nile in Style

The overnight train from Cairo to Aswan was definitely an experience.

Each pair had a small cabin with two seats which would later fold out into bunk beds. Once backpacks and suitcases were inside, there was limited space.

Someone decided it would be hilarious if we could fit all 28 of us on tour inside one cabin, which we managed with room to spare. Keeping in mind if I put my arms out I could reach from one side of the cabin to the other, we felt like we knew each other a little better after that.

 Looking comfortable with 28 people squished into one cabin

Welcome to my teeny tiny cabin, yep we fit 28 people in here

The toilets were a whole other story. Try using the restroom on a moving train, flushing directly onto the tracks, and when you stand up you are hurtled across the room with your pants around your ankles. Fun!

After 14 hours and one midnight protest delaying our arrival, we made it to Aswan where we would start our three night Nile cruise. Our vessel was named The Giselle, and was freaking awesome. Complete with a swimming pool, sunbaking beds, bars, a restaurant, gym and a masseuse, it was so much more than I was expecting.

The Giselle 

Hot babe Livi by the pool 

Clearly, settling into the cruise boat was as easy as knowing whether double denim is cool or not.

We boarded a traditional felucca sailboat for a more intimate view of the Nile, where the water was so clean it looked like normal drinking water. It was an incredible feeling standing on the nose of the boat, with the Nile carrying us, the Sahara desert to our right and Nubian villages to our left.

Cruising the Nile 

Sailing the Nile 

We visited a perfumery where the oils and essence of many famous perfumes are made, including Chanel no. 5, Dior J’Adore, and Hugo Boss for men. A lesson about different essences and their uses was intriguing, where musk can reduce headaches and migraines, royal amber can reduce stress and insomnia, and rocket oil can assist with hair loss.

The Bazaar or market place in Aswan was hectic. Merchants yell out spruiking their products, claiming “no hassle”, which is all they really do. Bargaining can be funny but also frustrating. Our guide gave us rough price estimations to ensure we would not be ripped off. This allowed for haggling to the point of refusal, where the merchants would then chase customers through the market finally agreeing to a cheaper price.

Scarves and jingles at the market 

Colourful spices sold in the market 

Ash, Liv and I were labelled a combination of Spice Girls, Shakira, Madonna, Miley Cyrus and other names by vendors trying to get our attention. Our guide Sherif recommended girls did not walk by themselves and should be accompanied by ‘husbands’. This led to offers of camels, Ferrari’s and fruit in exchange for their ‘wives’. Our best offer was six million camels, six Ferrari’s and one banana.

The second day of the cruise was definitely a tour highlight. A quick 30 minute flight out of Aswan military airport took us to Abu Simbel, a stunning display of ancient Egyptian architecture.

Abu Simbel

Built and cut out of stone for Pharaoh Ramses II, Abu Simbel consists of two tombs. Ramses II ruled for 67 years and had his and his favourite wife’s tombs erected here. However tombs such as these could only be made for Pharaohs who were seen to be aligned with the gods. So in order to build an adjacent tomb for his wife, Ramses II made his wife into a god. How romantic. Take note boys.

Wifey's tomb 

The sheer size of the rock and carvings are incredible. Everyone on tour agreed Abu Simbel rivalled the pyramids, with many even more impressed by this sight.

Hanging out in the tomb. Tomb raiders

The second highlight of this day was the Egyptian themed belly dancing party that night. Dressed in ‘jingles’ and robes bought at the market, we took over the cruise boat turning it into a party boat.

The ladies in their jingles

The fellas in their robes 

Not having left the dance floor all night, one of the guys on our Contiki was impressed, saying “you girls sure know how to party!”

Flippin' the dub for our new West Side Californian friends 

 

Hung over and with only an hour sleep, we were up early for a horse drawn ride to the Temple of Horus, the falcon headed god, as the sun rose.

Early morning horse ride

Chillen with Horus

Then it was straight back to bed for an early morning nap. True party animals.

However I was woken by the sounds of shouting and gingerly made my way to the top of the boat to see merchants running alongside of the ship hurling their products onto our deck in the hope that guests would want to buy them. A few towels and scarves landed in the pool. Definitely a whole new shopping experience from anything I’d ever seen.

 
Another temple, an early night and our Nile cruise was over. I felt at home on the boat, lying on the decking in the sun, eating beautiful food (which we were still extremely cautious over) and sleeping like a baby every night. We were treated like Queens on the boat and were very well looked after, something I would definitely recommend as a way to see Egypt and its incredible history.