Nile Cruise Tour- Best Way to Explore Egypt

With a history of more than 5000 years, the river Nile is the lifeline of Egypt, the land of historic sites, ancient monuments and bustling souks. A luxury Nile Cruise and stay along the world’s longest river is on many tourists “must-do activities in Egypt” lists. It is indeed one of the most enthralling river cruise experiences that combines the aura of past with luxury of present.

A river Nile cruise from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan is an ultimate cruising experience, where you’ll get to see pictorial rural beauty of the country that seems to be unchanged for centuries and remarkable temples that are in-between Luxor and Aswan as well as modern urban Egypt.

Highlights of Nile Cruise Tour:

Nile cruising tours include sightseeing of almost all major sites, namely, Kom Ombo, Edfu and Horus Temple, Luxor Temple Complex, Valley of Kings & Queens, Temples of the Queen Hatshepsut, El Deir El Bahari, Aswan High Dam, The Colossi Memnon, Philae Temple, and Granite Quarries.

A luxury Nile cruise is a comprehensive Egypt tour that includes not just river voyages and city tours but also stays at noteworthy hotels of Egypt. A luxury Nile cruise usually includes night stays in luxury hotels of Aswan and Luxor, so that the travellers get a chance to savour the opulence and hospitality of Egypt whilst they explore the monuments and archaeological sites. Luxor is known widely for Luxor Temple, which is an ancient Egyptian temple complex comprising of six temples, and any luxury tour in Egypt, be it a traditional land tour or a luxury Nile cruise tour, is simply incomplete without sojourning in The Sofitel Winter Palace hotel. Built in 1886, this palatial hotel blends magnificent colonial design with the grandeur of Pharaonic times. Similarly, luxury tours in Aswan include stay at The Old Cataract Aswan, where Egyptian atmosphere blends with Victorian grandeur and French art.

Facilities on board on a luxury Nile cruise ship would definitely include state-of-the-art amenities, impeccable services and a fine dining restaurant. What’s more, the price of Nile cruising package includes guided shore excursions. When the cruise stops at any port of call, passengers are escorted by an Egyptologist for sightseeing tours. He/she explains in detail the history of sites, temples and monuments.

Customized Nile Cruising Tours:

Cruising companies offering Nile tours often have the option of customized cruise tours. Travellers can extend their tours to Hurghada, El Gouna or Sharm El Sheikh to take pleasure of diving and snorkelling in Red Sea.

Best Time for Nile Cruise: November – March/April

Since summer months in Egypt are extremely hot and humid, the cruise tour season on River Nile starts in November and lasts till March/April. These are the months when weather is more pleasant.

Sojourn through Europe on River Cruises for Better Holidaying Experience

Modern day travellers seeking a break from daily life and who want to spend some time in tranquillity love to go cruising. Cruise ships offer a home away from home ambience, whilst providing the opulence and services of luxury hotels. And if you are also planning to go for cruise holidays and are confused which cruise tour package to take, check the packages offered for river cruises.

A river cruise takes its passengers right to a heart of a country and hence offers a more comprehensive tour than maybe an ocean cruise tour would, as it takes passengers through countries. With a number of itineraries to choose from and the option for customization, there’s no need to compromise on your choices. Mentioned below are the two best river cruises of Europe offering the ultimate cruising holiday experience.

Danube River Cruises: The Danube is the longest river in the European Union. Originating in the town of Donaueschinge, Germany, it passes through capitals of four Central European countries and touches the border of ten countries. There are number of tourist and natural spots that tourists would get to see while cruising on Danube.

Notable tourist spots along Danube River:

Danube Banks in Budapest: They are a part of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Wachau Valley and Donau-Auen National Park in Austria
Gemenc in Hungary
Naturpark Obere Danau in Germany
Kopacki Rit in Croatia
Iron Gate in Romania & Serbia
Danube Delta in Romania
Srebarna Nature Reserve in Bulgaria
Sea Cloud Cruises, AMA Waterways and Viking River Cruises operate luxury river cruises along the Danube.

Rhine Cruises: A luxury river cruise on the Rhine is the best choice for those looking for an exquisite holiday in Europe. Originating in Alps, Switzerland, the river Rhine flows through four countries, namely, Germany, France, Netherlands and Luxemburg, before flowing into the North Sea. Though there are a number of notable tourist spots to visit in Swiss and Dutch cities during a Rhine river cruise, the most enthralling segment of a Rhine river cruise is the tour of The Middle Rhine in Germany. Known as Rhine Gorge, it is a home to spectacular landscape, fascinating castles and picturesque wineries.

Major Ports of Call on the Rhine include Cologne, Koblenz, Strasbourg, Heidelberg and Speyer. Cologne is among the most famous Rhine cruise destinations. It is widely known for its splendid cathedral, the Dom. Dom is an architectural gem and is a World Heritage Site too. Other attractions at Cologne include Hohenzollern Bridge, St Martin’s Church and The Botanical Gardens. With a history of over 2000 years, Koblenz is home to a magnificent Festung Ehrenbreitstein and some other historic sites. Deutshes Mark is the place where the two rivers, Rhine and Mosselle, meet. Similarly, Strasbourg, Heidelberg and Speyer also boast natural spots as well as artistic and historic sites.

Luxury River Cruises in Europe are no less than floating five star hotels. They offer the best of modern day comforts and ultra-modern amenities so that their guests can enjoy each moment on the ship.

Himachal Honeymoon Packages And Tourist Attractions

Himachal Pradesh popularly known as the ‘Dev Bhumi’ is regarded as the land of Gods. It has Jammu Kashmir to the north, Punjab to its west and Tibetan plateau to the east. It comprises of several hill stations and is the perfect place for a dream holiday.

Places of Interest

1. Una – It is the district headquarters of Una lying on the banks of River Swan. Una was named after the 5th Sikh guru – Shri Guru Arjan Dev ji. ‘Una’ stands for ‘Unnati’ which means progress. The town once enjoyed the status of a state in the Jalandhar Doab and has been mentioned in the Ain-e-Akbari.

2. Amb – Amb is located on the Dharamshala-Una-Chandigarh Road. It was once the royal seat of the princely state of Jaswan. This place was made a sub-divisional headquarters in 1972, after the reorganization of the districts in the state. The Amb town is connected by buses coming from Hoshiarpur and Chandigarh that pass through Una.

3. Batal – Located at a distance of 4.6kms from Arki is Batal situated at the foot of Kunzum La Pass is the spot for halt for tourists to Kaza. One can catch enchanting views of the Chandra River, Bara Shigri Glacier and triangular peaks in the south from this place. It is an ideal place for rock climbing and trekking. Losar, Gramphu and Chotta Shigri Glacier are all situated within a short distance.

4. Kotli – An important pilgrim centre in the Mandi District it is known for its Shiva temple, Janitri Devi temple, Jhagru Dev temple, Kamrawh Dev temple and Kasla Dev temple. Other temples here are – Rachera Dev temple, Mahan Dev temple, Nagini Devi temple, Troka Wali Devi temple, Surgani Devi temple and Tej Bahadur Singh temple.

5. Chail – One of the popular hill stations near Solan Chail used to be the summer capital of Maharaja Adhiraj Bhupinder Singh of Patiala. It covers an area of 110kms. It was declared a sanctuary in 1976 and was developed as Chir Pheasant Breeding and Rehabilitation centre. You will find here a diverse species of mammals like – Rhesus Macaque, Leopards, Indian muntjac, goral, porcupine, Himalayan black bear, wild boar, common langur, sambar, black-naped hare, etc.

6. Saho – One of the most charming villages in Himachal Pradesh it is located on a breathtaking plateau on the banks of river Sal. There is a temple of Lord Shiva worshipped in the Chandrasekhar manifestation. Behind the temple you will find natural springs and the water has medicinal properties.

Hence we can conclude that visiting the above mentioned places of interest will definitely give an enjoyable and delightful experience to the honeymooners.