One of the world’s best travel experiences is back in fashion

A cruise through Egypt packs in history and romance, whitewashed villages and cacophonous cities, farmland and sand dunes, and a whole series of splendid monuments that would individually be worth the journey, and together offer one of the greatest sights on Earth.

Temple of Luxor.

Tourism in Egypt has, however, been beset with a series of unfortunate events over the last 15 years. In 2010, just before the Arab Spring uprising spooked visitors, the North African nation received 14.7 million visitors.

Only last year did it finally manage to improve on that number, though not before tourism had dwindled to nothing during pandemic.

No time to relax along the Nile… Viking’s shore excursions will keep you busy.

Current Middle Eastern woes have, however, had little flow-on effect on visitor numbers. In fact, market-data company Statista predicts Egypt’s tourism market can expect significant growth this year and in the next few years at an annual rate of seven per cent.

There are various reasons for the uptick, among them the 2022 movie Death on the Nile, increased Egyptian government development of tourism facilities and river-cruise moorings, and restoration of several archaeological sites.

The recent opening of the much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum, which displays all the treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb among its 5400 objects, is also expected to pull in more visitors.

Visitors can see the pyramids from the Grand Egyptian Museum.Credit: Getty Images

Bookings on Nile cruises have surged. The main season is October to April, but cruises have now been extended into the hotter months, and new ships are regularly launched.

In 2021, Uniworld added second ship SS Sphinx and AmaWaterways launched AmaDahlia. Sister vessel AmaLilia arrived in 2024, when major European tour company TUI launched TUI Al Horeya, its first ship outside Europe.

At the end of last year, Viking added to the armada with Viking Hathor and Viking Sobek, and will take its Nile fleet to 10 vessels by 2026. Viking’s 12-day Pharaohs & Pyramids voyage has become so popular that it is bolstering its program with 221 new departures by 2027.

Feluccas moored at the ancient ruins of Swenet on Elephantine Island in Aswan.

Scenic is resuming Egypt tours from September 2025 that include a four-night cruise on new charter ship Sanctuary Sun Boat III. APT too is returning to Egypt next year, and Travelmarvel makes an Egypt debut in 2026.

Other companies that operate Nile cruises include Avalon Waterways, Movenpick Hotels, Oberoi Hotels, Sanctuary Retreats and Sonesta Hotels. Nile cruises are also offered by tour companies as budget diverse as Abercrombie & Kent and Intrepid Travel.

Nile River cruises typically run between Luxor and Aswan or the reverse, and last between three and seven days. Often an additional land component takes visitors to Cairo, while pre- or post-cruise extensions are offered to Jordan or Istanbul.

Plan well ahead, since the Nile is in hot demand. And 2027 will see further interest in Egypt, which will witness a total solar eclipse on August 2. Several companies are already offering eclipse cruises.