Adventures in Egypt – Installment #5. Description of a bucket-list trip, a combination land excursion and river cruise on the Nile River in Egypt.
See previous blog posts: Adventures in Egypt and Adventures in Egypt – Installment #2 and Adventures in Egypt – Installment #3 and Adventures in Egypt – Installment #4
Day #4 Highlights
It was time to check out of our Cairo hotel and head to Luxor where, after a morning excursion, we would board the Viking Hathor.
Our luggage was placed in the hall outside our hotel door bright and early for pickup to be taken to our bus. Each of our bags was tagged with our Viking Hathor on-board cabin numbers.
Prior to our departure we enjoyed an early breakfast at the hotel before boarding our bus to the Cairo airport. Upon arrival we were met by our Viking host. We each collected our luggage and followed our host’s instructions regarding security and check-in before boarding our chartered flight. Arrangements had been made to expedite our departure, a nice touch.
Luxor, Egypt
Once known as Thebes, Luxor sits on the east bank of the Nile River. It served as the capital of Egypt’s New Kingdom. On the west bank, directly opposite Luxor, is the Valley of the Kings. Luxor is home to some of the worlds most ancient and significant ruins. It is often called the world’s greatest open-air museum. Luxor was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
Today Luxor is a major tourist hub, the second most important tourist destination after Giza.
Morning Excursion
After arriving at the Luxor International Airport, we boarded a chartered bus to take us to the Karnak Temple Complex. The airport is four miles east of the city, so it did not take us long to arrive at our destination.
Once we did, our guide Osama encouraged us as usual to follow him with “yalla yalla” meaning “let’s go” or “come on” in Egyptian Arabic.
Karnak Temple Complex – Precinct of Amun-Ra
The Temple of Karnak is the largest religious building ever constructed. It covers over 200 acres (approximately a mile by two miles in area). The temple features multiple temples, pylons and a sacred lake where the priests ritually bathed prior to conducting ceremonies. The temple was dedicated to the god Amun-Ra, the king of the gods. Other temples honor Mut, mother goddess of ancient Egypt and Khonsu, god of the moon and son of Amun-Ra and Mut.
Of note, multiple pharaohs contributed to its construction over nearly 1,300 years beginning in the 16th Century BC and continuing into the Greco-Roman period.
Great Hypostyle Hall
Hypostyle Hall, part of the complex, has 134 massive sandstone columns in 16 rows that once supported a towering ceiling. Its central columns are over 70 feet high. An amazing sight!
Avenue of Sphinxes
I was particularly interested to see and learn about the Avenue of Sphinxes. The Avenue of Sphynxes is a 1.7-mile ancient processional road connecting Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple. The Avenue is lined with human and ram-headed sphinxes flanking the ceremonial route. During the Opet Festival, a major annual religious event, a ceremonial barque (boat) carrying statutes of Amun-Re, Mut and Khonsu would be carried on the shoulders of priests from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple. Once there, certain ceremonies would take place reenforcing the connection between the Pharoah and Amun-Re.
The site had been buried under sand for centuries before it was restored and reopened to the public in 2021. The project was funded by UNESCO, who paid the residents of the area to move from their homes and neighborhood so that the entire area could be excavated.
After leaving the Karnak Temple Complex we hopped on our waiting buses for the short ride to where the Viking Hathor was berthed. Upon exiting the bus, we made our way down from street level via rather steep steps carved into stone to a lower level with beautifully landscaped gardens adjacent to the Nile River.
Viking Hathor
After a full morning of sightseeing, we were looking forward to boarding the Viking Hathor. One of the latest additions to the Viking fleet, the vessel has 41 staterooms and can host up to 82 guests.
We boarded shortly before 1:00 p.m., just in time for lunch. This was my second river cruise with Viking, and to date the food has been exceptional!
After lunch we made our way to our cabin to unpack. We were very pleasantly surprised with the size of our room. Viking builds each longship specifically for the river it will traverse. As it turns out, the locks on the Nile River are wider than that of European rivers, allowing for larger accommodations with larger closets and additional drawers. We even had a small sofa and coffee table!
We really enjoyed the larger bathroom in the cabin as well, especially as there was a nice deep drawer on either side of the sink, allowing both of us to have a place to store our personal items.
After unpacking we set out to explore the ship.
Welcome Briefing & Port Talk
Afterwards, we made our way to the Lounge for a welcome briefing where we were introduced to the management team and given a briefing on the features of the ship. Our three Program Directors also discussed the pre-dinner shore excursion later that day to Luxor Temple. We were happy to learn that Luxor Temple was just a short walk away. Also covered at the briefing were the logistics for the excursions/activities scheduled for the following day.
Luxor Temple – Evening Tour
Our three Program Managers led us up a gentle incline along a dirt/rock path leading up to street level shortly after sunset (4:59 p.m.). We arrived at the temple in short order.
Luxor Temple is beautiful at night, with strategic lighting highlighting key features. Of note, our three groups had the grounds pretty much to ourselves for the first half-hour we were there before other tourist groups started to arrive.
Osama, our group Program Director, shared the historical significance of the site and the religious life of the Egyptian people at the time. Additionally, Osama also chose to highlight certain interesting hieroglyphics on the pillars and walls while he interpreted for us the stories they told.
During the tour we learned that one of the obelisks and several of the temple’s statutes were relocated in years past to Paris, France.
To Sum Up
To sum up, we had an hour and a-half at Luxor Temple before returning to the Viking Hathor for dinner and relaxing a bit in the Lounge before calling it a night. It was going to be another full day – a Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride over the Valley of the Kings in the morning and the exploration of Dendera Temple in the afternoon.
Comments on Adventures in Egypt – Installment #5?
Please feel free to comment and share your experiences as I deviate from my Sacramento-centric blog to share my friend and my adventures in Egypt and Jordan over the upcoming weeks.
As always, my blog posts reflect my personal perspective.
See Upcoming Blog Post: Adventures in Egypt – Installment #6
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