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Trip Review – VIP Train, Aswan – Luxor, Egypt

After leaving my Nile cruise on Day 4, I needed to arrange transport back to Luxor for my three-night hotel break.

Having been quoted $140 (£111) for a private taxi, I chose to try the three-hour VIP train service.

I booked my ticket at Aswan station the previous day, which was a relatively painless experience, taking around 20 minutes.

I paid the $25 (£20) fare with US Dollar cash and was issued a handwritten paper ticket, with a reserved seat in the first class carriage.

The following day, I arrived at the station around an hour in advance of the 3:15pm departure and spent several minutes hunting away importunate baggage handlers, whilst making my way to the platform.

I boarded the train around a half hour later, only to find someone already occupying my reserved seat. I attempted to enlist the assistance of the train manager, but the only English word he seemed to know was ‘tips’. Incidentally, ‘baksheesh’ is also one of the only Middle Eastern words that I know, this being a recurring theme in this part of the world.

Figuring that what is good for the goose is good for the gander, I took a seat on the opposite side of the train.

The seat I ended up occupying was in fact a superior seat, as the train is configured in 1-2 seating, with the single seats on the side with the direct river views.

The train takes a routing along the eastern bank of the Nile, meaning that the best views are from the left side of the train on northbound journeys, or the right side on southbound journeys.

The train was equipped with a lavatory, which seemed to double as an unofficial smoking room.

I availed myself of this a couple of times, although I was rather glad I didn’t have to use it for its intended purpose.

My train departed Aswan promptly at 3:15pm and arrived in Luxor around ten minutes late at 6:40pm.

In addition to the four VIP trains, there are around fifteen departures per day between these two stations, using Russian and Spanish built express trains.

Overall, this was a pleasant journey, passing the Nile Valley scenery, and an interesting and relatively comfortable way to travel between Aswan and Luxor.

Tour Review – Nile Cruise, MS Zaina, Luxor to Aswan, Egypt. Day 3.

16 November 2024
by thebouncer

Following a more successful second day on the cruise tour, I awoke in the next destination of the tour, Edfu.

The first of day’s activities was a visit to the world famous Temple of Horus, completed in 57BCE.

The transfer to the temple was scheduled to be by carriage, drawn by horses and donkeys. However, I refused to participate in this on ethical grounds, due to the obvious maltreatment of the animals. Much to the chagrin of my tour guide, I opted instead to take a taxi to the temple.

Having rejoined the rest of my tour group, I spent around an hour viewing the impressive temple, dating from the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

After around an hour at the temple, I returned to the ship, again by taxi, for breakfast and the first full day of cruising towards Aswan.

I spent most of the day on the rooftop deck of the ship, as we passed the riverside villages and desert scenery.

Before the ship’s arrival in Aswan, there was a short stop for a sunset visit to the majestic Kom Ombo Temple, also dating from the Ptolemaic Dynasty.

Apart from the experience with the abused animals, this had been a relaxing and enjoyable day. However, it emerged over another mediocre dinner that things were about to take a turn for the worse, as the schedule for the remaining three days was announced.

It emerged that there would be no further cruising for the next 48 hours, and that the ship would again be moored in port.

It also emerged that Day 5 would involve a 4am pick up, for an eight-hour round trip to Abu Simbel in the same rickety and overloaded minibuses which had taken me to the hot air balloon site on Day 2.

It was at this point that I made the decision to leave the cruise in Aswan the following morning. My tour agency, Get Your Guide, agreed to a 50% refund for the unused nights. I considered this a reasonable resolution.

Having seen most of what I wanted to see in Egypt, I decided to return to Luxor by train for a three-day break at the Pyramisa Hotel.

In conclusion, the cruise tour included some excellent highlights. The hot air balloon flight on Day 2 was spectacular, and the cruising on Day 3 was pleasant.

Overall, I am glad that I had this experience. However, in my opinion, there were simply too many annoyances to justify recommending a cruise tour of this length.

If you really want to take a Nile cruise, my advice is to look for a one- or two-night cruise, operating one way between Aswan and Luxor.

Tour Review – Nile Cruise, MS Zaina, Luxor to Aswan, Egypt. Day 2.

Following a disappointing first day on board MS Zaina, it was time for the highlight of the tour, a hot air balloon flight over the Valley of the Kings.

I woke around 3:15am for a 4:00am pick up. The first part of the journey was by chartered motorboat to the West Bank of the Nile, which was rather pleasant in the cool morning air.

I was then taken to the hot air balloon site by minibus, which was overloaded and somewhat uncomfortable, but manageable for the roughly 40 minute journey.

I arrived at the site around 6:00am, in time to watch the balloons being prepared.

It was then time for the breathtaking dawn take-off, along with dozens of other balloons, for the spectacular 45-minute flight over Thebes and the Valley of the Kings.

The balloon flight was a memorable experience and well worth the early start.

The second part of the day’s activities consisted of a tour of the Valley of the Kings, including visits to the Tomb of Tutankhamen and the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Late in the afternoon, I returned to the ship, which began to move towards the next stop of Edfu.

There was around three hours of early evening cruising, as the sun set over the riverside villages.

This had been a very full day of activities and it was with some relief that I heard the following day’s pick up would be a later start at 8am.

This had been a much better day, and I retired to bed in a much better mood than I had the previous evening.

Day 3 of the cruise is detailed here.

Tour Review – Nile Cruise, MS Zaina, Luxor to Aswan, Egypt. Day 1.

Following a short stay in Luxor, it was time to join my long awaited Nile cruise on board MS Zaina.

On the first day of my cruise, I was picked up from my city hotel at around 8am, for a pre-cruise tour of the sights of Luxor’s East Bank.

The first stop was the iconic Luxor Temple, known as “The Southern Sanctuary” and dating from around 1400 BCE.

The next stop was Karnak Temple, dating from the reign of Senusret I.

The temple is home to an open air museum and is one of the most visited historical sites in Egypt.

Having spent around an hour at each temple, I joined the ship at around 11am for the passage along the Nile to Aswan.

I had booked my cruise via Get Your Guide and was assigned to the MS Zaina.

Photograph courtesy of Egypt Joy Travel.

On the face of it, the ship looked comfortable. The cabins were nicely furnished and well equipped, and there was also a rooftop pool available.

Unfortunately, this is where a series of annoyances began.

Firstly, I was informed that all cabins on the ship were non-smoking, despite my having been promised by Get Your Guide that I would be allocated to a smoking ship. I escalated this to Get Your Guide and was simply stonewalled, without even an apology for being misled.

Secondly, it emerged that there would be no actual cruising that day, the ship simply remaining in port, moored tightly between two other ships.

This was my view for the remainder of the day.

The cruise included meals, which were served in a buffet setting. The food was luke warm and rather uninspiring, but at least edible.

After a disappointing first day, I was looking forward to the following day’s hot air balloon flight over Luxor, which will be the subject of my next article.

Hotel Review – Pyramisa Hotel, Luxor, Egypt

After a few days in the UK and an uneventful EasyJet flight, it was time to begin my long-awaited Nile Cruise.

I chose the reasonably centrally located Pyramisa Hotel as a base, both before and after the cruise.

On my first stay, I received a Nile View King room, which was comfortably furnished and reasonably spacious.

The air conditioning controls were rather rudimentary, but it worked perfectly.

On arrival, I found that a snack and, thoughtfully, an ashtray had been left in my room.

The river-facing balcony was a very agreeable place to enjoy the warm evening air.

The hotel is equipped with two swimming pools, but sadly I found the off-season temperatures were not quite high enough for me to venture into the water.

The poolside bar, on the other hand was much more my style.

Having checked out the buffet and decided that discretion was the greater part of valour, I contented myself with a visit to the on-site pizzeria and an Egyptian beer.

I was pleased enough with the Pyramisa Hotel to return after my Nile cruise for a second stay, for which I received a Nile View Twin room with terrace.

Overall, the Pyramisa provided good value for $73 (£56) per night and I considered it to be a decent choice for a short stay.