Exploring Egypt - Day 4

Our 5th day in Egypt began extra early as we had to check out of the hotel by 6:00 am in order to take a flight from Cairo to Luxor, a city in Upper Egypt approximately 800 kilometers south of the Mediterranean Sea.  This was another special part of our Egyptian vacation as today would be the start of our 5 day river trip down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan.  
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We arrived at the airport in Luxor shortly after 10:00 am and after gathering our bags we boarded the van that our guide and Egyptologist, George, had arranged for us. Our drive took us from the airport and through the town, stopping along the Nile near the Luxor Tower where we found our boat, the MS Farah, docked amongst a dozen or so other Nile Cruise ships. We boarded the boat and after a brief check-in where we received our cabin key and instructions, we made our way up a flight of wide stairs in the centre of the lobby to the next deck where we located our room.  

​We walked into a large rectangular room basking in bright sunshine that was streaming in from glass sliding doors leading to the balcony.  A queen size bed, mounded with luxurious pillows and soft linens was the centre piece of the cabin.  Facing the bed was a long desk/dresser with a flat screen tv.  The private bathroom was large, modern and featured a full-size tub.  This would be our home for the next 4 nights.

​After settling into the room we met the rest our party - Karen, Geoff, Ian and Erica - in the dining room for a buffet lunch, then went onto the upper deck of the Farah where we found the pool, sitting area and deck lounge.

​At 2:30pm we were ready for our first excursion into Luxor.  While Luxor is a smallish city (approximately 500,000), it boasts a long and celebrated history.  The ruins of the ancient city of Thebes, the capital of Egypt from about 2000 BC to 1100 BC, lies within Luxor.  Luxor is reputed to be the “world’s largest open-air museum” as it boasts two significant temples, Luxor and Karnak, while just across the Nile is the west bank Necropolis which includes many temples and monuments which make up the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.  This is also where the tombs of the Great Pharaohs were found, including that of King Tutankhamun.  We would be visiting most of these incredible sites over the next day and a half starting with the Karnak temple.

​Karnak is considered to be the 2nd most visited historical site in all of Egypt, behind only the Pyramids of Giza.  Karnak is actually a complex of 4 main parts, with only one being open to the public.  It is significant because its development and use spanned the lives of 30 different pharaohs over a period of 1500 years.  Highlights of the Karnak temple include 2 massive obelisks and 134 intricately carved columns that were truly spectacular in size.  The larger obelisk was erected by Queen Hatshepsut (1473 -1458 BC) and stands 97 feet tall.  It is estimated to weigh approximately 320 tons and was carved from a single piece of granite.  The second obelisk is smaller and was erected by Tuthmosis I (1504 - 1492 BC). It is 75 feet high and weighs between 143 and 160 tons.   There were several other obelisks at Karnak but they were either destroyed or carted away.  One of the obelisks is now situated in a park in Paris.  What is truly amazing about the obelisks is that they were carved from single pieces of pink granite from the distant quarries at Aswan, 215 kilometers to the south and transported to Luxor where they were erected.

Our second stop was Luxor Temple, located 3 kilometers away at the opposite end of the Avenue of the Sphynx, which, in ancient times, connected Luxor and Karnak. ​

​Luxor Temple was built around 1400 BC by a grandfather of King Tutankhamun.  Further development of the temple was later done by King Tutankhamun as well as Ramesses II.  The temple was used as a legionary fortress during the Roman era and a Roman chapel was built which eventually was transformed into a church.

​Following our afternoon tour of the temples, we returned to the Farah where we enjoyed a late afternoon swim on the sundeck followed by cocktails and our first a la carte dinner in the ship’s dining room.  We opted for an early night as we had a very early and special day planned for tomorrow - a 3:30 am pick-up so we could catch the sunrise over the Valley of the Kings aboard a hot air balloon!

Planning a trip to Egypt? Reach out for expert advice and assistance with your holiday planning.​

​Continue to Day 5 - click here.