Egypt“s southernmost city (a perfect place for romance) has a distinctively African atmosphere. Once the ancient land of Nubia it still have strong traditions. The Nile is magically beautiful here, as it flows around giant granite boulders and small islands.
The afternoon was spent watching the dark waters of the Nile slide by from a felucca, the traditional canvas-sailed boat. This graceful little boat took us on a relaxing ride around the southern end of Elephantine Island where we enjoyed magnificent sceneries.
But what would a tour to Egypt be without a luxurious Nile cruise? For centuries taking a boat was the only way to travel in Egypt. Even in death, ancient Egyptians would take boats to the underworld.
During 5 days we traveled like Pharaohs gazing out over the country from the deck of the "Diamond boat" rated as a 5 star hotel. Unfortunately we had some strong winds and could not enjoy the sun deck as much as we wanted, but the cabins did not lack any comfort.The evening presented a brilliant Nile sunset for us. On the way up to Luxor we only stopped to visit temples and ruins. One of the highlights was the Island of Philae where Isis, one of the greatest Egyptian Gods has her own Temple complex. Witnessing a beautiful sound and light show creating a majestic aura around the place we felt transported back in time.
Arriving in Luxor we looked forward to visit the magnificent tombs in the Valley of the Kings once called "The place of Truth". In total, some 64 tombs have been excavated in the valley but there is more to discover. Choosing some of the less visited tombs we were able to avoid the inevitable crowds that comes with the tour buses. Some of the most beautiful tombs we found in the Artist Village next to the valley. These tombs belongs to the laborers who worked in the Valley of the Kings and were decorated with wonderful mystical paintings.
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