Lake Nasser Cruises - Nothing Compares

Lake Nasser Cruises are a perfect way to explore the "off the beaten path" fascinating sites of Lake Nasser, including the Abu Simbel Temples. If you are planning a Nile cruise holiday in Egypt you are probably already well aware of the fact that the lock system makes it impossible to depart from Cairo and head upriver towards Luxor. Instead, you will have to enjoy a sail or cruise around the city and then take a plane or train to Luxor to begin the water journey south.

Most ships can go all of the way down to the massive Aswan High Dam before stopping, and if the passengers want to explore the waters of Lake Nasser they can hop aboard one of the many ships taking this trip too.

Cruising Lake Nasser

Interestingly enough it will require around three or four days of sailing to complete a Lake Nasser cruise because the water covers more than two thousand square miles of area. It is actually a reservoir developed when the Aswan Dam project was built between 1958 and 1970. During that time it began flooding the surrounding valleys and this necessitated the relocation of more than a dozen ancient temples and sites. Today a great many travelers take Lake Nasser cruises strictly to see them.

What to See

For example, most passengers will see the Amada Temple, the Wadi Seboua Temple, Abu Simbel with its Temple of Ramses II and Hathor, the Fortress of Kasr Ibrim, and more. There are also some sites accessible only by the water, such as the Nubian Monuments, and this is because there is actually no legal land crossing from Egypt into Sudan.

The lake itself serves as the only legal passage along the Cairo to Cape Town Highway system. This is the reason that many smaller and faster ferries traverse the lake along with the larger and more leisurely paced cruise liners.

Starting Out In Aswan

Most cruises on Lake Nasser will begin with a traveler enjoying a few days of exploration in Aswan itself. This might mean a Felucca trip on the Nile to such sites as the Nubian Village or Elephantine Island. Of course, many travelers also take the time to view the remarkable Unfinished Obelisk site that gives a good illustration into the way that many monumental structures were carved, and Aswan is also home to the Philae Temple developed in honor of Isis. Naturally, a visit to the massive Aswan High Dam is also of interest to many visitors too.

Finally, one of the most interesting things that travelers to Lake Nasser will do while in Aswan is to visit the Darau Camel Market, which is the largest in the world.