Is this a good time to take a Nile Cruise?

With the various disruptions that have taken place over the last few months and the whole Egyptian Revolutions some 16 to 18 months ago some people are asking if this is a good time to enjoy a Nile cruise.

Well, according to a lot of people that we know who have first-hand experience on the ground in Egypt, it could just be the ideal time.

According to recent reports visitor numbers are starting to improve on a weekly basis although they are still not back to the numbers they were pre-revolution.

For instance prior to the Revolution the world-famous Egyptian Museum had daily visitor numbers of 13,000 per day. Just after the Revolution that dwindled dramatically and even now they expect only 2000 visitors each day however with the start of Egypt’s high-season for visitors, November to March, they are hoping to reach daily figures of 6000+ visitors per day. So, if you are going to visit the museum, which we are due to do in November, then it’s going to be a much more relaxed experience.

Down in Luxor, which had been peaceful and quiet even during the Revolution the Nile cruise ships actually sailing has dropped from a peak number of 300 in 2010 to just 45 currently sailing.

However, again that makes for a much more relaxed experience when visiting such world-renowned sites as The Valley of The Kings or the Temple of Karnak.

There are no queues as there normally is and visitors are given almost VIP treatment.

Egypt is hopeful that the increase in numbers will continue and occupancy rates in hotels in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan have risen to 25% after a start this year of just 8 – 10%.

Barbara and I are visiting Cairo, Luxor and Aswan in November to see how everything is and we’ll be posting our impressions when we return but we are getting great reports from our clients returning from their Nile cruise.

As usual they have nothing but compliments and admiration for the Egyptian people who are really grateful for the support of travellers from around the world.