we are looking at this tour/cruise for next year and wondered if anyone has done this one specifically and has any comments on it... what is the best time of year to go to Eygpt weather wise?

We looked into taking this tour for July-August this year but were told by the travel agent it was fully booked until September. This didn't seem to make sense to us, so after a little detective work we found out the Tosca wasn't even built yet. Apparently, its initial completion date was April of this year but was delayed until September. I would imagine it should be well and truly afloat by next year

Weather
We went in the high summer (July/Aug 45C deg - 110F deg) and yes it was HOT but it didn't hold us back. Just kept lots of water with us. This is the low tourist seaon, so we also benefited from small (and almost non-existant) crowds.

I would imagine from others' reports October and April-May are more comfortable times but with larger crowds. A trade off, I guess. Regardless, I am certain you will have a wonderful time.

Hi Brooklyn -

Its been a while ! We went on the Egyptian Elegance tour 3 years ago. As usual I posted a Tour Tale: Egyptian Elegance Tour Tale.


The Elegance of the Nile trip is almost in reverse order and spends more time in Cairo and along the Nile. Had this trip been available when we went I would likely have opted for it.

The hotels are different with the exception of the Old Winter Palace in Luxor. The Conrad in Cairo and the Cataracts Hotel in Aswan were both great, but the Winter Palace was spectacular.

Our riverboat was the Tower Prestige and although I have read some negative comments about its age and state, we found it fine. Mind you there were only about 25 of us and the boat could easily carry and serve 100 passengers. The "all inclusive" package on the boat is nice.

We went in February and the weather was cool and a little rainy for the first few days. However by the time we got to Luxor it was as hot as I'd want (around 80 degrees F) when walking around archeological sights in the sun.

If there is one bit of advice I can give you it is to take the Abu Simbel optional. We did it early in the trip and the sight simply left us breathless. I note on the Elegance of the Nile trip it is at the end and as a result may not make as much of an impact. However it is a sight on a grand scale and well worth the time and money.

If you have any other questions or more specific issues please feel free to ask or PM me.

Hope everything is well with you.

Jim

Hi Jim! I read and enjoyed your tour trip years ago and thought how adventerous you wer to go to Eypgt! But mom and I did the Greek Isle tour with the cruise this May and she LOVED it... and pointed out that they have a cruise/tour for Egypt... she is doing great... do you think this trip would be safe for us? She did fine in Istanbul and Greece... I'm going to re read your tour report.. and thanks for the advice on Abu Simbel optional, I was wondering about it!

Brooklyn -

I always felt safe in Egypt. There are soldiers everywhere with automatic weapons as well as quite a few "undercover" guards (you can frequently spot the butt end of a mini machine gun poking out of their suit jackets). In particular the tourist sights are heavily guarded and the government has instituted many security measures since the attack at the temple of Hapshetsut in 1997.

There may be an issue of stamina. Some of the tourist sights involve quite a bit of walking over very uneven ground in the open sun with no shade. They generally don't drive you right up to the entrance. There were no long steep hills that I recollect and if you take your time M should be OK.

Also her tolerance for heat might be an issue depending on what time of year you go. We don't regularly experience heat anything like M does and so maybe I am concerned about something I shouldn't be.

I got ill when we were there and the one day it got up to around 80 in the Valley of the Kings just about did me in. The sun is rather merciless. (Normally 80 isn't a problem for us - but 90 is way too hot !)

You can always forgo one sight and spend a day relaxing on the boat if she gets tired. I'm sure the Tosca will be much nicer than the Tower Prestige.

Jim

She did really well in Turkey and Greece (I wrote a trip report if you are interested) At Delphi she walked up to a certain point and then sat and waited while I walked up to the top.And I was so worried about her falling, I always pointed out uneven ground to her, and then guess who fell? Of course, how many people can say they tripped on their own feet and fell while looking for the Temple of Zeus? At least my camera was ok!
She lives in
Florida, so I don't think heat really bothers her but I'm trying to figure out what would be the best time for Eygpt. Do you think April or March would be cool enough?
I'm printing off your report to read at work and send a copy to mom.. at first I hesitated to go to Eygpt but so many people really rave about it on the board and it sounds fascinating.Do you remember how long some of your flights were? I'm considering doing a layover of a few days on the way to break up the flight.
How did you find your guide Karen?