Jan has dreamed of cruising up the Nile since she was in her twenties. It was always going to be in our plans, and we were delighted when our vacation club, Karma, announced that it had acquired a boat and would be offering cruises from mid-October this year.

We expected a leisurely week, relaxing on deck while the river passed slowly by. There were parts of the cruise that were just like that. What we didn't fully appreciate was, like Cairo, the immense amount we would learn from our Egyptologist guide about the monuments we would see. During the course of the week we visited a dozen temples and tombs. Some staggered us with their sheer size, and some with the immense amount of information and historical depictions carved into their surfaces.

We hope you enjoy reading about this part of our journey, and that what you see inspires you to come to the river yourself.