Egypt Guide
Getting around
By boat
The colonial tradition of Nile cruises, familiar from films and novels, has spawned an industry deploying 240 steamers. Most boats start off in Luxor, sailing down to Aswan (others start here), with stops at Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo, over three to five days.
Feluccas, the lateen-sailed boats used on the Nile since antiquity, still serve as transport along many stretches of the river. Favoured by tourists for sunset cruises, they allow you to experience the changing moods of the Nile while lolling in blissful indolence. Many visitors opt for longer felucca cruises, stopping at the temples between Aswan and Luxor. While it's easy to arrange a cruise yourself, several tour operators do offer packages.
Local ferries, which are generally battered, crowded and cheap, cross the Nile and the Suez Canal at various points. There are also smarter tourist ferries between Luxor and the West Bank, but it's more fun to use the ordinary boats.
Long-distance services are confined to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, where the slow boats of yore have been superseded by a catamaran that zips over from Hurghada to Sharm el-Sheikh four times a week, in just ninety minutes. The £25/US$45 fare isn't much more than is charged by the last of the old boats (which take over five hours), and is worth it to avoid the long overland journey via Suez, requiring the best part of a day. Another catamaran (plus an ordinary ferry) runs from Nuweiba to the Jordanian port of Aqaba.