Egypt Tour with Nile Cruise

Egypt is the largest country in the Arab world, and could be the oldest tourist destination on earth. The Greeks and Romans started the trend, coming to see the Pyramids and the Colossi of Thebes. Then a few hundred years later Napoleon came to see and conquer; and in recent times travel writers regularly expound the value of seeing the tombs of the pharoes and to cruise the Nile; as well as the fantastic coral reefs and tropical fish of the Red Sea; the ancient fortresses and monasteries of the Sinai; and the dunes and rockscapes of the Western deserts.

Nearly all of Egypt is desert, and 95% of the population lives in about 5% of the country that is the valley of the Nile River; and that is also where most of the tourist attractions are located. The bulk of the country is arid wasteland supporting the remaining 5% of the population; so it is hard to avoid noticing this contrast between desolation and fertility that has been a major factor shaping the character of Egyptians since prehistoric times.

This continuity of a culture spanning about 7,000 years gives a sense of permanence and timelessness that pervades every aspect of life, and results in a multifaceted culture which seems to encompass both the ancient and the modern. The Bedouin tribes of the desert live in some ways as their ancestors did at the time of Christ, and this is in contrast with the modern commercial bustle of Cairo.

Egypt is full of these contrasts; mud-brick villages stand beside ruins centuries old ruins and not far away there are tall modern buildings of steel and glass; some townsfolk wear traditional long flowing robes while others sport jeans and sneakers; and city traffic co-exists with donkey-drawn carts and camels.

Egypt borders Libya in the west, Sudan in the south, the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and the Red Sea and Israel in the east. The eastern region, across the Suez Canal, is Sinai. This region slopes up to the highest area in Egypt around Mt. Katherine and Mt Sinai. Along Egypt's Mediterranean coast there are countless white-sand beaches, some developed as tourist resorts but many still pristine and isolated. North of Cairo the Nile splits into a series of tributaries that flow into the Mediterranean.

Travellers have been marvelling at Egypt's wondrous antiquities for thousands of years - even the ancient Greeks and Romans were awed by them. And still today a visit to Egypt can easily be the most memorable and affordable holiday possible in the world today.