Walk Like an Egyptian: AmaWaterways Nile River Cruise Review

Arriving in Luxor, AmaWaterways made our transfer from the plane to our bus seamless, taking care of everything, including our Egyptian visas that had been pre-arranged. From day one, we always knew exactly our plan for the day ahead and we had a great in-depth briefing after meeting our tour guide Abdel. I soon learnt that what he didn't know about ancient Egypt was not worth knowing!

We started day two with a visit to the Valley of the Kings, one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. We walked into the spectacular rock-cut tombs located on the west bank of Luxor including Tutankhamen and the tomb of King Seti 1. As we walked down deeper and deeper I was amazed at the carvings and particularly liked hearing about the hieroglyphics and how they told the story of the carvings that were done around 1200BC.

We then moved onto the tomb of the young King Tutankhamun, who is laid to rest in a glass case in the burial chamber. Everything is so well preserved and the carvings were so much clearer that I imagined - it really does blow your mind!

Our journey continued, each day seeing different archaeological sites which are all included in the cost of your cruise, and excellent guidance by Abdel making sure we noticed everything and understood the meaning behind it all.

You can also opt in to take an additional tour of Abu Simbel which is one of the most awe-inspiring temples with a fascinating history, reached via a short 30-minute flight from Aswan airport to Lake Nasser, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to the over 3,000-year-old Abu Simbel.

We also had the opportunity to take another additional tour to have high tea at the famous Cataract Hotel in Aswan, the British colonial hotel from 1899. This was such a beautiful hotel with a luxurious setting and gorgeous sunset view over the Nile from a comfortable shaded terrace - another must do in my book.

One of my favourite places on board AmaDahlia was the beautiful sundeck with various types of seating, chairs and beds with undercover seating if you need a bit of shade also a small pool to cool off.

We had lunch here one day and it was just great to sit and watch the world go by as you remind yourself you are cruising down the Nile - Egypt's lifeline. Without the Nile, Egypt would have been a desert!

So much stood out for me on this fantastic trip - learning about ancient Egypt, the friendly local people, the lovely AmaDahlia ship, great food and, of course the team on board, who provided some of the best service I have experienced.

Both on and off the ship, the team were with us all the way, making sure we were happy and looked after and always getting back to a warm welcome on board.