Lake Nasser Cruises

Lake Nasser is the largest man-made lake in the world, stretching roughly 500 kilometres south from the Aswan High Dam into Nubia. A Lake Nasser cruise is the quietest way to travel in Egypt. Where the Nile between Luxor and Aswan carries dozens of vessels, only a handful of ships sail here, and most days bring nothing but open water, desert shoreline and the occasional fisherman.
The route is built around the great Nubian temples, every one of them cut into blocks and lifted to higher ground during the UNESCO rescue campaign of the 1960s, before the rising water could claim them. Southbound itineraries usually open at Kalabsha and Beit el-Wali beside the High Dam, then call at Wadi El Seboua with its avenue of sphinxes, Dakka and Maharraqa, Amada, Derr and the rock-cut tomb of Pennut. Qasr Ibrim, the only site still standing where it was built, is viewed from the deck. The journey ends at Abu Simbel, where the four colossi of Ramses II and the temple of Nefertari face the sunrise across the lake.
Cruises run three, four or five nights between Aswan and Abu Simbel in either direction, with an Egyptologist guide leading every visit and most excursions only a short tender ride from the ship. Vessels are small, generally 30 to 65 cabins, with sun decks, pools and panoramic lounges designed for long hours on open water. Sailing continues year-round, with October to April offering the most comfortable temperatures, and 22 February and 22 October bringing the Abu Simbel Sun Festival, when sunlight reaches the inner sanctuary.