ASWAN, EGYPT — The felucca crews wave vigorously at the tourists standing on the concrete dock high above the Nile River. Captain Aly and his son Mostafa attract our attention with shouts of “we take you to Elephantine.”
The historic island, which lies off Aswan in the middle of the Nile, is a treasure trove of Egyptian history and was first settled during the late-Pharaonic era — 525-332 BCE.
As Mostafa helps us board the sleek little craft, captain Aly gets set to cast off. The little boat’s single cotton sail quickly puffs out in the gentle breeze and the low-tech craft’s tall mast seems to be touching the azure sky overhead as we begin our short journey. A fleet of feluccas, most much bigger than Aly’s traditional wooden craft and able to carry more tourists, bob and weave around us in the mocha-coloured water in what looks like a watery ballet.

Above: The felucca crews are made up of mostly Nubian sailors.

Our Nubian captain soon assumes a slouched position at the back of the felucca while leisurely minding the tiller and guiding the sail. His son, meanwhile, is busy trying to sell us some jewellery spread out on the deck that “my mother and sisters make.”
We buy a few interesting trinkets, which makes Mostafa happy, and learn from him that his family has been felucca sailors for centuries.
“My father can navigate the Nile blindfolded,” the young man boasts.
The felucca has been the main mode of transportation on the Nile for over 5,000 years and, as Elephantine Island comes into view, Mostafa says the boulders used to build the earliest pyramids in Cairo were transported by feluccas from here.
“We wait here while you tour Elephantine,” Mostafa says as we set off to explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s rated among Egypt’s greatest treasures.

Above: The ancient wonders one sees on a Nile cruise are simply amazing.

The island is home to the Aswan Museum and a luxury hotel — Movenpick Aswan — and is littered with lots of historic landmarks, like the Temple of Khnum. The island also features a nilometer, which was used to measure the Nile’s clarity and water level in ancient times. Elephantine’s nilometer comes in the form of stairs cut into the rock leading to the Nile. Carvings in the nilometer consist of  Arabic, Roman and Pharaonic numerals, reminding us the island has had many different occupants.
There are also two Nubian villages tucked away on the island, which, thanks to its strategic location in the mighty river, has always served as an important trading post.
When we arrive back at the island’s dock, Aly and Mostafa are waiting as promised and quickly transport us back across the river so we can continue our Nile cruise on a much larger riverboat.
The massive flat top boats are more comfortable than the tiny feluccas, but lack the romance of the traditional boats.
The two men bid us farewell before quickly turning their attention to some newly arrived tourists on the dock.
Aswan is the first stop on our magical Nile River cruise, which also included visits to Kom Ombo, Edfu, Esna and finally Luxor.

Above: The feluccas can easily navigate around the obstacles the Nile puts in their way.

Our riverboat’s slow pace allows us to recover from our hectic tour of Aswan and Elephantine Island. From the deck of the wide vessel, we see men straddling small donkeys ladened with dry goods along the Nile’s well worn banks and suddenly feel like we’ve been transported back in time.
In the evenings, we’re served traditional meals, some very bad Egyptian wine and entertained by belly dancers before being lulled to sleep by the humming of the massive engines.
Early the next morning, under a blistering sun, we disembark at Kom Ombo, site of an unusual double temple, which dates back to Ptolemaic dynasty — 180BC.
What makes Kom Ombo special is that it is dedicated to two gods, Sobek, the crocodile god, and the falcon god Horus. Each god gets a side of the double temple, which is linked by passageways.
The massive entrance to the temple complex is believed to have been built by Cleopatra’s father, Ptolemy XII.
The hypostyle hall is the temple’s most striking feature. Its 15 impressive columns are decorated with floral capitals and sun images. Its roof is adorned with flying vultures and carvings of Horus making offerings to other gods.
No less impressive was Edfu, the next stop on our Nile cruise.
People first settled here around 3000BC when it was a settlement and burial site. It was another home for the god Horus and the Ptolemaic temple we tour now is actually a larger version of the New Kingdom temple originally built for Horus.
The temple has been perfectly preserved by desert sands and it is considered one of the most atmospheric of Egypt’s many ancient buildings. In fact, 200 years ago the temple was completely buried in sand but was resurrected by archaeologists in the 19th century.
The temple features a Roman birth house, colourful carvings, a massive 38m-high pylon that’s guarded by two splendid granite statues depicting Horus as a falcon. There’s also a “court of offerings” that is held up by 32 impressive columns that display different floral capitals.

Above: You can spend weeks discovering all the wonders on the banks of the Nile.

You could spend a week exploring all Edfu has to offer, but our boat is waiting to take us to our next and final stop, Luxor.
Described as the “best open air museum in the world,” Luxor is where we find the motherlode of Egyptian antiquities — the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Temple of Hatshepset and the Tomb of Ramses VI.
So much to see … so little time.
Each one of the above mentioned sites excites and intrigues, but it’s Tutankhamun's burial site that really gets the pulse racing.
The final resting place of the young pharaoh, who reigned between 1334-1325BC and died at the tender age of 19, consists of four chambers, an entrance staircase and corridor.
It was excavated by Englishman Howard Carter in the 1920s and its walls still display the vivid paintings that were etched when the tomb was first constructed. Tutankhamun’s linen-wrapped mummy is preserved in a glass case but most of the relics and riches found when Carter uncovered the tomb have been moved to the National Museum in Cairo and other museums around the world.
There is no better way to see all the historic riches that Egypt has to offer than with a cruise down the Nile, and it all starts with a ride on a felucca.