Egypt presents two completely opposite images, and both are important. Firstly, the northern part has the capital Cairo with the pyramids of Giza, the Egyptian museum, and its millennia-old history concentrated in just one city. The southern part of the country includes such cities as Luxor and Aswan and their unique temples and tombs which create an image of Upper Egypt as a trip back into ancient times. The vacation planned in cooperation with Nile Cruise Vacation and the Upper Egypt is more likely to be appreciated than the one-sided travel.
Two Halves of the Same Story
Cairo gives us an account of the golden age of pharaohs. The pyramids of Giza, the sphinx, and the tombs of Saqqara mark the dominance of power near the capital of the old kingdom. While the Egyptian Museum has a huge collection of artifacts excavated from all over Egypt, the new Grand Egyptian Museum also has an equally large number of artifacts like the Tutankhamun collection in one place.
While Luxor and Aswan are two different places with two different accounts of history, they both have the same civilization. Luxor is the old Thebes with temples of Karnak and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings. Aswan has the temple of Philae and the High Dam along with Abu Simbel. To not visit either would mean missing out on half of the story anyway.
What Cairo Brings to a Trip
Cairo is best visited when it marks either the beginning or the end of an Egypt vacation since most international flights into Egypt arrive at Cairo airport, as well as since Cairo has several sights which must take more than two full days. The Giza pyramids require leisurely exploration, rather than just one hour spent between other destinations. The Egyptian Museum itself can consume the whole afternoon of any sightseer.
Cairo also links easily to the neighboring northern city of Alexandria, which lies within a short bus or train ride away. Some visitors include a one day visit to Alexandria for its coast of the Mediterranean Sea and Roman/Greek history which is absent in Cairo. It all makes Cairo a convenient point for starting or ending a journey.
Old bazaar Khan el Khalili, the mosques of Islamic Cairo, and churches of Coptic Cairo complement the Cairo experience. Altogether these historical landmarks reflect around two thousand years of religious life in Egypt after the pharaohs era.
What Upper Egypt Adds
However, once tourists proceed to Luxor, everything changes. The temples are located relatively close to each other; the number of people is reduced; and the river becomes an integral part of their life rather than an element of the background. A sail on a felucca or cruise will give the visitors the opportunity to experience the Nile as it has been influencing the life of Egyptians for centuries.
Aswan is located even farther to the south and feels more peaceful than Cairo or Luxor. There are Nubian villages near Aswan where the traditions related to music, fabrics, and interior decoration have been preserved for generations. A day-trip to Abu Simbel, one of the most spectacular temples of Egypt, can be made only from Aswan or by air.
Finally, there is the unfinished obelisk near Aswan, where visitors can learn about the work of ancient stonemasons before the crack occurred in the granite rock and prevented them from completing the work.
How Long the Combination Actually Needs
A comprehensive exploration of both destinations would take at least one week, while eight to ten days is a better idea for most tourists. Less time makes the journey a mere task list instead of a vacation. The typical and proven route consists of three days spent in Cairo and a flight to Luxor or Aswan for a cruise along the Nile River from one city to another.
However, the direction of the tour should not be considered an issue. On the one hand, some tourists visit Cairo first and then the Nile River, which provides the journey with a more relaxing ending. On the other hand, a reverse itinerary would add more intensity to the journey with the culmination point being the trip to the pyramids in Cairo.
The River as the Link Between Both Regions
It is the Nile cruise which actually connects the two halves of Egypt as the capital city of Cairo is separated from Upper Egypt by hundreds of miles of desert and river. Most experienced Egypt tourists make use of the cruise as a connection point for both ends of their trip. Instead of spending time traveling between Cairo and Luxor/Aswan by road, they opt for a brief flight between the two and spending a few days on the Nile cruise. Several potential visitors compare various Best Nile cruises prior to booking as the boat size and the route from Luxor to Aswan affect the daily itinerary significantly.
Between Luxor and Aswan, there are a number of places that are not part of either Luxor or Aswan. Kom Ombo and Edfu are situated on the banks of the river between the two cities; both have an outstanding temple that will probably be missed by a land only tour. The Nile cruise includes visits to these two temples as well without any additional effort from the tourist because the cruise boat serves as transportation too.
The Bottom Line
The two options are not competitive. They encompass different eras, different environments, and different aspects of the history of Egypt, and the trip that includes both provides much broader insight than the one that does not include any of them. The pyramids in the vicinity of Cairo and temples in the neighborhood of Luxor and Aswan originated in the same civilization during different eras, and that is why the tour between them makes much more sense than the one that avoids one of them.