Crossing the Nile on A Boat, Luxor | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 6 (Part 49) 05D19

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

Boat Ride on The Nile, Egypt | Bus to Red Sea Resort Town Hurghada

After finishing lunch at Africa, we started walking towards the ferry dock. We only walked a couple of blocks to reach our ferry boat. It was a hot day, but it was pleasant to walk on the street of the West Bank of Luxor.

The West Bank side looked more rural than the East Bank, but it had its charm. The ferry boat landing site was nothing fancy; there were lots of motor boats waiting for passengers to cross the Nile. We headed towards our designated boat arranged by our tour company.

The motorized boat “Hercules” had shades, but it was open on all sides. It could accommodate 15-20 people and the boat driver looked too young to be doing the job. There was Arabic rap music playing loudly, but later he turned it off when boat took off.

From where I sat, I could touch the water and put my camera low to where it was almost touching the water for different angles. There were lots of other boats crossing the Nile. A little farther away, we saw lots smoke coming out of one boat. It looked like the boat was on fire, but I didn’t see people panicking on the boat, which made me think it must have been something else besides fire.

The short boat ride was pleasant. Once we reached the East Bank, we had to walk a little bit up to reach the bus. This side looked much more developed than the West Bank. I didn’t see any planned waterfront area with paved roads, coffee shops, and shopping complexes on the West Side, but the East Side waterfront area looked modern and nice.

The East Bank is where it’s more city centric and where the fancy international hotels and restaurants are located. The West Bank is more laid back and relaxing, with smaller local places and Egyptian restaurants.  

We would board our bus shortly.