Tourists looking to pair the pharaonic sites of Upper Egypt with a sail down the Nile will be spoiled for choice this year, thanks to a host of new riverboats that promise to raise the bar for five-star experiences along the iconic Luxor-Aswan circuit. Oberoi has a busy year ahead: The Oberoi Zahra cruiser added a two-bedroom suite this October, and the brand is poised to introduce two new luxury dahabeyas to its fleet: The Oberoi Melouk and the Malekat Luxury Nile Dahabeyas, each with five cabins and two suites, are designed in collaboration with Egyptian architect Karim Mekhtigian and slated for an early-2025 launch. Viking unveiled the four-deck, 41-suite Viking Sobek—its sixth ship on the Nile—in October 2024, while German company TUI River Cruises makes its Nile debut with the 74-cabin adults-only Al Horeya, setting sail in November 2024, with packages that include direct charter flights to Luxor from London Gatwick and Manchester. And Abercrombie & Kent, a pioneer when it launched its first Nile cruise, in 1977, will add a fifth vessel to its fleet in late 2025. Arriving in Luxor is becoming easier than ever now, too, thanks to a new, twice-weekly EasyJet departure from Gatwick starting on November 11; the airline’s holiday division has also teamed up with Jaz Hotels and Resorts’ 21-ship fleet to offer Nile cruise packages. For those preferring to stay on land, Luxor’s beloved boutique hotel Al Moudira has plans to open 12 local artisan workshops in 2025 to help showcase local craftspersons and keep generations-old traditions alive. And the US Agency for International Development (USAID) concluded several multiyear cultural tourism projects across the country this year, including renovations at the Carter House and the Tombs of the Nobles sites in Luxor and, 35 miles south, the revitalization of key sites in Esna. Of course, a trip to Egypt is not complete without a visit to Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza. Winter 2025 will see the debut of the Jaz Palmira Pyramids Resort, and while it’s anyone’s guess when the much-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum will finally fully open, patrons can now book tours for the 12 main galleries, the Grand Staircase, and the Children’s Museum. The Tutankhamun galleries, which will feature all 5,000-plus artifacts discovered in the boy king’s tomb and two Khufu solar boats, remain under wraps—but there are promises that they are “coming soon.” —Nada El Sawy
Southwestern Nigeria
Go for: a landmark new museum and a vibrant arts scene
