1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Cruises

Egypt, Jordan, and the Red Sea Cruise Log - Silver Whisper Red Sea Cruise Tour

By , About.com Guide

10 of 10

Silver Whisper Cruise Tour Comes to an End - Nile River Sunset at Luxor

Sunset Over the Nile River at Luxor

Our last sunset over the Nile at Luxor marks the end of a memorable cruise tour

Nile River Sunset (c) Linda Garrison
Medinat Habu, the mortuary temple of Ramses III (1184-1153 BC) is the second largest temple in Luxor behind Karnak. Medinat Habu is on the West Bank of the Nile near the Valley of the Kings. Sitting in a quiet village at the foot of the mountains of Thebes, Medinat Habu is a good place to get away from the crowds at the Luxor Temple or Karnak, but still enjoy a wonderful archaeological site. In later years, Medinat Habu served as more than a temple. Thebes' citizens used the walled enclosure of Medinat Habu as a refuge from invaders, and later it was (sadly) a rock quarry. Many of the huge pillars were cut and recycled as common stone. I thought Medinat Habu was an excellent choice for the last temple complex to visit on our Silver Whisper cruise tour. We had started our historical tour of Egypt at the oldest pyramids and sphinx in Giza, and ended at the last great pharaonic project, Medinat Habu.

We returned to the hotel for lunch, and the passengers continuing onto Dubai reboarded the coaches for the ride back to Safaga and the Silver Whisper. Most were cruising on down the Red Sea to Oman before disembarking in Dubai, but we met a few cruisemates who were sailing onto Singapore in the Far East. We sadly waved good-bye, knowing that they were going to have at least another week of great service, great food, and great conversation.

For those of us who were disembarking in Luxor, we had a few hours to reflect on the wonderful memories of the past nine days before our late evening flight to Cairo and then home.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary cruise and hotel accommodation for the purpose of review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.
Explore Cruises
About.com Special Features

Holiday Central

What to eat, where to go, fun things to do and how to save money on the perfect gifts. More >

Hot Winter Travel Deals

Check out these tips on finding the best airfare, hotel rates and cruise deals. More >

  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Cruises
  4. Cruise Lines
  5. Small Ship Cruise Lines
  6. Silversea Cruises
  7. Silversea Silver Whisper
  8. Medinat Habu - Last Great Temple of the Pharoahs and Our Last Stop Before Going Home

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.