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January 31, 2026

In 2024, TUI River Cruises secured the former Jaz Al Horeya from Jaz Hotel Group and refurbished her as TUI Al Horeya for their first venture under this brand on the Nile.

The ship was built in Cairo and is managed by the Travco Group whose presence is everywhere from the coaches to tour guides. It seems a very close link exists with Jaz Group whereby the ship tends to berth alongside former fleet mates at ports along the river and there is a clear bond between the crews.

TUI use their own aircraft to fly passengers from both London Gatwick and Manchester using their 737-800 fleet. The airport at Luxor is around 25 minutes and passengers are transferred by Travco or TUI coaches. Flying from the UK over Europe is a familiar trip. Flying over Egypt was something entirely different. Over 90% of the country is dessert and that is the first thing that strikes you when you make land fall from the Mediterranean. Apart from a few small settlements there is nothing but sand for hundreds of miles until the aircraft banks over towards the Nile and then everything makes sense. The Nile is the lifeblood of Egypt and for its length through this country and its southern neighbours the river brings life through irrigation of vegetation.

Settlements are much larger the closer you get to Luxor. It was surprising how green the place was. Palm Trees and waterborne vegetation is everywhere. The airport in Luxor is very heavily protected as it is a military airport. That said once you got your tourist visa, baggage was easy and quick to collect, and you are met at the airport door by TUI representatives.

The ship herself has four decks. The lowest deck contains the main dining room where breakfast and lunch are buffet set ups, and the evening dinner is a la carte. I found the food to be of a very good standard if slightly predictable in the evenings. There was always an abundance of freshly prepared salads and baked goods which were all superb. Wine, beer, and soft drinks are included with dinner, but the ship is all inclusive from 10am until midnight with some very nice cocktails being served in the bars.

One deck up was cabins; the next deck up was the main bar and entertainment space at the front and cabins to the rear. The cabins onboard are all of a very high standard with modern furnishings including a waterfall shower in the bathroom and extremely comfortable beds. TV is provided but the choice of channels is somewhat limited. Luckily, the ship has Wi-Fi which generally worked well so it was possible to stream films on a tablet. The top deck contains a very generously proportioned swimming pool and the bar with lovely soft furnishings and an Egyptian style open air restaurant which provides snacks for lunch and an Egyptian themed evening meal.

We stayed in Luxor overnight but had a rather early 5am pick up for a hot air balloon ride which is an absolute must and one of the best experiences of my life. You are taken to a field on the west bank of the river by minibus. There you join a team in a pickup which contains the basket for the balloon. What is fascinating is that your set up is one of around fifty similar set ups. Its quite strange. As the sun rises in the East balloons start to come to life with an initial twenty or so taking off a few minutes later. Then a next batch fire up and they take off followed by a third batch.

It is quite something to experience. Each balloon carries ten passengers and one pilot. You fly over the valley of the Kings and other historical sights. We reached one thousand meters altitude which was quite something. After 45 minutes or so the first batch start to land. Some make it back to the field, others close by. The ground crews follow the balloons and help it land safely. I had a loom around Luxor in the afternoon before we set sail for our next destination for a half day visit with a trip to the temple which was fascinating and a nice introduction to the next few days. We sailed after lunch for Aswan.

Aswan is a fascinating place, and we were to stay for a day and a half. There are scores of ships operating the same itinerary and a lack of shore side means ships berth alongside one another. At peak we were the seventh ship out from the shore which meant we had to walk through the other ships to get to the quayside, it was fascinating to see the varying styles of décor depending on the age and quality of the ship, from new and luxurious to something resembling a 1970’s eastern bloc hotel.

I visited the Botanical gardens in the morning and had a sunset afternoon tea at the old Cataract Hotel in the afternoon which was sublime. The next day I took a tour to the tomb of the nobles which was quite the experience. It felt like real Africa with camels and small holdings. The next day was a short visit to Edfu but as the trip was at 6am I decided not to go. We spent most of the day at anchor off Edfu town waiting for our turn in the lock. I counted twenty-two cruise ships doing the same. Many were being a platform for customers for local traders selling blankets. It was these people that woke me from my slumbers. It was entertaining to watch.

Back to Luxor the next day I took a tour of the main sites, Valley of the Kings, and various temples. On the last day I took a tour of Luxor Museum and the mumification museum before our ride back to the airport. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip; it was very different to European river cruising and certainly a once in a lifetime experience. Egypt is the kind of place you just have to roll with to get the most of it. Clearly a poor country, the people are friendly and the sites are truly spectacular.

A second ship the Bahareya joined the fleet in November 2024 with good loads being noted on each. River cruising is a rapidly growing operation for TUI with five ships in service and a further two entering service in the next two years.

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