Felucca rides in Luxor: prices, Banana Island and tips

It works best when:

• You go late: Exo Travel says its Luxor sailing is best in the late afternoon⁷, and agents sell dedicated sunset rides⁴.
• You come in the cooler months: the best time to visit is November to early March⁸, while summer highs average above 40 °C⁹.
• You’re travelling with children: Luxor and Aswan says its ride suits all ages³, and its child rates are in the table below.

Luxor and Aswan’s ride sails to Banana Island³, an island covered with banana plantations, and other operators head there too:

• Exo Travel’s trip sails upriver from Luxor⁷, and guests take a short walk among fruit trees on the island.
• TUI’s 3-hour¹⁰ sunset trip, supplied by Travco Group for Tourism, lists entrance fees as included.

Accidents do happen on the Nile:

• Practical Boat Owner reported in January 2010¹¹ that a British man died when his boat capsized in a sudden gust near Aswan.
• Egyptian Streets reported in July 2016 that four Pakistani tourists were killed and three¹² were missing after a felucca sank in Cairo.
• UK travel advice notes that overcrowding and poor safety standards¹³ have caused accidents on Nile cruises.

Questions people ask