One has to feel sorry for the tourist industry in Egypt, continuing fighting and bombing, has turned tourists away. Bad news never turns us away, we flew down to Luxor and after visiting temples, we boarded the MS Tosca, a Uniworld ship. We were immediately offered antiseptic, hand washing, towels and a cool drink. The lobby was simple but elegant. We were offered a choice of deck two, better for my legs or deck three with twin beds, one with an extension. The room is quietly decorated and serene. Large windows with bars to make it balcony type. The bathroom has separate shower, which takes some thought how to turn it on, open doors and stand under without getting floor wet! Good storage and cases fit under bed, lighting also took a while for some to work out that if you press long enough they diminish to off. Laundry service out in morning back at night. Breakfast was usual fare, with options for eggs and fresh bread and pastries. Fresh fruit, yoghurt cereals. We were on for five days and lunch and dinner menus kept changing. Egyptian fare to try, very tasty. We had beef one day, but was done the American way, chewy and difficult to cut, management made sure food was not same. The service on Tosca was incomparable, the staff were humorous and plate empty it was gone! They brought food to table from buffet for you and so helpful and caring to more mature people. Abdo the magician entertained us at table, had us all wondering how to move an egg from bottle. The spa centre masseuse was the best I had for a long time! Mohammed of course, he was strong, but felt where your problem was going through every area expertly and I had lots! Told the others and soon he was booked out, all extremely happy, but I had three and shoulders and back muscles all fixed. The ship organises all the tours for you and going into the major sites, we had a guide so didn't need it. Will report on each one on attractions area of TA. Top deck area has small pool and lots of comfy lounges and some out in sun, rest under cover and tables and chairs, most just sat reading books or sleeping after early touring. Staff always attentive. Night time we had an Egyptian night with dancing and Nubian entertainment. We did have one area of huge challenge, 6'8" tall and ceilings lower. Bathroom door less, 16 head bangs is not good! Bent neck is not a good look either. Still, we had fun about it. Other ships we went through at port, were lower still! Egyptians are smaller race! So taller people be aware! I have no hesitation in recommending this ship with its fantastic crew. If you want luxury, style with quiet elegance, this ship is for you   Read Less

AMA Waterways markets this riverboat cruise,but only 4 of the 20 nights was aboard the riverboat. Nonetheless, because of the nature of the trip,and the marketing by AMA, this seemed a good place to post the review. We were traveling to Cape Town from our second home in Southwest France, so we made our own flight arrangements. Despite this, AMA arranged for a car service to meet us in Cape Town and to take us to our hotel, the Cape Grace. When we arrived at the hotel, the concierge immediately introduced us to the Tour Guide, Jason,who was going to be with us for the next seven days. He was waiting at the hotel and made a point of being available for every arriving passenger. This is typical of the care and thoughtfulness of everyone who was associated with the tour. We were a group of about 28 at this hotel, as most people purchased this extension on the theory that this was their one and only trip to Africa. I hope we were wrong about that. We had several days visiting with the group in Capetown, and were delighted with the sights and information that Jason provided. The Cape Grace is a very nice Leading Hotels property, and we were surprised to find that it was not the very best hotel as we checked into others on the trip.It is in the Victoria and Albert Waterfront redevelopment and is an easy walk away from many restaurants and shops. We then flew to Botswana via Johannesburg. The only problem we encountered, and one which is clearly beyond the control of any tour company, was the need to check in and out of Botwana and Zambia on nearly every day we were on the Zambezi Queen. This added about an hour to several day trips, but we learned to deal with that. During the time on the Zambezi Queen we had several excursions on small boats, thank goodness I am no longer using film cameras, and a day trip into the Chobe National Park. It was interesting that it was arranged that no more than six persons would be in each 10 passenger vehicle in the park so that everyone had a clear view and the chance to see and take photos. We saw several tour groups arranged by other companies which were far less considerate of their passengers. The Zambezi Queen is a converted river barge, and is very pleasant. It is not a super luxurious experience, but it was very nice and made all the more pleasant by its exceptional crew and captain. We were greeted by the crew singing a welcome song, and then they made us feel as if we had been cruising with them for years. They learned our names at once and made certain we were comfortable in every way possible. Incidentally, one of the excursions was to a nearby river village where the crew comes from on two week rotations. No water or other utilities, but a solar panel which was used to recharge the ubiquitous cell phones and television which was tuned to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. After four nights on the Queen we boated and bussed to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. (Three border crossings.) We were at the Victoria Falls Hotel which is another exceptional property , and were able to visit the falls, an elephant rescue and a lion rescue. Somehow, we never looked relaxed in the photographs of us petting a 14 month old lioness. She, on the other hand, just looks bored. From there, we went on to the Kilimanjaro airport. This was a change in plans,made at the last minute, with no extra fees, because there had been a State Department warning for Nairobi. We spend a night near the airport at a another nice hotel, had an interesting ride in the Ngorngoro area the next day, and began our tour of the Lake Myanmara and Ngorongoro parks. Again the hotels were wonderful. We then flew into the Serengeti, not for the small plane or dirt runway averse, and spent five days there with a wonderful tour guide, Adam, and millions of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, and 6 male lions over the five days. These tours are not for young children who would have difficulty with the low noise requirements or restrictions about staying in seats when the animals are walking by in touching distance. On the other end of the spectrum, getting in and out of the boats, range rovers, small aircraft, and transferring from small boats to the river boat were difficult for the mobility impaired among us. While every effort was made to accommodate those issues, several tours were missed by at least one person who felt unable to make some of the transfers.   Read Less

In September 2013 my husband and I spent 4 nights on the Zambezi Queen, a lovely and well-run houseboat on the Chobe River. This was truly a highlight of our month-long stay in Southern Africa! The cabin was very comfortable and attractive. In addition to the balcony along the side of the boat, this cabin has a balcony with two chairs and a table right at the front of the boat (next to the wheelhouse). The booking for this "floating hotel" includes all excursions (most by small skiff so you can get really close to the animals), meals, drinks at meals (including wine) and game viewing. The choices are many: game viewing from the river, 1/2 day game drive in Chobe National Park, fishing, visit to a Namibian village...). We did everything except the fishing. Since our 2nd day was really an arrive or depart day for everyone else, Wayne, our wonderful manager, sent us off on a skiff with a private guide, Gibson (who was great) and a boxed lunch to spend as long as we wanted on the river! Highlights of our time on the river were seeing a herd of elephants crossing the river, seeing crocs up close and personal, and viewing many, many birds close up (no binoculars needed!) as they fished in the shallow water near shore. We even saw crocs feeding on an elephant carcass in the water! Our guides Gibson and Bernard shared so many interesting things with us and genuinely seemed to care about their jobs and the guests. We found no negatives at all about Zambezi Queen experience and enthusiastically recommend it. I would be happy to answer questions from any future travelers.   Read Less

The Great Migration - Tanzania Sitting quietly in our Toyota Landcruiser, hidden behind a large Acacia tree on the Tanzanian side of the Mara River the air is full of apprehension. Behind us, likely close to a million Wildebeests have already crossed the river and are continuing into the Serengeti grazing lands. Directly in front of us is the Mara River, about 100 yards across to the other side tens of thousands of Wildebeests have gathered on the Kenyan side, in the Masai Mara, to cross at a shallow spot in between two sets of rapids. The stench of death fills the still African air from rotting carcasses of previous failed crossings. Crocodiles lie mostly submerged hidden from the sight of the herd; the herd knows they are there and likely knows we are here as well. Off to one side of us is the 'lost ones', 32 young calves bellowing for their mothers across the river. The calves have gotten separated from their mothers during a previous crossing this morning and the mothers have either moved on ahead or were frightened back or didn't survive the river. The herd is nervously scanning the banks for signs of danger, which is everywhere but more and more Wildebeest are lining up along the banks pushing for the river. Maybe 10000 now but it could be more line up on the bank. Small groups of 5 or 6 step down off the steep dirt ledge and slowly work their way towards rocks of the river bank. One by one each will lose their courage and run hard back up the bank and jump back into the crush of the herd. Finally one brave Wildebeest dives into the water and the whole herd follows maybe 6 wide following one after the next. Our driver yells 'Hang on' as he flicks the key and we lunge out of the trees at full speed to the river bank for a closer view. The scene is spectacular; this is one of the most dangerous times in the life of the Wildebeest, and they all want to spend as little time in the crocodile infested river as possible. Some are strong swimmers and some struggle in the current but a miss step on the rocks will mean a broken leg and the rest of herd will trample on over and by, there is no stopping now. Crocs emerge from the water creating more panic in the swimmers; the first few reach the far bank and struggle up the steep dirt bank with all the energy they have left throwing reactionary kicks behind here and there just in case a croc was on their heels. They hit the Serengeti plains running at top speed and the noise of thundering hoofs fills the air and drowns out the bellows of the excited 'lost ones'. They don't stop running for at least 500 yards and quickly the area starts to fill with the herd. Back in the river the struggle to survive continues. A large croc moves in on a smaller one and the squeal fills the air for a brief moment then stops, calve and croc submerge into the murky water. A very small calf less than a month old enters the swift water and very quickly the current carries it downstream away from the pack. It struggles against the current with all of its might to make headway but is only holding its own. My wife sits down and can no longer watch. The banks of the river downstream are full of crocodiles delighting in the scene and they sit lazily sunning themselves waiting for the current to do their dirty work. The little calve is determined however and musters a final strong push ahead and after what seems like an eternity drags itself up out of the water on to the rocky bank his body shaking; he is so drained he can barely stand. He is not out of danger yet as he still needs to negotiate the steep dirt bank and not get crushed by the panicking herd and luckily he makes it to the top. A cheer rises from our vehicle.Chobe National Park, Botswana Finally, after 12 days of hunting in 5 National Parks spread across half a continent, Jenson, our Botswana born guide had done it. He had tracked a leopard in a tree about 100 yards from our vehicle. Perched 20 feet above the sandy soil, sitting perfectly still and perfectly camouflaged, I needed to stare at the spot he was pointing to. Then a slight movement of her head from within the Acacia tree canopy and I had her in my camera lens. After a while she slowly made her way out of the tree and onto the ground. Her arrival was not quite as graceful as she had hoped as a small flock of Guinea Fowl spot her and alert the neighbourhood with their shrill cackle. Jenson points out all of the giraffe are telling us where she is now; I look around and there are at least a dozen heads above the canopy and each head is facing exactly where she is walking. Prior to her exit from the tree the giraffes were staring at us. On The Chobe River, the border between Namibia and Botswana Directly beneath my fishing rod and less than 5 feet off the side of our small aluminum boat it crested and then dove back into the water. I said 'Whoa, what the hell was that? That is the biggest fish I had ever seen!' A few seconds later and 60 feet from the boat it surfaced again for a second time then disappeared. With a laugh our guide calmly said 'Hippo. We need to move.' This is the Chobe River, whose reed banks and sandy bottom is home of hippos, elephants, crocodiles and the reason for this day's excursion, the rare and elusive Tiger fish. Tigers are fresh water game fish found in this region. They are powerful swimmers typically about the size of a Bass, green and silver, red tail and red fins, with huge teeth that remain visible when the fish's mouth is closed. They cruise these waters and feed off smaller Bream or Tilapia. A half hour prior to the hippo event while reeling in a small 18 inch Tiger a larger Tiger shot straight up from the bottom of the river and literally bit our hooked fish in half. While we never did land the huge Tiger that bit our fish in two, Mike, Harriet, and I managed to successfully catch and release 8 Tigers. In a local bar, near the fishing village of Mbalastinte, Namibia Happy hour on the Caprivi Strip; the fishermen have gathered for their end of the day ritual at a local pub. Zimbabwe flavored Rumba music blares loudly from the speakers perched on the wooden porch; the near reggae style bass lines force feet and lower body to move with the rhythms. A few of the men are dancing in the hot afternoon sun with their drink of choice in hand ' Carling Black Label Lager. Served cold in huge quart sized bottles the old Canadian beer has found a most unlikely home in this African region ' apparently favored for its crisp taste, its high 5.5% alcohol content, and its name which became popular with the blue collar working anti-apartheid crowd. 'I'll have a Black Label.' US$2 a quart is a decent price and I stand in the sun and make chat with a local to hopefully trade my story of this beer from Canada for the his story of Colonel Caprivi the name sake of this oddly shaped area of land in Namibia. I tell him Carling Bassett is the heiress of one of Canada's richest families. Her father John Bassett named newly born baby Carling after the brewery he had just acquired in the 60s ' she was named after the beer we were drinking. Darling Carling, as she would become nicknamed by the Canadian media of the day, was a very pretty and athletic blond gal and while in her teens went on to become Canada's greatest female tennis player ranked in the top ten in the world tennis tour in the 70s rivalling the likes of Chris Evert and Billy Jean King. The media loved her in Canada. Today the Black Label Lager has faded in popularity and I have not drunk one anywhere for at least 15 years. To find Darling Carling's lager in Namibia of all places is crazy. But then this is the Caprivi Strip and this area has been renowned as one of the most politically bizarre places on earth; an oddly shaped area of land 34 kms wide and 300 kms long jutting out from the north eastern part of Namibia, the Caprivi Strip links the country to Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia & northern Botswana. This strip of land was one of the most sought after pieces of real estate in the world in the late 1800s and early 1900s as it contains the access to the head waters of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers which drain all the water from the Okavango delta and the interior of the African continent to the Indian Ocean and in fact is the only major river system that drains the African continent into the Indian ocean. Colonel Caprivi believed this area would be strategically important to ship goods up and back. It was this thought that became the basis for arguably one of the worst land deals ever made in history. Colonel Caprivi, a German diplomat would convince Germany to trade away Zanzibar and parts of coastal Tanzania and Mozambique to the British for control of the Caprivi Strip. The Colonel's blunder 'the one thing that would stand in the way of the planned German waterway to the African interior: Victoria Falls - no vessel could navigate the Zambezi River from the interior to the Indian Ocean due the 300 foot drop of the falls. The local tells me of how this region has become very important to his country because of tourism in the Chobe National Park directly across the river in Botswana. His people hope the government will one day make the Caprivi Strip a land reserve for the animals as well. On August 8th 2013, the Namibian government officially renamed the area The Zambezi Region in a move to eradicate the remnants of its German colonial history perhaps forever removing Caprivi's blunder from popular history. To date, Darling Carling's Black Label Lager endures as the Namibian people's beer of choice ' a newly found irony in which my mind's eye is seeing a pretty white blonde Canadian girl when I hear 'Black Label Lager' isn't lost on this supporter of the 'global world'. Cheers. Sunset over the Chobe River ' Botswana Our guide sets all 80 horse power of our flat bottomed aluminum 'gator boat' into the current and around the bend in the river. As we crest the bend he sharply backs off the motor and we silently coast into the leeward toward a sandy beach. Several elephants are off in the distance blowing sand up into the air so that it lands over their backs. A red sun is setting behind them and the reflection on the waveless water is perfect. Just then a small herd of elephants emerge from the trees and walk to the water and less than a minute later 2 more herds come. We are sitting quietly in perhaps the most satisfying photo I have ever taken, at least 30 elephants drinking and playing in the red sunset. It is a stunningly beautiful picture of nature. The Zambezi Queen We have spent 4 days afloat on the sailing vessel Zambezi Queen cruising on the Chobe River which borders Botswana to the south and Namibia to the north. Logistically this is a rather unusual area of the world to travel; border crossings are abundant between Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. This is known as the passport killer zone where each country not only demands you line up and have your passport stamped on the way in but they also demand you line up and have your passport stamped upon exit. Toss in travel visas, national park gate entries, and assorted other security checks it can be tiring! But it is worth it as at the end of all of this immigration insanity lays the wonderfully appointed Zambezi Queen managed by a rugged South African former rugby player and all around good guy, Wayne. His crew are from Namibia and Zimbabwe. The ZQ is not your classic river boat and not really a house boat but somewhere in between. I am struck by the similarities to 'The African Queen' the 1951 movie directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn which takes place in German East Africa at the start of WW1. Hepburn is a slightly prickly British Missionary and Bogart plays the rough a tumble hard drinking Canadian skipper of the African Queen. Our journey on the Chobe is only a little less thrilling then that of Bogey and Kate'. but only a little. The cast of characters, passengers, guides and crew that Chris, Bradley and I would meet on the Zambezi Queen could easily make a movie of interest. We will remember them all fondly. We cannot think of a better way to see this area of the world than with the Zambezi Queen.AMAWaterways - Golden Trails Of Africa This is a trip of a lifetime and we highly recommend. Staff and management of the Zambezi Queen are excellent. Off the boat all the accommodations along the safari locations are of the highest quality, all are downright spectacular. Accomodations at Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater are incredibly luxurious. Food is great. Interactions with the Maasai in Kenya and local fishermen Namibia are memorable. Botswana's Chobe National Park is outstanding and there truly is no better way to see it than by boat. Tiger fishing on the Chobe was thrill. This is not your typical river cruise as the Zambezi Queen doesn't travel very far but is used as home base for river travel. Great location, fantastic photography opportunities all day long. One note of caution - the front end of the this trip prior to the Zambezi Queen is a safari and the overland travel is a bit of a grind, but each night there are great hotels to sooth -well worth it. Read Less

My wife and I enjoyed our second river cruise, this time on the Rhine, from Basel to Amsterdam. We did the Danube cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg in 2011 and found it was everything we expected and wondered if the Rhine cruise would be as good, as we found the expeditions, the food, the service and, above all the staff, of a very high standard. The Rhine cruise met all our expectations and the high standards set on the 2011 cruise were certainly equalled if not bettered this year. For us, (being both well over 70), we appreciated having fellow passengers of around our own age (give or take 10 years or so). The absence of children was also a plus point for us. We appreciated too the variety of the tours and the availability of more leisurely walking tours everywhere. We were so pleased with this year's holiday that we have already booked for the Elbe cruise next spring. Since our cruises were river cruises the ports are not listed but all on the schedule were very satisfactory. Read Less

I likely hold the title for the most trips down the Nile aboard Grand Circle's River Anuket cruise ship, having done so on four separate occasions, I feel I know the ship intimately and highly recommend it. The personnel, and the Egyptian people in general, are always friendly and willing to do whatever it takes to make your trip as pleasant as possible, The cabins are larger than you find on most cruise ships, and are very comfortable, each having two queen sized beds,a TV, phone and small refrigerator. All the cabins are outboard with large sliding glass doors affording unobstructed views as you cruise down the Nile. Breakfast is buffet style with the chefs ready to cook eggs or omelets to order and you can help yourself to cereals, toast, pastries, potatoes, sausage, cheeses, lunch meats, etc. Almost anything you want with the exception of bacon. Lunch is buffet style as well and offers a good variety including some local dishes that should should please most everyone. There is an American style lunch day on each cruise where hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries are the main fare. Dinners are more formal and multi-course, offering the choice of at least two main courses. My wife particularly enjoyed the fresh fish, and though it wasn't on the menu the following night, they prepared it specially just for her. This is just one example of how the ship's crew go out of their way to please. The entire ship is very well maintained. There are no elevators, however the ship is only 3 decks so it's relatively easy to get around. The dining room is located on the lowest deck, and the sun-deck is just above deck 3 with a shade canopy, tables and chairs, and also a bar and swimming pool for those so inclined. There is an large indoor lounge on deck 3 in which teatime is held each afternoon, likely a throwback from the British colonial era. The lounge is where the entertainment takes place in the evenings and passenger participation is part of the fun. One night of the cruise there is a galabeya party where passengers wear local garb. There is a small bar in the lounge as well where you can get a drink or perhaps buy a bottle of wine to take to your room or up on the sun deck. The included tours to the temples and sites along the Nile are like nothing that you will find anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately Grand Circle has temporarily suspended their Egypt tours. Read Less

My partner and I flew from Edinburgh to Munich via Amsterdam on Sunday 4th May 2012. Right from the start the arrangements made by Viking River Cruise clicked into place. KLM fights were comfortable, only slight hitch was the timing of the change on onward outward flight at Amsterdam - it was a bit too tight changing aircraft due to size and distance from arrival to onward flight. We were met at Munich and taken by coach to Viking Legend, our temporary home for the next 9 nights. First impression of the ship was good. It looked smart, neat and clean. Crew appeared to be very professional and friendly. Whilst we enjoyed a late buffet style lunch the crew were busy getting our baggage to our cabins and ensuring all was ready to hand over to us. Our holiday had started. We stayed overnight at Passau and on Monday we had walking tour of the City of three Rivers. Local guide was excellent and set the standard for local guides on such city tours. Our cruise started om Monday afternoon as we set sail from Passau down the Danube. This would be the norm, on this cruise most of the sailing would be at night, I will admit I was a tad disappointed at this, I came to understand the reasoning -but I would have liked to have a cruise in the day. Our stops on the cruise were from Passau, Linz, Melk, Durnstein, Vienna, Bratislava then Budapest. Each stop had an inclusive walking tour plus extras. We took the extra tours in Vienna which consisted of a visit to Schnbrunn Palace and an Evening Concert. Whilst I enjoyed the Schnbrunn Palace tour, with the benefit of hindsight I would either suggest it is done in the morning rather than the afternoon giving the option to explore the gardens and have lunch there instead of returning to the ship. My big disappointment was the Concert - not the concert itself which was superb, never has 2 hours flown by so quickly. My disappointment was being told no photography allowed, yet on getting there I saw videoing and photography. Still I have the memories of a great concert. If Vienna was the cultural highlight, then Budapest was the photographers highlight. The sailing into Budapest was at night but was a sight to see. The city and bridges were all lit up and the "Blue Danube" had turned to black and gold with the reflections, again a wonderful memory that will last me as long as I live. To summarise and cut short an otherwise long feedback review. Ship: Viking Legend. Condition: excellent, clean, smart and comfortable. Bar/Lounge was comfortable with good view from windows. Cabin - Standard class e was great, comfortable,clean and the shower was superb. The plumbing (vacuum) did make a bit of noise in use, but we soon got acclimatised to that. Crew: very professional - in fact we hardly saw the sailing crew. Hospitality Team. Bar staff/Waiting staff - excellent and friendly. The team that arranged the guided walks etc were great. The Tour Director and team were attentive and had arranged a good itinerary of visits and entertainment at night. All local guides were knowledgeable of their city and sites, providing good background and historical details. Cruise. These cruises only give on a taste of the cities they stop at, but they also provide relaxation. Whilst the sailing was mostly at night, the day or afternoon cruising was relaxing. Overall. I feel that this was value for money - especially the drinks package It allowed me to keep to a sensible budget re shipboard spending. A great atmosphere on board, you were made to feel welcome, it was your holiday and nothing was too much for the crew. Oh yes - the food, no I had not forgotten the food and still not forgotten the food. Superb does not do justice to the presentation and service nor to the taste. Conclusion - would I go again? Yes, would I travel with Viking again? Yes In fact the day after I got home I booked fro a different river cruise with Viking next year. Read Less