Several river cruise operators have cancelled sailings on the Nile River due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East

Tauck, Viking and Avalon Waterways have called off itineraries along the river amid the ongoing US-Israel military action in Iran.

The conflict entered its sixth day on Thursday (5 March), following escalations earlier this week after air strikes killed Iranian leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday (28 February). Iran responded by bombing US allies in the region, including Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Tauck

Due to current disruptions to air service into and out of the region, and the recent advisory from the US State Department, Tauck has cancelled upcoming departures of its Jordan & Egypt: Petra to the Pyramids through the end of March, and departures of its Egypt: Jewels of the Nile itinerary departing through 15 March.

“We are in direct contact with all affected guests and their travel advisors to ensure they are supported with next steps, and are continuing to evaluate future departures on an ongoing basis,” a spokesperson for the line said.

“Tauck does not operate in areas where we aren’t comfortable traveling ourselves, or having our loved ones travel. Our Global Response Team continues to monitor worldwide events such as these on an ongoing basis, consulting with outside agencies and our trusted network of partner-suppliers to make informed decisions that put our guests first.”

Avalon Waterways

The Globus family of brands, which includes Globus, Cosmos and Avalon Waterways, has cancelled all March departures to Dubai, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan.

Impacted travellers and agents have been contacted and guests have been offered the opportunity to rebook on a future departure or a full refund.

A spokesperson said: “We recognise that broader travel delays and air disruptions may impact guests travelling to or from other regions, including Australia and New Zealand. Our on-the-ground teams and operations staff are actively supporting affected travellers and working to minimise inconvenience wherever possible.”

Viking

Viking initially cancelled all Nile departures for the whole month, but, on 6 March, changed its plans in line with regulations and will operate sailings on the river from 12 March.

A spokesperson said: “Out of an abundance of caution, we temporarily paused our operations in Egypt in early March. The official travel advisories have now been clarified and the current advisory for Egypt remains the same as it was prior to the start of the recent conflict.

“In consultation with our longtime ground operators in Egypt, we now expect to operate our Egypt voyages as planned beginning 12 March.

“All impacted guests and thier travel advisors will be contacted with additional information.”