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4 days · Nile cruise
Four days on the Nile, Aswan to Luxor
Three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, taking in Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, the Valley of the Kings and finally Karnak. Full board on board, and the sightseeing runs as a shared group of about fifteen.
from US$840 / per person
- Length
- 4 days
- Pace
- Easy
- Type
- Nile cruise
- Style
- Small group
- Where
- Aswan
- From
- from US$840 pp
About this trip
What this 4 day Nile cruise is like
Three nights sailing north from Aswan to Luxor, taking in Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, the Valley of the Kings and finally Karnak. Full board on board, and the sightseeing runs as a shared group of about fifteen.
This is a nile cruise route through Aswan · Kom Ombo · Edfu · Luxor, run privately unless you pick a group departure. Your guide is a licensed Egyptologist who lives on the route rather than flying in with the group.
Nothing here is fixed. Days can be added, dropped or reordered, and we will tell you honestly which optional sites are worth the extra ticket.
Accommodation and price
Three ways to travel this route
The route is the same in all three. What changes is where you sleep, and on a Nile trip that is most of the difference in price: the boat is the hotel for half the journey. Prices are per person, land only, and exclude international flights.
Standard
US$840
per person, land only
- Nile cruise
- MS Radamis II or similar
- 3 nights, full board
Comfort
US$1,425
per person, land only
- Nile cruise
- Movenpick Royal Lily or similar
- 3 nights, full board
Luxury
US$2,135
per person, land only
- Nile cruise
- Sonesta St. George Nile Cruise or similar
- 3 nights, full board
Hotels and boats are the ones our partner books on this route and are named so you know what you are buying. A specific boat can be swapped for an equivalent in the same category when it is dry-docked or full, which is why each one says or similar. You are told which boat you are on before you pay.
Your trip
Day by day
Open any day for the full description. Every day can be changed before anything is booked.
Day 1Aswan, embark, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae
Met at Aswan airport and taken straight to the boat. The afternoon is the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in the granite quarry where it cracked, and then the Temple of Philae on its island. Lunch, dinner and the first night on board.Read the full day →
Met at Aswan airport and taken straight to the boat. The afternoon is the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in the granite quarry where it cracked, and then the Temple of Philae on its island. Lunch, dinner and the first night on board.
Day 2Kom Ombo and Edfu
Sail to Kom Ombo, breakfast on board, then the double temple shared between Sobek and Haroeris. Sail on to Edfu, lunch on board, and the Temple of Horus in the afternoon — the most complete temple in Egypt. Dinner and the night on board.Read the full day →
Sail to Kom Ombo, breakfast on board, then the double temple shared between Sobek and Haroeris. Sail on to Edfu, lunch on board, and the Temple of Horus in the afternoon — the most complete temple in Egypt. Dinner and the night on board.
Day 3Luxor and the West Bank
Sail to Luxor and take breakfast on board before crossing to the West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Lunch, dinner and the last night on board.Read the full day →
Sail to Luxor and take breakfast on board before crossing to the West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Lunch, dinner and the last night on board.
Day 4East Bank and departure
Breakfast aboard, then disembark and visit the East Bank: Karnak and Luxor temples. A hot air balloon flight over the west bank is offered as an option on this morning, at extra cost and at first light. Transfer to Luxor airport for your flight out.Read the full day →
Breakfast aboard, then disembark and visit the East Bank: Karnak and Luxor temples. A hot air balloon flight over the west bank is offered as an option on this morning, at extra cost and at first light. Transfer to Luxor airport for your flight out.
Want this written up for your dates — travel times, what each day asks of you and where you would sleep? Ask us for the full 4-day plan. We send it before you commit to anything.
Included
What the price covers
- ✓Meet and greet by a representative at the airport
- ✓Guest relations assistance throughout your stay
- ✓All transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle
- ✓Three nights full board aboard the boat of the plan you choose
- ✓All sightseeing from the cruise, run as a shared small group of roughly 15 people
- ✓English-speaking guide on your excursions
- ✓Bottled water in the vehicle
- ✓Meals as listed on each day
- ✓Portage when needed
- ✓All service charges and taxes
Not included
What to budget separately
- —International flights
- —Domestic flights
- —Egypt entry visa
- —Extra meals and beverages
- —Optional tours
- —Tipping
- —Additional entry tickets, such as Tutankhamun's tomb
Good to know
Questions about this trip
Is the sightseeing private or a group?+
A group. The operator states it plainly: all sightseeing from the cruise runs as a shared small group of roughly fifteen people. Your airport transfers are by private air-conditioned vehicle, but the temple visits are shared with other passengers from the boat.
Are domestic flights included?+
No. Domestic flights are excluded on this trip, along with international ones. You need to get yourself to Aswan for day one and home from Luxor on day four, and both are separate bookings. You are met at Aswan airport and dropped at Luxor airport.
Which direction does it sail?+
Aswan to Luxor — northbound, with the current. It is the shorter and usually the cheaper of the two directions. It also front-loads the quiet end of the river: you start at Philae and finish with Karnak on the morning you fly out.
Which meals are included?+
All of them on board. Three nights of full board, starting with lunch on the day you embark and ending with breakfast on the day you disembark. Drinks are not included and on-board prices are well above what you would pay ashore. Bottled water in the vehicle during transfers is covered.
What is not included?+
International and domestic flights, your Egypt entry visa, extra meals and beverages, optional tours, tipping, and additional entry tickets. Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings is the usual example of the last one: it is a separate ticket bought at the site.
How much walking is there?+
A fair amount on three of the four days, in the open and mostly on sand or uneven stone. The Valley of the Kings means walking between tomb entrances and down into them, and Karnak is a large site. The boat is your base every evening, which makes it easier going than a land trip of the same length.
How much should I budget for tipping?+
Tipping is excluded from the price and it is expected. Allow US$10–15 per person per day for the guide and about US$5 per person per day for the driver. On the boat there is a crew box at US$5–10 per person per night, collected once at the end and split between the cabin stewards, waiters and deck crew.
Official sources
Entry rules, opening hours, security advice and exchange rates all move. Check them at the source, not here.
- Egypt e-visa portal ↗The official government application site. Fees and eligibility change here first.
- UK FCDO travel advice for Egypt ↗It updates continuously, and most UK travel insurance follows it.
- Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities ↗The ministry lists which tombs and temples currently open.
What this trip looks like
Before you travel
What you can hold us to
No middlemen taking a cut
You are quoted by the local company that runs the trip. No booking fee and no surcharge at the airport.
A licensed Egyptologist, every site
Not a tour escort with a flag. Our partner uses guides who have spent twenty years on the same temples.
We say when something is not worth it
Some tickets are. Some are a queue in the heat. We will tell you which before you pay for them.
Private unless it says group
Your guide, your driver, your pace. Group departures are labelled clearly on the card and the page.
Someone answers the phone
Our partner is in Egypt, in Egyptian hours, and you are put in touch with them directly rather than through a chain.
Change it before you commit
Every itinerary is a starting point. Add days, drop sites, reorder — nothing is fixed until you say so.
Pace
How hard is easy?
Short walks on level ground, a few flights of temple steps, and air-conditioned transport between sites. Suitable for most ages.
Plan this trip
Tell us your dates and we will price it
A real itinerary with prices, usually within 24 hours. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged until you say yes.
from US$840 / per person
Or message us on WhatsApp.
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4 days · Nile cruise
from US$840 · per person