4-Day Nile Cruise Aswan to Luxor: Abu Simbel & Hot Air Balloon

The temples rise from the riverbank as you float past them, and you see them from the air at dawn.

A 4-day Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor aboard a 5-star ship, with guided visits to Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor and Karnak temples, plus an early-morning hot air balloon flight over Luxor's West Bank and a full-day excursion to Abu Simbel's rock-cut temples. All meals, transfers, an Egyptologist guide and motorboat and horse-drawn carriage rides are included. Pickup from your hotel and drop-off by air-conditioned minibus bookend the journey.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Explore Aswan and Philae Temple

• Visit Aswan High Dam
• Boat to Philae Temple
• Return to cruise for lunch

Day 2: Abu Simbel and Kom Ombo Temples

• Early trip to Abu Simbel Temples
• Return to cruise for lunch
• Visit Kom Ombo Temple
• Dinner on cruise and sail to Edfu

Day 3: Edfu Temple and Sail to Luxor

• Horse carriage to Temple of Horus at Edfu
• Return to cruise and sail to Luxor
• Cross Esna Lock
• Lunch and afternoon tea on board
• Visit Luxor Temple
• Dinner and belly dancing show on cruise

Day 4: Balloon Ride and West Bank Tour

• Sunrise hot air balloon flight over Luxor
• Breakfast and check out
• Visit Valley of the Kings
• Visit Temple of Hatshepsut
• Photo stop at Colossi of Memnon

The experience

You board in Aswan and begin with the High Dam and Philae Temple, a Graeco-Roman shrine to Isis reached by motorboat. The ship sails south the next morning at 4:30 am for Abu Simbel, where your guide leads you through the colossal rock-cut temples built for Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari. The site's scale and precision carving are what make it one of Egypt's most photographed monuments. By noon you're back on deck heading to Kom Ombo, where the dual temple of Sobek and Horus sits on a bend in the river. The ship continues to Edfu overnight.

Day three takes you by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the most complete and best-preserved of all Egyptian temples. You spend the afternoon on deck watching the Nile landscape unfold as the ship sails toward Luxor, crossing the Esna Lock. That evening, Luxor Temple on the East Bank gets a guided tour before dinner and a belly dancing show on board. The final morning starts before dawn: a 30- to 45-minute hot air balloon flight lifts off around 5 am, giving you an aerial view of the West Bank's temples and mountains as the sun rises. After breakfast and checkout, you visit the Valley of the Kings, where pharaohs carved their tombs into the mountains, then the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at El Deir El Bahari, and finish with a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon. Lunch at a local restaurant is optional.

Your Egyptologist guide speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French or one additional language and travels with the group throughout. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served on the ship each day. A minibus with a licensed driver handles all transfers from your hotel at the start and back at the end. The ship itself is 5-star, so cabins, dining and deck space reflect that standard. Infants and small children can use a pram or stroller, and specialized infant seats are available if needed.

What’s included

• Three nights aboard a 5-star Nile cruise ship.
• all breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
• guided visits to Philae Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, Edfu Temple, Luxor Temple and Karnak Temple.
• the full Abu Simbel excursion with guide.
• a 30- to 45-minute sunrise hot air balloon flight over Luxor's West Bank.
• motorboat and horse-drawn carriage rides.
• an Egyptologist guide in your chosen language.
• hotel pickup and drop-off by air-conditioned minibus.
• licensed drivers for all transfers.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5)

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Egypt Holiday Aswan

Is this one for you?Book this if you want temples, Abu Simbel, and a balloon flight bundled into one cruise: everything's guided and included, so you move between sites without coordinating separate tours.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German and Italian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5).

What's included in the 4-day cruise price?

Three nights aboard the 5-star cruise ship, all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), guided temple visits at Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor and Karnak, the full-day Abu Simbel excursion, the hot air balloon flight, motorboat and horse-drawn carriage rides, an Egyptologist guide, and hotel pickup and drop-off by air-conditioned minibus.

When does the hot air balloon flight happen?

The balloon trip departs around 5 am on the final morning, lasting 30 to 45 minutes. You'll watch the sunrise over Luxor's West Bank and see the temples and mountains from the air before returning for breakfast and checkout.

How do I get to Abu Simbel from the cruise?

Your guide picks you up from the ship around 4:30 am on day two for the Abu Simbel excursion. It's a shared group trip, and you return to the cruise by noon for lunch before the ship sails to Kom Ombo.

What happens on the final day in Luxor?

After the sunrise hot air balloon flight and breakfast, you're driven to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut, and the Colossi of Memnon. Lunch at a local restaurant is optional. You then return to your hotel by minibus.