Cairo to Aswan & Luxor: 4-Day Nile Cruise with Temples

Four Days on the Nile: Ancient Temples & a Floating Hotel

You fly from Cairo to Aswan, board a 5-star cruise ship, and spend four days sailing downriver with a private Egyptologist guide, visiting Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, and Hatshepsut Temple. All meals, domestic flights, transfers, and entrance fees are included. You sleep on the ship, wake to the Nile outside your cabin, and disembark in Luxor on the final afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and Aswan sightseeing

• Pick up from Cairo hotel
• Take motor-boat to Philae Temple
• Visit Aswan High Dam
• Visit Unfinished Obelisk
• Check in Nile Cruise
• Enjoy lunch on board
• Rest and refresh
• Attend evening Nubian party

Day 2: Abu Simbel optional and Kom Ombo visit

• Optional early pick up for Abu Simbel
• Return to Aswan by 1 pm
• Cruise sails towards Kom Ombo
• Enjoy natural views and photo stops
• Visit Kom Ombo Temple
• Cruise sails towards Edfu

Day 3: Edfu Temple and Luxor arrival

• Breakfast on board
• Horse carriage ride to Edfu Temple
• Return to cruise
• Relax on deck and sail to Luxor
• Cross Esna Lock
• Lunch on board
• Afternoon tea on sundeck
• Arrive Luxor dock
• Visit Luxor Temple
• Dinner on board with belly dancing

Day 4: West Bank and Karnak Temple tour

• Optional hot air balloon ride early morning
• Visit Valley of the Kings
• Visit Temple of Hatshepsut
• See Colossi of Memnon
• Drive to East Bank
• Visit Karnak Temple
• Visit Luxor Temple
• Transfer to hotel, train station, or airport

The experience

The boat leaves Aswan at dusk on your first evening, and by then you've already seen Philae Temple and the High Dam: the day moves fast. You arrive at Cairo, get picked up from your hotel, fly south to Aswan, and within hours you're standing in front of a temple that's been here for two thousand years. A private Egyptologist is with you the whole time, pointing out the details most people miss: the way the light hits the columns at certain hours, which pharaoh built what, why the stone was chosen. After that first day in Aswan, you board the cruise ship and it becomes your home for three nights: a 5-star floating hotel with a swimming pool on deck, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea all included.

The second day is the one that stays with you. You wake early: around 5 AM if you're doing the optional Abu Simbel Temple run, or you sleep in and join the main group heading to Kom Ombo. Either way, the cruise sails slowly down the Nile while you're on deck, watching the landscape change: date palms, small villages, felucca boats with white sails. Kom Ombo Temple sits right on the water, a double temple built during the Ptolemaic period, and your guide walks you through both sides: one dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god, one to Horus. Then the ship keeps moving toward Edfu, and you're sailing again, which is the whole point of a Nile cruise: you're not rushing between places in a van, you're traveling the way people did for five thousand years.

Day three brings you to Luxor, and if your ship arrives by mid-afternoon, you'll have time to visit both Karnak Temple (the largest temple complex in the world), and Luxor Temple on the east bank before dinner. That evening there's a belly dancing show on board. The fourth morning starts at 5:30 AM on the west bank: Valley of the Kings, where the pharaohs are buried in tombs carved into the rock; Hatshepsut Temple, a mortuary temple that looks like it's carved from the cliff itself; and the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues standing alone in the desert. A hot air balloon ride at sunrise is optional but worth considering: the view of Luxor from above changes how you see the temples below. After that, you're transferred to your hotel, the train station, or the airport in Luxor, and the cruise is over.

What makes this different from a land-based temple tour is the pacing and the comfort. You're not moving every night. You're sleeping on the same ship while it carries you downriver. Meals are served on board, not rushed, not at tourist restaurants. The Egyptologist is there to answer questions, not to hurry you through. And the Nile itself is part of the experience: watching it from the deck, understanding why ancient Egypt existed because of this river, seeing how the landscape changes between Aswan and Luxor. It's a 4-day Nile cruise, which means you're traveling like this was meant to be traveled.

What’s included

Your four days include hotel pickup in Cairo, domestic flights to Aswan and back from Luxor, three nights on a 5-star Nile cruise ship with all meals and afternoon tea, a private English-speaking Egyptologist guide for all temple visits, entrance fees to Philae Temple, Aswan High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Kom Ombo Temple, Edfu Temple, Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and Colossi of Memnon, all transfers by air-conditioned vehicle, and a Nubian party on your first evening aboard the ship.

Options for this experience

3 options

Standard CategoryGuide in 5 languages · 06:00 and 07:00Lasts 4 days, uses a luxury car, and includes pickup. Standard category.

Deluxe CategoryGuide in 5 languages · 06:00 and 07:00Lasts 4 days, uses a luxury car, and includes pickup. Deluxe category.

Ultra-Deluxe CategoryGuide in 5 languages · 06:00 and 07:00Lasts 4 days, uses a luxury car, and includes pickup. Ultra-deluxe category.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 06:00 and 07:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (13 to 90 years) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Infant (under 5)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German and Italian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

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

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Love Egypt Tours

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to see Egypt's major temples without the logistics of moving hotels every night. The cruise handles transport, meals, and timing, leaving you free to focus on the sites with a knowledgeable guide. Expect to be up early on days two and four (around 5 AM) for the best temple visits, and plan for a full day of walking and climbing stairs at archaeological sites.

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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 12 years); Infant (under 5).

What's included in the 4-day Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan and Luxor?

Three nights accommodation on the 5-star cruise ship with all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea), domestic flights from Cairo to Aswan and Luxor back to Cairo, private air-conditioned transfers, a private English-speaking Egyptologist guide, and entrance fees to all temples and sites.

How much time do you spend at each temple?

The itinerary includes guided visits to Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, and Hatshepsut Temple. Exact time at each site varies, but your Egyptologist guide leads you through the highlights. The pace is set by the cruise schedule and sailing times between stops.

Is Abu Simbel Temple included?

Abu Simbel is optional and requires an early morning departure (around 5 AM) on day two. If you choose it, you return to Aswan by 1 PM to rejoin the cruise as it sails toward Kom Ombo.

What time does the cruise depart from Aswan?

You arrive in Aswan on day one, visit Philae Temple and the Aswan High Dam, then board the cruise in the evening. The ship departs that night after check-in, dinner, and a Nubian party hosted by the cruise staff.

Is the hot air balloon ride over Luxor included?

No, the hot air balloon at sunrise on day four is optional. It's offered before the Valley of the Kings tour but costs extra.

Do you visit Karnak Temple?

Yes. If your cruise arrives at Luxor by 3 or 3:30 PM on day three, you visit both Karnak and Luxor temples that afternoon. If you arrive later, Karnak is included in the day-four west bank tour.

How many nights are you on the cruise ship?

Three nights: night one in Aswan, night two between Aswan and Luxor, and night three in Luxor. You disembark on the morning of day four.

Are meals included on the cruise?

Yes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea are all included on board the ship for the three nights you're on the cruise.

Is this tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The cruise ship, all transfers, and the sites visited are wheelchair accessible. Specialized infant seats and stroller-friendly areas are also available.

What flights are included?

Domestic flights from Cairo to Aswan on day one and from Luxor back to Cairo on day four are included in the package.