Aswan to Luxor: Dahabiya Nile Cruise with Temples & Private Chef

1/40

Duration4d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · AR

PickupAt your hotel

Sailing Egypt’s Nile by dahabiya—temples, tombs, slow mornings

You’ll drift down the Nile on a classic dahabiya with private cabins, stopping at ancient sites like Kom Ombo Temple and Valley of the Kings with an Egyptologist guide. Savor Egyptian meals cooked fresh onboard and share laughs with fellow travelers under endless sky. It’s not just sightseeing—it’s living inside history for a few days.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Aswan sightseeing and embarkation

Pick up from Aswan hotel or port
Guided tour of Aswan city
Boat trip to Philae Temple
Visit Aswan High Dam
Board dahabiya sailing boat
Enjoy lunch on board
Overnight aboard dahabiya in Kom Ombo

Day 2 — Kom Ombo temple and sailing to Edfu

Guided tour of Kom Ombo Temple
Sail dahabiya toward Edfu
Dinner on board
Overnight aboard dahabiya in Edfu

Day 3 — Edfu temple visit

Guided tour of Temple of Horus in Edfu
Enjoy lunch and dinner on board
Overnight aboard dahabiya in Edfu

Day 4 — Luxor monuments and departure

Check out of dahabiya
Guided tour of Valley of the Kings tombs
Visit Tomb of Ramses III
Visit Tomb of Ramses IV
Visit Tomb of Merneptah
Optional visit to Tomb of Tutankhamun
Visit Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
Visit Colossi of Memnon
Drop off at Luxor hotel or port

The Experience

There’s this moment I keep replaying: the dahabiya drifting past palm groves near Aswan, the river glassy and just a little gold from the late sun. Our guide—Youssef—was telling us about crocodile gods while a fisherman waved from his tiny boat. The air smelled faintly sweet, like warm reeds and something cooking below deck (I swear I could smell cumin). We’d been picked up right at our hotel that morning and somehow it already felt like we’d left regular time behind.

Lunch was served as we sailed—a spread of eggplant salad and grilled chicken—and I remember laughing because I tried to say “shukran” properly and Li just shook her head at my accent. The cabins were cool (air-con is no joke in June) and surprisingly quiet except for the soft creak of wood when the wind picked up. That first night we docked near Kom Ombo Temple; walking there after dinner felt almost unreal, like stepping into a storybook. The hieroglyphics looked sharper than any photo. Youssef pointed out where Sobek’s crocodiles would have basked—he said it so casually I almost believed they’d show up.

The days blurred together in a good way: sunrise tea on the sundeck, then piling into vans for Karnak or Valley of the Kings with our Egyptologist guide explaining how tombs got painted blue for eternity. There was one afternoon in Edfu where I just sat on deck watching kids race donkeys along the shore (they won every time). At Luxor, standing inside Hatshepsut’s temple with sunlight bouncing off pale stone—it made me feel small but lucky to be there. Not everything went smoothly (I lost my sunglasses somewhere between tombs), but honestly that’s part of what makes it stick in my mind.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel or port pickup in Aswan, all entry fees to sites listed in your itinerary, three nights accommodation aboard a colonial-style dahabiya with ensuite air-conditioned cabins, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner freshly prepared by your personal chef (with vegetarian options if needed), guided sightseeing led by an Egyptologist throughout Kom Ombo, Edfu and Luxor—including Valley of the Kings—and drop-off at any Luxor hotel or port after checkout.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Luxor Travels