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

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/40

Duration4d

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · AR +1

PickupAt your hotel

See the Nile’s greatest temples in comfort without long drives between them

A 4-day, 3-night cruise down the Nile from Aswan to Luxor that bundles the major pharaonic sites—Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, the Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor temples—into one itinerary with onboard accommodation, meals and an English-speaking Egyptology guide. You sleep on the ship, wake to new temples, and fly over Luxor's West Bank by hot air balloon on the final morning. Arrival in Aswan should be before noon on day one; the tour ends in Luxor around 3:30–4:30 pm on day four, so evening departure is recommended.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival and Aswan sightseeing

Meet guide at Aswan arrival
Transfer to Nile Cruise and check in
Have lunch on board
Visit Aswan High Dam
Visit Philae Temple by motorboat
Dinner and folkloric show on cruise

Day 2 — Abu Simbel and Kom Ombo visit

Early pick up for Abu Simbel trip
Visit Abu Simbel temples outside
Return to cruise and have lunch
Sail to Kom Ombo city
Visit Kom Ombo Temple
Dinner on board and sail to Edfu

Day 3 — Edfu Temple and Luxor arrival

Breakfast on board
Horse carriage ride to Edfu Temple
Return to cruise and sail to Luxor
Cross Esna Lock and have lunch
Afternoon tea on sundeck
Visit Luxor Temple
Dinner and belly dancing show on cruise

Day 4 — Hot air balloon and Luxor tour

Early morning hot air balloon flight
Breakfast and check out
Visit Valley of the Kings
Visit Temple of Hatshepsut
Photo stop at Colossi of Memnon
Visit Karnak Temple
Transfer to Luxor hotel or airport

The Experience

The cruise departs Aswan on your first afternoon after you check in by noon. A guide meets you at the airport, railway station or hotel and transfers you to a 5-star Nile cruise ship. After lunch on board, you visit the Aswan High Dam and then take a motorboat to Philae Temple, a Greco-Roman sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Isis. Dinner and a folkloric show happen on deck that night.

Day two starts before dawn. Around 4:30 am, you're picked up for the drive to Abu Simbel, 285 km south of Aswan—one of Egypt's most impressive temples, carved into rock for King Ramesses II and his queen Nefertari. You spend about 90 minutes there with your guide explaining the history from outside, then drive back to the ship for lunch around 1:30 pm. The cruise then sails to Kom Ombo, where you visit the dual temple of Sobek and Horus before continuing overnight to Edfu. Day three begins with a horse carriage ride to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, considered the best-preserved temple in Egypt. After returning to the ship, you sail toward Luxor, crossing the Esna Lock and relaxing on deck as the landscape passes. Late afternoon brings you to Luxor Temple on the East Bank, followed by dinner and a belly dancing show.

The final morning, around 5:30–6 am, you board a hot air balloon for a 30–40 minute flight over Luxor's West Bank, drifting above the Valley of the Kings, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. After breakfast and checkout, you're driven to the West Bank to walk through the Valley of the Kings and visit Hatshepsut's temple, then cross back to the East Bank for Karnak Temple—the largest temple ever built, spanning 63 acres. Transfer to your Luxor hotel, airport or railway station happens around 3:00–4:00 pm. Entrance fees to the temples are paid separately by card (except the High Dam and Philae motorboat, which are cash).

What’s included

Three nights' accommodation on a 5-star Nile cruise on full-board basis with all meals from lunch on day one through breakfast on day four.
all transfers by air-conditioned vehicle from your arrival point to the ship and from the ship to your departure point in Luxor.
a professional English-speaking Egyptology guide.
a 30–40 minute hot air balloon flight over Luxor's West Bank on the final morning.
entry to Abu Simbel temples, Kom Ombo, Edfu, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple, Karnak and Luxor temples (entrance fees paid separately).
a horse carriage ride to Edfu Temple.
folkloric entertainment including a belly dancing show.
and afternoon tea on the sundeck.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Egypt Gift Tours

Is this one for you?Book this cruise if you're arriving in Aswan for the first time and want to see the Nile's major temples in sequence without organizing transport, timing or guides yourself—the fixed itinerary and onboard accommodation are what pack the full Upper Nile Valley into four days.