Aswan to Luxor: Nile Cruise, Abu Simbel & Hot Air Balloon

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/50

Duration4d

GroupUp to 50

LanguagesEN · AR +4

PickupAt your hotel

Sailing from aswan to luxor temples tombs and nile mornings

You’ll float between worlds on this Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor—touching carved stones at Philae Temple, standing silent before Abu Simbel at sunrise, drifting past villages and ancient ruins, tasting new spices at every meal. If you want history you can feel under your fingers—and a sunrise view you won’t forget—this trip delivers.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Aswan guided tour and cruise embarkation

Pick up from Aswan hotel or station
Transfer to 5-star Nile Cruise
Visit Aswan High Dam
Boat to Philae Temple island
Tour Philae Temple
Return to Nile Cruise

Day 2 — Abu Simbel visit and Kom Ombo temple

Early morning tour to Abu Simbel
Return to cruise for sailing
Visit Kom Ombo Temple
Cruise sails towards Edfu

Day 3 — Edfu temple visit and sail to Luxor

Free time sailing on Nile
Visit Edfu Temple of Horus
Cruise sails to Luxor
Arrive in Luxor afternoon

Day 4 — Luxor East and West bank tour

Optional early hot air balloon
Breakfast and check out
Visit Valley of the Kings
Visit Temple of Hatshepsut
Stop at Colossi of Memnon
Visit Karnak Temple complex
Visit Luxor Temple

The Experience

“You’ll never remember all these gods,” our guide Youssef grinned as we tried to keep up with his stories at Philae Temple. I could smell incense somewhere, or maybe it was just the river mixing with the sun-warmed stone. The first day in Aswan felt like that—half real, half legend. We’d been picked up at the station and whisked onto this floating hotel (I still can’t believe how soft those beds were), then out again to see the High Dam and finally that boat ride over to Philae. The temple’s columns looked almost blue in the late light, and I kept running my hand along the carvings just to feel how deep they went.

The next morning was rough—up before dawn for Abu Simbel—but honestly, watching the sun hit those giant statues made me forget about sleep. Our group was quiet for once, just standing there in front of Ramses II like we’d wandered into someone else’s dream. Back on the cruise ship later, I found myself staring out at the Nile and thinking about all those centuries stacked up along its banks. Lunch tasted different after that (was it cumin or something else?), and I started noticing how everyone slowed down when we passed Kom Ombo Temple in the afternoon—the crocodile mummies inside are something you don’t really expect.

I didn’t expect Edfu Temple to be so massive either. Youssef told us Horus had eyes everywhere (he winked when he said it), and I swear a local kid selling postcards outside tried to prove him right by popping up wherever we walked. The river kept changing color as we sailed toward Luxor—sometimes greenish, sometimes brown—and there were kids waving from the shore every so often, which made me feel weirdly connected even though I’ll never see them again.

Luxor itself is almost too much—Valley of the Kings with its painted ceilings (I still think about those blues), Hatshepsut’s temple glowing against the cliffs, Karnak’s forest of columns where you lose your sense of direction completely. There was an optional hot air balloon ride—I did it mostly because my roommate dared me—and floating above those tombs at sunrise is something that doesn’t fit into words very well. We finished at Luxor Temple as dusk came on; everything felt slower by then, like time had stretched out just for us. Hard to explain but yeah—I’d do this Nile cruise again if I could.

What’s included

Your days include pickup from your Aswan hotel or train station, all guided tours with an Egyptologist guide (including stops at Philae Temple, Abu Simbel by group minibus, Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples), three nights’ accommodation aboard a full-board 5-star Nile cruise ship with buffet meals daily—all entry fees covered—and door-to-door transfers in both Aswan and Luxor before heading home or onward in Upper Egypt.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Egypt Best Holidays