Aswan to Luxor Nile Cruise: Temples, Balloon Ride & Full Board

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.74 (386 reviews) 86% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/29

Duration3d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Three days sailing Egypt’s Nile past temples, tombs & sunrise skies

You’ll drift down the Nile from Aswan to Luxor with an Egyptologist guide, explore temples like Abu Simbel and Karnak, ride a hot air balloon over ancient tombs at sunrise, and share meals on board as river life passes by. Every moment feels both ordinary and magical — especially when you catch yourself grinning for no reason at all.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Visit Abu Simbel and Kom Ombo Temples

Pickup and travel to Abu Simbel Temple
Guided tour of Abu Simbel Temple
Board cruise ship
Sail to Kom Ombo Temple
Visit Kom Ombo Temple
Return to ship for dinner

Day 2 — Visit Edfu Temple by carriage

Breakfast on cruise ship
Visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage
Return to cruise ship
Lunch on cruise ship
Dinner on cruise ship

Day 3 — Hot air balloon and Luxor sights

Pickup from cruise ship
Hot air balloon flight
Visit Valley of the Kings
Visit Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
See Colossi of Memnon
Felucca sail on Nile
Visit Karnak Temple
Visit Luxor Temple
Hotel drop-off

The Experience

I still remember the way the light hit Abu Simbel that first morning — kind of pinkish gold, like someone had painted it on. Our guide, Youssef, explained how Ramses II built it so the sun would line up just right twice a year. I was mostly just staring at those giant statues and trying to imagine what it sounded like when they carved them out. There was this faint smell of dust and something sweet from a vendor’s cart nearby. We shuffled back onto the bus and then onto our cruise ship, which honestly felt more comfortable than I expected (the sheets were crisp, not scratchy — small win).

The Nile itself is quieter than I thought. Sometimes you hear kids laughing on the banks or see fishermen waving as you drift by. At Kom Ombo Temple, Youssef pointed out carvings of ancient surgical tools — I’d never noticed those in photos before. Dinner back on board was noisy with clinking plates and people swapping stories about what surprised them most that day. The next morning we rode in a horse-drawn carriage to Edfu Temple; I tried to thank our driver in Arabic but he just grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.

I didn’t sleep much that last night because I kept thinking about the hot air balloon ride over Luxor. It’s hard to describe what it feels like floating above the Valley of the Kings as everything turns blue-grey below you — kind of peaceful but also unreal. After landing (a bit bumpy), we wandered through Hatshepsut’s temple and I touched one of the cool stone columns when no one was looking. By the time we reached Karnak Temple, my phone battery was dead but honestly, some things are better left unfiltered anyway.

What’s included

Your journey includes hotel pickup and drop-off in both Aswan and Luxor, guided tours with an English-speaking Egyptologist at every major site (Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu Temple), private cabins aboard a five-star Nile cruise ship with all meals provided throughout your stay, plus a sunrise hot air balloon ride over Luxor. Horse carriage rides at Edfu are covered too — so you really just have to show up ready for adventure.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Nice tours