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

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Duration4d

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · AR +2

PickupAt your hotel

Four Days on the Nile: Aswan to Luxor with Abu Simbel & the West Bank

You board a 5-star Nile cruise in Aswan and sail four days to Luxor, visiting Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, the Temple of Horus, and the entire west bank of Luxor including Valley of the Kings, Karnak, and Hatshepsut's temple. All entry tickets, meals, and nightly entertainment are included. A guide accompanies you at each stop, and the ship handles the logistics — no arranging transport or timing yourself between sites.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival in Aswan and Nile cruise

Arrive in Aswan and meet guide
Visit Philae Temple on Nile island
See Aswan High Dam and Lake Nasser views
Transfer to Nile cruise ship and check in
Enjoy lunch on board
Relax on ship in afternoon
Dinner on board and overnight stay

Day 2 — Abusimbel and Kom Ombo tour

Pick up at 4 am for Abusimbel tour
Visit Abusimbel temples with local guide
Drive back to Aswan and have lunch
Ship departs Aswan sailing to Kom Ombo
Tour Kom Ombo Temple and crocodile museum
Dinner on board and sail to Edfu

Day 3 — Edfu temple and Nile sailing

Breakfast on board
Visit Edfu Temple by horse carriage
Return to ship and sail Nile
Pass Esna lock and continue to Luxor
Dinner and overnight on board in Luxor

Day 4 — Luxor full day tour and departure

Breakfast and check out from ship
Visit Valley of the Kings tombs
Tour Temple of Hatshepsut
See Colossi of Memnon ruins
Visit Karnak Temple with free time
Tour Luxor Temple
Drop off at hotel, train station, or airport

The Experience

"You will see things here that changed how people understand time itself," our guide said as the ship pulled away from the Aswan dock on day one. That's not hyperbole — the temples you're about to walk through are 3,500 years old, and the Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor is the only way to see them in sequence without renting a car or hiring a private driver. You start in Aswan with Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis and sitting on an island in the river, then move to the Aswan High Dam — a modern engineering feat completed in 1971 that created Lake Nasser. By afternoon you're checked into your 5-star cruise ship, and the Nile starts doing the work for you.

Day two is the hardest: a 4am wake-up for the Abu Simbel day trip, 290 kilometers south of Aswan. Two rock-cut temples carved into the mountainside during the reign of Ramesses II, and the scale of them stops you cold. Your guide walks you through the history, helps you frame the shots, and by midday you're back on the ship heading to Kom Ombo — a dual temple 55 kilometers away with a crocodile museum attached, a ninety-minute stop while the ship docks. The pace is tight but not rushed. Dinner is on board, and you sail toward Edfu overnight.

Day three slows down. After breakfast, a horse carriage takes you to the Temple of Horus, the second-largest temple in Egypt and the best preserved — built in 237 BC and still standing nearly intact. Two hours on foot, then back to the ship for the rest of the day to watch the Nile banks pass: villages, palm groves, locals fishing from wooden boats. You cross the Esna lock and arrive in Luxor by evening. This is the day the cruise feels like a cruise.

The final day is a full tour of Luxor's west bank: Valley of the Kings first, where your guide hands you a ticket that covers three of the 65 tombs — you choose which ones based on preservation and what interests you. (King Tutankhamun's tomb costs extra, but the guide will tell you upfront.) Then the Temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon, and Karnak — the biggest temple complex ever built in ancient Egypt, dedicated to Amon Ra and constructed over centuries by different pharaohs. Your guide recommends thirty minutes of free time at Karnak just to sit with it. You finish at Luxor Temple on the east bank, and then checkout. All entry fees are included from the start, no hidden charges, and 24-hour communication with the tour operator means if something changes or you need help, someone picks up the phone.

What’s included

Your four days include accommodation on a 5-star deluxe Nile cruise ship, all entry fees to Philae Temple, Aswan High Dam, Abu Simbel (group guided tour), Kom Ombo Temple, Temple of Horus, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple.
Meals are provided on board with an open buffet, nightly entertainment is included, and a professional guide accompanies you at each major stop.
Transportation between sites is arranged, and 24-hour direct communication with the tour operator is available throughout the trip.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Egypt Knight

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Egypt's major temples and monuments in four days without arranging your own transport, tickets, or timing between sites — the ship moves you downriver while you sleep, which is what makes visiting Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, and the entire Luxor west bank possible in a single journey.