Luxor to Aswan: 5-Day Nile Cruise & Hot Air Balloon

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Guide in English6 departure times, from 07:00 to 09:30

Guide in English6 departure times, from 07:00 to 09:30

Guide in English6 departure times, from 07:00 to 09:30

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Five days on the Nile: temples, a sunrise balloon, and the route pharaohs knew

You board a 5-star Nile cruise in Luxor and spend five days traveling south to Aswan with a professional Egyptologist guide. Your itinerary includes the hot air balloon ride at sunrise over the Valley of the Kings, the temples at Karnak, Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Philae, plus the High Dam and Unfinished Obelisk. All meals, accommodation, transport between sites, and hotel pickup and drop-off are included. You arrive with a suitcase and leave with memories of the temples that built Egypt.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Pickup, temples, felucca, cruise boarding

• Pickup from Luxor accommodation
• Visit Karnak Temple
• Visit Luxor Temple
• Enjoy felucca ride on Nile
• Board the cruise ship

Day 2: Balloon ride and Westbank tour

• Early morning hot air balloon ride
• Visit Valley of the Kings
• Visit Temple of Hatshepsut
• See Colossi of Memnon
• Return to ship for lunch
• Cruise departs Luxor at 2 pm

Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo temples

• Visit Edfu Temple in morning
• Visit Kom Ombo Temple in afternoon

Day 4: High Dam, obelisk, and Philae temple

• Visit Aswan High Dam
• Visit Unfinished Obelisk
• Visit Philae Temple
• Return to ship for lunch and rest

Day 5: Abu Simbel temples group tour

• Early morning pickup for Abu Simbel
• Visit Abu Simbel Temples
• Return to Aswan ship and collect luggage
• Drop off at Aswan accommodation

The Experience

You land in Luxor and within hours you're standing in front of Karnak Temple with an Egyptologist who knows which stones matter and why. The scale hits you first: the largest religious building ever constructed, columns so tall you have to tilt your head back, and your guide explaining how the ancient Egyptians called it "the most select of places." After Karnak comes Luxor Temple, closer to the modern city, its graceful monuments still rising above the streets. By evening you're aboard a 5-star cruise ship on the Nile itself, watching the river from your cabin. That's day one.

Day two starts before dawn. Your driver picks you up for the hot air balloon ride: the one thing people talk about for years after. You're in the air at sunrise, the Valley of the Kings spreading below you in ochre and shadow, and then you land and spend the rest of the morning walking through the actual tombs where Tutankhamun and Ramses II were buried. The Temple of Hatshepsut comes next, its terraces climbing the cliff face, and then the Colossi of Memnon. Two massive stone figures that have stood there for 3,400 years. Lunch is back on the ship, which departs Luxor at 2 pm. You don't arrange any of this yourself. Your Egyptologist meets you at each stop.

The cruise moves south. Day three takes you to Edfu Temple, dedicated to Horus the falcon god, and then Kom Ombo, which is actually two temples in one: one for Sobek the crocodile god, the other for Horus. Your guide is waiting at the ship's reception each time. Day four is Aswan: the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk (42 meters long, abandoned mid-carving, and it tells you exactly how the ancients worked stone), and Philae Temple, which sits on an island and feels like the end of something. The final morning, around 4 am, you leave for Abu Simbel: the second-largest temple in Egypt, built by Ramses II to commemorate his victory and his queen Nefertari. Three hours each way, breakfast box in hand, and you're back at the ship by 2:30 pm to collect your luggage and transfer to your hotel in Aswan.

Four nights on the ship means you unpack once. All meals are included, all transport is air-conditioned, and you never have to negotiate a taxi or figure out which temple to visit next. The guide is a professional Egyptologist who speaks English. Your cabin has all facilities. What you're buying is five days where the logistics disappear and you just show up.

What’s included

Your five days include hotel pickup in Luxor, four nights' accommodation on a 5-star cruise ship with all meals, a professional English-speaking Egyptologist guide, a licensed driver, all transport between sites in air-conditioned vehicles, entry to Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple, Aswan High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple, and Abu Simbel Temple, a hot air balloon ride at sunrise, a felucca ride on the Nile, and hotel drop-off in Aswan.

Days and timesMon · Thu · Sat · 6 departure times, from 07:00 to 09:30

AgesAges 11+ · 6 to 10 years · Under 6

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Nice tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the major temples and monuments of Upper Egypt without arranging guides, transport, or meals separately: the fixed itinerary and full-board cruise mean you travel south with everything decided, which is what makes five days of temples possible without logistics getting in the way.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and German.

Can children come?

6 to 10 years; under 6.

What is included in the 5-day Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan?

Hotel pickup in Luxor, four nights on a 5-star cruise ship with full board, all guided tours (Karnak, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, Abu Simbel, High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk), hot air balloon ride, felucca ride, professional Egyptologist guide, all transport, and hotel drop-off in Aswan.

Do I need to arrange my own transport between temples?

No. A professional licensed driver and Egyptologist guide pick you up from the ship's reception for each day's visits and handle all transport between sites.

What time does the Abu Simbel trip start?

Around 4 am on the final morning. You check out and leave your luggage at the reception. The receptionist can prepare a breakfast box. The return to Aswan is around 2:30 pm.

Where does the cruise end?

In Aswan. After the Abu Simbel visit on day five, you return to the ship, collect your luggage, and are dropped at your hotel in Aswan.

Is the Egyptologist guide included?

Yes. A professional English-speaking Egyptologist guide is included for all tours and temple visits throughout the five days.

What meals are provided?

Full board is included on the cruise ship for all four nights. Breakfast boxes are prepared on request for early departures (hot air balloon day and Abu Simbel day).