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

Four Days Sailing the Nile: Temples, Tombs & Abu Simbel from Aswan

You're picked up in Aswan and board a 5-star cruise for three nights, visiting Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, and the Valley of the Kings with an Egyptology guide. All meals, transfers, and entry fees are included. The ship handles the logistics while you move between temples. You finish in Luxor by mid-afternoon on day four, with an optional sunrise hot air balloon over the West Bank.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Aswan guided tour and cruise boarding

• Pick up from Aswan hotel or station
• Transfer to 5-star Nile Cruise
• Visit Aswan High Dam
• Boat to Philae Temple island
• Guided tour of Philae Temple
• Return to Nile Cruise for overnight

Day 2: Abu Simbel and Kom Ombo temple visit

• Early morning tour to Abu Simbel
• Return to cruise and prepare for sailing
• Visit Kom Ombo Temple with guide
• Continue sailing towards Edfu
• Overnight on Nile Cruise

Day 3: Edfu temple visit and sail to Luxor

• Free time on cruise sailing Nile
• Visit Edfu Temple with guide
• Sail towards Luxor
• Arrive Luxor and overnight on cruise

Day 4: Luxor temples visit and drop off

• Optional early hot air balloon ride
• Breakfast and check out
• Visit Valley of the Kings
• Visit Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
• Stop at Colossi of Memnon
• Visit Karnak Temple complex
• Visit Luxor Temple
• Drop off at Luxor hotel or station

The experience

The Aswan High Dam looks smaller from the top than you'd expect: a long concrete line holding back an entire lake. That's where the first day starts, after you're picked up from your hotel or train station and settled onto a 5-star Nile cruise. You'll stand on the dam and look south across Lake Nasser, then head to Philae Temple, which was physically moved 500 meters when the dam flooded the original site in the 1960s. A motorboat takes you to the island temple dedicated to the goddess Isis, where your Egyptology guide walks you through the carved reliefs before leaving you free to wander. By evening you're back on the ship for dinner, and the Nile is quiet in a way that makes four days on the water feel necessary rather than indulgent.

Day two starts early: Abu Simbel requires it. The two colossal temples carved into the mountainside sit 280 kilometers south, and the drive happens before sunrise so you're there when the light hits the statues straight on. Your guide explains the engineering: how the temples were cut from the rock, how they were relocated when the dam threatened to submerge them. You spend a few hours there, then drive back to rejoin the cruise as it sails toward Kom Ombo. The ship stops at the temple, and you walk through it with your guide before the Nile cruise continues toward Edfu. Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) happen on board, and you don't have to think about where to eat or what to book.

Edfu's Temple of Horus comes on day three. The cruise pulls in, and you visit with your guide, then there's free time to sit on deck while the ship moves downriver toward Luxor. The rhythm of the Nile cruise becomes the rhythm of your days: wake, visit a temple, return to the ship, eat, sleep. No transfers between hotels, no negotiating with drivers at each stop. On the final morning in Luxor, there's an optional hot air balloon at dawn. You rise above the West Bank and see the Valley of the Kings from above, the tombs laid out like a grid in the desert floor. After breakfast, you cross to the west bank and spend the day at the Valley itself (66 tombs from various dynasties), the Temple of Hatshepsut (the only female pharaoh), the Colossi of Memnon (two 18-meter statues facing the river), and Karnak Temple: a complex so vast it covers nearly two square kilometers with over 20 temples inside it. The Hypostyle Hall alone, with its forest of papyrus-shaped columns, is one of the great architectural achievements of the ancient world. Luxor Temple closes out the afternoon. By 3 or 4 PM you're dropped at your hotel, train station, or wherever you prefer in Luxor, and the four days are done.

The ship is 5-star, the guide speaks English and knows Egyptology, the drivers are licensed, and everything (transfers, meals, entry fees, taxes) is included. If you want to add a west bank hotel pickup in Aswan, it's an extra $15 per person. If you need a west bank drop-off in Luxor, add $10. Small groups share the Abu Simbel trip, so you're not alone but not in a crowd either. The Nile cruise Aswan to Luxor works because you don't have to plan the logistics: the ship moves, you move with it, and the temples appear on schedule.

What’s included

• Your four days include hotel or train station pickup in Aswan, three nights aboard a 5-star Nile cruise with full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner daily), all transfers by air-conditioned vehicle with qualified drivers, entry to Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo Temple, Edfu Temple, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple.
• An English-speaking Egyptology guide leads all temple visits.
• Local taxes, service charges, and a meet-and-assist representative are included.
• The tour ends with drop-off at your Luxor hotel, train station, or preferred location by 3–4 PM on day four.

Options for this experience

3 options

Cruise without Abu Simbel and without balloonGuide in English · 7 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 12:00Pickup is included

Cruise with Abu Simbel, without balloonGuide in English or Arabic · 6 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 12:00Pickup is included

Cruise with Abu Simbel plus balloonGuide in English or Arabic · 6 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 12:00Hot air balloon, pickup is included

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Lasts 4d, runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 7 start times, from US$ 229 per person, with live guides in 6 languages and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesMonday, Wednesday and Friday7 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 12:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

GroupUp to 50

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Egypt Best Holidays

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the major Upper Egypt temples and Abu Simbel in one trip without arranging separate hotels, transfers, or entry tickets. The cruise handles all logistics while you move between sites, which is what makes a four-day itinerary possible without the planning.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

In English, with 7 departure times. In Arabic, with 6 departure times.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 10 years). Children under 3 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What's included in the Nile cruise Aswan to Luxor?

Three nights onboard a 5-star ship, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), door-to-door transfers in Aswan and Luxor, entry to Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Karnak, and Luxor Temple. An English-speaking Egyptology guide and licensed drivers are included. Taxes and service charges are covered.

How long is the 4-day Nile cruise?

Four days and three nights. You're picked up on day one, spend nights two and three on the cruise, and are dropped off by 3–4 PM on day four in Luxor.

Is the hot air balloon included?

No, it's optional. The balloon departs early on the final morning over Luxor's West Bank. If you want it, arrange it separately. It's not part of the standard package.

What if I stay in a west bank hotel in Aswan or Luxor?

West bank hotel pickups in Aswan cost an extra $15 per person. West bank drop-offs in Luxor cost an extra $10 per person. The cruise docks on the east bank in both cities.

Are meals included on the cruise?

Yes. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily on the ship on a full-board basis.

What time does the tour end in Luxor?

Between 3 and 4 PM on the final day, after visits to the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak, and Luxor Temple.

Do I need to arrange my own transport between temples?

No. All transfers between the cruise ship and temple sites are included. Licensed drivers handle all ground transport.

Is the cruise suitable for people with mobility issues?

The tour is listed as suitable for all physical fitness levels, but temple visits involve walking and some uneven terrain. Confirm with the operator if you have specific mobility concerns.