Aswan to Luxor Nile Cruise: 4 Days & Abu Simbel Option

Four Days Sailing the Nile: Temples, Tombs & the Unfinished Obelisk

You board a 5-star Nile cruise in Aswan and spend four days sailing south to Luxor, visiting temples at Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, and Karnak, plus the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's mortuary temple. An Egyptologist guide explains what you're seeing at each stop. Abu Simbel and a hot air balloon are optional add-ons. All meals, transfers, and three nights' accommodation on the cruise are included, and you finish in Luxor by mid-afternoon on day four.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Aswan tour and Nile cruise boarding

• Pick up from Aswan meeting point
• Board Nile cruise and have lunch
• Visit the High Dam
• Visit Philae Temple Complex
• Dinner on board
• Enjoy Nubian Folkloric Show
• Overnight on Nile cruise

Day 2: Abu Simbel optional and Kom Ombo visit

• Optional Abu Simbel tour
• Return to cruise and free time
• Cruise sails in the afternoon
• Visit Kom Ombo Temple
• Cruise sails towards Edfu Temple
• Overnight on Nile cruise

Day 3: Edfu Temple visit and sail to Luxor

• Free time while cruising Nile
• Visit Temple of Horus at Edfu
• Cruise sails to Luxor
• Arrive in Luxor late afternoon
• Overnight on Nile cruise

Day 4: Luxor West and East Banks tour

• Breakfast and check out
• Visit Valley of the Kings
• Visit Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
• See Colossi of Memnon
• Visit Karnak Temple
• Visit Luxor Temple and Obelisk of Ramses II
• Drive back for drop off in Luxor

The experience

"The stone is still waiting," your Egyptologist guide will tell you on day one, standing in the Aswan quarry where an enormous obelisk lies half-carved, abandoned 3,500 years ago. That's the kind of detail that sticks with you on this cruise, not just the scale of what the ancients built, but the scale of what they left behind. You board your 5-star Nile cruise at Aswan between 10 and 11 AM after pickup from the meeting point, settle into your private cabin, and lunch comes almost immediately. Then it's straight to the Aswan High Dam, a modern wall of rock that holds back the entire river, and the Philae Temple complex, which was nearly swallowed by the dam's reservoir in the 1960s before engineers moved it stone by stone to higher ground. Dinner on board, then a Nubian folkloric show while the boat rocks gently beneath you.

Day two is where Abu Simbel comes in. If you've added that option. It's an early start, a small group tour with your English-speaking guide to those colossal seated Pharaohs carved directly into the mountainside, so massive they seem to be watching the desert itself. You're back on the cruise by afternoon as it sails toward Kom Ombo Temple, where your guide walks you through a temple dedicated to two gods at once, the stonework so precise it makes you wonder how they did it without power tools. The boat keeps moving south, and you keep moving through time. Day three brings the Temple of Horus at Edfu (you'll ride a cart through the town to reach it, which is its own small adventure), and then the cruise sails on toward Luxor, arriving in the late afternoon.

The last morning is the payoff. You cross to the West Bank and walk through the Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of pharaohs are cut into the rock face, some still holding their original paint. You see the Temple of Hatshepsut, a woman pharaoh whose mortuary temple rises in terraces from the desert floor, and the Colossi of Memnon, two seated giants that are all that's left of a temple now gone. Then back across the Nile to the East Bank for Karnak Temple (the largest religious complex ever built, your guide will say, and you'll believe it when you're standing among columns thick as trees), and finally Luxor Temple with its obelisk of Ramses II. The whole tour wraps by 3 or 4 PM, and you're dropped in downtown Luxor or at the airport or train station, depending on where you need to be.

If you booked the hot air balloon option, that happens in Luxor at sunrise on the last day, though the ministry of aviation can cancel it for weather. If that happens, you get a full refund. The boat's name gets confirmed a few days before departure once it receives sailing permission from the Egyptian government, which is just how the system works here. You'll be added to a WhatsApp group so pickup coordination is straightforward, and your guide speaks English throughout.

What’s included

Your four days include hotel or meeting-point pickup in Aswan, three nights' accommodation in a private cabin aboard a 5-star Nile cruise, all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day), guided tours at Philae Temple, Aswan High Dam, Kom Ombo Temple, Edfu Temple, Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple, an English-speaking Egyptologist guide at each stop, motorboat transfer to Philae, a cart ride at Edfu, all local taxes and services, and drop-off in downtown Luxor, at Luxor airport, or at the train station on day four. Abu Simbel and the hot air balloon are optional add-ons booked separately.

Options for this experience

4 options

Tour without Abu Simbel and without balloonGuide in English or Arabic · 12 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 12:30Includes pickup

Cruise and Abu Simbel, without balloonGuide in English or Arabic · 12 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 12:30Includes pickup

Cruise with Abu Simbel and hot air balloon rideGuide in English or Arabic · 12 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 12:30Duration: 4 days, pickup is included

Tour with Abu Simbel (multiple languages available)Guide in 7 languages · 12 departure times: the first at 07:00, the last at 12:30Luxury cruise with 3 nights on a 5-star ship: enjoy the cruise plus Abu Simbel. Duration: 4 days, pickup is included

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

Information

Lasts 4d, runs Wednesday and Friday, 12 start times, from US$ 228 per person, with live guides in 7 languages and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesWednesday and Friday12 departure times: 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00 and 12:30Another time? ›

GroupUp to 506 private ›

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and ArabicOther languages ›

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.

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (11 to 85 years) · Child (3 to 10 years) · Under 3: can't be booked

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 yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Hola Egipto

Is this one for you?Choose this cruise if you want to see Egypt's major temples and tombs in one continuous journey without arranging separate hotels, guides, or transport between sites: the boat moves you while you sleep, and the Egyptologist guide handles the history at each stop.

Traveler reviews

4.68★★★★★★★★★★

102 verified traveler reviews

5 ★85

4 ★8

3 ★3

2 ★5

1 ★1

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Arabic.

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 cruise price?

Three nights' accommodation in a private cabin with bathroom, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), guided tours at each temple, transfers by air-conditioned vehicle, motorboat to Philae Temple, a cart ride at Edfu, and an English-speaking Egyptologist guide. Local taxes and services are covered.

Is Abu Simbel included?

Abu Simbel is optional and booked separately. If you add it, you'll join a small group tour on day two with your English-speaking guide, then return to the cruise by afternoon.

What time does pickup happen?

Pickup at the Aswan meeting point is between 10 and 11 AM on day one. Pickup from Aswan hotels or the airport costs extra and is not included in the standard tour price.

Can I book the hot air balloon?

Yes, it's optional and happens at sunrise on the last day in Luxor. The ministry of aviation can cancel it for bad weather, in which case you receive a full refund.

When does the tour end?

The tour ends in Luxor between 3 and 4 PM on day four. You're dropped at downtown Luxor, the airport, or the train station, depending on your preference.

How many people are in the group?

The cruise accommodates small groups. The Abu Simbel tour, if booked, is also a small group with an English-speaking guide.

What's the boat like?

It's a 5-star Nile cruise with private cabins and private bathrooms. The specific boat is confirmed a few days before departure once it receives sailing permission from the Egyptian government.

Do I need to be fit for this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You'll walk through temples and tombs, but the pace is guided and there's plenty of time on the boat to rest.

What if I need to arrange my own hotel pickup?

Pickup from Aswan hotels or the airport is available but costs extra and is not part of the standard tour price. The standard pickup point is the advertised Aswan meeting point between 10 and 11 AM.