3 Day Nile Cruise Aswan to Luxor

Included in the $590

You get 2 nights in a cabin with all facilities on a 5-star cruise ship, hotel pickup in Aswan, an Egyptology tour guide in English, the horse and carriage ride to Edfu, WiFi, taxes and charges, and meet and assist service on arrival and departure. Lunch on days 1 and 2 and breakfast on days 2 and 3 are included. Reserve now and pay later is available, and you can cancel free up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund.

• 2 nights accommodation in a cabin with all facilities
• Hotel pickup from Aswan at 8:00 AM
• Egyptology tour guide in English
• Horse and carriage ride to Edfu
• Lunch on days 1 and 2, breakfast on days 2 and 3
• WiFi, taxes, meet and assist service

Not Included and Paid on Top

Entrance fees are excluded at every site on the itinerary, so carry cash or card for Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Karnak and Luxor Temple. The ministry price list shows Philae at EGP 550 for foreign adults and the Valley of the Kings at EGP 750, which gives a sense of the scale. Drinks are not included, not even water is listed as covered, so buy a supply before boarding.

Tipping is optional per the listing, though it is a common practice in Egypt. Abu Simbel is not part of this itinerary at all. There is no mandatory checkout charge stated for this listing and no peak-season surcharge stated.

Day 1: Aswan, Philae and the High Dam

Pickup at your Aswan hotel is at 8:00 AM. The morning goes to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, and then the High Dam, built in 1960 to end the annual Nile floods. You check in to the cruise around 2:00 PM and set sail.

The afternoon on deck brings you to the Temple of Kom Ombo at sunset, the double temple of Sobek and Horus that sits on the riverbank about 50 km north of Aswan. The ship then continues to Edfu and moors there for the night.

Day 2: Edfu by Carriage and the Esna Lock

Breakfast comes early, then a horse and carriage takes you to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, which preserves scenes of the Sacred Drama telling the conflict between Horus and Seth. Back on board there is afternoon tea as the ship sails north toward Luxor. The route passes through the Esna lock, about 55 km south of Luxor, where the ship can be held up while the water level changes.

Arrival in Luxor is at 7:00 PM, and the ship ties up for the second night.

Day 3: The Luxor East and West Banks

The last day crosses to the West Bank for the Valley of the Kings and its royal tombs, the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon facing the Nile. Next comes the East Bank for the Karnak Temple Complex, with its Great Hypostyle Hall of 134 columns, and Luxor Temple with the obelisk of Ramses II in front of the first pylon. The tour ends with a transfer to Luxor airport or the railway station.

Anyone Who Wants the Tickets Handled

Every temple on this cruise charges a separate entrance fee, and none is included in the $590. If you would rather pay once and walk through, the 3-night cruise with temple tickets included at $600 (plus $200 per person for travel from December 20 to January 2) covers entrance fees at Philae, the High Dam, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut, plus full board and bottled water.

Travellers with a Spare Night to Give

Two nights means one long Luxor day and no Abu Simbel anywhere in the plan. If you want an extra night on the river, the 1-night Aswan to Luxor cruise is a transfer-only sailing at $206 with no temple stops, while the 3-night listings add a full extra day. The 3-night cruise with a private guide at $450 runs full board with Abu Simbel as an option.

People Who Dislike Crowds and Fixed Timings

Verified reviews on this listing mention visiting alongside at least 20 other cruise ships and temples that were extremely crowded, with little flexibility on timings. Expect crowds at the popular temples. In low-water periods some sailings on the river are suspended or ships swap at the locks, so build slack into any onward travel.

If crowds put you off, the luxury dahabiya cruise sails the same stretch on a small sail boat with entrance fees included.

Anyone Needing Full Dietary or Mobility Certainty

One reviewer noted vegetarians may struggle to find several options at each meal, and the listing states no minimum age, no wheelchair access and no difficulty rating, so nothing is confirmed either way. The carriage ride, the tombs and Karnak all involve walking and steps. Heat is a real factor too.

Aswan's average summer highs stay above 40 C, and the preferred cruise season runs from October to April, so plan the cooler months or accept the heat.

Reaching Aswan and Leaving Luxor

Be in Aswan the night before, since pickup at your hotel is at 8:00 AM. Most travellers fly into Cairo and connect. Rome2Rio shows a Cairo to Aswan flight at 3h48m door to door with about 1h25m in the air, or a 14h15m train.

At the other end the tour transfers you to Luxor airport or the railway station, and Rome2Rio puts the Cairo to Luxor flight at 3h13m door to door with a train at 10h45m. Rome2Rio gives Cairo to Luxor as 637.2 km by road, which is why most people fly.

What the Cruise Leaves Out

Abu Simbel is the big one. It sits on Lake Nasser south of Aswan, was moved between 1964 and 1968 before the rising water, and the ministry price list shows a foreign adult ticket at EGP 750 with the site open 6:00 to 17:00. You would need to arrange it separately.

The Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan, which would have measured about 41.75 m and weighed nearly 1,090 tonnes, is another nearby sight not on the itinerary. For the fullest package including flights from Cairo and Abu Simbel, see the Nile cruise from Cairo with flights.

Easy Add-ons Before and After

In Aswan, a felucca is the cheapest hour on the water, and the Aswan felucca to Elephantine at $15 circles Elephantine Island and the Kitchener's Island Botanical Garden. Background reading helps too. Read up on Philae Temple and Edfu Temple before you sail, since both get a guided visit on this trip.

If you extend in Luxor, the luxury dahabiya cruise shows how the slower small-boat version of the route works.