5 Day Nile Cruise Luxor to Aswan

Included in the $950

The inclusions are free pickup in Luxor and free drop-off in Aswan in an air-conditioned vehicle, 4 nights of full-board accommodation on a 5-star Nile cruise, breakfast, lunch and dinner, afternoon tea on the sun deck on day 2, and a professional English-speaking Egyptologist on the shore tours. The listing does not name the vessel, so treat any ship name as or similar.

What you do not get for the $950: entrance fees to every temple on the itinerary, drinks of any kind, gratuities and personal expenses, and the Nubian Village, which is an optional extra paid on site by card or in cash. Abu Simbel and a hot air balloon are mentioned as optional experiences, paid separately.

There is a second hit at checkout. Viator adds $100.83 in mandatory charges, which lifts the from-price to $1,050.83. The listing does not say what this charge covers, so budget for it rather than being surprised by it.

• Included: free pickup in Luxor and drop-off in Aswan
• Included: 4 nights full board on a 5-star cruise ship
• Included: licensed English-speaking Egyptologist
• Not included: all six temple entrance fees, paid on site
• Not included: drinks, tips, the Nubian Village
• Added at checkout: $100.83 in mandatory charges

The Temple Tickets You Pay at the Gate

Entrance fees are paid on site at Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. Ministry prices for two of them give you a scale: Philae is EGP 550 for foreign adults and the Valley of the Kings is EGP 750. Abu Simbel, if you add it as an optional excursion, costs EGP 750 for foreign adults and sits on Lake Nasser south of Aswan, not on the river route.

If you would rather have the tickets in the price, the 3-Night Cruise with Temple Tickets bundles every entrance fee on its own 3-night route.

Day 1, Luxor, Karnak and Boarding

Your day starts with free pickup from your location in Luxor in an air-conditioned vehicle. The Egyptologist takes you to Karnak first, where the Great Hypostyle Hall holds 134 columns in 16 rows, and 122 of them stand 10 m tall. Karnak is paid on site.

After the tour you board the ship and check in for the first of four nights. Lunch and dinner on board are covered by the full board.

Day 2, the West Bank, Then Sailing South

Day 2 covers the Theban necropolis on the west bank, the side the ancient Egyptians reserved for the dead. You see the Valley of the Kings, the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. The Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut entrances are paid on site.

Back on the ship there is afternoon tea on the sun deck, the one extra catering moment the listing names, then lunch and dinner. The ship starts its southbound sailing toward Edfu. Vessels on this route pass the Esna lock system between Luxor and Edfu, and Wikipedia notes cruisers can be held up there, so expect the crew to build any wait into the schedule.

Day 3, Edfu and Kom Ombo

Two temple stops in one day. At Edfu the two large granite falcon statues of Horus stand before the pylons of the temple finished in 57 BC. Kom Ombo, 50 km north of Aswan, is the double temple with two principal entrances, and the larger temple was dedicated to Haroeris and the other deities of the Ombite nome.

Both entrances are paid on site. Breakfast, lunch and dinner on board.

Day 4, a Free Day in Aswan

No guided tour is scheduled. You have the day free in Aswan, and this is where you could add an optional experience such as Abu Simbel, which sits on Lake Nasser south of Aswan and opens 6:00 to 17:00 with an EGP 750 foreign adult ticket, or the hot air balloon the listing mentions. The Nubian Village is also optional, paid on site by card or cash.

In the evening there is onboard entertainment. All meals on board.

Day 5, Philae and Drop-off

The last stop is Philae, where the Temple of Isis has been the centrepiece since the temple was relocated in the late 1970s and reopened on 10 March 1980. The entrance fee is EGP 550 for foreign adults, paid on site. After the visit the trip ends with a free drop-off anywhere in Aswan, at a hotel, the airport or the train station.

Ages, Fitness and Access

The booking is for adults aged 14 to 99, so this is not a family cruise with young children. The listing says travelers should have at least a moderate level of fitness, and it is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, poor cardiovascular health or in pregnancy. The temples involve walking on uneven ground in sun. Wheelchair access is not stated, so assume you need to ask the operator before booking.

The cancellation window is tight compared with other listings. You need to cancel 6 full days out for a full refund, between 2 and 6 days you get 50%, and inside 2 days you get nothing. If your plans might shift at short notice, the 3-Night Cruise with Private Guide offers free cancellation 24h.

The Money Surprises

Three hits land on top of the $950. First, the $100.83 in mandatory checkout charges at Viator. Second, every temple ticket, paid on site, including EGP 750 for the Valley of the Kings and EGP 550 for Philae. Third, drinks are not included at all, not even water is promised, so carry a supply. Tips are excluded too, and tipping or baksheesh is common in Egypt, with many operators collecting tips for onboard staff at the end of the cruise.

Day 4 is free, which means Abu Simbel, the balloon and the Nubian Village are all optional costs on top. If you would rather have a shorter trip with the temple fees already inside the price, look at the 3-Night Cruise with Temple Tickets. If you want a private guide on this same 4-night route, the 4-Night Cruise with Private Guide is the closer match.

Getting to Luxor and Home from Aswan

From Cairo, Rome2Rio shows a flight to Luxor at 3h13m door to door, a train at 10h45m and a bus at 8h55m. Cairo to Luxor is 637.2 km by road per Rome2Rio, or about 670 km per Wikipedia. Day 1 pickup is free from your location in Luxor, so any hotel works. At the end, the free drop-off covers any hotel, the airport or the train station in Aswan, and Aswan airport sits outside the city centre. If you are coming overland from Cairo by sleeper train, sources disagree on the duration, from about 9 to about 11 hours to Luxor, so check the current timetable yourself.

You need a visa. The FCDO lists the on-arrival visa at US$30 cash, but Gulf News reports the fee was raised to US$45 for on-arrival and e-visa travellers in December. Your passport must be valid at least 6 months after arrival with a blank page.

What the Cruise Leaves Out, and What to Add

The itinerary skips Luxor Temple, the Aswan High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk, and day 4 in Aswan is yours to fill. Abu Simbel is the biggest add-on. It sits on Lake Nasser about 230 to 280 km south of Aswan, opens 6:00 to 17:00, and the foreign adult ticket is EGP 750, or EGP 1,200 on the 22 October and 22 February sun alignment days. In Aswan itself, a felucca is the cheap way onto the river, and the Aswan Felucca to Elephantine sail is $15 for about an hour of sailing past Elephantine Island. For the Nubian Village on day 4, read the guide to the Nubian village Aswan before you go.

If the temples leave you wanting more context, the guides to Edfu Temple and Philae Temple cover both stops on this route in depth. And if you would rather combine everything with flights from the capital, the Nile Cruise from Cairo with Flights packages the river with both flights, Abu Simbel and a balloon from $1,300. For the widest view of options, browse the full list of Nile river cruises on the homepage.