The Pyramids and Cairo, then a full-board Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan — sailing past Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae, with a private Egyptologist at every temple and your cabin on the river.
On an Egypt tour with a Nile cruise, the river is the trip. After Cairo and the Pyramids you board a full-board cruise boat at Luxor and sail to Aswan, stopping each day to visit the temples that line the river — Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae — with a private Egyptologist at every one. You sleep, eat and watch Egypt drift past from your own cabin and the sun deck.
It is the most scenic and efficient way to see Upper Egypt: the great temples all sit along one stretch of the Nile, and sailing between them beats long, hot road transfers. Between the big sites you pass green riverbanks, palm villages and feluccas under sail. Cruises run 3 or 4 nights; a 4-night sailing adds a slower pace and more time at Aswan and Abu Simbel.
Our 13 tours pair the cruise with Cairo and, on longer trips, Alexandria or the Red Sea. Want a named luxury cruise vessel (Historia, Oberoi) or a private dahabiya? See our luxury tours. Prefer to keep costs down? See our budget tours. Otherwise, use the filters below or scroll all thirteen.
From a 7-day taste to a 14-day grand tour — each pairs Cairo and the Pyramids with a full Nile cruise. Filter by cruise length or feature.
7 Days 6 Nights
Cairo and the Pyramids, then a 3-night Luxor–Aswan Nile cruise past Karnak, Edfu and Kom Ombo. The shortest complete cruise trip.
Best Value 8 Days 7 Nights
Cairo, a sleeper train south, and a 3-night Luxor–Aswan cruise. Our best-value way to add a full Nile cruise to Egypt.
8 Days 7 Nights
The same Cairo-plus-cruise route with domestic flights instead of the train — you gain two half-days for the temples and Cairo.
Best-Seller 8 Days 7 Nights
Cairo, a longer 4-night Nile cruise and Abu Simbel from Aswan. The most complete cruise itinerary — our bestseller.
9 Days 8 Nights
A full Cairo-and-cruise trip, then a few Red Sea beach days at Hurghada — the temples of the Nile plus time to unwind.
9 Days 8 Nights
Cairo, the Nile cruise and a Mediterranean day in Alexandria — the river temples plus a second coastline.
10 Days 9 Nights
A slower pace — more Cairo, an unhurried Nile cruise past the great temples, then full Red Sea reef time at Hurghada.
10% OFF 10 Days 9 Nights
Cairo, Alexandria, a full Nile cruise and Abu Simbel — the widest coverage, with the river cruise at its heart.
11 Days 10 Nights
Two museum days in Cairo, a full Nile cruise, then four nights on the Red Sea. The river and the reef, unrushed.
12 Days 11 Nights
Our most relaxed cruise itinerary — slower Cairo, a longer Nile cruise and a full beach week. Great for families.
12 Days 11 Nights
Cairo and a Nile cruise, then the white-and-black deserts of Bahariya — the river plus the road less travelled.
14 Days 13 Nights
Our grand tour — Cairo, Alexandria, a full Nile cruise and the Red Sea. Every region, with the cruise at the centre.
14 Days 13 Nights
Cairo, Alexandria, a full Nile cruise, Abu Simbel and Sharm El Sheikh — the river and both seas, end to end.
Sailing between Luxor and Aswan, you stop each day at the great temples that line the Nile. Here is the route from north to south — the reason the cruise is the heart of an Egypt trip.
Luxor · embark
Your cruise begins at Luxor — the vast columns of Karnak, Luxor Temple lit at night, and the Colossi of Memnon on the West Bank. The greatest concentration of monuments on the river.
Luxor · West Bank
Across the Nile lie the painted royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut carved into the cliff, and — optional at dawn — a hot-air balloon over it all.
Edfu
As the boat sails south you stop at Edfu — the best-preserved temple in Egypt, dedicated to the falcon god Horus. Reached by a short horse-carriage ride from the dock.
Kom Ombo
Right on the riverbank, the unique double temple of Kom Ombo honours the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon Horus — often visited at golden hour as you sail past.
Aswan · arrive
The cruise ends at Aswan — the temple of Isis at Philae, moved stone by stone onto an island to save it from the rising Nile. Reached by motorboat across the water.
Aswan
At Aswan: a felucca sail around Elephantine Island, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, and — optional — the great rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel to the south.
Want a specific cruise vessel, a 4-night sailing, a private dahabiya or Abu Simbel added? Ask Maro to build your cruise →
The cruise makes or breaks the trip — the boat, the cabin, the guide on board. Six reasons to book it with a Cairo-based Egyptian operator.
Not "5-star or similar" — we book a specific vetted vessel and a specific cabin by deck and side, so you get the river view and a quiet night, not a surprise at check-in.
Your own qualified Egyptologist sails with you and guides every temple — Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae — rather than a shared group guide rushing forty people through.
3-night or 4-night, Luxor-to-Aswan or the reverse — we match the sailing to your dates and time, and tell you which cabin side gets the sunset.
Every tour is private. Add Abu Simbel, swap to a luxury vessel or a dahabiya, extend the beach days — the cruise bends to you, not a fixed group departure.
56 verified reviews, 98% recommend rate. The same Egyptian-owned company and contact person since 2013.
Hotels, the full-board cruise, internal flights, entries, guide and transfers all included. Optional extras are quoted up front — no surprises at the gangway.
We've welcomed travellers from 32 countries. Dedicated country desks for our four biggest markets — flight advice, timing and average spend.
Direct flights from JFK, IAD, ORD & LAX. Peak for American travellers: Oct–Feb. Our 8 and 10-day cruise itineraries lead US bookings.
Direct BA & EgyptAir from Heathrow and Manchester. Peak for Brits: Nov–March. Our 8 and 10-day cruise trips are the UK favourite.
Via Dubai or Doha. Peak for Aussies: April–May & Sept–Oct. Longer 12–14 day cruise tours, often paired with Jordan.
Via European or Gulf hubs. Peak for Canadians: Oct–March. Cold-escape 10–12 day Nile cruise trips are the Canadian best-seller.
Also serving travellers from Germany, France, Italy, the UAE, Singapore and South Africa. Ask Maro which cruise tour fits your market →
Tell me your dates, how many of you are travelling, and how long you want on the river. I'll reply the same day with my honest pick from the 13 cruise tours here — cruise length, boat and cabin — or a custom version. No commitment, no deposit at this stage.
EXCELLENT rating · 56 reviews · Real guests from the past two seasons.
The Nile cruise was the highlight — sailing between the temples with Ahmed, our own Egyptologist, was magic. Everything ran on time and the boat was lovely. Will book again.
We chose this company to have a private accredited Egyptologist rather than a big group, and it was the right call. Maria could answer every question at every temple along the river. Transport was modern, clean and always on time.
Our guide Khaled made Edfu and Kom Ombo come alive, and the cabin they picked had the sunset view exactly as promised. The cruise made the whole trip. Grazie!
After 1,200+ trips, these are the things I tell travellers who want the culture, not just the monuments.
On a Luxor-to-Aswan cruise, a port-side cabin (left facing the bow) gets the sunset-over-the-Nile view; Aswan-to-Luxor, ask for starboard. We book specific cabins by number where we can — tell us your sailing direction.
Upper- and middle-deck cabins are quieter and brighter; the lowest deck sits closer to the engine hum. On most 5-star boats the small upgrade to an upper deck is well worth it for a better night's sleep and a higher river view.
"5-star cruise" covers a wide range. Ask which specific boat is sailing your dates. For a step up we book named vessels — Historia, Oberoi Zahra, MS Tosca, Movenpick Royal Lotus — or a private dahabiya for the most exclusive sailing.
A 3-night cruise comfortably covers Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. A 4-night sailing adds a slower pace, more time at Aswan and pairs naturally with Abu Simbel. Pick by how much you want the river itself to be the holiday.
Before you sail, a sunrise hot-air balloon over the Valley of the Kings and the West Bank is the great Luxor add-on. It's optional and inexpensive relative to the trip — book it in advance, as calm-air dawn slots fill fast.
Bring SPF 50+, a hat and sunglasses for the sun deck, and closed walking shoes for the hot, uneven temple stone. A light layer helps on breezy evenings sailing. Buy the photo ticket at sites; no flash inside the tombs.
Cruise crews work hard and gratuities are expected. Budget roughly $8 per person per day for the boat crew, handed to reception or the cruise manager in a pooled envelope at the end, plus a separate tip for your Egyptologist and driver.
The Nile is calm; the boat glides, it doesn't roll. Most guests find the sailing the most relaxing part of the whole trip. Watch the green banks, the villages and the feluccas drift past from the sun deck with a mint tea.
Want the full pre-trip pack — a cruise day-by-day, cabin guide, what to pack and temple etiquette? It's free for every confirmed Egypt Planners guest.
Straight answers from our Cairo office — the same answers you'd get from Maro on WhatsApp.
Every tour on this page pairs a few days in Cairo (the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum) with a full-board Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan. On the cruise you sleep, eat and sail on the boat, and stop each day with your private Egyptologist to visit the temples along the river: Karnak and Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae, plus optional Abu Simbel from Aswan. Full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea), all entry fees, the guide and transfers are included — you only add drinks, tips and any optional extras.
Most of our tours include a 3-night Luxor–Aswan cruise, which comfortably covers Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. Our 4-night cruises (on the 8-day-with-Abu-Simbel tour and the longer itineraries) add a slower pace and more time at Aswan, and pair naturally with an Abu Simbel excursion. If you want the cruise itself to be the centre of the trip, choose a 4-night sailing; if you want the classic route efficiently, 3 nights is plenty.
The length decides the direction. A three-night sailing runs Aswan to Luxor — northwards, with the current, which is why it needs one night less. A four-night sailing runs Luxor to Aswan, southwards against the current. Both cover the same temples — Karnak, Luxor Temple, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae — just in opposite order. Departures are Wednesday and Friday from Aswan, Saturday and Monday from Luxor. Choose four nights if you want Abu Simbel from Aswan without a rush. For the sunset over the river while sailing, ask for a starboard cabin heading south to Aswan and a port cabin heading north to Luxor — the west bank is on that side in each case.
Our standard tours use good 5-star Nile cruisers with an outdoor sun deck and usually a small pool, a restaurant serving full board, and comfortable en-suite cabins with a river view. You can absolutely choose the vessel — for a step up we book named luxury boats such as the Historia, Oberoi Zahra, MS Tosca or Movenpick Royal Lotus (see our luxury tours), and for the most exclusive sailing, a private dahabiya. We book specific cabins by number and deck where possible; upper-deck cabins are quieter and worth the small upgrade.
On a standard Luxor–Aswan cruise: at Luxor, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon; sailing south, the Temple of Horus at Edfu and the twin temple of Kom Ombo right on the riverbank; at Aswan, the island Temple of Philae, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk. Abu Simbel — the great rock-cut temples of Ramesses II — is an optional add-on from Aswan, by dawn flight or road. Your private Egyptologist guides every one of these.
Our 13 cruise tours start from $1,205 per person (8 days: Cairo plus a 3-night cruise, travelling south by sleeper train) and go up to $2,100 (14 days with Alexandria, a full cruise and Sharm El Sheikh). Most travellers land between $1,300 and $1,700 per person for 8–11 days. Prices are per person, twin share, and include 4-star hotels, the full-board 5-star cruise, all internal flights or train, every entry fee, a private Egyptologist and all transfers. For a luxury cruise vessel or 5-star-throughout, see our luxury tours.
Almost never. The Nile is a calm river, not the open sea — the boat glides rather than rolls, and most guests say the sailing is the most relaxing part of the trip. You watch the green riverbanks, villages and temples drift past from the sun deck. If you are very motion-sensitive, choose a lower-deck mid-ship cabin and bring your usual remedy, but genuine seasickness on a Nile cruiser is rare.
October to April is the main season — comfortable 20–28°C days in Luxor and Aswan, perfect for the open-air temples and for sitting on deck. November and March are our favourites for shoulder-season value. Summer (June–August) is hot in Upper Egypt (40°C+ by midday) but the Nile breeze makes cruising surprisingly pleasant, sightseeing shifts to early morning, and prices drop 15–25%. December and early January are the busiest and priciest, so book the best boats 3–4 months ahead.
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Send us your dates. We'll match you to one of the 13 cruise tours above — or build a custom version around the boat, cabin and cruise length you want. First reply usually within 4 hours.
