5-Day Nile Cruise from Cairo – Luxor to Aswan

Your 5-Day Nile Cruise from Cairo begins with pickup from your hotel and a private transfer to Cairo International Airport for your flight to Luxor. Upon arrival, meet your private Egyptologist guide and explore the major monuments of Luxor’s East Bank before boarding your 5-star Nile cruise.

Karnak Temple:

Begin at Karnak Temple, one of the largest and most impressive religious complexes in ancient Egypt. Developed by generations of pharaohs, the site contains monumental pylons, obelisks, chapels, sacred lakes, and sanctuaries dedicated primarily to the god Amun-Ra.

Walk through the Great Hypostyle Hall, where 134 massive columns decorated with hieroglyphs and carved reliefs create one of the most remarkable architectural spaces in Luxor.

Luxor Temple:

Continue to Luxor Temple, an important ceremonial complex built and expanded by several ancient Egyptian rulers, including Amenhotep III and Ramses II. Explore its monumental entrance, open courtyards, colonnades, chapels, and statues while learning about the religious festivals once celebrated in ancient Thebes.

See the beginning of the Avenue of Sphinxes, the ancient processional route that once connected Luxor Temple with Karnak Temple.

After completing your guided East Bank tour, transfer to your 5-star Nile cruise for check-in. Enjoy lunch on board, settle into your cabin, and spend your first evening aboard before beginning the sailing journey from Luxor to Aswan.

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Enjoy breakfast on board before meeting your private Egyptologist guide to explore the celebrated monuments of Luxor’s West Bank. This day is one of the main highlights of your 5-Day Nile Cruise from Cairo, combining royal tombs, monumental temples, and remarkable ancient architecture.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut:

Begin at the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari, dramatically positioned beneath the limestone cliffs. Built during the 15th century BC, the temple is distinguished by its terraces, colonnades, statues, and reliefs celebrating Hatshepsut’s reign, divine birth, and trading expeditions.

Valley of the Kings:

Continue to the Valley of the Kings, the royal burial ground of New Kingdom pharaohs. Enter a selection of the tombs open to visitors and admire their decorated corridors, burial chambers, colorful scenes, and religious texts connected to the ancient Egyptian journey through the afterlife.

Your guide will explain the history of the valley, its most important discoveries, and the funerary beliefs reflected in the tombs’ remarkable artwork.

Colossi of Memnon:

Conclude your West Bank sightseeing at the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III standing approximately 18 meters high. The statues once guarded the entrance to his vast mortuary temple and remain among the most recognizable landmarks in Luxor.

After completing your guided tour, return to the cruise for lunch and continue sailing south toward Edfu. Spend the afternoon relaxing on board while enjoying views of Nile-side villages, green farmland, and the surrounding desert landscape.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay on board as your Luxor to Aswan Nile cruise journey continues.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Enjoy breakfast on board as the third day of your 5-Day Nile Cruise from Cairo begins with visits to two of Upper Egypt’s most remarkable ancient sites: Edfu Temple and Kom Ombo Temple.

Edfu Temple:

Explore Edfu Temple, one of the largest and best-preserved temples in Egypt. Dedicated to the falcon god Horus, the complex was constructed during the Ptolemaic period and is distinguished by its monumental pylon, spacious courtyard, hypostyle halls, and remarkably preserved sanctuary.

Admire the detailed inscriptions and carved reliefs depicting the legendary struggle between Horus and Seth while your Egyptologist guide explains the temple’s religious ceremonies, festivals, and importance as a major center of Horus worship.

Return to the cruise and continue sailing south toward Kom Ombo while enjoying lunch and views of the Nile’s green farmland, traditional villages, and desert landscapes.

Kom Ombo Temple:

Visit Kom Ombo Temple, a unique double temple overlooking a scenic bend in the Nile. Its two symmetrical sections were dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder, with separate entrances, halls, and sanctuaries created for both deities.

Explore its carved columns and detailed reliefs depicting religious rituals, ancient calendars, and medical instruments while learning about the temple’s unusual design and the beliefs associated with its two divine cults.

After your guided visit, return to the ship and continue your Luxor to Aswan Nile cruise. Enjoy dinner and a relaxing evening on board as the vessel sails toward Aswan.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

After breakfast on board, meet your private Egyptologist guide to explore Aswan’s most important ancient and modern landmarks. This day of your 5-Day Nile Cruise from Cairo combines the remarkable Philae Temple, the ancient granite quarries, and one of Egypt’s greatest engineering projects.

Philae Temple:

Begin at Philae Temple, a beautiful sanctuary dedicated primarily to the goddess Isis. The temple complex was carefully relocated to Agilkia Island during an international UNESCO rescue project to protect it from the rising waters surrounding its original location.

Explore its monumental pylons, courtyards, colonnades, sanctuaries, and carved reliefs while your guide explains the myths of Isis and Osiris and the temple’s development during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.

Unfinished Obelisk:

Continue to the Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan’s ancient granite quarries. Believed to have been commissioned during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut, the enormous monument was abandoned after cracks appeared in the stone during construction.

Its unfinished surface provides valuable insight into the quarrying, carving, and engineering techniques used by ancient Egyptian workers to produce monumental obelisks.

Aswan High Dam:

Visit the Aswan High Dam, one of Egypt’s most significant modern engineering projects. Completed in 1970, the dam helped regulate the Nile’s annual flooding, generate hydroelectric power, improve water management, and create the vast Lake Nasser.

After completing your Aswan sightseeing tour, return to the cruise for lunch. Enjoy a relaxed afternoon on board and your final dinner and overnight stay aboard the ship in Aswan.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner

Enjoy your final breakfast on board before checking out from the cruise. Your driver will transfer you to Aswan International Airport for your domestic flight back to Cairo.

Upon arrival in Cairo, meet our representative and transfer comfortably to your hotel, concluding your 5-Day Nile Cruise from Cairo and your journey from Luxor to Aswan along the Nile.

Meals: Breakfast