4-Day Nile Cruise from Cairo with Flights: Aswan to Luxor

Our representative will meet you in the lobby of your hotel in Cairo and accompany you on the transfer to Cairo Airport for your included domestic flight to Aswan. On arrival at Aswan Airport, meet your Egyptologist guide and begin the Aswan sightseeing included in your small-group cruise package.

Visit the Aswan High Dam, built between 1960 and 1970. Your guide will explain how this major engineering project changed life along the Nile through water storage, flood control and hydroelectric power generation.

Continue by motorboat to Agilkia Island to explore Philae Temple. Dedicated to Isis, the temple complex combines monumental gateways, columned spaces and carved scenes with an island setting. Its monuments were moved from the original island of Philae in an international rescue effort to protect them from rising water levels.

Next, visit the Unfinished Obelisk in the granite quarries of Aswan. Still attached to the bedrock, it reveals the scale of ancient stoneworking projects. Cracks in the granite led to its abandonment, leaving valuable evidence of how such monuments were made.

After the sightseeing, transfer to your Nile cruise ship for check-in. Lunch and dinner are included today. Settle into your accommodation and spend your first night on board in Aswan.

Breakfast is served on board as your cruise journey continues north from Aswan. Join your guide for the included group excursion to Kom Ombo Temple, set beside the Nile.

Explore the unusual double design of this temple, dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, also known as Horus the Elder. Parallel spaces reflect the worship of the two deities. Your guide will introduce the religious significance of the site and help you interpret its carved decoration.

Return to the ship for lunch and continue towards Edfu. Enjoy the changing river scenery between the sightseeing stops.

At Edfu, travel by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus, as described in the package itinerary. Explore the monumental entrance, courtyards and columned spaces with your guide, who will explain the stories associated with Horus and the role of the temple in ancient religious life.

After the visit, return to your cruise ship and relax on board as the journey towards Luxor continues. Dinner and overnight on the cruise.

After breakfast on board, meet your guide for a small-group excursion to the West Bank of Luxor. This desert landscape formed part of the burial grounds of ancient Thebes, where kings created tombs and temples to commemorate their reigns and prepare for the afterlife.

Begin at the Valley of the Kings, the burial place of New Kingdom pharaohs. Discover the significance of the painted scenes and inscriptions in the tombs you visit. Admission to the Tomb of Tutankhamun is not included in the package; ask your guide about the additional ticket if you wish to visit.

Continue to the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. Three terraces rise towards the limestone cliffs, giving the temple its distinctive setting. Learn about the queen who ruled as pharaoh and the monument created to commemorate her reign.

Stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two enormous seated statues of Amenhotep III that stand on the site of his mortuary temple. They offer another impression of the scale of royal building projects on the West Bank.

Return to the cruise for lunch. The afternoon is at leisure, with time to relax on board before dinner and your final overnight stay in Luxor.

Enjoy breakfast on board, then check out of your cruise accommodation. Meet your guide to explore the East Bank of Luxor before your included return flight to Cairo.

Visit the Karnak temple complex, a religious centre expanded by successive Egyptian rulers. Its monumental gateways, courtyards and columned halls reveal the ambition of generations of builders. Your guide will introduce the worship of Amun and explain how the complex developed over time.

Continue to Luxor Temple in the heart of the modern city. Amenhotep III built the core of the temple, while Ramesses II added a grand entrance and courtyard. Discover its connection with Karnak and the religious processions that once linked these two important sites.

After completing your East Bank sightseeing, transfer by air-conditioned vehicle to Luxor Airport for your flight back to Cairo. Breakfast is the included meal today, marking the end of your four-day Aswan-to-Luxor cruise package.