Trade the bustle of the cities for the slow, silver drift of the river aboard the Magic I, a warm and welcoming Nile cruiser that carries you between Luxor and Aswan at the pace Egypt was meant to be seen. From your sun deck lounger the country unfurls in a long, cinematic ribbon: date palms leaning over the banks, farmers driving donkeys through emerald fields, children waving from mud-brick villages, egrets picking their way through the shallows. Ashore, expert Egyptologist guides walk you through the soaring hypostyle halls of Karnak, the painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings, the crocodile shrines of Kom Ombo, the falcon halls of Edfu, and the sacred island of Philae. Back aboard, meals arrive fresh from the galley, mint tea is never far away, and the sunset turns the water to hammered gold. Come and sail the length of ancient Egypt with Daily Pyramids Tours.
Magic I strikes an easy balance between modern comforts and the timeless romance of the Nile, giving you a floating base with everything you need for a smooth journey through Upper Egypt. Whether you are unwinding after a morning at the temples, catching up over a long lunch, or simply watching the riverbanks slide past, the ship is designed to feel restful, generous, and quietly refined from the moment you step aboard.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
Your Egyptologist meets you at Aswan Airport or your hotel and settles you into a private air-conditioned vehicle for a first sweep of the city. The tour opens at the High Dam, the twentieth-century colossus that tamed the annual flood, gave Egypt Lake Nasser, and rescued a whole chain of Nubian monuments from the rising water.
From there you drive to the Unfinished Obelisk, still tethered to its bedrock in the ancient granite quarry, abandoned mid-carving when a fissure ran through the stone — a rare, up-close look at how the pharaohs cut and shaped their monuments.
A motorised felucca then ferries you across the Nile to Philae Temple, the island shrine of Isis painstakingly moved stone by stone onto Agilkia Island. An optional gentle sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract shows you Aswan’s other face — smooth granite boulders, reed-fringed shorelines, and darting kingfishers.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant before you board the Magic I for check-in. Dinner is served on board, followed by your first night at anchor in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
After breakfast on board, you drive roughly 45 km north of Aswan by private vehicle to reach Kom Ombo. Here you tour the extraordinary Temple of Kom Ombo, built as a perfectly mirrored double sanctuary — one half honouring Sobek, the crocodile god of the Nile, the other Haroeris, the falcon-headed elder Horus.
You explore the twin inner shrines, the great hypostyle hall, and the small ritual chambers, before stepping into the neighbouring Crocodile Museum to see the mummified sacred crocodiles unearthed around the temple.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you rejoin the ship as she pulls away from the mooring and turns downstream toward Edfu. The afternoon slips by on the sun deck as sugarcane fields, riverside hamlets, and sandstone cliffs glide past.
An informal briefing readies you for the morning’s excursion. The Magic I moors overnight in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
After breakfast you clip-clop into Edfu town in a horse-drawn carriage for a private visit to the Temple of Horus, the most intact temple to survive from ancient Egypt.
Inside, its huge pylons, cavernous halls, and crisply carved reliefs walk you through the mythic battle between Horus and Seth and the temple rituals of the Ptolemaic era. Because so much of the building still stands, you can climb through nearly every original level, right up to the roof terraces.
Back on board, the ship sails on toward Luxor with lunch served during the journey.
Once docked, you head out to visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument shaped over centuries by rulers including Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its grand colonnade, open peristyle court, and avenue of sphinxes evoke the ceremonial heart of ancient Thebes. The Magic I remains moored overnight in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After breakfast and disembarkation, you cross to Luxor’s West Bank, the great necropolis of ancient Thebes. Your day begins in the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs open their painted walls to reveal the sacred texts that guided pharaohs safely through the underworld.
Next comes the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, its terraces set dramatically against the sheer honey-coloured cliffs — a monument to one of the most formidable female rulers Egypt ever produced.
A final stop at the Colossi of Memnon lets you stand beneath the two seated giants that once guarded the entrance to Amenhotep III’s vast mortuary temple. After lunch, you are transferred to Luxor Airport or your hotel for onward travel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 1: Arrival in Luxor – East Bank Exploration
Your representative greets you at Luxor Airport or the railway station and drives you by private air-conditioned vehicle to the Magic I for a smooth check-in.
The sightseeing begins with a guided walk through the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious site ever built, its forest of columns and obelisks raised by successive pharaohs over more than two thousand years.
From there you continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom jewel once linked to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant during the day, and you return to the cruise for your first evening aboard, moored in Luxor.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: West Bank of Luxor – Sailing Toward Edfu
After breakfast, you cross to the West Bank of Luxor for a guided exploration of the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 royal tombs still keep their vivid afterlife scenes and hieroglyphic passages carved into the desert rock.
You continue on to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a three-tiered marvel rising in perfect symmetry against the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A short stop follows at the Colossi of Memnon, the two immense seated statues that once flanked the pylon of Amenhotep III’s long-vanished mortuary temple.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you return on board as the Magic I casts off and glides south toward Edfu. The night is spent sailing quietly along the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The ship ties up at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage clatters you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
Astonishingly complete for its age, this Ptolemaic sanctuary of the falcon god is widely regarded as the best-preserved ancient temple anywhere in Egypt.
Back on board, the vessel resumes sailing toward Kom Ombo, where you step ashore to see a rare double temple honouring both Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus.
Its mirror-image floor plan and its perch directly above the river make it one of the most photogenic stops of any Nile cruise. Lunch is served on board as the ship continues upstream toward Aswan.
Overnight on board in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The morning begins at the High Aswan Dam, the monumental piece of modern engineering that created Lake Nasser and reshaped Egypt’s farming, hydro-power, and water supply.
You then move to the Unfinished Obelisk, the vast granite shaft still lying in the quarry where the ancient stonemasons abandoned it, offering an unusually vivid picture of how such colossi were carved.
A motorboat carries you across to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, the Ptolemaic sanctuary rescued and rebuilt on higher ground after the dam’s construction.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant, followed by a traditional felucca sail around Elephantine Island — a slow, silent glide past pink granite boulders, Nubian villages, and river life at its most timeless.
You then return to the Magic I for your last night on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
After a leisurely breakfast on board you check out from the ship, and a private air-conditioned vehicle transfers you to Aswan Airport or the railway station in good time for your onward journey.
Meals: Breakfast
At Daily Pyramids Tours, all prices are quoted in US Dollars (USD) unless otherwise specified. However, we gladly accept payments in other major currencies such as Euros (EUR), British Pounds (GBP), and more, based on the official daily exchange rate on the payment date.
Our prices reflect current market conditions, seasonal fluctuations, and service availability, so they may change without prior notice. Once a deposit or full payment is received, your booking price is locked in and guaranteed.
What’s Included in Our Packages:
Please check your specific booking confirmation and itinerary for exact inclusions and exclusions.
Holiday Supplement:
A 25% surcharge applies to all Nile Cruises and tour packages booked during Christmas, New Year, and Easter holidays due to peak demand.
To ensure a smooth booking process with Daily Pyramids Tours, our payment terms vary depending on the service type:
After payment, you will receive written confirmation, a tailored itinerary, and travel documents via email. Receipts for all payments will be provided.
We understand plans can change. Our cancellation terms are:
Refunds, when applicable, are processed within 14 business days of receiving your written cancellation notice. Some cruises or hotels may have stricter cancellation policies, which will be clearly communicated in your itinerary.
At Daily Pyramids Tours, we welcome families and offer the following children’s pricing:
Discounts apply only when children share accommodation with two full-paying adults. Note that certain Nile Cruises and luxury hotels may have different policies or restrictions for young children, which will be detailed in your itinerary if relevant.
Some special experiences are optional and not included in standard packages. You may book these in advance or arrange on-site (subject to availability). Examples include:
Optional tours are payable in USD or local currency (EGP). We recommend booking in advance, especially during peak seasons.
While our packages are comprehensive, travelers should budget for:
We advise carrying small amounts of local currency (EGP) for convenience, especially for tipping and shopping at local markets.
Tipping (“baksheesh”) is a customary way to show appreciation for good service in Egypt. Though not mandatory, it is widely appreciated:
Tipping is generally not included in your package price. We recommend carrying small USD or EGP bills for tipping convenience.
Fares for a Nile cruise swing quite widely depending on how long you sail, the calibre of the ship, and what is included on board and ashore. As a general guide, expect to pay between $600 and $900 per person for a 3-4 night itinerary on a mid-range to luxury vessel, with premium ships and longer voyages priced above that band.
The sweet spot for cruising the Nile runs from October to April, when daytime temperatures are pleasant and the sightseeing conditions at the temples are at their best. The peak of the summer, roughly May to September, is worth avoiding if you can — the heat in Upper Egypt is punishing at that time of year.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise is arguably the most rewarding way to see ancient Egypt: you move with the river, wake up beside a different landmark most mornings, and let expert guides walk you through the temples and tombs without the hassle of packing and unpacking. Comfort, convenience, and deep cultural discovery all in one trip.
Taking a dip in the Nile itself is not advisable. Water quality, currents, and the possibility of parasites make swimming in the river a poor idea, and cruise operators do not permit it. For a swim, the ship’s own on-deck pool is where you want to be.
The dress code aboard is relaxed. During the day, light, breathable clothing in cotton or linen is ideal for both the ship and the shore excursions. Evenings tend to be smart casual, particularly at dinner and any themed nights. When visiting temples, tombs, mosques, or churches, modest clothing that covers the shoulders and knees is respectful and much appreciated.
