Drift along the timeless Nile aboard the Sara, an easy-going riverboat that turns the corridor between Luxor and Aswan into a slow, cinematic reveal of pharaonic Egypt. Days unfold at a gentle pace: mornings ashore among the colossal columns of Karnak, afternoons at the riverside sanctuaries of Edfu and Kom Ombo, evenings watching Aswan’s palm-dotted islands slip by from the sundeck. Between the temples, the Sara looks after the small pleasures, thoughtful service, freshly cooked Egyptian and international dishes, comfortable cabins, and a top deck made for lingering as the light turns to copper on the water. It is a rare balance of deep history and unforced calm. Book your Sara Nile cruise with Daily Pyramids Tours and let the river do the storytelling.
Trade traffic and hotel corridors for the slow, silver ribbon of the Nile aboard the graceful A Sara Nile Cruise. Across 3 or 4 richly paced nights sailing between Luxor and Aswan (in either direction), the Sara pairs Egypt’s greatest open-air museums with the ease of a floating boutique hotel, airy cabins with panoramic windows, generous buffets, sundeck lounging as the banks slide past, and lively Nubian evenings after dark. Temples by day, quiet comfort by night, an unhurried immersion in the river that made Egypt possible.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
Your journey begins the moment you land at Aswan Airport, or step out of your hotel lobby, where a Daily Pyramids representative is waiting to welcome you. From here, a private air-conditioned vehicle whisks you into the heart of the ancient city, opening with the High Dam, the twentieth-century wonder that tamed the Nile’s floods and rescued Nubia’s temples from rising waters.
Next comes the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying half-carved in its granite bed where a hairline fracture halted the pharaoh’s stonemasons mid-work, an extraordinary look at how these monuments were quarried more than three thousand years ago.
A motorised felucca then ferries you across sparkling waters to Philae Temple, the island sanctuary of Isis, dismantled and rebuilt block by block on higher Agilkia Island to save it from the dam. Should time and interest allow, an optional sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract reveals Aswan’s most photogenic granite outcrops and river channels.
Lunch is served at a favourite local restaurant, after which you board your Nile cruise vessel for check-in. Dinner is enjoyed onboard as the ship prepares for the days ahead, followed by an overnight stay in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
A leisurely breakfast onboard sets you up for the short private drive north to Kom Ombo, roughly 45 km from Aswan, where one of Egypt’s most unusual temples rises directly above the river. The Temple of Kom Ombo is a rare double sanctuary, its architecture split in perfect mirror image to honour Sobek, the crocodile god of fertility, and Haroeris, an aspect of the falcon-headed Horus.
You’ll explore its paired hypostyle halls, twin sanctuaries and ritual chambers, then step into the small but fascinating Crocodile Museum, where mummified crocodiles unearthed nearby lie in dignified rows, testament to the cult that once flourished here.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you rejoin the Sara as she casts off for Edfu. The afternoon belongs entirely to the river, sugarcane fields blurring past, mud-brick villages coming and going, sandstone cliffs glowing in the late light, the classic Upper Egyptian panorama best watched from a sundeck lounger.
An onboard briefing prepares you for the next day’s temple visit, and the vessel moors overnight at Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
After breakfast, you step ashore and climb aboard a horse-drawn carriage for the short, atmospheric clip-clop through Edfu town to the Temple of Horus, widely regarded as the most completely preserved ancient temple in all of Egypt.
Beyond its towering twin pylons stretch vast colonnaded courts and shadowy halls carved with the epic combat of Horus and Seth and the temple rituals of the Ptolemaic priests. So intact are its structures that you can walk almost every level, from the sanctuary of the sacred barque to the rooftop terraces where astronomical observations once took place.
Back aboard, the Sara continues her northward journey to Luxor with lunch served as the banks slip past.
On arrival, you visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument shaped and reshaped across centuries by rulers from Amenhotep III to Ramesses II, its grand pylon still guarded by seated colossi.
Sunset is a fine hour to walk its long avenue of sphinxes and floodlit colonnades, the ceremonial heart of ancient Thebes. Your cruise ties up in Luxor for the night.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
Breakfast, farewells and disembarkation open your final day, before you cross to the West Bank of Luxor, the ancient necropolis of Thebes. Exploration begins in the Valley of the Kings, where you descend into three royal tombs whose painted walls still burn with colour, guiding long-dead pharaohs through the underworld with texts from the Book of Gates and the Book of the Dead.
Next comes the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, its rising terraces cut cleanly into the amber cliffs, a triumph of design dedicated to one of Egypt’s few, and most formidable, female rulers.
A final stop is made at the Colossi of Memnon, the two weathered giants of Amenhotep III that once flanked a mortuary temple long since vanished into the floodplain. After lunch, you are transferred to Luxor Airport or your hotel for onward travel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 1: Arrival in Luxor – East Bank Exploration
A warm welcome awaits at Luxor Airport or the train station, where your Daily Pyramids representative meets you and settles you into a private air-conditioned vehicle for the short transfer to your Nile cruise vessel.
After check-in and a quick freshen-up, your Egypt story opens in earnest at the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious structure ever built by human hands, extended, embellished and reimagined by pharaoh after pharaoh across two millennia of unbroken devotion.
From there you continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom masterpiece once linked to Karnak by the great Avenue of Sphinxes, whose graceful courts and colonnades trace the ceremonial route of the Opet festival.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant during the day before you return to the cruise ship for a comfortable overnight in Luxor.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: West Bank of Luxor – Sailing Toward Edfu
Breakfast onboard is followed by a short crossing to the West Bank of Luxor, the fabled necropolis of Thebes, where a private guided tour of the Valley of the Kings brings you face to face with the burial places of the New Kingdom pharaohs, more than 60 tombs in total, their walls still glowing with hieroglyphs and vivid afterlife scenes.
Your visit continues at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, its long terraces stepping dramatically into the sun-baked cliffs, a fitting stage for one of the most powerful female rulers of the ancient world.
A brief stop follows at the Colossi of Memnon, the twin seated giants that stand alone in the fields as the last surviving guardians of Amenhotep III’s vanished mortuary temple.
Following lunch at a local restaurant, you rejoin the vessel as she casts off southward toward Edfu, and the overnight sailing slips into the rhythm of the river.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
Mid-morning, the Sara ties up at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage clip-clops you through the little market town to the Temple of Horus for a guided tour.
This remarkably intact Ptolemaic sanctuary is dedicated to the falcon god Horus, and its towering pylons, secret chambers and detailed reliefs make it one of the most complete ancient temples still standing anywhere in Egypt.
Once your visit ends, you return onboard and the vessel resumes her course toward Kom Ombo, where a rather different temple awaits, a rare double sanctuary set right on the riverbank and shared between Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, an aspect of Horus.
Its perfectly symmetrical plan and dramatic waterside setting make it one of the most photogenic monuments along the Nile. Lunch is served onboard while sailing, and the afternoon carries you gently on toward Aswan.
Overnight onboard in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The day opens at the High Aswan Dam, a twentieth-century feat of engineering that reshaped Egyptian agriculture, secured its water supply and gave rise to the vast expanse of Lake Nasser stretching south toward the Sudanese border.
From there you travel a short way to the Unfinished Obelisk, a colossal granite monolith still resting where it was abandoned in its quarry after cracks appeared, offering a rare and hands-on glimpse of how ancient stonecutters worked.
A motorboat then takes you across sparkling waters to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary painstakingly rescued and relocated after the construction of the Aswan Dam.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant, followed by a traditional felucca sailing around Elephantine Island, an unhurried, wind-powered way to take in Aswan’s granite boulders, palm groves and slow riverside life.
You return to the cruise vessel for your final overnight aboard.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
A last breakfast on board is followed by check-out, and a private air-conditioned vehicle then carries you smoothly to Aswan Airport or the train station, where your onward journey begins with the Nile still shining in the rear-view mirror.
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.
What you pay for a Nile River cruise depends on how long you sail, the standard of the vessel and how much is bundled into the fare. As a rough guide, a 3-4 night cruise on a well-appointed mid-range to luxury ship generally sits between $600 and $900 per person, while longer voyages on premium ships with richer inclusions climb from there.
The sweet spot for cruising the Nile runs from October to April, when daytime temperatures ease into a comfortable range for temple visits and river sailing. It is best to avoid the peak summer stretch of May to September, when Upper Egypt regularly climbs to punishing highs and open-air sightseeing becomes taxing.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise remains one of the most rewarding, and least stressful, ways to see Egypt, pairing sweeping river views with guided access to the country’s most iconic temples and tombs. You unpack once, wake up in a new town most days and enjoy meals, comfort and genuine Egyptian hospitality throughout.
Swimming directly in the Nile is not advised, chiefly because of water quality concerns, unpredictable currents and the risk of waterborne parasites in certain stretches. For that reason, cruise operators do not permit swimming in the river itself, though many ships have their own pool onboard.
Onboard dress is relaxed by day, think loose cotton or linen, layers you can shed as the sun climbs, and closed shoes for temple visits. Evenings edge toward smart casual, especially for the captain’s dinner and gala nights. When visiting temples, mosques or churches, modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees is respectful and expected.
