Blending French colonial character with contemporary five-star comfort, the M/S Nile Dolphin sails the timeless corridor between Luxor and Aswan in unhurried style. Handsomely appointed cabins and suites — many opening onto private balconies — frame the ever-changing riverscape, while the sun deck, swimming pool, and elegant restaurants keep the days easy and the evenings memorable. Chefs alternate international menus with authentic Egyptian dishes, and a warm, well-drilled crew looks after every detail from embarkation to farewell, making each voyage feel like a private, floating retreat.
Step aboard the M/S Nile Dolphin and let the river do the travelling. Wide picture windows and airy sun decks turn breakfast, sundowners, and long afternoons of reading into a slow procession of feluccas, palm groves, and mud-brick villages drifting past. Between meals prepared with real care, an attentive crew and thoughtful onboard rhythm make room for genuine rest — and when the ship moors, you step straight into Egypt’s headline sights: the colossal halls of Karnak, the painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings, the Ptolemaic finery of Edfu and Kom Ombo, and Philae rising from its island near Aswan. It is discovery without the shuffle of crowds or the hustle of transfers. Book your Nile Dolphin cruise with Daily Pyramids Tours, and let Egypt come to you on the water.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
Your Nile adventure begins the moment you land at Aswan Airport or step out of your hotel: a Daily Pyramids Tours representative is there to greet you, handle the logistics, and hand you over to your private, air-conditioned vehicle. The first stop is the Aswan High Dam, a modern feat of engineering that tamed the Nile’s annual flood and rescued a wealth of Nubian monuments from rising waters.
From there you continue to the Unfinished Obelisk, still resting in the granite bedrock where ancient stonecutters abandoned it after a fault appeared — a rare, tangible window into how pharaonic Egypt quarried its colossal monuments.
A motorised felucca then ferries you across the river to Philae Temple, the island sanctuary of Isis that was painstakingly relocated stone by stone to Agilkia Island. An optional sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract offers a glimpse of Aswan’s tumbling river islets and granite outcrops.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant before you transfer to your Nile cruise vessel for check-in. Dinner is served onboard, and the evening is yours to settle into the ship as she rests overnight in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
After breakfast onboard, a private vehicle carries you roughly 45 km north to Kom Ombo, home to one of Egypt’s most unusual temples. Perfectly symmetrical along its central axis, the Temple of Kom Ombo was dedicated in duplicate to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus — twin sanctuaries, twin hypostyle halls, and twin ritual chambers set side by side.
The visit also takes in the adjoining Crocodile Museum, whose mummified crocodiles were unearthed in the temple grounds and offer a striking look at Sobek’s ancient cult.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant, after which you rejoin the cruise as she casts off toward Edfu. The afternoon slides by beneath sugarcane fields, sandstone bluffs, and the timeless riverside villages of Upper Egypt.
An onboard briefing prepares you for the following day’s temple visit, and the ship moors overnight in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
After breakfast, a horse-drawn carriage clip-clops you through the streets of Edfu town to the Temple of Horus — the most completely preserved ancient temple in Egypt.
Inside, towering pylons, cavernous halls, and finely cut reliefs recount the epic contest between Horus and Seth alongside the daily rituals of Ptolemaic priests. So intact is the structure that visitors can still trace nearly every original level, right up to the roof terraces.
Back on the cruise, the ship continues her passage north toward Luxor, with lunch served as the banks glide by.
On arrival you visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument shaped over centuries by pharaohs such as Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its grand colonnades, open courts, and sphinx-lined approach evoke the ceremonial heartbeat of ancient Thebes. The vessel docks 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 ancient necropolis of Thebes. Exploration begins in the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs open their painted chambers to reveal the vivid scenes and sacred texts that guided pharaohs into the afterlife.
You continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an architectural triumph rising in terraced colonnades against the cliffs and dedicated to one of Egypt’s most formidable female rulers.
A final pause at the Colossi of Memnon — two solitary seated giants that once flanked the entrance of a vanished mortuary temple — completes the West Bank circuit. After lunch, you are transferred to Luxor Airport or your hotel for departure.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 1: Arrival in Luxor – East Bank Exploration
Landing at Luxor Airport or stepping off the train, you are met by a Daily Pyramids Tours representative and whisked in a private, air-conditioned vehicle to your Nile cruise vessel.
Once checked in, your Egypt begins in earnest with a guided walk through the vast Karnak Temple Complex — the largest religious site ever raised by human hands, expanded over some two thousand years by successive pharaohs.
You continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom jewel historically tied to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant during the day, and you return to the ship for a peaceful overnight in Luxor.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: West Bank of Luxor – Sailing Toward Edfu
After breakfast, you cross to Luxor’s West Bank for a guided exploration of the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 royal tombs preserve some of the most vividly painted scenes of the ancient Egyptian afterlife.
Next comes the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a graceful three-tiered marvel carved into the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A brief stop is made at the Colossi of Memnon, twin monumental statues that mark the ruined mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.
Lunch at a local restaurant follows, and you rejoin the vessel as she begins her southerly passage toward Edfu. Overnight is spent onboard while sailing along the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The cruise arrives at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage takes you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
Remarkably preserved from the Ptolemaic era, it is dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus and stands as one of the most complete ancient temples in Egypt.
Back on board, the vessel sails on to Kom Ombo, whose unique double temple honours Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus, in perfectly mirrored halves.
Its symmetrical plan and dramatic riverside setting make it one of the most distinctive stops along the Nile. Lunch is served onboard as sailing continues 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 modern engineering landmark that transformed Egypt’s agriculture and water management by creating vast Lake Nasser.
You then visit the Unfinished Obelisk, a colossal granite monolith left in its quarry, offering a rare, close-up study of ancient stone-carving techniques.
A motorboat ride takes you across to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary saved and reassembled after the construction of the Aswan Dam.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant before you drift out onto the river in a traditional felucca, gliding around Elephantine Island for a peaceful, sail-borne perspective of Aswan’s granite banks and river life.
You return to the cruise vessel for your final overnight onboard.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
After breakfast on board, you check out from the cruise vessel. A private air-conditioned vehicle transfers you to Aswan Airport or the train station 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.
Nile cruise pricing swings with the length of the voyage, the standard of the ship, and what is bundled into the fare. As a rough guide, a 3-4 night sailing on a mid-range to luxury vessel usually falls between $600 and $900 per person, while longer itineraries and premium ships with richer inclusions and amenities sit above that range.
The sweet spot for cruising the Nile is October to April, when daytime temperatures are pleasant and sightseeing is comfortable from dawn to dusk. It is best to sidestep the peak summer stretch of May to September, when the heat in Upper Egypt can be genuinely fierce.
Absolutely — a Nile cruise is one of the most rewarding ways to see Egypt, threading together the country’s most iconic temples and tombs with long, restful hours of river scenery. You unpack once, wake up in a new town, and swap airport queues and coach transfers for guided visits, comfortable cabins, and a genuine sense of cultural immersion.
Swimming directly in the Nile is not advised. Currents can be deceptively strong, water quality varies, and health risks make it a poor choice — which is why cruise operators generally do not permit river swimming. The onboard swimming pool on the sun deck is the safe, refreshing alternative.
Onboard style is easy and relaxed by day, with light, breathable fabrics best suited to Egypt’s warm climate. Evenings lean toward smart casual, especially for dinner or captain’s events. When visiting temples, tombs, and other religious or historical sites, modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees is the respectful — and comfortable — choice.
