Drift between Luxor and Aswan aboard the Movenpick MS Darakum, a graceful floating hotel that turns the Nile’s slow rhythm into a small holiday of its own. Wide sun decks, a glinting pool and shaded lounges frame a moving panorama of date palms, mud-brick villages and honey-coloured desert while attentive crew keep glasses full and days easy. Ashore, expert Egyptologists lead you through Karnak’s forest of columns, the ceremonial halls of Luxor Temple, the Ptolemaic reliefs of Edfu and Kom Ombo, and the island sanctuary of Philae outside Aswan. After sunset, refined dining, live music and skies bright with stars complete each day. This is history, calm and quiet romance stitched into a single voyage. Book your cabin with Daily Pyramids Tours and let the Nile do the travelling for you.
The Movenpick MS Darakum is among the most refined and generously sized vessels working the stretch of river between Luxor and Aswan. Dressed in warm Moroccan-inspired style, this 5-star ship pairs lantern-lit lounges and richly patterned interiors with airy cabins and quietly attentive service. Sample chef-driven international menus, unwind on a broad sun deck by the pool, and watch Egypt’s temple-lined shores slip past in first-class comfort.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
A Daily Pyramids representative meets you at Aswan Airport, or at your hotel, and remains with you throughout the day’s sightseeing. From there, a private air-conditioned vehicle threads you through Aswan’s most defining landmarks, beginning at the High Dam — a mid-century feat of engineering that tamed the annual flood and rescued Nubia’s threatened temples.
Next comes the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying half-freed inside its granite quarry where an unseen fissure ended the project centuries ago and left behind an unusually vivid lesson in how the pharaohs carved stone.
A short motorised felucca crossing then delivers you to Philae Temple, the island shrine of the goddess Isis, painstakingly moved block by block to Agilkia Island. If time allows, an optional gentle sail around Elephantine Island and past the First Cataract reveals the river’s granite islets and quiet Nubian shores.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant before you board your Nile cruise vessel for check-in. Dinner is served on board, with your first overnight moored in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
After breakfast on board, a private vehicle carries you roughly 45 km north to Kom Ombo. Here you tour the Temple of Kom Ombo, one of Egypt’s few perfectly symmetrical double sanctuaries, shared between Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus.
Your walk covers the mirrored sanctuaries, hypostyle halls and inner chambers, and finishes at the small Crocodile Museum, where mummified crocodiles unearthed nearby are displayed in beautifully lit cases.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant before you rejoin the cruise, which sets sail toward Edfu. The afternoon slips by on deck as sugarcane fields, riverside hamlets and sandstone cliffs mark the profile of Upper Egypt.
An early evening briefing on board sketches the following day’s temple visit. The vessel moors overnight at Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
After breakfast, a horse-drawn carriage clip-clops you into Edfu town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus — the most intact ancient temple anywhere in Egypt.
Inside, colossal pylons, cavernous halls and finely cut inscriptions tell the enduring struggle between Horus and Seth and lay out the ritual life of the Ptolemaic era. Because the building is so well preserved, you can climb through almost every original level, right up to the roof terraces.
Back aboard, the vessel resumes its northward passage toward Luxor, with lunch served as you sail.
On arrival, you visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument shaped over generations by rulers including Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its long colonnades, wide open courts and sphinx-lined processional avenue still speak of ancient Thebes at its ceremonial height. The cruise moors in Luxor for the night.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After breakfast and disembarkation, you cross to Luxor’s West Bank — the vast necropolis of ancient Thebes. First stop is the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs open to reveal vivid painted walls and the sacred spells written to guide pharaohs safely into the afterlife.
From there you continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an architectural masterpiece built in ascending terraces against the cliffs and raised in honour of one of Egypt’s most formidable female rulers.
A final pause is made at the Colossi of Memnon, the two towering statues that once flanked the entrance to a mortuary temple now long vanished. After lunch, you are transferred to Luxor Airport or your hotel for onward departure.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 1: Arrival in Luxor – East Bank Exploration
You are welcomed at Luxor Airport or the railway station by a Daily Pyramids representative and taken by private air-conditioned vehicle to your Nile cruise vessel.
Once check-in is complete, your Egyptologist leads you into the Karnak Temple Complex — the largest religious site ever raised, enlarged across two thousand years by pharaoh after pharaoh.
The tour continues at Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom masterpiece historically tied to Karnak by the long Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant during the day before you return to the cruise ship for 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 walk through the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 rock-cut royal tombs preserve some of the most vivid afterlife scenes anywhere in the ancient world.
The route then leads to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a rising sequence of colonnaded terraces set into the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A brief pause is made at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated giants that mark the vanished mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.
Following lunch at a local restaurant, you return to the cruise vessel as it casts off and begins sailing south toward Edfu. Your overnight is spent on board as the river slips past.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The vessel arrives at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage carries you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
This exceptionally well-preserved Ptolemaic sanctuary honours the falcon-headed god Horus and remains one of the most complete ancient temples still standing in Egypt.
Back on board, the ship resumes its route toward Kom Ombo. Here you explore an unusual double temple shared jointly by Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus.
Its perfectly mirrored plan and dramatic riverside setting mark it out as one of the most distinctive stops along the Nile. Lunch is served on board as sailing continues toward Aswan.
Overnight on board in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The morning opens at the High Aswan Dam, a modern landmark that reshaped Egypt’s agriculture and water security and gave rise to the vast waters of Lake Nasser.
You then move on to the Unfinished Obelisk, a colossal granite monolith abandoned in its quarry, offering a rare, close look at how ancient masons cut and shaped stone.
A motorboat next carries you to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary relocated stone by stone after construction of the Aswan Dam.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant before you set out on a traditional felucca, drifting quietly around Elephantine Island for a peaceful angle on Aswan’s granite outcrops and everyday river life.
You return to the cruise vessel for your final overnight on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
After a final breakfast on board, you check out from the vessel. A private air-conditioned vehicle then 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.
Nile cruise fares shift according to how long you sail, the standard of the ship and what is bundled into the package. As a working guide, expect roughly $600 to $900 per person for a 3-4 night sailing on a mid-range to luxury vessel, with more elaborate ships and longer itineraries carrying higher price tags.
The most comfortable stretch for a Nile cruise runs from October to April, when temperatures ease and sightseeing days feel pleasant rather than punishing. The peak summer months of May to September are best avoided, as heat along the river climbs to demanding levels.
A Nile cruise is genuinely one of the most rewarding ways to see Egypt, blending long, easy views of the river with expert-guided visits to its greatest temples and tombs. You unpack once, wake up in a new landmark most mornings and gain a rich cultural experience without the shuffle of hotel changes.
Swimming in the Nile itself is not advised. Water quality is unreliable in places and currents can be surprisingly strong, so almost all cruise operators keep guests out of the river and encourage use of the onboard pool instead.
Daytime dress on board is casual and easy — light, breathable fabrics work best in the Egyptian sun. Evenings lean toward smart casual, particularly at dinner or themed nights, and modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees is expected when visiting temples, mosques and other sacred sites.
