Cast off between Luxor and Aswan on board the Mövenpick MS Royal Lotus, a graceful floating retreat where Egypt’s most storied river becomes the view from your window. Long, unhurried afternoons unfold on the sun deck beside the pool as palm belts, mud-brick hamlets and grazing water buffalo drift by, while a warm and practised crew look after every detail below. Ashore, expert guides lead you through the forest of columns at Karnak, the painted royal tombs of the West Bank, the Ptolemaic elegance of Edfu and Kom Ombo and the sacred island temple of Philae. Come nightfall, the deck falls quiet under a canopy of desert stars. Join Daily Pyramids Tours and sail the Nile the way it should be sailed.
Discover the Nile in true five-star style aboard the Mövenpick MS Royal Lotus, a beautifully appointed cruiser where refined design, generous space and warm service come together. Roomy cabins, panoramic lounges and a celebrated kitchen set the scene for a journey that links Luxor’s monumental temples with Aswan’s serene southern light. Each day brings its own rhythm: a rose-tinted sunrise from your window, hours of gentle sailing past riverside villages and quiet evenings of music and conversation on deck.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
On arrival at Aswan Airport or at your hotel you are welcomed by our representative, who will remain your point of contact throughout the local programme. A private air-conditioned car whisks you into the city, opening with the High Dam — the great mid-century feat of engineering that tamed the Nile’s floods and rescued a string of Nubian monuments from the rising waters.
Next comes the Unfinished Obelisk, still embedded in the granite quarry where it was abandoned when a hairline crack undid centuries of ambition; standing beside it is the clearest lesson you will ever get in ancient stone-cutting.
A motorised felucca then carries you across to Philae Temple, the island shrine of the goddess Isis, dismantled and rebuilt block by block on Agilkia Island. An optional sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract shows off Aswan’s rocky, tumbling stretch of river.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant before you board your Nile cruise for check-in. Dinner is served on board and the night is spent moored in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
After breakfast on board, a private vehicle takes you roughly 45 km north from Aswan to Kom Ombo. Here your guide unlocks the Temple of Kom Ombo, a curious double sanctuary designed in perfect mirror image and consecrated jointly to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, an aspect of Horus.
You will walk through both twin sanctuaries, the hypostyle halls and the surviving ritual chambers, before stepping into the small Crocodile Museum to meet a gallery of mummified crocodiles unearthed nearby.
Lunch at a local restaurant follows, and then you rejoin the ship as it sets off downstream for Edfu. The afternoon slips by beneath sugarcane fields, waving farmers and the pale sandstone bluffs that give Upper Egypt its unmistakable palette.
An onboard briefing sets you up for the morning’s visit, and the vessel moors overnight at Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
After breakfast, a horse-drawn carriage clatters through the streets of Edfu town to the Temple of Horus, the most completely preserved of all Egypt’s ancient temples.
Inside, immense pylons, cavernous halls and crisply cut reliefs recount the mythic struggle between Horus and Seth alongside the elaborate rituals of the Ptolemaic priesthood. So little has been lost that you can still climb up to the roof terraces.
Back on board, the cruise turns north for Luxor, with lunch served during the sail.
On arrival you head to Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument shaped over successive reigns by Amenhotep III, Ramesses II and others.
Its stately colonnades, open courts and sphinx-lined processional avenue capture the ceremonial heart of ancient Thebes. The ship spends the night in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After breakfast and disembarkation, you cross to the West Bank of Luxor — the ancient necropolis of Thebes. The morning begins in the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs reveal jewel-bright wall paintings and the sacred texts intended to guide each pharaoh safely into the afterlife.
Next comes the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a bold terraced monument set against the cliff and raised for one of the most formidable female rulers Egypt ever knew.
A last pause is made at the Colossi of Memnon, the two seated giants that once flanked the entrance to a now-vanished mortuary temple. After lunch you are driven to Luxor Airport or your hotel for onward travel.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 1: Arrival in Luxor – East Bank Exploration
On arrival at Luxor Airport or the railway station you are met by our representative and driven in a private air-conditioned vehicle to your Nile cruise vessel.
Once checked in, your journey opens with a guided walk through the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious site ever raised in the ancient world, expanded generation after generation across two millennia.
From there you continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom jewel once tied to Karnak by the famous Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant during the day before you return to the ship for your first night 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 tour of the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 royal tombs preserve vividly painted visions of the ancient Egyptian afterlife.
You then head to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an architectural wonder terraced into the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A short stop follows at the Colossi of Memnon, two colossal statues that mark all that survives of Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you rejoin the vessel as it casts off southbound for Edfu. The night is spent on board while the ship glides quietly along the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The ship reaches Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage clip-clops you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
This exceptionally intact Ptolemaic temple is dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus and remains among the most complete ancient sanctuaries surviving anywhere in Egypt.
Back on board, the vessel sails on to Kom Ombo, where you explore its rare double temple, shared between Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, an aspect of Horus.
Its mirror-image plan and riverside setting make it one of the most distinctive stops along the entire Nile. Lunch is taken on board during the onward sail toward Aswan.
Overnight is spent on board in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The day opens at the High Aswan Dam, a landmark of modern engineering that transformed Egyptian agriculture and water management with the creation of Lake Nasser.
Next comes the Unfinished Obelisk, a huge granite monolith left where the quarrymen abandoned it, offering a rare window into the techniques of ancient stone-carvers.
A motorboat then ferries you across to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary relocated to safety after the building of the Aswan Dam.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant, followed by a traditional felucca sail around Elephantine Island — a slow, breezy way to take in Aswan’s granite outcrops and everyday river life.
You return to the ship for your final night on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
After a final breakfast on board you check out of the cruise. A private air-conditioned vehicle transfers you to Aswan Airport or the railway 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.
What you pay for a Nile cruise depends chiefly on how long you sail, the standing of the vessel and what is bundled into the fare. As a working guide, expect roughly $600 to $900 per person for a 3-4 night voyage on a solid mid-range to luxury ship. Longer itineraries or top-tier vessels with richer amenity lists will sit above that band.
The Nile is at its most rewarding between October and April, when cooler air and softer light make temple-hopping a genuine pleasure. The peak summer stretch from May to September is best avoided — the heat in Upper Egypt is intense and midday sightseeing quickly becomes hard work.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise remains one of the most graceful ways to see Egypt, threading long scenic sails together with expert-led visits to the country’s landmark temples and tombs. You gain comfort, easy logistics and an immersive cultural rhythm that road-based trips simply cannot match.
Swimming in the Nile itself is generally discouraged for reasons of health and safety, chiefly water quality and unpredictable currents. Cruise vessels will not permit guests to swim off the ship; a dip in the on-board pool is the sensible alternative.
Daytime dress on board is relaxed and comfortable — light, breathable fabrics work best in the Upper Egyptian climate. Evenings lean towards smart casual for dinner and any onboard entertainment, while at temples and other religious or heritage sites more modest coverage (shoulders and knees) is the courteous choice.
