Step aboard the MS Salacia and let the Nile do what it has done for millennia: carry travellers gently between Luxor and Aswan on a current older than history itself. Days on this graceful vessel move to the river’s own tempo — mornings on the sundeck watching mist lift off palm groves, afternoons drifting past mud-brick hamlets where children wave from the bank, evenings under a sky splashed with stars. Ashore, our knowledgeable guides bring the great monuments alive: the forest of columns at Karnak, the cliff-top drama of Edfu and Kom Ombo, and the island temple of Philae rising from Lake Nasser like a mirage. Return each night to a warmly lit cabin, an unhurried dinner and the kind of Egyptian welcome that turns a ship into a home on water. Sail with Daily Pyramids Tours, and let this legendary river tell you its story at its own unhurried pace.
Everything aboard the MS Salacia has been thought through with a single aim in mind: to make your days on the river feel effortless. Generously proportioned suites, several handsome lounges to retreat into, a full wellness suite for unwinding after temple visits, and a broad sweep of on-board services combine to create a stay that is as restful as it is memorable.
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), where our representative is waiting to greet you and stay by your side throughout the day. Settled into a private air-conditioned car, you head first to the High Dam — a colossal feat of twentieth-century engineering that tamed the annual flood and, in doing so, rescued a string of Nubian temples from the rising waters.
From there it is on to the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in the pink granite quarry that once fed the workshops of the pharaohs. A crack in the stone doomed it centuries ago, and today it offers one of the clearest windows anywhere into how ancient masons quarried, shaped and moved their giant monoliths.
A motorised felucca then ferries you across the Nile to Philae Temple, the exquisite island sanctuary of Isis that was famously dismantled and reassembled block by block on Agilkia Island. If time allows, an optional sail continues around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract, where granite boulders divide the river into a maze of channels.
Lunch is taken at a favourite local restaurant before you board the MS Salacia for check-in. Dinner is served on board, and your first 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 the roughly 45 km north to Kom Ombo, where one of Egypt’s most unusual temples awaits. The Temple of Kom Ombo is a perfectly mirrored double sanctuary, one half honouring the crocodile-headed Sobek and the other Haroeris, an ancient form of Horus.
You wander through the paired sanctuaries, hypostyle halls and ritual chambers before stepping into the small but memorable Crocodile Museum, home to a collection of mummified crocodiles unearthed on the site.
A relaxed lunch at a nearby restaurant is followed by a return to the ship as she casts off toward Edfu. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy on the sundeck, gliding past sugarcane fields, working ferries and sandstone bluffs that give Upper Egypt its distinctive palette.
An early-evening briefing prepares you for the following day’s temple visit, and the vessel moors for the night in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
Breakfast finished, you climb into a horse-drawn carriage for the short trot through the streets of Edfu to the Temple of Horus — the best-preserved ancient temple anywhere in Egypt.
Inside, monumental pylons, cavernous halls and painstakingly carved reliefs unfold the mythological duel between Horus and Seth, together with the daily rituals of the Ptolemaic priesthood. Because so much of the structure survives intact, you can trace its full architectural sweep, including staircases that climb to the roof terraces.
Back on board, the ship pushes on toward Luxor, with lunch served as the palm-fringed banks slip by.
On arrival you head to Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a shrine layered by the ambitions of successive rulers, most notably Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its soaring colonnades, sunlit courtyards and long avenue of sphinxes recall a time when this was the ceremonial heart of ancient Thebes. The ship stays moored in Luxor overnight.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After a final breakfast on board and disembarkation, you cross the Nile to the West Bank — the ancient necropolis of Thebes. The morning opens in the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs are entered in turn, their painted walls still glowing with the sacred texts that were to guide pharaohs safely into the next world.
Next comes the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a terraced masterpiece rising out of the honey-coloured cliffs and dedicated to one of the very few women ever to rule as pharaoh.
A last stop is made at the twin Colossi of Memnon, seated sentinels that once flanked the entrance to a vast mortuary temple long since vanished. 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 Nile journey begins in Luxor, where a representative meets you at the airport or train station and drives you in a private air-conditioned vehicle straight to the MS Salacia.
Once check-in is complete, the exploration starts at the Karnak Temple Complex — the largest religious building the ancient world ever raised, added to and reshaped by pharaoh after pharaoh across two thousand years.
From there you continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom jewel once joined to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is served at a chosen local restaurant during the day before you return to the ship to settle in for your first night on board in Luxor.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: West Bank of Luxor – Sailing Toward Edfu
After breakfast, you cross to the West Bank to explore the Valley of the Kings, a hidden desert wadi that shelters more than 60 royal tombs, their painted walls preserving the ancient Egyptians’ vivid vision of the afterlife.
The morning continues at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an architectural triumph terraced into the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most formidable female pharaoh.
A short stop follows at the Colossi of Memnon, two vast statues that mark all that remains of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.
Following lunch at a local restaurant, you rejoin the ship as she casts off south toward Edfu. The night is spent on board as the Nile slips quietly beneath the hull.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The ship reaches Edfu at first light, and a horse-drawn carriage carries you through the town to the Temple of Horus for a guided visit.
Wonderfully preserved from Ptolemaic times and dedicated to the falcon-headed Horus, it is widely regarded as the most complete ancient temple to have survived in Egypt.
Back on board, the vessel continues to Kom Ombo, where a rare double temple awaits — one half consecrated to Sobek the crocodile god, the other to Haroeris, a version of Horus.
Its mirror-image plan and dramatic riverside setting make it one of the most striking stops on any Nile itinerary. Lunch is served on board as the ship sails onward, before continuing south toward Aswan.
The night is spent moored in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The morning opens at the High Aswan Dam, a defining piece of modern Egyptian engineering that transformed farming and water supply nationwide by giving birth to Lake Nasser.
You then visit the Unfinished Obelisk, a colossal granite shaft still lying where it was abandoned in its quarry — an unrivalled lesson in how the ancient stonemasons went about their craft.
A short motorboat ride carries you to Philae Island for a guided tour of the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary that was famously rescued from the rising waters after the Aswan Dam was built.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant, followed by an unhurried felucca sail around Elephantine Island, offering a serene, low-slung view of Aswan’s granite outcrops and river-side rhythms.
You return to the ship for your final night on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
A relaxed final breakfast on board precedes checkout. A private air-conditioned vehicle is standing by to transfer you to Aswan Airport or train station for the next leg of your travels.
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 many nights you sail, the class of vessel and the level of service on board. As a working guide, a 3-4 night cruise on a mid-range to luxury ship generally sits between $600 and $900 per person. Longer voyages or more lavishly appointed premium ships climb above that figure.
For a comfortable Nile cruise, aim for the cooler months from October to April, when daytime temperatures suit both sightseeing and afternoons on the sundeck. The high-summer window of May to September is best avoided, as the heat can be punishing.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise remains one of the most rewarding ways to see Egypt, pairing effortless travel between the country’s greatest temples and tombs with long, unhurried stretches of scenic river life. Comfort, convenience and a deep sense of place all come as standard.
Taking a dip in the Nile itself is not advised. Water quality and unpredictable currents both pose real risks, and cruise operators, as a rule, do not permit swimming directly in the river.
Daytime dress on board tends to be relaxed and practical — think light, breathable fabrics that cope with warm afternoons. Evenings edge toward smart casual, particularly at dinner. When visiting temples, mosques or churches, more modest coverage of shoulders and knees is expected as a matter of respect.
