Step aboard the Nile Premium Nile Cruise and let Egypt’s oldest highway do the travelling for you. Between Luxor and Aswan the river unfolds one slow, cinematic frame at a time — donkeys nosing along mudbrick lanes, feluccas leaning into the breeze, egrets lifting from reedbeds as your ship threads the current. Ashore, the great sites of Upper Egypt arrive in an unhurried sequence: the columned forest of Karnak, sunlit Luxor Temple, honey-stoned Edfu, the twin sanctuaries of Kom Ombo and Isis’s island refuge at Philae. On board you’ll find cool, comfortable cabins, generous buffets and open sun decks made for lazy afternoons and starry nights. With Daily Pyramids Tours steering the details, all you need to do is settle in and let the Nile carry you.
Combining polished onboard living with the storybook shoreline of Upper Egypt, the Nile Premium Cruise turns a handful of days on the river into a genuine highlight of any Egypt trip. Expect roomy cabins with river-facing windows, dining that leans into fresh Egyptian and international flavours, and lounge decks made for tea, sunsets and easy conversation. Guided by seasoned Egyptologists, you’ll walk through Karnak and Luxor Temple, stand beneath the mighty Aswan High Dam and piece together the mythology carved into every wall between. It is a rare kind of holiday: restful, curious and quietly spectacular from first sailing to last.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
Your journey begins the moment you land at Aswan Airport or step out of your hotel, where a Daily Pyramids Tours representative is waiting to greet you and stay with you throughout the day. A private, air-conditioned vehicle carries you into the city for a first meeting with the High Dam — a colossus of mid-twentieth-century engineering that tamed the Nile’s annual flood and, in doing so, saved a string of Nubian monuments from disappearing under Lake Nasser.
From there you drive to the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying half-carved in the ancient granite quarry where a hairline flaw brought work to a sudden halt — a rare window straight into how the Egyptians shaped their giants of stone.
A motorised felucca then ferries you across the Nile to Philae Temple, the elegant island sanctuary of Isis, painstakingly relocated block by block to Agilkia Island when the dam waters rose. If time and inclination allow, an optional sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract reveals the granite outcrops and swirling channels that give Aswan its unmistakable character.
Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant before you board your Nile cruise vessel for check-in. Dinner is served on board, and the first night is spent moored in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
After breakfast on board, a short private drive of roughly 45 km carries you north to Kom Ombo. Here you explore the strikingly symmetrical double temple raised in honour of two gods at once: Sobek the crocodile deity and Haroeris, an aspect of Horus, each with their own sanctuary, hypostyle hall and ritual chambers mirrored down the temple’s central axis.
The visit also takes in the small but fascinating Crocodile Museum, where mummified crocodiles unearthed in the temple grounds are displayed alongside sacred jewellery and votive objects.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant before you rejoin the ship as it eases north along the Nile toward Edfu. The afternoon slips by on deck, with sugarcane fields, palm-shaded villages and warm sandstone cliffs sliding past on either bank.
An onboard briefing sets the scene for tomorrow’s temple visit, and the vessel moors overnight in Edfu.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
Following breakfast, a horse-drawn carriage clatters you through the streets of Edfu to the Temple of Horus — arguably the most completely preserved ancient temple anywhere in Egypt.
Inside, monumental pylons give way to shadowed halls, secret chambers and finely carved reliefs that spell out the mythic duel between Horus and Seth alongside the daily rituals of the Ptolemaic priesthood. Its remarkable state of preservation means you can trace almost every original level of the building, right up to the roof terraces.
Back on board, the cruise resumes its journey north toward Luxor, with lunch served as the landscape drifts past.
Arriving in Luxor, you head straight for Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument built up in layers by rulers including Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its stately colonnades, sunlit courtyards and sphinx-flanked processional avenue map out the ceremonial heart of ancient Thebes. The ship spends the night moored in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After breakfast and disembarkation, you cross to Luxor’s West Bank — the sprawling necropolis of ancient Thebes. Your morning starts in the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs open to reveal astonishingly vivid wall paintings and passages of the funerary texts that were meant to guide each pharaoh safely through the underworld.
Next comes Hatshepsut’s Temple at Deir el-Bahari, an audacious architectural composition of terraces and colonnades set straight into the cliff face and dedicated to one of Egypt’s most formidable female rulers.
A final stop pays homage to the Colossi of Memnon, the pair of weather-worn giants that once flanked the entrance to a now-vanished mortuary temple. After lunch, you are transferred 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, a Daily Pyramids Tours representative meets you and escorts you by private air-conditioned vehicle to your Nile cruise ship.
Once check-in is complete, your exploration begins with a guided visit to the Karnak Temple Complex — the largest religious site ever built, expanded over two millennia by a long line of pharaohs each eager to leave their mark in stone.
From Karnak you continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom masterpiece once linked to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes and still one of the most atmospheric spots in the city at any hour of day.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant during the day before you return to the ship for your first overnight moored 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 exploration of the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 royal tombs preserve some of the most vivid scenes of the ancient Egyptian afterlife ever committed to painted plaster.
The morning continues at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an architectural marvel carved straight into the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A brief stop follows at the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues that mark the remains of Amenhotep III’s once-vast mortuary temple.
After lunch at a local restaurant you return to the vessel as it casts off and begins sailing south toward Edfu. The night is spent onboard as the ship glides gently along the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The ship reaches Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage takes you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
This exceptionally well-preserved Ptolemaic sanctuary is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and remains one of the most complete ancient temples surviving anywhere in Egypt.
Once the visit is done, you rejoin the ship as it continues sailing on to Kom Ombo, where you explore an unusual double temple shared between Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus.
Its precise symmetry and dramatic riverbank setting make it one of the most distinctive temples along the whole Nile. Lunch is served on board as the ship sails on toward Aswan.
Overnight is spent onboard in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The morning opens with a visit to the High Aswan Dam, a landmark of modern engineering that transformed Egypt’s agriculture and water management by giving rise to Lake Nasser.
You then head to the Unfinished Obelisk, a vast granite monolith left where it lay in its quarry, offering a rare, close-up view of how the ancients coaxed such giants out of solid stone.
A motorboat then carries you across to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary rescued and relocated after the construction of the Aswan Dam.
Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant before a traditional felucca sailing experience around Elephantine Island, offering a quiet, wind-powered perspective on Aswan’s granite outcrops and lazy river life.
You then return to the ship 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 cruise vessel. A private, air-conditioned vehicle then transfers you to Aswan Airport or the train 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.
What you pay for a Nile River cruise depends on the length of the itinerary, the standard of the ship and how much is included on board. As a broad guide, expect somewhere between $600 and $900 per person for a 3-4 night sailing on a mid-range to luxury vessel. Longer voyages and higher-end premium cruises with more inclusions and amenities naturally sit above that band.
The sweet spot for a Nile cruise runs from October to April, when the weather is cooler, drier and far kinder for temple-hopping. The peak summer months from May to September are best avoided if you can help it, since temperatures in Upper Egypt regularly climb to punishing highs.
Absolutely — a Nile cruise is one of the most rewarding ways to travel through Egypt. You unpack once, wake up next to a fresh temple almost every morning and spend the days in between watching a timeless riverscape roll past from the sun deck. It’s comfortable, wonderfully convenient and steeped in living culture from start to finish.
Swimming directly in the Nile is not recommended. Pollution, strong and unpredictable currents and the occasional bilharzia risk make it a poor idea, and cruise ships do not permit guests to swim from the vessel. Most premium cruisers instead have a small pool on the sun deck for cooling off in safer waters.
Dress on board is relaxed and comfortable — think loose, breathable fabrics in light colours during the day, with a sun hat and sturdy shoes for temple visits. Evenings tend to be smart casual, particularly at dinner or the occasional themed night. When you head ashore to any temple, mosque or religious site, dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees out of respect for local custom.
