Cast off from the quayside and let the river do the storytelling. The Nile Story cruise slips gently between Luxor and Aswan, turning each bend of the river into a new page of your Egyptian journey. Long, unhurried afternoons on the sun deck bring a parade of palm groves, working feluccas and mud-brick hamlets, while nightfall ushers in candle-lit dinners, attentive service and the soft creak of a moored ship. Ashore, expert guides lead you beneath the giant hypostyle forest of Karnak, into the riverside temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu, and across to the flower-strewn island of Philae. Ancient wonder meets genuine rest on a single itinerary, and Daily Pyramids Tours is ready to help you begin writing your own chapter today.
Step aboard the Nile Story Nile Cruise and see Egypt the way its earliest travellers did, from the deck of a boat on the river that made civilisation possible. This carefully paced voyage weaves together the country’s most celebrated antiquities with the ease of a floating five-star hotel, so you can wander through pharaonic sanctuaries by day and return to a warm cabin, a cool drink and the gentle motion of the Nile by night.
Day 1: Arrival in Aswan – Aswan City Tour
Your Nile Story begins the moment you land. A representative meets you at Aswan Airport (or collects you from your hotel) and stays with you throughout the day’s exploring. Settle into a private, air-conditioned car and set out for the High Dam first, a colossal feat of twentieth-century engineering that tamed the annual flood, powered a nation and rescued a chain of Nubian temples from the rising waters.
From there you head into the granite quarries to stand beside the Unfinished Obelisk, a giant left half-carved in the bedrock after a fissure appeared, offering an unusually candid look at how the ancients worked stone at monumental scale.
A motorised felucca then crosses the shimmering water to Philae Temple, the graceful sanctuary of Isis that was painstakingly moved, block by block, to Agilkia Island when Lake Nasser began to rise. If you fancy a little more sailing, an optional loop around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract reveals the tumbling rocks that once marked Egypt’s southern frontier.
Lunch is served at a well-chosen local restaurant before you board your Nile cruise vessel for check-in. Dinner is enjoyed onboard, followed by an overnight stay in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
Wake to breakfast onboard, then head north by private vehicle to Kom Ombo, roughly 45 km from Aswan. The temple here is unlike any other on the river, a perfectly mirrored double sanctuary in which every hall, altar and hidden chamber on the left is echoed on the right, one side devoted to Sobek, the crocodile god, and the other to Haroeris, a warrior form of Horus.
Your guide walks you through the twin sanctuaries, the pillared hypostyle hall and the ritual chambers behind them, before a visit to the small Crocodile Museum, where mummified crocodiles unearthed close by lie in reverent display.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you return to the boat and settle in as she casts off for Edfu. The afternoon belongs to the sun deck: sugarcane fields, riverside hamlets and honey-coloured sandstone cliffs slip past on either side, painting a portrait of Upper Egypt that no bus tour can match.
A briefing from your guide prepares you for tomorrow’s temple visit, and the vessel moors overnight in 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 deliver you to the Temple of Horus, the most complete ancient temple standing anywhere in Egypt.
Behind its towering pylons you find vast halls, sunlit courtyards and walls dense with hieroglyphs recounting the mythic battle between Horus and Seth, all set within a Ptolemaic sanctuary so intact you can climb to the roof terraces and gaze out across the town.
Back onboard, the cruise continues north toward Luxor, with lunch served as the river drifts by.
On arrival you visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a building shaped over centuries by pharaohs including Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its soaring colonnades, generous open courts and the sphinx-lined avenue that once linked it to Karnak evoke the ceremonial heartbeat of ancient Thebes. The cruise docks overnight in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After breakfast and disembarkation, you cross the river to the West Bank, the ancient necropolis of Thebes. Your morning begins in the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs are opened to you, each one gleaming with painted scenes and passages from the funerary texts that guided pharaohs into the next world.
You continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a three-tiered masterpiece pressed into the golden cliffs and dedicated to one of the very few women ever to rule Egypt as pharaoh.
A final pause is made at the Colossi of Memnon, two weather-worn giants that once flanked the entrance to a now-vanished mortuary temple on the Theban plain. After lunch, you are transferred to Luxor Airport or your hotel for departure
Meals: Breakfast
Day 1: Arrival in Luxor – East Bank Exploration
Landing in Luxor is a fine way to begin. A representative meets you at the airport or railway station and whisks you by private, air-conditioned car to your Nile cruise vessel.
Once you have checked in, your journey opens with a guided tour of the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious structure ever raised by human hands, extended and embellished by pharaoh after pharaoh across more than two thousand years.
You continue to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom jewel that was once tied to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant during the day, and you return to the ship for an overnight stay in Luxor.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: West Bank of Luxor – Sailing Toward Edfu
After breakfast, you cross the river to Luxor’s West Bank for a guided walk through the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 royal tombs guard vividly painted scenes of the afterlife journey.
The road then climbs to Deir el-Bahari and the Temple of Hatshepsut, a stepped colonnade carved into the amphitheatre of the cliffs and dedicated to the most formidable female pharaoh Egypt ever knew.
A brief halt is made at the Colossi of Memnon, two great seated statues that stand alone on the Theban plain as the last silent guardians of Amenhotep III’s lost mortuary temple.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant, after which you rejoin the vessel as she casts off south toward Edfu. Overnight is spent onboard while sailing along the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The ship arrives at Edfu, and a horse-drawn carriage takes you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
This Ptolemaic sanctuary is regarded as the most complete surviving temple in all of Egypt, dedicated to the falcon-headed Horus and rich in wall reliefs that still read like an illustrated scripture.
Once you return to the vessel, she sets sail for Kom Ombo, where a unique double temple awaits, its twin halves shared exactly between Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus.
The symmetry of its design and its position right at the river’s edge give it a character found nowhere else on the Nile. Lunch is served onboard as you sail, and the voyage continues south toward Aswan.
Overnight onboard in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
Today opens at the High Aswan Dam, a landmark of modern engineering that reshaped Egyptian agriculture and secured the country’s water supply by creating the vast expanse of Lake Nasser.
Next you stand before the Unfinished Obelisk, a giant granite shaft still lodged in its quarry after a flaw ended the work, and a rare window onto ancient stone-carving technique.
A motorboat then carries you to Philae Island for a guided tour of the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary painstakingly relocated when the Aswan Dam began to flood its original home.
Lunch is enjoyed at a local restaurant before you drift out onto the river once more, this time aboard a traditional felucca, sailing quietly around Elephantine Island for an unhurried view of Aswan’s granite islands and riverside daily life.
You return to the cruise vessel for your final overnight stay.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
After a last breakfast on board, you check out from the vessel and a private, air-conditioned car 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.
What you pay for a Nile River cruise depends on how long you sail, the standard of the ship and what has been included in the fare. As a broad guide, expect between $600 and $900 per person for a 3-4 night cruise on a well-appointed mid-range to luxury vessel, while premium ships and longer itineraries with extra amenities naturally sit above that range.
The most comfortable months to cruise the Nile run from October to April, when the desert heat softens and daytime sightseeing is genuinely enjoyable. The peak of summer, roughly May to September, is best avoided if you can, since temperatures on the West Bank can climb to punishing levels.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise is one of the most elegant ways to see Egypt, stitching together the great temples and tombs with slow, restful hours on the water. You unpack once, wake up to a new site each morning and enjoy attentive service throughout, which is why it remains a firm favourite with first-time and returning visitors alike.
Swimming directly in the Nile is not advised, primarily because of water quality concerns and the pull of the current in places. Cruise operators do not permit guests to swim from the vessel, though most ships have their own onboard swimming pool for a refreshing dip.
By day, dress is relaxed and practical, with light, breathable fabrics best suited to the climate. Evenings onboard call for smart casual attire, particularly at dinner and any special events. When visiting temples, mosques or other religious and heritage sites, modest clothing that covers shoulders and knees is respectful and appreciated.
