Cast off from Luxor or Aswan aboard the Royal Princess and let Upper Egypt unfold at the Nile’s own tempo. Between shore excursions, palm groves, mud-brick hamlets and lone fishermen slip past your cabin window, while the sun deck, pool and lounges offer easy places to linger with a cold drink in hand. Ashore, your guide leads you through the hypostyle forest of Karnak, the painted burial chambers of the Valley of the Kings, the Ptolemaic sanctuaries at Edfu and Kom Ombo, and Philae’s serene island temple to Isis. Add attentive crew, generous meals and the warm welcome Egypt is known for, and you have a voyage that feels effortless from first mooring to last. Sail this classic stretch of river with Daily Pyramids Tours.
Uncover the treasures of Upper Egypt from the comfort of the Royal Princess, a five-star floating hotel that turns sightseeing into a slow, scenic pleasure. Each day pairs guided visits to landmark temples and tombs with unhurried hours onboard, all wrapped in the easy hospitality that has made Nile cruising an Egyptian tradition for generations.
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 our representative is waiting to greet you and stay by your side throughout the day. A private air-conditioned car whisks you into the city for a first look at Aswan’s headline sights, starting with the High Dam — the twentieth-century engineering feat that tamed the Nile’s annual flood and shielded countless Nubian monuments from disappearing beneath its waters.
From there you head to the Unfinished Obelisk, still lodged in the granite bedrock where ancient masons abandoned it after a hairline crack betrayed the stone. Walking around its lower faces is a rare, tactile lesson in how pharaonic monuments were actually quarried.
A short motorised felucca ride then delivers you to Philae Temple, the graceful island sanctuary of Isis that was painstakingly moved block by block onto higher Agilkia Island. If time and mood allow, an optional sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract adds a beautiful stretch of granite islets and swirling current to the afternoon.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant before you check in aboard your Nile cruise ship. Dinner is served onboard, 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 the roughly 45 km north to Kom Ombo, where you step into one of the strangest and most beautiful temples on the Nile. The Temple of Kom Ombo was laid out as a perfectly mirrored double sanctuary, one half honouring Sobek the crocodile god, the other Haroeris, a form of Horus.
Your guide walks you through both sets of sanctuaries, hypostyle halls and ritual chambers, before leading you into the small Crocodile Museum next door, where mummified crocodiles unearthed nearby lie displayed in hushed light.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant, then you rejoin the ship as she casts off for Edfu. The afternoon drifts by on deck as sugarcane fields, riverside hamlets and honey-coloured sandstone cliffs slide past — the essential landscape of Upper Egypt.
An onboard briefing sets the scene for the following morning, and the vessel ties up in Edfu for the night.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Edfu Temple & Arrival in Luxor
After breakfast a horse-drawn carriage clip-clops you through the streets of Edfu town to the Temple of Horus, the most completely preserved ancient temple anywhere in Egypt.
Inside, colossal pylons, cavernous halls and finely carved inscriptions unfold the mythic battle between Horus and Seth alongside the everyday rituals of the Ptolemaic priesthood. So little has been lost that you can climb through almost every original level, right up to the roof terraces.
Back on board, the cruise resumes its northward course toward Luxor, with lunch served as the ship sails.
On arrival you visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument reshaped over centuries by rulers such as Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its grand colonnades, open courts and sphinx-lined avenue still trace the ceremonial spine of ancient Thebes. The ship stays moored in Luxor overnight.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
After breakfast and disembarkation, you cross to Luxor’s West Bank, the ancient necropolis of Thebes. Your morning opens in the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs are entered in turn, each glowing with vivid wall paintings and funerary texts written to steer the pharaoh safely through the afterlife.
Next comes the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an architectural triumph terraced into the tawny cliffs and dedicated to one of the most formidable women ever to rule Egypt.
A final pause is made at the Colossi of Memnon, the pair of seated giants that once flanked the entrance to a long-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
Your voyage opens at Luxor Airport or train station, where our representative meets you and drives you by private air-conditioned car to your waiting Nile cruise ship.
Once you have settled into your cabin, the sightseeing begins with a guided walk through the Karnak Temple Complex — the largest religious site ever built, expanded and re-expanded across two thousand years by successive pharaohs.
From there the tour moves on to Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom masterpiece once linked to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant during the day before you return to the ship for dinner and an overnight moored in Luxor.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Day 2: West Bank of Luxor – Sailing Toward Edfu
After breakfast you cross to Luxor’s West Bank and enter the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 royal tombs shelter richly painted scenes of the ancient Egyptian afterlife carved and coloured deep into the rock.
Your guide leads you on to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a tiered architectural wonder built into the cliff face and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A short stop follows at the Colossi of Memnon, two monumental statues that mark all that remains above ground of Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple.
After lunch at a local restaurant you return to the ship as she casts off south toward Edfu, with the night spent onboard while sailing along the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The ship docks at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage carries you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
This exceptionally preserved Ptolemaic sanctuary honours the falcon god Horus and stands as one of the most complete ancient temples still surviving in Egypt.
Back on board, you sail on to Kom Ombo, home to an unusual double temple shared jointly by Sobek the crocodile god and Haroeris, a form of Horus.
Its perfectly symmetrical plan and dramatic riverside setting make it one of the most distinctive stops along the Nile. Lunch is served on board as the ship sails onward toward Aswan.
The night is spent moored in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
Your morning starts at the High Aswan Dam, a landmark of modern engineering whose completion reshaped Egyptian farming and water management by giving birth to Lake Nasser.
You then visit the Unfinished Obelisk, a colossal granite monolith left half-carved in its quarry — a rare open-air lesson in ancient stone-working technique.
A motorboat carries you across to Philae Island for a guided visit to the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary rescued and relocated after the Aswan Dam threatened its original home.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant, after which a traditional felucca glides you around Elephantine Island for a slower, softer view of Aswan’s granite outcrops and river life.
You 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 of the cruise. A private air-conditioned vehicle 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.
Nile cruise pricing shifts with the length of the itinerary, the standard of the ship and what is bundled into the fare. As a rough guide, expect between $600 and $900 per person for a 3-4 night sailing on a mid-range to luxury vessel. Premium ships with more elaborate amenities or longer itineraries sit above that band.
The sweet spot for a Nile cruise runs from October to April, when daytime temperatures stay pleasant and shore excursions feel comfortable. It is best to sidestep the peak summer months of May to September, when the heat in Upper Egypt can climb to punishing levels.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise remains one of the most rewarding ways to see Egypt, pairing sweeping river scenery with guided access to the country’s most iconic temples and tombs. You unpack once, glide between sites in comfort, and pick up a real feel for the culture along the way.
Swimming directly in the Nile is generally discouraged for both health and safety reasons, from water quality issues to unpredictable currents. Cruise operators do not permit river swimming, though ships offer their own pools on the sun deck.
Daytime dress on a Nile cruise is relaxed and practical — light, breathable fabrics work best in the heat. Evenings on board lean smart-casual, particularly at dinner. When visiting temples, mosques or churches, covering shoulders and knees is the respectful choice.
