Drift between Aswan and Luxor aboard the Sonesta Sun Goddess and let Egypt’s greatest river do the storytelling. This elegant five-star vessel becomes your home on the water for a few unhurried days, with sunrises over palm groves, cool marble lobbies and long lunches served as the banks slide by. Ashore, expert guides walk you through the towering halls of Karnak, the painted burial chambers of the Valley of the Kings, the twin sanctuaries of Kom Ombo, the near-perfect Temple of Horus at Edfu and the island temple of Philae. Back on board, the sundeck pool, panoramic lounges and attentive crew keep the pace beautifully calm. Book your cabin with Daily Pyramids Tours and step aboard a Nile voyage designed to feel effortless from the first mooring line to the last.
The Sonesta Sun Goddess brings a quietly polished sense of style to the Nile. Wide picture windows, refined suites, generous public spaces and a wraparound sundeck give this five-star cruiser an unhurried, resort-like feel, while the crew’s warm attention to detail turns even the shortest sailing into something memorable. Days are spent visiting Luxor and Aswan’s most extraordinary monuments; evenings belong to leisurely dining, live music and the slow unspooling of the river beyond your window.
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 greets you and stays with you throughout the day. A private air-conditioned vehicle then sets off along Aswan’s classic sightseeing circuit, opening with the High Dam, the twentieth-century engineering feat that tamed the Nile’s annual flood and made possible the rescue of dozens of Nubian temples.
From there, you head to the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying half-cut in the granite quarry where a fracture forced the ancient stonemasons to abandon it — an unusually direct window into how such colossal monuments were shaped.
A motorised felucca then ferries you across the water to Philae Temple, the graceful island shrine to Isis that was dismantled and rebuilt block by block on higher Agilkia Island. An optional sail around Elephantine Island and the First Cataract adds a lingering look at Aswan’s boulder-strewn river landscape.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant before you transfer to your Nile cruise vessel and check in. Dinner is served on board, followed by an overnight stay in Aswan.
Meals: Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Kom Ombo & Sailing to Edfu
After breakfast on board, a private vehicle carries you roughly 45 km north to Kom Ombo. Standing on a curve of the Nile, the Temple of Kom Ombo is famously twinned down its central axis, honouring the crocodile god Sobek on one side and Haroeris, a form of Horus, on the other.
You explore its mirrored sanctuaries, hypostyle halls and ritual chambers, then step into the neighbouring Crocodile Museum, where mummified crocodiles unearthed nearby are beautifully displayed.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant, after which you rejoin the ship as it casts off for Edfu. The afternoon slips by in true Nile fashion — sugarcane fields, riverside hamlets and honey-coloured sandstone cliffs sliding past the deck.
An onboard briefing sets you up for the following morning’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 clip-clops you through Edfu town to the Temple of Horus, the most completely preserved of all Egypt’s ancient temples.
Beyond its immense pylons lie vast columned halls and finely carved reliefs recounting the mythic struggle between Horus and Seth alongside the temple rituals of the Ptolemaic era. Because so much of the structure survives intact, you can explore nearly every original level, right up to the roof terraces.
Back on board, the cruise resumes its northward course toward Luxor, with lunch served under way.
On arrival you visit Luxor Temple on the East Bank, a monument shaped over centuries by rulers including Amenhotep III and Ramesses II.
Its long colonnades, sunlit courtyards and sphinx-lined processional avenue make plain why this was the ceremonial heart of ancient Thebes. The ship berths overnight in Luxor.
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Luxor West Bank & Departure
Breakfast and disembarkation are followed by the short crossing to the West Bank, the great funerary landscape of ancient Thebes. Your first stop is the Valley of the Kings, where three royal tombs open their painted corridors to reveal the sacred texts that were meant to guide pharaohs safely through the afterlife.
Nearby stands the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, its terraced colonnades rising in strikingly modern lines against the desert cliffs — a fitting monument to one of Egypt’s most formidable female rulers.
The tour closes at the Colossi of Memnon, the two seated giants that once flanked the entrance to Amenhotep III’s 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
Whether you arrive by air at Luxor Airport or by train, our representative is on hand to welcome you and transfer you in a private air-conditioned vehicle to your Nile cruise vessel.
Once check-in is done, your Egyptian adventure kicks off with a guided visit to the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious site ever built by human hands, layered by pharaoh after pharaoh over the course of two millennia.
Next comes Luxor Temple, a New Kingdom jewel once linked to Karnak by the ceremonial Avenue of Sphinxes.
Lunch is served at a local restaurant during the day before 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 to the West Bank for a guided walk through the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 royal tombs still hold their vividly painted visions of the ancient Egyptian afterlife.
The programme continues at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, an audacious terraced sanctuary carved into the cliffs and dedicated to Egypt’s most powerful female pharaoh.
A quick pause is made at the Colossi of Memnon, the pair of seated giants that mark the ruined mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.
Lunch is taken at a local restaurant, and then you return to the vessel as it slips its moorings and begins the slow sail south to Edfu. Tonight, you sleep on board while the Nile drifts past your window.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3: Edfu and Kom Ombo Temples
The ship ties up at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage takes you into town for a guided visit to the Temple of Horus.
This exceptionally intact Ptolemaic sanctuary, dedicated to the falcon-headed Horus, remains one of the most complete ancient temples anywhere in Egypt.
Back on board, the cruise pushes on toward Kom Ombo, where you disembark to explore the unusual double temple honouring both Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, a form of Horus.
Its perfectly mirrored plan and dramatic riverside setting make it one of the most distinctive stops on any Nile voyage. Lunch is served on board as sailing continues on toward Aswan.
Overnight is spent aboard in Aswan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Aswan Highlights and Nile Sailing
The morning opens with the High Aswan Dam, a mid-twentieth-century engineering landmark that transformed Egyptian agriculture and gave rise to the vast expanse of Lake Nasser.
You then visit the Unfinished Obelisk, a colossal granite shaft still lying in its ancient quarry — a fascinating look at how such monuments were coaxed out of solid stone.
A short motorboat ride carries you to Philae Island for a guided tour of the Temple of Isis, a Ptolemaic sanctuary relocated to safer ground after the Aswan Dam was built.
After lunch at a local restaurant, you set sail in a traditional felucca around Elephantine Island, taking in the granite outcrops, ibis-dotted banks and slow river rhythms that give Aswan its unmistakable character.
You return to the vessel for your final night on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5: Departure from Aswan
Breakfast on board is followed by check-out. 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.
Nile cruise prices depend on the length of the voyage, the standard of the vessel and the services included. As a general guide, expect to pay between $600 and $900 per person for a 3-4 night sailing on a mid-range to luxury ship. Longer itineraries and top-tier cruises with additional amenities sit above that range.
The sweet spot for a Nile cruise runs from October to April, when daytime temperatures are pleasant and sightseeing is genuinely enjoyable. It’s best to steer clear of the peak summer stretch from May to September, when the heat in Upper Egypt can become quite intense.
Absolutely. A Nile cruise is one of the most rewarding ways to see Egypt, pairing scenic river passages with guided visits to the country’s iconic temples and tombs, all wrapped up in the comfort of a floating hotel — an unforgettable cultural experience made simple.
Swimming in the Nile itself isn’t advised, mainly because of water quality concerns and unpredictable currents. Cruise ships don’t allow guests to swim in the river, though most vessels — including the Sonesta Sun Goddess — have an on-board pool for cooling off between excursions.
Daytime attire on a Nile cruise is relaxed: light, breathable fabrics work best in the Egyptian sun. Evenings tend to be a touch smarter, with smart-casual dress ideal for dinner and onboard entertainment. When visiting temples, mosques or churches, modest clothing that covers the shoulders and knees is appreciated.
