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4-Days 3-Nights Cruise From Luxor to Aswan including Hot Air Balloon&Abu Simbel

Recommended by 93% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Luxor, Egypt

4 days (approx.)
Pickup offered
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Explore the highlights of the Upper Nile Valley with this 4-day, 3-night cruise between Luxor and Aswan. Visit ancient temples, including Abu Simbel, with an Egyptologist guide, watch evening dance performances, sample traditional Egyptian food, and even take a ride over Luxor on a hot-air balloon with this handy package. Includes transfers from Aswan or Luxor, and cruise accommodation is full board, for your convenience.

Learn more about ancient Egypt with an Egyptologist guide
Admire the views from a 30–40-minute hot-air balloon ride over Luxor
Includes three nights’ accommodation on a cruise ship
Admission to the attractions is at your own expense

What's Included

3 nights accommodation on 5 star Cruise on full board basis, start with lunch&end with breakfast
All transfers, pick up and drop off by an A/C. vehicle.
Professional English speaking Egyptology Tour guide. .
30 to 40 minutes Hot Air Balloon ride over Luxor sky.
Abu Simbel trip( Sharing a group with English Guide) bus or minibus.
Lunch (3)

Lunch
Breakfast (3)

Breakfast
Dinner (3)

Dinner

Entrance fees to all the above mentioned sightseeing.
Tipping to the guide, drivers or cruise crew.
Water or Drinks on the cruise.
Any personal expenses like laundry etc or Any optional Tours.
Motorboat to Philae Temple.
Wifi on the cruise.
It is available to pick Travelers from Luxor west bank hotels with extra charge.

$10.00 per person
It is available to transfer Travelers to the Hotels in Aswan west bank with extra charge.

$10.00 per person

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

All Hotels in Luxor East Bank. Luxor Airport or Train Station.

Itinerary

Day 1

Transfer to Nile Cruise and Luxor East Bank

3 Stops

Luxor

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Temple of Karnak

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Luxor Temple

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Accommodation: Overnight in Luxor

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2

Balloon Ride, Luxor West Bank Tour and Navigation

4 Stops

Luxor hot air balloon

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Valley of the Kings

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Colossi of Memnon

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Accommodation: Overnight in Edfu.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3

Edfu Temple and Kom Ombo Temple-Aswan

2 Stops

Edfu Temple

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Temple of Kom Ombo

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Accommodation: Overnight in Aswan.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4

Abu Simbel Trip and Philae Temple

2 Stops

Abu Simbel Temple Complex

8 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Temple of Philae

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Accommodation: Not included

Meals: Breakfast

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Near public transportation
Stroller accessible
Child rate applies only when sharing 2 paying adults.
Wheelchair accessible
A child from 6 to 11 years old accompanied by one adult will be treated as an adult.
A child less than 6 years is not allowed for the balloon trip.
If your arrival to Luxor is so early, so we will start the tour direct upon arrival as Cruise check in at 12:00.
Most travelers can participate
Sometimes due to sailing conditions on the River Nile, Nile Cruises itineraries schedule and sailing time maybe updated. We assure that our clients will see all what is on their itineraries but maybe in different order
Prices are quoted in U.S dollars , per person per trip and valid, except during Christmas, New Year and Easter Holidays

Camera is not allowed on the balloon basket, you can only use your cellphone to take pictures.
If the trip to Abu Simbel cancelled due to bad weather, you will be refunded.
If the Hot Air Balloon trip cancelled due to bad weather, you will be refunded.
Pregnant woman is not allowed for the balloon trip.
If you want to have your own room, then you need to book for a single person.
If you are traveling in a group of 3 people, you will enjoy one triple room.
The tour ends on the last day in Aswan city around 5 pm, so evening departure is recommended
If you are traveling in a group and wanted to have your own room, then do a separate booking for a single person
Our drop off location in Aswan after the tour on the last day can be at Aswan Airport, train or hotels in Aswan east bank
You will need to pay all the entrance fees to the sightseeing mentioned in the itinerary by card except the motorboat to Philae temple in Egyptian money cash.
Other languages are available with extra charge upon your request.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.8

based on 40 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Good Trip to See Upper Egypt

Elizabeth_W, Mar 2023

Really enjoyed the cruise! We got to see many sites including temples and historical areas Pros: not having to coordinate travel to/from sites, getting to see big highlights like Valley of the Kings and Abu Simbel, common facilities were very nice Cons: food was hit or miss, not up front of certain prices, schedule/itinerary changes without notification (papyrus shop, perfume factory, and alabaster store), boat maintenance (window wouldn't lock, bathroom tiles broken)

Response from Host, May 2023

Dear, our customer Thank you so much for taking the time to write us a review on Viator. It seems you copied a review from someone else with things that never happened with you. We would like to confirm that nothing had been changed in your itinerary. You and your family were joining a group of travelers who are booking 5-Days 4-Nights Cruise from Luxor To Aswan and they did all the tours with you till Abu Simbel trip and they had an extra night left on the cruise while you checked out on the 4th.day. After the Abu Simbel trip, you went on a private tour to Philae temple while the others opt to add the optional tour to the Nubian Village. So, their schedule was different than yours however nothing had been changed in your itinerary. Our tour guides didn't take you to the Papyrus or Perfume shops because you already did that in Cairo with a different company ( NOT With Us). Only a stop at the Alabaster factory, where you took a drink and nobody forced you to buy Anything and you didn't buy!!. Your cabin was at the Upper deck and we checked with and all was well as you mentioned on the whatsapp chat. Best Regards

Absolutely miserable...

Thomas_M, Apr 2022

Absolutely miserable experience. - Visits to Papyrus "museum" and Alabaster "workshop" added to itinerary without prior warning. Took time out from what was available to view the actual sites listed, essentially scams that sell the exact same prints/products as every other iteration of these places throughout the country. - Poor quality and limited vegetarian food options. Set menu lunch on first day the option was the same plate as the regular meal just with the meat removed - so rice and vegetables. The rest were buffet but with limited options, staff didn't seem to understand "vegetarian" so ended up with meat dishes on my plate multiple times despite asking them what did/didn't contain meat. Requested vegetarian "breakfast box" on final day and received a chicken sandwich. - Room was average at best, quite dirty in the bathroom and the fridge actually warmed anything placed inside. Had better results cooling anything but using the room air conditioning. Impossible to sleep, work or really do anything while the boat was sailing as the entire room vibrated/shook violently due to the engine leasing to severe sleep deprivation. - Tours were OK, but very short and with excessive focus on hieroglyphics leaving little time to appreciate or pay much attention to the actual structures/temples/etc. A common comment I've encountered when researching visiting Egypt was to use guides as they provide context to what your viewing/seeing - however it felt like at times it swung too far in the other direction and was provided a lot of context and information about minutiae for something I didn't really get to see. Biggest concern was the papyrus/alabaster stores effectively being snuck into the itinerary - if they had been mentioned at any time prior I would not have booked at all or would have cancelled. Seems to be common to tours here as it was the 5th time I'd been in such places due to being snuck into other tours as well. On the last day, after barely sleeping for two nights I ended up leaving early before I completely lost my mind. I had heat stroke due to the the driver on the way back from Abu Simbel ignoring requests to turn up AC from an incredibly weak setting - combined with accidentally taking a bite of the chicken sandwich included in the breakfast box that I was assured would be vegetarian, was simply too much on top of everything else. Overall a highly disappointing, and overall miserable experience that was not remotely worth the cost. Severely soured my experience in Egypt.

I just wrapped up the 4...

Jeff_W, Mar 2022

I just wrapped up the 4 day/3 night Luxor to Aswan cruise. The food was delicious, the tour was paced well and riding the hot air balloons was the highlight of the trip! Our guide, Hossam Rashwan, was incredible. Very knowledgable and funny, we enjoyed having him. He had an extensive knowledge of each site, but also gave us time to explore the locations with free time. Great experience!

Great organization, informative tour guide, rushed schedule

Ariel_S, Mar 2022

This cruise and tour includes many components, so I will summarize each of them separately below: Transportation and tours: 5/5 Tour guide: 3/5 Safety (Covid): 1/5 Cruise staff: 5/5 Accommodations: 2/5 Food: 2/5 First off, the trip was well organized and run by the tour group and cruise operators. Heba, despite not being on our tour, communicated with us throughout via Whatsapp and went above and beyond to make our experience seamless, including arranging a free airport pickup when we were planning on simply taking a taxi. There was one minor snafu when we arrived in Edfu, but other than that, we did not have to worry about planning or timing much which is a great feeling on vacation. The sites themselves were incredible and we would gladly revisit all the temples and tombs all over again. As for our guide, Ismael – he is very knowledgeable and well-versed in Egyptian history and was able to tell captivating stories in each of the sites. However, his tours felt rather impersonal, as he did not take the time to learn our names, which would have been a nice touch given we were spending 4 days together. Additionally, since we traveled halfway across the world to visit Egypt, it would have been nice to have the opportunity to spend more time marveling at each of the sites. Our guide was very concerned about keeping to a strict time schedule, which made us feel rushed in exploring on our own and taking some pictures. He was oftentimes visibly and audibly displeased if we were more than one minute late, even though it did not materially affect any of our subsequent plans. Ismael also told us how much to tip various drivers and cruise personnel. While we felt this was helpful information, we understood it as a guideline and not as a mandatory number that we must give. In the United States, we tip based on the quality of service so if the service is not good then the tip should reflect that. However, if we did not tip what he told us, he was rather aggressive and told us it was not sufficient, which was a rather uncomfortable situation. In regards to Covid safety and protocols – while the tour listing may state that the tour and cruise staff take precautionary measures to keep everyone safe, this is simply not the case. Our guide and none of our drivers ever wore a mask. The cruise staff, for the most part, did their best to keep us safe with masks. However, if you are worried about getting sick abroad and not being able to return home because of Covid, I would discourage you from taking this (or any) cruise. They have strict meal times where every cruise passenger (several hundred) is served their meal indoors, in an enclosed room downstairs, with no windows and poor ventilation. Cruise staff gets a 5/5 overall: they were very friendly, helpful, kept up with safety precautions for the most part, and delivered impeccable service. The cruise accommodations were suitable, but far from luxurious or what would typically merit 5 stars. The bed was hard and the blankets were not very breathable. The room was carpeted, which captures a lot of dust over time. The shower was hot, which was nice, but it did not keep a consistent temperature, oftentimes fluctuating between scalding hot and ice cold. We had to keep the toilet lid down or else the entire room smelled like sewer. Finally, the food, which was an Americanized buffet for all meals but one, was mediocre and generally composed of soggy dishes. There was one dinner that was primarily Egyptian food, which we really enjoyed, and would have liked to experience more often. We didn’t travel to a foreign country to eat the bad version of our own food. It was disappointing.

Great experiencd

waad_K, Jan 2022

It has been a great experience! The cruise was well planned and everything went seamlessly! We had a great tour guide, his name is Ahmad, he was very knowledgeable and patient! I recommend it!

Lucky to get aboard the coolest cruise with the best guide

Phoenix_R, Dec 2021

We were lucky to be able to book this cruise last minute and it was so relaxing after the hustle of the city. Our guide was Hossam Rashwan and I would highly recommend asking for him when you book. He goes above and beyond to make the experience as smooth and easy as possible. He is very knowledgeable about all the sites and knows the best times and ways to get everywhere for the best experience. The cruise had a good selection of vegetarian food and the towel animals were wonderful.

Very good experience. The...

Andre_C, Sep 2021

Very good experience. The boat had very good conditions and the staff of the boat was very kind and careful. Our guide was great.

Incredible experience and customer service!

MICHELLE_B, Aug 2021

Amazing experience excellent customer service! Heba was very attentive from start to finish and Whatsapp communication was quick and easy. There's a lot she can help with that isn't listed in this itinerary as well so whatever you need just ask! Erase and friendly customer service vegan from booking and continued with the pickup at Luxor airport by our guide Mohamed who speaks very clear English and is very knowledgeable and friendly! We started in Luxor and the tours, the ship Princess Sarah, and the staff were amazing. This was our wedding anniversary and we did medical tourism so had limited diet after surgery for two of our party, and Heba worked that out as well, the chef was ABSOLUTELY THE BEST, came out and checked on me every meal, and we loved everything. They even surprised us with an upgrade to a suite and it was SO romantic, I highly suggest anyone travelling with children or more than one couple get the suite! They also surprised us with anniversary cake in the dining area. This was actually our first cruise ever and the scenes down the Nile, the tours, all worth it. I picked this tour originally because it for nicely into our itinerary and was not too short where we would get no rest between tours, and not too long where we wouldn't get enough time at our next destination. Heba also arranged our transfer from Aswan to Hurghada and Ahmed our driver was right on time, even early, spoke enough English to allow us to get some ice cream when we wanted and answer my curious questions about the towns and people we passed. He was very nice although for Americans he may drive faster than they are use to. Only con is it's way harder to get decent price flights at reasonable times out of Aswan to Hurghada than it is to get affordable flights out of Luxor to Hurghada, so if you are planning to go on to Hurghada after this cruise as we were, make sure to stay in Aswan and end in Luxor. That way you either have a quick drive or a quick flight to get there. I would definitely book this again. I do suggest a little email reminder be sent out 3 to 5 days before the trip starts with a lot more detail about what to expect as part of each day and each tour... List everything by day and the expected wake times, travel times, and whether that trip will be videotaped as well as prices and typical tips in Egyptian pounds. Some of us are not morning people and a video camera surprising us first thing in the morning as we go on a tour needs advance notice. We loved the video result though for the hot air balloon tour and ended up buying it for the memories! Also, I don't remember his name but the Nubian driver who took me and Mohamed to the Abu Simbel tour was an excellent driver and he should definitely be hired again! Thanks to Mohamed for his patience with us always being late to start the early tours, and thanks to Heba for an incredible anniversary celebration! We loved this experience.