Classic Nile Cruise 7 Nights: Aswan to Luxor

Nights: 7
Destinations: 6

THE JOURNEY AT A GLANCE

Seven nights downriver the slow way, from Aswan to Luxor, with extra time at Kom Ombo and Edfu, a Nubian afternoon in Aswan, and the Dendera and Abydos temples most short cruises skip.

Seven nights north from Aswan to Luxor is the least run of the Nile cruises, and that is exactly why it is worth doing. Downriver the boat is never in a hurry, so the operator can add days that the four-night crossing compresses. You get an extra night at Kom Ombo and an extra one at Edfu, an afternoon in a Nubian village before you ever leave Aswan, and two temples north of Esna that almost every short cruise drives straight past.

Those two are Dendera and Abydos. Dendera, a little north of the lock at Esna, is a complete Greco-Roman temple that is only reachable by someone who goes looking for it, and its astronomical ceiling is one of the most impressive rooms in Egypt. Abydos is older still, the royal necropolis of the earliest dynasties, and the site of the Osiris mystery play. Both are short stops on a boat that is going nowhere in particular for another four days.

The reason to choose this direction over the seven nights from Luxor is the river. Downriver the current does the work, the boat glides, and the pace genuinely feels different from upriver. The reason to choose it over the three nights is that you get the extra sites and the unhurried version of the same river.

Dendera and Abydos — Two temples north of Esna that almost every short cruise drives past: a complete Greco-Roman temple and Egypt's oldest royal necropolis.
An afternoon in a Nubian village — Before the boat leaves Aswan, an optional visit to Talata or a village on the west bank, with tea and bread.
Extra nights at Kom Ombo and Edfu — The two great Ptolemaic temples get a full day each instead of a morning, which is the whole point of going downriver this slowly.
Philae and the Nubian Museum on day one — You see Aswan properly at the start rather than squeezing it in at the end.
Luxor at the finish — The last two days are the east bank and then the west bank, including the Valley of the Kings.

Restaurant

Lounge & bar

Sun deck

Swimming pool

Sun loungers

THE RIVER, DAY BY DAY

A journey worth taking slowly.

7 Nights / 8 Days - Aswan to Luxor

Aswan → Luxor 7 nights From USD 2 per adult

7 Nights / 8 Days - Aswan to Luxor

Day01

Aswan

Philae, the High Dam and the Nubian Museum

An easy first day in Aswan, which the upriver cruises do not get. Philae in the morning, the High Dam after lunch, and the Nubian Museum, which is the best single collection of Nubian art in the country. You board in the late afternoon, and an optional visit to a Nubian village on the west bank can be fitted in before dinner. The first night is in Aswan.

Overnight: Aswan
Meals included: Lunch, tea and dinner on board

Philae, the High Dam and the Nubian Museum

Day02

Kom Ombo

Up the lake road to the double temple

Breakfast on board and the boat is under way early to Kom Ombo, which is an easy day because the river is doing the work. The double temple is visited late morning when the light is coming from the east across the water, and after lunch there is time on board or a walk to the ridge above the town. The second night at Kom Ombo, which is the first thing the extra nights buy you.

Overnight: Kom Ombo
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner on board

Day03

Edfu

The Temple of Horus, and nothing else planned

A full day at Edfu, moored for the whole of it. The temple of Horus in the morning, and the rest of the day at your own pace: the rooftop café across from the entrance, the town, or a second visit to the sanctuary if it got you. The third night is moored further up the river near Esna.

Overnight: Near Esna
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner on board

The Temple of Horus, and nothing else planned

Day04

Esna and Dendera

The lock, the temple below street level, and Dendera

The morning is spent at Esna, the lock and the Temple of Khnum nine metres below the street. Then the boat is under way and, because the day is long and the river is slow, it goes ashore at Dendera in the afternoon: a complete Greco-Roman temple that is barely on the standard route, famous for the painted astronomical ceiling in the roof of its first hall. The fourth night is moored on the river north of Esna.

Overnight: On the river
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner on board

The lock, the temple below street level, and Dendera

Day05

Abydos

The oldest royal necropolis in Egypt

The longest day of the cruise, and the reason to go downriver this slowly. The boat reaches Abydos, the necropolis of the earliest dynasties, and you go ashore to the Osirion and the temple of Seti I, which is one of the finest buildings of the Old Kingdom and almost always half empty. The Um el-Qa'ab, the royal palace ruin, is in the same site. Back aboard for a late lunch, and the boat carries on north. The fifth night on the river.

Overnight: On the river
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner on board

Day06

Luxor

The east bank

The boat comes into Luxor in the morning and is met by the Karnak temple complex, the largest religious building ever built, and the temple of Luxor beside it. There is time to do both on one day, though the guide will tell you honestly that Karnak alone deserves more. Dinner on board and the sixth night at Luxor. The hot air balloon over the west bank is available on the following morning if you have not flown it.

Overnight: Luxor
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner on board

Day07

Luxor

The west bank

A full day on the west bank: the Valley of the Kings, the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, the Colossi of Memnon, and the necropolis that runs north from them. If you took the optional balloon, it is flown this morning, which means a 04:00 start and a completely different view of the valley you will spend the rest of the day walking through. Dinner on board, seventh night.

Overnight: Luxor
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner on board

Day08

Luxor

Disembarkation

Breakfast on board and the cruise ends. You are transferred to your hotel in Luxor, to the airport, or to the station, depending on where you are going next.

Meals included: Breakfast on board

Make this journey yours.Choose this itinerary ↗

Seven nights downriver the slow way, from Aswan to Luxor, with extra time at Kom Ombo and Edfu, a Nubian afternoon in Aswan, and the Dendera and Abydos temples most short cruises skip.

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PART OF YOUR JOURNEY

The details, considered.

Included

Assistance from our personnel throughout the cruise and at every excursion
All transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle
Full-board accommodation aboard a cruise for the stated number of nights
All cruise excursions set out in the itinerary
Entrance fees to every site named in the itinerary
English-speaking Egyptologist guide for the excursions
Service charges and taxes

What is not included +

Anything not named in the itinerary
Gratuities
Personal expenses
Optional, not included: The hot air balloon over Luxor
Optional, not included: The Nubian village visit near Aswan

FIND YOUR DEPARTURE

Dates & prices

Choose a departure date and your preferred cruise category.

Aswan → Luxor · 7 nights

Available departure dates

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BEFORE YOU TRAVEL

A few things worth knowing.

Why downriver and slowly

Downriver the current carries the boat, so the operator can add stops. Seven nights north gets you Dendera and Abydos and extra days at Kom Ombo and Edfu, which the four-night crossing cannot fit in.

The two temples most people miss

Dendera, a complete Greco-Roman temple with an astronomical ceiling, and Abydos, the royal necropolis of the earliest dynasties. Both are on this route and on almost no other.

Optional extras

An afternoon in a Nubian village near Aswan, and the hot air balloon over Luxor on the morning of the last full day. Neither is in the price.

Sailing days

The vessel runs on a fixed weekly schedule. Sailing days are confirmed with the booking rather than assumed here.

What is Dendera? +

A complete Greco-Roman temple a little north of Esna, famous for the painted astronomical ceiling on the roof of its first hall. It is only reachable by boat, and almost every short cruise drives past it.

What is Abydos? +

The royal necropolis of the earliest Egyptian dynasties, about 50 kilometres north of Luxor, with the temple of Seti I and the Osirion. It is older than the rest of the cruise combined.

Why does this direction need seven nights? +

Because the extra stops make it a different trip rather than a slower one. Three nights north gives you Kom Ombo, Edfu and Luxor and nothing else; seven gives you that plus Dendera, Abydos and a proper day at each of the two big temples.

Can we see Abu Simbel from this cruise? +

No, and that is a real trade-off. Abu Simbel is south of Aswan and this cruise sails north from there, so the Abu Simbel excursions belong to the Luxor to Aswan direction.

Seven nights upriver, the long way: Luxor over two full days, the temples at a slower pace, an optional dawn at Abu Simbel, and Ph...

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Classic Nile Cruise 7 Nights: Aswan to Luxor

Seven nights downriver the slow way, from Aswan to Luxor, with extra time at Kom Ombo and Edfu, a Nubian afternoon in Aswan, and the Dendera and Abydos temples most short cruises skip.

A journey worth taking slowly.

7 Nights / 8 Days - Aswan to Luxor

Philae, the High Dam and the Nubian Museum

Up the lake road to the double temple

The Temple of Horus, and nothing else planned

The lock, the temple below street level, and Dendera

The oldest royal necropolis in Egypt

The east bank

The west bank

Disembarkation

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