The best guide in Egypt
The Nile Cruise was great, the guide explained everything perfectly and was very friendly , we visited many temples and tombs, the hot air balloon was amazing. Great trip.
Trail39570001714 · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Things to do in Cairo
4 Days Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor including Abu Simbel and Hot Air Balloon
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Overview
Experience Egypt’s ancient history with a Nile cruise. Journeying between Aswan and Luxor allows you to relax while soaking in the picturesque scenery of the Nile Valley. You'll also have the chance to visit legendary sites, including Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon, Philae Temple, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, Abu Simbel Temple, and many more historical treasures
What's included
- Hot air balloon ride with a flight certificate
- Visit to Abu Simbel Temple in a small group setting (Shared Tour)
- Experienced, qualified tour guide
- Lunch
- Dinner
- 3-night stay aboard a 5-star cruise boat
- Breakfast
- Horse-drawn carriage or Bus Ride in Edfu, including a visit to the Horus Temple
- All transfers to and from the temples
Not included
- Tipping (Recommended - 10 US$ pe rperson per night for the Boat Crew, Drivers and Tour Guide))
- Entrance Fees to all sites and Temples mentioned
Good to know
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- If the Hot Air Balloon trip cancelled due to bad weather or any other reason, you will be refunded with 25 USD per person.
- Camera is not allowed on the balloon basket, you can only use your cellphone to take pictures.
- Children under the age of 6 years are not allowed for the balloon trip.
- Prices are quoted in U.S dollars, per person per trip and valid, except during Christmas, New Year and Easter holidays.
- We drop off all our customers to Luxor east bank hotels and available to drive them to Luxor west bank hotels with extra 10 us dollars per person at the end of the Cruise Trip
- We pick up all our guests from Aswan east bank hotels and available to pick up from west bank hotels with extra 10 us dollars per person
- For Trips starts on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, The visit of Abu Simbel temples will be skipped and replaced by Habu Temple visit in Luxor
- All bookings for 3 persons, will be accommodated in 1 Cabin (Room)
- For bookings of 2 adults and 2 children aged between 2 and 11.99 years, one triple room (with three beds) will be provided.
- The horse carriage experience to Edfu Temple may not always be guaranteed and could be subject to change due to safety considerations
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Traveller reviews
4.7★623 reviews
He Made Our Nile Cruise Truly Magical
Our guide during the Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor was absolutely exceptional! From the very beginning, he was professional, knowledgeable, and always attentive, sharing his deep passion for Egyptian history and culture
miaoeg · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor
A busy and enriching tour. Lots of temples to explore, steeped in Ancient Egyptian history
Talat is an experienced tour guide with a lot of knowledge about Egyptian history. He is at all times and straightforward which is welcome when trying to navigate travel in Egypt
FARYAL R · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Aswan-Luxor Nile Cruise tour
Talaat Abdo - Was an amazing tour guide, he is very friendly and approachable. He is very knowledgeable and made the experience very special. I recommend him 100%
R6580FTjuand · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Cruise boat
I will breakdown my review in few portions so users can understand overall plus/minus Viator doesn’t disclose exact ship till the day of arrival. Which created a lot of stress not knowing where to go or who to contact. After a lot of escalation they shared local contact and that too didn’t disclose boat name. On the day of cruise the local contact finally shared boat details. Cruise boat experiences were just amazing, check-in process, friendly staff and captain. ( big plus). Second big plus - tour guide Khaled who gave us tour in Luxor and he was very friendly, great humor and knowledgeable. He provided much more details and stayed with us. Also worked with us on how much time we needed to walk around temples and take picture. The big negative, the tour guides coordination company really screwed up our experience for abu simbel they sent a freaking kids school van. For 8 hours we were stuck and our knees were literally gone. We made several complaints to tour company and not a single acknowledgment message was received from them. We were asked to pay $30 per person as a tip to cover entire trip and later we found out none of the service providers received any tips. So we had to tip again individually. This left us with a very poor experience. If I was in US I would have never paid tips before receiving complete service till the end. The tour guides were also below par except of omar and Khaled. The tour guides didn’t give any details just simple introduction and left us very minimal time to walk around and take pictures. While walking around temples we noticed other tour guides were more engaged and provide heck of a more details about temples, the art work, architecture. and stayed with the clients mostly. My advise - don’t tip them ahead, make sure the tour guide is freaking knowledgeable not someone that read few lines from google or wiki page. Make sure the van is for adults and don’t take any excuses from them
salahuddiny2024 · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor
A nice cruise if you want to see Egypt superficially and relax, but be prepared to rush.
It was a beautiful Nile cruise; our boat’s name was Malaga, and it was really nice. The staff were awesome and the food was perfect, with a very large selection for each meal. The New Year's Gala dinner was the best part. However, there are things not mentioned in the itinerary that are important to know: tips are set at a fixed price of $30 USD per person, payable on the first day. There was also a Nubian village tour that lasted one hour and cost $30 USD per person. It started just 10 minutes after we checked into our rooms. Since we didn't want to go, we received a refund on the last day, but these details should be mentioned in advance. If you are a big fan of Egypt and want to learn a lot, this is not for you. We were rushing through the temples with only 15 minutes of free time. We drove six hours to Abu Simbel only to stay for 1.5 hours. The day in Luxor was chaotic; the guide was late in the morning and rushed through every single temple and sight. He would explain things for 15 minutes and then leave us on our own for 30 minutes. This didn't feel like a guided tour, especially when we saw other groups whose guides were explaining everything. Additionally, the guide forgot about us and left us at the Valley of the Kings on the last day. He had to come back after someone told him we weren't on the bus, and he didn't even apologize. We also lost 30 minutes at a "tourist bait" museum watching people bang on rocks instead of visiting the Karnak Temple. Most of the group didn't want to go, but the guide didn't care. He also took us to a perfume shop at the end of the first day despite us all saying no. We had to sit through a presentation no one cared about when we were already exhausted. If you want to visit these sites in peace and learn the history, I recommend staying longer in Luxor and hiring a private guide. We had to rely on a guidebook and Google Gemini just to know where we were. Overall, the cruise was nice, but the guide and his tours were a failure. He couldn't even memorize his 15 participants, whereas we all knew each other. We constantly had to tell him if someone was missing. One day, he gave two tickets to people outside our group without noticing. He also failed to notice when two people skipped a tour; we had to inform him ourselves. When you have a question, he makes you feel needy, telling you to "relax and enjoy" instead of answering. Our flight was at 7:45 PM, yet at 8:00 PM we were still at the Luxor Temple. We were panicking because we needed to be at the airport two hours before departure. He just kept saying, "relax and enjoy." It is impossible to relax when your guide is late, takes you to places you don't want to go, and rushes you through temples. I would give the cruise, staff, food, and boat a 10/10. However, I give the guide, his organization, and his explanations a 3/10. You shouldn't force people to pay for a surprise $30 USD tour upon arrival. Finally, the guide tried to pressure us into writing a review before the tour was even over. I’m glad I waited so I could provide this honest account. Tour Guide: Khaled El Saady
dorasW6496UT · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Fantastic Mina
The ship did not live up to our expecations, but Mina, our guide, was really fantastic! Always available, friendly, very knowledgeable and able to solve any problem. With him we always feel safe. Massimo, from Italy
MSFA72 · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor
Nice experience
As often happens in these cases, you find yourself writing a review even before you actually finish the tour in question. So I can't pass judgment on the day in Luxor, which seems very busy and challenging, with some of the main attractions offered by the cruise. Until now, the Khaled guide has proved competent and very passionate, proving fundamental during visits to the various archaeological sites. The rhythms are quite frantic with often very prohibitive alarm clocks, but in some cases, such as Abu Simbel, they have paid off, allowing us to see the site avoiding the large crowds. The boat is nice, the food good and overall I feel satisfied with the structure. We were expecting a traditional party on the second night that actually wasn't done.
Culture649331 · Jan 2026 · via Tripadvisor · Translated
DREAM NILE CRUISE
Khalid, the tour guide made our Nile cruise very enjoyable and he presented us with all the information regarding the origins and history of temple and Egypt. The cruise was very well organized and Food on the cruise is fantastic so are all the amenities we were well informed of the tour by a tour guide who took excellent care of us.
Sherpa03954204196 · Dec 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Good cruise but logistics can be better.
The cruise ship itself is good, room isn't cramped, bathroom is decently sized by ship standards. I'm impressed with the daily cleaning and the attention put to maintaining overall tidiness of the cruise ship. Staff is courteous and helpful with no pressure for on-the-spot tipping. The staff will help you call the guide to minimize miscommunication, in my experience cruise ship staff speaks better English than guides and most definitely drivers. Catering is a downside as there is NO water included - you have to either bring your own OR buy on the ship, the food is also nothing to write home. The food, mostly western, is on the bland and unimpressive side, but a few Egyptian looking dishes were the saving grace. The logistics can be better though. Pickup was at 9am but the west side of the Nile isn't included. I recall you can choose 8 or 12 o'clock pickups so definitely choose the latter unless you want to chill on the ship. The time imo can be better spent on a tourist spot like the Unfinished Obelisk, which I missed given my tight schedule in Aswan. The first night on cruise ship was redundant to me (could have spent one more night on land hotels) since the boat does not sail to Abu Simbel, instead you have to wake up at 3:30am and drive 5-6 hours round trip. These are minor gripes, but combined made the tour a 4-star instead of 5. Note: Tipping is done at the end of cruise with your tip in an envelope.
phlxl · Dec 2025 · via Tripadvisor
From€248