Thinking of booking a Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor (or Luxor to Aswan) but stuck figuring out the best way forward? Don’t worry; I feel you. There’s not a lot of information out there and it’s difficult to discern what should be included and how much you should pay.
But don’t worry, my article is here to save you – from extra headaches and possibly overpaying (which you should start to become aware of NOW if you are heading to this region of Egypt… it’s famous for relentless salesmen!)
First, let’s make it clear that a Nile River cruise is one of the BEST things to do in Egypt and an absolute MUST in this country. If you are spending any time in Egypt and are interested in its rich history (who isn’t?), then visiting all the temples around Luxor and Aswan is a given. And the best way to see all these temples is with a Nile Cruise between Aswan and Luxor.
After doing a cruise myself and spending tons of time in Egypt, I have helped hundreds of readers have a great experience on their Nile cruises too with this very article. Keep reading!
Aswan Luxor Nile Cruise FAQ’s
What Should Be Included in an Aswan + Luxor Nile Cruise
This is the famous question! For some reason, it seems a lot more complicated than it should be, but I’ll break it down for you.
All the Nile River cruises have the same itinerary, so it’s just a matter of opting into the specific activities that are offered. And I would assume you are only doing this once-in-a-lifetime trip once, so you should do all of them. This is not a place to be skint – just do it all, or you’ll regret it (in my humble opinion).
All of the tours + optionals offered are (in Aswan-Luxor order):
- Abu Simbel Temple Tour, Driver, Guide
- Tour + Guide + Boat to Philae Temple (and possibly high dam)
- Guide at Kom Ombo temple + Crocodile Museum
- Horse + Carriage to Edfu Temple, Guide
- Karnak Temple + Luxor Temple Guide + Transport
- Valley of the Kings + Luxor West Bank Tour with other stops (usually Hatshepsut Temple, Colossus of Memnon, Valley of the Queens, and/or Medinet Habu Temple but can vary) and transport/guide
- Luxor Sunrise Hot Air Balloon ride
For some reason, some tours let you add on each activity separately, or include some things and not others and try to upsell you on other things. My best advice is that, to save confusion and headaches, save up enough and do a Nile cruise that includes ALL OF IT! You don’t want to have to come back because you missed something.
Not everyone on the whole cruise has the same guide/tour of each destination. Nile cruises are strange like that. Depending on how you book your cruise, your tours are organized separately. More on that below.
It’s important to note that this USUALLY doesn’t include entry fees for each temple, which is between $10 to $17 for each temple. This adds up FAST. More on that in the cost section.
What to Know Before Booking a Nile Cruise Aswan Luxor
Here are some things nobody tells you about booking a Nile Cruise between Aswan and Luxor. For a tour of the boat I had, see below!
Also, make sure to know your Egypt visa requirements and apply ahead of time if you need to.
All the Cruises have the Same Itinerary
This is good to know because all cruises are pretty much the same, with the same itinerary, stops, and schedule. Boats leave from Aswan to Luxor 2 days a week (Wednesday/Sunday I think), and they leave from Luxor to Aswan 2 different days of the week (Monday/Saturday).
So, if you decide to spend more money on a ‘nicer’ boat, you’ll still be with the great herd of Nile Cruisers at each temple at the same time, spending the night in the same row of boats at the same time. This is a downside.
Many Companies Charge Per ROOM, not Per PERSON
If you are a solo traveler booking a Nile Cruise and are ASTONISHED at the price, it might be because the cruise would be the exact same price if you were two people. Try to join a group if you are solo (I link to one below), or make SURE you are booking a single occupancy room for a cheaper price.
Nile Cruise Boats also Charge Per NIGHT Rather than Per Cruise
Nile cruise ships are essentially floating hotels that stick to a fixed schedule. They will charge per room per night, and the cost may not change much depending on group size (it should a little, but it depends).
If you want to save money, do the 3-night Aswan Luxor Nile cruise, as it fits the same activities in 3 nights that the 4-night Luxor Aswan Nile cruise does in 4. You’ll hardly sleep, but you’ll do it all!
It’s Not Relaxing. It’s All Early Wakeups and Tours.
It’s true; the Nile River cruise is hardly relaxing at all, but it’s worth it. If you manage your expectations of this properly, you’ll be prepared for all the early wakeups and 2x/day tours, and you’ll have an incredible, fascinating, and enriching time.
I recommend trying to get to sleep as early as you can every night, because the wake-ups are at 3:30, 4, and 5:45am every morning. Check out the show on the boat, and then hit the hay! It’s not worth paying huge prices for drinks and staying up.
The First and Last Nights are in Port: Less Sailing Time
When you think about the Nile cruise, it seems like you’ll be in the middle of nowhere sailing around all the time like on a safari (at least it did to me). This is far from true. When you get on the boat, it doesn’t even move for the first night (as you’ll have an early activity the next day).
It moves for the first time when you return from your temple tour the next morning. It’s quite anticlimactic to get on a cruise that does not move for almost a day.
The next night is in Kom Ombo, and the third (and possibly fourth) nights are in the next port of Luxor or Aswan. So you only spend ONE night not in Luxor or Aswan. It’s essentially a floating hotel where you can enjoy views going by sometimes.
The sailing time really isn’t that much, unfortunately. You are only moving a few hours a day. I still think it’s worth doing though, but it’s good to be prepared for this as not to be let down.
It’s a Very Family-Friendly Travel Activity
Our boat had people of all ages (well, usually older because of the price) and families. There are not too many social activities or things to do at night (besides short shows on the boat around 830/9pm), so it’s a good opportunity to really enjoy the full extent of the days and sleep early.
Food + Drink on the Nile Cruises
Luxor + Aswan Nile Cruises are all FULL BOARD with food, so you can expect fabulous massive buffets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. On our boat, the food was pretty good; some things were hit and some miss.
In terms of DRINKS on Nile Cruises, they are VERY pricey. By that, I mean they were probably the most pricey of anywhere we had seen in Egypt – at least $10 for a basic alcoholic drink ranging up to $20USD. This must be how they make their money!
We didn’t drink on the cruise, but our friends said the drinks were decent, some better than others. But a it’s not a drinking culture, I wouldn’t expect anything amazing.
At the End of the Day, The Boats are Quite Similar
Okay, I know they have some super-crazy-luxury tours like the Abercrombie and Kent ones, but in my humble opinion, the boats are all quite similar at the end of the day. Any extra square footage in your room isn’t really worth paying THAT much more for, because you won’t even spend that much time in the room at all and only sail a few hours a day.
Many, if not most, boats say they are 5-star Nile River cruise boats, and I’m sure they all are. The staff are incredible and attentive, the hospitality is great, and the rooms are comfy. But it seems like a much of a muchness to me (I may be wrong about this, but personally, I think the point of the Nile cruise is seeing the temples so the boat is secondary).
Costs: How Much You Can Expect to Pay for Nile Cruise
FINAL COSTS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION:
- Check if your tours are private (more expensive) or with a group (cheaper).
- The Luxor-Aswan Cruise is 4 nights (more expensive), and the Aswan Luxor Cruise is 3 nights (cheaper)
- It’s almost twice as expensive over Christmas and New Years
- ENTRANCE FEES: If your cruise INCLUDES entrance fees to each temple (WIN), this is a game changer because they add up to maybe just over $100-$120 per person on TOP of everything else. So take that into consideration. Check current fees here.
SO… let’s say you are in a room with someone else (which you should be) and you are signed up for all the tours in groups (which you should be).
If you want to do it as cheaply as you can, you should be looking to pay from about $400 to $800 per person for a fair price without entrance fees, and maybe $500 to $900 per person with entrance fees. Aswan-Luxor (3 nights) are cheaper than Luxor-Aswan (4 nights).
If you want to splurge, you can pay up to… thousands. There’s no upper limit for fancy Nile River Cruises!
Possible Optional Activities on a Nile River Cruise
Some of the activities that many cruises consider as additional optional are the Abu Simbel Temple tour from Aswan and the Luxor Hot Air Balloon sunrise. Both are worthwhile, in my opinion. Some cruises include these (win), but some try to charge you for an add-on.
Using the price of $375 to $450 plus entrances as a baseline, consider if you may be getting overcharged. The BEST way to see if you are getting overcharged is to compare the prices agents are charging you to prices on Viator. If there are any optionals that you are getting overcharged for, just book your tour on Viator for a fair price, and they will pick you up from your boat. See below:
Viator Abu Simbel Group Tour from Aswan: $35 Tours leave around 4am and drive to Abu Simbel and back
Luxor Hot Air Balloon: $40-$80: I don’t know why they’re all so different in price. Like everything else on the Nile River Cruise, all the balloons take off together from the same place, have the same inclusions, and cannot be much different. We booked a cheap one and had a fantastic experience with a professional captain, but book what looks right to you! I think they’re all similar.
Luxor West Bank Tour: $90 (Valley of the Kings + Queens, Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon): This is the tour you’d do on your day in Luxor.
Use the prices above as a guideline, and don’t forget to compare these prices to any prices you are given.
Best Ways to Book an Aswan to Luxor Nile Cruise Affordably
Overwhelmed? Don’t worry. I’ll give you a few trustworthy links below.
How We Booked Our Cruise
PERSONALLY, we booked our tour through my friend Mustafa’s tour company, Egylust. He is well-connected all over Egypt, honest, and knowledgeable, and organizes tours all over Egypt for foreigners and backpackers.
I have had a lot of people book with him through this article and give positive feedback, and even people who continued to book more Egypt Travel through Egylust. They can set you up with any tours and transport in all of Egypt.
His company can help you book the best price out of a lot of different boats, so it won’t be a certain guaranteed boat, but they will do the best they can for the time of year, availability, and . Make sure to select that Kimmie/Adventures&Sunsets sent you, and they’ll help you out as best they can. They can also help you organize trips around the whole country!
If you are ready to book, you can fill out this form. If you have more questions, message their Instagram page, @egylust or check out their google maps reviews. There’s no harm/cost in asking a few questions. You can also message me if you have any doubts and I’ll tell you more about my experience.
If you’d Rather Book Direct, Here are my Two Top Recommended Nile River Cruises
I did a TON of research on Aswan Luxor Nile Cruises before meeting Mustafa, and honestly wanted to pull out my hair. We were very close to booking the tour below before he got us a better deal.
The tour below is a FOUR night Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor. It INCLUDES Abu Simbel AND the Luxor Hot Air Balloon (solid extra value) and includes all the regular tours that should be included with guides. It has recent, great reviews and photos and includes all entrance fees upfront. So, it includes literally everything – super convenient, but with a heftier price tag.
To be transparent, the tour I was recommending for years was deactivated a few months ago, so I researched the current best deals, and this is what I came up with. It’s $900pp but with literally everything included. Prices are constantly rising, but this is the best deal I could find online at the moment! If anyone does this tour, please DM me on instagram and let me know what you thought as this one has fewer reviews, but good ones. And you can book right on Viator, who protects your purchases.
CHEAPEST: If you want something with fewer days, the second-best-looking tour I found online is below. It has great reviews and starts quite cheap. Don’t expect the most incredible boat, but it’s affordable.
This one starts from $390 (excluding entrances, but INCLUDING hot air balloon and Abu Simbel – steal) and is a 3-night 4-day river cruise from Aswan to Luxor. With entrance fees added on, you are looking at a total of around $390pp with this one.
Note that this tour excludes ALL beverages on the cruise, so keep that in mind (even water – I think just bring some).
I honestly still recommend booking the longer one above with everything included if you want to stop stressing, reading and rereading descriptions and inclusions, and comparing things nonstop like I was… but this one saves you quite a bit of money and is a great deal especially for current times.
My Final Opinion on How to Book a Nile River Cruise MOST Affordably
If you ask me, you should first contact Egylust and see what price they can get you for your dates.
If you need to book right away and prefer Viator, and have more budget and time, book the 5 night Luxor to Aswan Cruise with everything included. It’s the most hassle-free.
If you need to book the most cost-effective option right away and prefer Viator, and are on more of a backpacking and DIY budget, book the 3-night Aswan to Luxor Cruise.
None of these options will leave you disappointed.
Luxor to Aswan or Aswan to Luxor?
Let’s break it down. Luxor is closer to Cairo by train (9 hours-ish), and Aswan is farther away (14+). It makes the most technical sense to start in Luxor, as it is closer to take the train to, rather than take the train past Luxor to start in Aswan.
If you start in Luxor, you will do a 4-night cruise, not a 3-night cruise. This is a MUCH better pace; it’s nicer to have more time on the boat and not rush things, if you ask me. If you book the tour linked above, you’ll have the best of all worlds and then get to visit the amazing Nubian Village after Aswan and maybe even stay there for a few nights to relax.
How to Get to Luxor and Aswan for the Cruises
If you are coming from Cairo, you can take a train bus, or even a plane to Luxor/Aswan. I recommend the train.
For this, you’ll want to get the train from the Rameses train station in downtown Cairo. There are night trains every night to both Luxor and Aswan (same train) around 8:30 and 10:30. You’ll want to get first class – it’s not that much more and it’s worth it. You can also book online:
Book an overnight train for the night before you are supposed to get on your boat (if you are short on time) or a day or two before (if you want to take it easy – recommended). You’ll arrive the next day in the morning (Luxor) or early afternoon (Aswan). Your cruise should be able to organize a pick-up for you from the station.
Let me know if this post helped you or overwhelmed you in the comments below – ask any more questions you have, or feel free to DM me on Instagram.
I truly hope this can be a great resource for people booking Aswan Luxor Nile Cruises so you don’t overpay and can learn how it works. Have fun, and don’t forget my other Egypt guides:
- Cairo Travel Guide: Things to Do in Cairo
- One Day in Alexandria Self-Guided Trip
- Most Unexpected Views of the Pyramids of Giza
- Best Places to Visit in Egypt
Passionate, full-time travel blogger with over 230k on social media and 150kMPV blog. Extraordinary photographer with two DSLR's + a drone with a love for capturing candid moments, epic drone shots, and magical compositions. I'm a natural-born content creator originally from California, but I've been on the road for 9 years living, working, traveling, blogging, and photographing my way around the world. I recommend the most amazingly adventurous and unique + boutique travel experiences/stays and helpful products to my audience and write comprehensive guides on my website that have helped millions of travelers so far. I love to inspire people to plan their dream trips, and many readers have given feedback as such. The reach on my platforms continues to soar, especially when combining cutting-edge social content with optimized articles on my high-authority website.