My Day-by-Day Experience on a 4-Day Nile Cruise from Aswan

Nile Cruise trips in Egypt attract lovers of Pharaonic antiquities, ancient civilization, and heritage, as floating hotel trips on the Nile River between Aswan and Luxor are one of the most enjoyable tourist trips, which do not take a long time, with the possibility of seeing many archaeological sites during a trip that depends on staying on floating boats. Its programs are full of many activities and events throughout its days, which are usually not less than 3 days and may extend for about a week.

Boats sail from Aswan to Luxor, or vice versa, and the two cities (southern Egypt) can be reached via several methods, including trains and planes via Aswan Airport, to which the majority of flights arrive from Cairo Airport by flight that takes about 75 minutes.

These types of trips are usually active between September and May, which is the period when the weather is moderate.

Nile Cruise from Aswan Sightseeing (1st Day).

If the trip starts from Aswan, the Nile Cruise boats welcome their visitors shortly before noon and begin to accommodate the arrivals by check-in cabin, while the boats vary internally according to their gradual tourist classification from 5 stars to the highest, which makes each boat have different levels of luxury according to its classification and pricing.

After the start of the accommodation process, the first lunch can be eaten on the boat before heading by vehicle to the Temple of Philae in Aswan and visiting it on the journey, during which the bus waits in the place designated for it to get off and begin boarding the small Nile boats to reach the temple, while the island includes a number of other temples, including the temples of Hathor and Horus.

The trip inside the island takes about an hour and a half and ends with returning to take the bus that takes you to the Egyptian-Russian symbol of friendship at the High Dam gate before entering to see the High Dam and the storage of the flowing Nile water and the Aswan Reservoir on the way back and forth, with a quick stop to visit the Unfinshed Obelisq to displaying the technique that was used to cut and make the towers infront of the temples and huge statues from the mother rock. Before the end of the day, return to the cruise in the evening for dinner and the opportunity to shop in the commercial market to buy the Aswan costume that characterizes the city and replicas of various antiquities, in addition to the spices for which the city is famous.

2nd Day on Nile Cruise from Aswan.

The next morning, we move towards the “Nubian Village” via Nile motor boats to visit the place and have drinks and perhaps breakfast for those who want to eat unleavened bread, honey, and cheese. After spending about two hours there, we head via boat to the “Botanical Garden” located in the heart of the Nile. It is considered one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world and extends over an area of ​​18 acres.

From the Botanical Garden and via the waiting small boats, transfer takes place to visit the Aswan Museum located on “Elephantine” Island. It is a museum that was founded in 1898 and has witnessed many expansions throughout its history. A tour that takes about an hour between the museum’s annex building, which is available for visiting, and the surrounding area, which includes many sites used by the ancient Egyptians.

After that, the return to the cruise begins in preparation for leaving Aswan, with the boat sailing for the first time for several hours heading to the city of Kom Ombo to visit its famous temple located on a high hill on the eastern bank of the Nile, whose founding dates back to the Ptolemaic era.

The short visit, which does not take more than two hours, is followed by a night cruise to the city of Edfu, with an evening on the deck of the boat, which includes a folk arts show, with an early wake-up call to visit the Temple of Edfu, known as the Temple of Horus. It is a temple that still retains many picturesque architectural and decorative elements. Its construction began during the reign of King Ptolemy III, and its construction was completed during the reign of King Ptolemy XII.

The movement begins from the boats at dawn via horse-drawn carriages, and the visit begins at six in the morning and continues for about two hours with a tour that begins from ِEdfu Temple, the huge temple gate that leads to an open courtyard containing columns with plant capitals with halls leading to the Holy of Holies of the temple whose walls are decorated with pictures of the journey of the sacred boat of the god Horus and the goddess Hathor.

Upon returning to the boat around nine in the morning, a new sailing trip begins, coinciding with breakfast on board, a trip that lasts a few hours until arriving at the Esna Barrage, with a queue of tourist boats waiting to cross the “Hawais” as the water level rises and falls. The boat continues sailing after several hours, arriving in Luxor in the evening.

The last night on the boat, which begins with arriving in Luxor, includes an opportunity to wander around the market and buy some local products in preparation for another busy farewell day that begins before dawn with preparations to head out for a flying balloon ride by boarding a small boat to cross to the western mainland and then a car towards the boarding station for the balloon trips that begin at sunrise, and take about an hour in the air with a view of the city of Luxor and its temples from above, in a wonderful scene that is only available in Luxor.

After completing the balloon trip, an intensive tour begins with visits to museums and temples in Luxor, from the “Temple of Hatshepsut,” to the “Valley of the Kings,” passing through a stop at the Luxor Museum, and ending with a visit to the “Karnak Temple” and “Luxor Temple” in east bank, with the possibility of walking on the “Rams Avenue Road,” which connects them for a length of about 3 kilometers. The trip concludes with packing the bags and departing at night from Luxor toward the return, whether to Cairo or to the Red Sea cities, which some tourists prefer to head to. Go for a beach holiday.