Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan: the 4-night upstream trip, day by day

A Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan is the upstream half of the classic Luxor–Aswan loop. The same ships sail the other way in three nights; going south they take four, and that extra night is the reason to choose this direction. You see Luxor properly before you sail, reach Kom Ombo late in the day when the temple is lit, and get an Aswan afternoon on a felucca that the 3-night downstream trip usually skips.

For the overview of both directions, see the Luxor–Aswan cruise guide; for the 3-night version, see Aswan to Luxor.

Luxor to Aswan cruise itinerary, day by day

Two operators publish their upstream programme hour by hour: Sonesta for the Sonesta St George and Mövenpick for the Darakum's winter short cruises. Both board in Luxor on a Monday and leave you in Aswan on Friday morning. Other fleets use other weekdays, but the shape of the trip is the same.

Sonesta visits Kom Ombo at 18:30, and the temple keeps admitting visitors until 20:00 (see the official ticket shop). In winter that means the temple after dark under floodlights; in June and July, when the sun sets around 19:40, it is a dusk visit. This is the best-lit temple visit of the trip, and you get it only on the upstream run. Ships going north reach Kom Ombo at 07:00–09:00.

The early West Bank start lets the ship sail by lunchtime for the Esna lock. There are two locks at the Esna barrage, and the newer one takes two large cruise ships per lockage. In the winter peak the queue can run to hours, so treat the sailing time as a plan, not a promise. If the lock is shut or the queue is long, operators move passengers between Luxor and Esna by coach.

Day 4 in Aswan is the gentle day the 3-night downstream cruise does not have. On Sonesta it is a motorboat; on Mövenpick it is a felucca (a traditional wooden sailing boat). Either way you go round Kitchener's Island and its Botanical Garden, so skip a separate Aswan felucca unless you want a sunset sail. Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk stop admitting at 15:00, so on this route they are a morning visit.

How long the sailing really takes

Luxor to Esna is about 50 km, and Luxor to Aswan about 200 km by river. JAZ's day plans allow around 11 hours from Luxor to Edfu via the Esna lock. Much of the rest happens between 03:00 and 06:00 or over lunch; the daylight stretch is mostly Edfu to Kom Ombo, so spend day 3 on the sun deck.

Which day does the Luxor to Aswan cruise leave?

There is no single departure day for every ship. Each ship runs a fixed weekly rhythm, so choosing your date effectively chooses your ship. The upstream 4-night trip leaves Luxor on one of three days:

Monday is the busiest day, with the widest choice, from budget to Sonesta's flagship. Saturday is a good fallback: JAZ Elite Viceroy is suite-heavy (21 suites out of 37 units) and Sonesta Star Goddess is all-suite. Thursday departures suit a Lake Nasser cruise afterwards (see below).

Summer changes the list. Mövenpick's Royal Lily and Sun Ray, and Mayfair Cruises' ships including Esplanade, don't sail in June–August. The Oberoi ships skip June. Sonesta and Mövenpick's Hamees sail every week of the year, and JAZ/Steigenberger publish year-round patterns. The full Mövenpick line-up is in our Mövenpick review.

Luxor to Aswan cruise: 4 nights, 3 nights, 2 days or 1 night?

On the platforms the titles count days, not nights. "5 Days" from Luxor means 4 nights, "4 Days" means 3, "3-Day" means 2, and "One-night" means exactly that. Only the 4-night version follows a ship's full published upstream programme. Shorter products are agency packages that put you on board for part of a run, so read the day plan carefully.

Here is what the Luxor-start listings cost today, per person, and what that works out to per night:

The 4-night trip is the best value per night, and the only one that gives you Kom Ombo at dusk and the Aswan afternoon without rushing. The 3-night listing from Luxor is the best rated of the Luxor-start cruises with a solid number of reviews, but with one night fewer something has to give: check which day loses a site. The 2-day and 1-night products cost more per night than a full 4-night cruise. With only a day or two, a road trip may be better (see the last section); on the one-night listing, read where you board and leave the ship.

With a week, the 7-night round trip joins this cruise to the 3-night return; Sonesta fills the repeat days with free time rather than second visits.

Luxor to Aswan cruise price

The cheapest 4-night listing on the platforms today is Headout's at $590, but it has no reviews yet. GetYourGuide's comparable listing costs $840 and has 69 reviews. Both titles include Abu Simbel; Headout's also includes a balloon flight. The ship, cabin deck, inclusions and dates may differ between the two, so compare the "includes" lists before you choose on price.

Platform listings name the ship only rarely. They say "5-star ship or similar", and the operator assigns the boat. The exception on this route is Princess Sarah Cruise, 5 days 4 nights from Luxor to Aswan, from $975, which names its ship but has only two reviews. Whatever you book, ask the operator for three things before you pay: the ship's name, your cabin deck, and the list of entry fees included.

Prices published by agencies for named ships give you a benchmark. They are per person sharing a double, for the whole 4-night trip, normally with full board, guide and standard entry fees:

• Budget end: Semiramis III, $455 in May–August and $645 from September to April (leaves Luxor on Thursday); Nile Shams, $455 and $685 (Monday).
• Upper five-star: Medea, $1,236 and $1,890 (Thursday); Historia, from $1,719 (Monday, also bookable like a hotel through Small Luxury Hotels).
• Luxury: A&K's Sun Boat IV publishes $3,235 per person for a 4-night cruise in autumn and winter, and about half that in summer, with entrance fees and excursions included but transfers, drinks and tips extra.

Summer is clearly cheaper: compare the May–August and winter figures above. For the whole price ladder, see Nile cruise prices.

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Luxor

Luxor: 4 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel

4.6 (132)

from $690Check dates

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide7 nightsFrom Luxor

Luxor: 8 Days Nile Cruise, Balloon, Guided Tours, Abu Simbel

4.6 (8)

from $1,400Check dates

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide2 nightsFrom Luxor

Luxor: 3-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan with Hot Air Balloon

4.5 (8)

from $1,215Check dates

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide5 nightsFrom Luxor

Luxor to Aswan: 6-Day Dahabiya Nile Cruise with Ancient Tour

4.1 (9)

from $1,400Check dates

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Luxor

From Luxor: 4-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan with Balloon Ride

3.8 (9)

from $1,329Check dates

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide4 nightsFrom Luxor

Princess Sarah Cruise 5 days 4 nights from Luxor to Aswan

4.8 (2)

from $975Check dates

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Headout →See everything on Tiqets →Prices checked on 19 October 2026

See the 4-night cruise from Luxorfrom $840Affiliate link: if you book, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Entry fees, tips and what costs extra

Entry fees. If your package excludes them, the eight sites of a standard cruise (Karnak, Luxor Temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk) cost EGP 4,060 per foreign adult, half for students. That is before Tutankhamun's tomb (EGP 700), Seti I (EGP 2,000, no student rate) and Abu Simbel (EGP 822). Most GetYourGuide listings don't state whether fees are included, so check the "includes" box. If you book Sonesta, JAZ or Steigenberger direct, sightseeing is charged separately; the Steigenberger ships' terms say it is "charged separately upon check In". Oberoi, A&K, Mayfair's published rates and most Egyptian agency packages include the fees.

A few points the ticket table doesn't show. The Karnak ticket now includes the Open-Air Museum; only the Mut precinct costs extra (EGP 200). The Valley of the Kings general ticket covers a set number of the tombs open that day (usually quoted as three), and the open tombs rotate. Nefertari's tomb is closed, according to the ministry's notice. The boat to Philae from the Shellal landing is extra. Horse carriages take you from the Edfu quay to the temple; on many packages the ride is included, so ask. The High Dam has no ministry ticket. Photography with a mobile phone is free at ministry sites. Prices change, so check the current ones on the official ticket shop.

Tips. There is no official rule. Agencies suggest budgeting roughly US$5–10 per person per night for the crew, paid in one envelope at reception on the last evening, plus US$10–15 per person per day for your guide. The ship usually announces its suggested figure at the welcome briefing.

Drinks and the rest. Full board means meals, and on Mövenpick that is four a day including afternoon tea. Drinks are usually extra unless the package is sold as all-inclusive. Over New Year, expect a compulsory New Year's Eve gala supplement on many ships; agencies quote roughly US$50–180 per person. Wi-Fi is usually slow and patchy while sailing. Carry a card and some cash, and draw cash in Luxor before you sail.

Nile cruise from Luxor to Abu Simbel and the balloon

No Luxor–Aswan ship reaches Abu Simbel. Ships cannot pass the High Dam, and Lake Nasser has its own separate fleet. From Aswan you have three ways to get there:

• By road on a day trip: about 280–300 km south of Aswan, 3.5–4 hours each way. Transfers leave before dawn and pass police checkpoints, and the road is reported closed to tourist traffic overnight. The Abu Simbel day trip from Aswan starts from $40 for 10 hours (4.5 from 3,404 reviews); check whether the EGP 822 ticket is included.
• By air: short flights connect Aswan and Abu Simbel in about 45 minutes (EgyptAir, and Air Cairo from late October according to schedules), so check with the airline.
• On a Lake Nasser cruise: the two big ships leave Aswan on Monday for 4 nights to Abu Simbel. A Thursday-departure upstream cruise (Minerva, Royale, Crown Jubilee or Sun Ray) arrives in Aswan on Monday morning, which fits that departure; check embarkation times with both operators. See Lake Nasser cruises.

Cruise packages that include Abu Simbel fit it in either on day 4 or after you leave the ship on day 5. Ask which, and what it replaces. On Sonesta's timetable the ship only reaches Aswan early on day 4, while Mövenpick's ships sail on from Kom Ombo the evening before. Abu Simbel's last entry is 16:00. On 22 February and 22 October, the sun-alignment days, the ticket is EGP 1,272 and the site is packed. More in our Abu Simbel guide.

The balloon packages on this route cost a lot more than the plain cruise: the 4-night cruise with balloon ride starts from $1,343 (4.2, 185 reviews), against $840 for the 4-night cruise with Abu Simbel. A stand-alone balloon flight over Luxor starts from $88. On these prices, booking the two separately is far cheaper, and it lets you choose the morning.

Best Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan

Best Luxor to Aswan cruises on the platforms

1

The classic 4 nights

The full upstream programme with Abu Simbel included, 4.4 from 69 reviews. Ask for the ship's name and the entry-fee list straight after booking.

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide4 nightsFrom Luxor

Luxor: 5 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel

4.4 (69)

from $840Check dates

2

Best rated

4.6 from 132 reviews and Abu Simbel included, but 3 nights instead of 4: check which visit gets squeezed.

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide3 nightsFrom Luxor

Luxor: 4 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel

4.6 (132)

from $690Check dates

3

Balloon included

The most-reviewed 4-night listing from Luxor with the balloon built in. You pay for that convenience.

⛵ Luxor

GetYourGuide4 nightsFrom Luxor

From Luxor: 5-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan with Balloon Ride

4.2 (185)

from $1,343Check dates

Avoid the weakest-rated listings in the Luxor list: the 3-night cruise with balloon rated 3.8 from 305 reviews, and the 3-day balloon cruise rated 3.7. Neither is cheap.

Booking a named ship direct gives certainty about the boat, not the price. Sonesta sells cabins like a hotel room and states plainly that "sightseeing activities are not included in the rates", so add the entry fees and a guide yourself. Sonesta St George and Historia, both upper-end ships, share the Monday slot. For one all-in price, the luxury operators are the clear choice: Oberoi and A&K include entrance fees and a guide.

Dahabiya or felucca from Luxor to Aswan?

A dahabiya, a traditional Nile sailing boat with about 6–10 cabins, is the slow and more personal alternative. But the classic dahabiya route is Esna to Aswan in five nights, not Luxor to Aswan. Luxor's sights are outside the cruise, so see them before boarding. In return you skip the Esna lock and stop where big ships can't: El Kab (EGP 200) and Gebel el-Silsila (EGP 100), and you moor at islands rather than town quays. Nour El Nil, with nine boats, sails Esna to Aswan only, on Mondays and Tuesdays from September to May, with transfers from Luxor included. It charges per room, from €6,600 for a 5-night cruise. Dahabiyas have no pools, and most don't sail in June–August.

On GetYourGuide, Luxor to Aswan: 6-Day Dahabiya Nile Cruise runs 5 nights from $1,400, with only 9 reviews so far (4.1), and the boat isn't named. More in the dahabiya guide.

A felucca all the way from Luxor to Aswan is not something we can recommend: no platform sells it, and we know of no operator programme to vouch for. Keep the felucca for an hour round the islands in Aswan or a sunset sail in Luxor, and use a dahabiya if you want to travel under sail.

Getting to Luxor, and from Luxor to Aswan without a cruise

To the boat. From Cairo, flights take about an hour to Luxor (EgyptAir, Air Cairo and Nile Air). The Abela sleeper train (formerly Watania) is the overland option: train 86 leaves Giza at 20:15 and reaches Luxor at 06:10, in plenty of time for a noon embarkation. The fare from Giza to Aswan is US$157.50 in a single cabin or US$115.50 per person in a double; check the Luxor fare on abelatrains.com. From the UK, easyJet (Gatwick) and TUI (Gatwick, Manchester) fly direct to Luxor in season. There are no direct UK flights to Aswan. The cruise from Cairo page covers the flight-and-cruise packages.

Leaving Aswan. Flights to Cairo take about an hour and a quarter, and northbound sleeper 87 leaves Aswan at 17:15. If your flights home are from Luxor, think twice about a one-way cruise: either take the 7-night round trip, or allow for the train back (about 3–3.5 hours between Aswan and Luxor).

Luxor to Aswan by road. If you only have a day, a private car tour such as From Luxor: Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan Private All-Inclusive Tour (from $193, 4.7 from 198 reviews) sees the two river temples on the way and drops you in Aswan. It costs less than a one-night cruise.

There is no scheduled cruise from Luxor to Cairo. The only regular long cruise is Mövenpick's Darakum, which sails Cairo to Aswan in 14 nights and Aswan to Cairo in 12, in spring and autumn only. No ship sails to Hurghada either: the Red Sea is about four hours away by road.

Luxor to Aswan cruise: questions