4 Days Nile cruise from Aswan

Your driver will meet you at your hotel in Aswan or at Aswan airport. Then you will be taken to your Nile cruise for check in.

After that, you will have lunch on the cruise. Next, you will start your Aswan visit. You will see the Temple of Philae. You will also ride on a felucca around Elephantine. The tour will include the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk.

Temple of Philae:  

This temple was built for the goddess Isis. It was the final temple made in the classical Egyptian style. Work started around 690 BC. It became one of the last sites where people worshipped the goddess.

High Dam:  

The Aswan High Dam is a rock fill dam on the north side at the Egypt and Sudan border. The River Nile feeds the dam. The water backs up to form Lake Nasser. The project began in 1960 and was finished in 1968. It was opened in 1971.

Unfinished Obelisk:  

Aswan supplied some of ancient Egypt’s best granite. People used it for statues and for decorating temples, pyramids, and obelisks. The big obelisk left in the Northern Quarries helps explain how these monuments were made. Still, the full method is not fully known. Three sides of the shaft, about 42 m long, were done. The only missing part was the inscriptions. The finished obelisk would have weighed 1168 tonnes. It would have been the heaviest stone piece the Egyptians ever cut.

12:00 lunch will be served on board the cruise.

16:00 you will sail on a felucca around Elphinatine island. You will also visit Lord Kitchener island.

Optional add on:  

You can visit the Nubian village.

The Nubian village is one of the sights in Aswan. It is a good place to spend about two hours. It feels real and local. The area is bright and full of art. You will notice something new in every spot. When you walk through the village, you will feel the spirit of the place right away.

Morning meals on the cruise, then lunch onboard.

Abu Simbel temples:

Two temples were cut into the rock on the west bank of the Nile. They were carved between 1274 and 1244 B.C. One was built for Ramses the Second. The other honored Queen Nefertari. The Great Temple was dedicated to Ramses the Second, Ra-Harakhty, Amun Ra, and Ptah. It has four huge statues. The second temple was for Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. Both temples were taken apart stone by stone and set again on higher ground. Keeping the Abu Simbel temples safe is one of Unesco’s top achievements.

13:00 sail toward Kom Ombo.

Kom Ombo temple:

The temple and the nearby settlement are about 40 K.m north of Aswan. The temple is mainly from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, from 332 B.C. to 395 A.C. It was dedicated to Sobek and Horus.

Sail to Edfu, then stay overnight in Edfu.

Dinner and overnight on board the cruise.

Breakfast on the board of the Nile cruise.  
Breakfast on the Nile Cruise.  
Then go to Edfu.

Edfu Temple:  
This is an Upper Egyptian site with a big temple that still looks well kept.  
It is tied to the hawk god Horus.  
The temple linked to the Ptolemaic period of Horus sits on an older spot.  
That older work is thought to date to the time between the reigns of Ptolemy III, about 246 BC.  
On the temple walls you can see stories, including the tale of Horus and Seth.  
It may have been acted out each year as a religious drama.

Next, sail to Luxor by way of the Esna lock.  
Stop to see the Luxor Temple.

Luxor Temple:  
Most parts were made in the New Kingdom under Amenhotep III.  
Later, work was finished under Tutankhamon.  
Some parts also came from Ramses II.  
Ramses II set up the first pylon.  
That pylon was decorated with scenes from the Battle of Kadesh.

Optional trip: Balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings
Price: $120 per person

Be ready with your camera. You will rise early and float above Luxor, looking down as the morning light hits the town and the nearby hills. From the basket, you can see Luxor from above, including the old places that sit along the ground.

Breakfast is served while you are on board the Nile cruise.

Then you will go to the west bank of the Nile. Included stops:

Valley of the Kings
This is the burial area for Egypt’s rulers from the 18th to the 20th dynasty. Many tombs are found here, including the resting place of Ramses II and the tomb linked to Tutankhamun.  
The tombs held items a ruler might need after death. Much of the wall work and decoration is still in good shape.

Optional extra tombs

Tutankhamun’s tomb
Tutankhamun’s tomb was the only one in the Valley of the Kings found close to intact in 1922. Howard Carter is the name tied to that discovery.  
Tut’s well known golden mask is shown at the Egyptian Museum in Aswan. Here, you can still see the royal mummy of the young king.