There is more than one way to sail the Nile, and the boat you choose shapes the whole trip. A full-service cruise ship, a small sailing dahabiya, a Lake Nasser voyage to the Nubian temples, or a felucca under canvas — Egypt Best Vacations runs all four. This page explains the difference so you can pick before you book.
Between Luxor and Aswan lies the greatest concentration of standing monuments anywhere in the world. Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae. What changes between cruise types is not usually which temples you see — it is how many people you see them with, how fast you move, and what the evenings feel like.
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We offer four: classic Luxor–Aswan cruise ships, small sailing dahabiyas, Lake Nasser cruises through southern Egypt, and traditional feluccas. The choice is mainly about pace and group size — all four cover the major temples of Upper Egypt in some form.
A cruise ship is a large motor vessel with a restaurant, sun deck and pool, carrying up to a few hundred passengers. A dahabiya is a small sailing boat with roughly six to twelve cabins that moves at sailing pace and can moor at villages the big ships pass. A felucca is an open traditional sailboat with no cabins or engine, where you sleep on deck. Cost per night rises in that order, and group size falls.
A Lake Nasser cruise sails the lake south of the Aswan High Dam, visiting Nubian temples that were relocated when the water rose — Kalabsha, Wadi El-Seboua, Amada and Abu Simbel. It is a separate route from the Luxor–Aswan corridor, with far fewer boats and far fewer people.
Price depends on four things: the type of boat, the class of ship, the length of the sailing, and the season. Feluccas are the cheapest option and dahabiyas the most expensive per night. Christmas, New Year and Easter sailings are priced separately. Current prices are shown on each cruise page.
Luxor–Aswan sailings visit Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo Temple and Philae Temple. Lake Nasser cruises visit the relocated Nubian temples south of the High Dam, including Abu Simbel. Felucca sailings focus on the river itself around Aswan rather than a full temple program.
Cruise ship, feluccas, Lake Nasser cruises and dahabiya packages include full-board meals, Egyptologist-guided touring, entrance fees to the sites listed in your itinerary, and all transfers as shown in every itinerary. A small number of special-access tickets are charged separately: the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses V. Drinks, tipping and personal spending are not included.
October to April, when temperatures suit walking through open temple sites. November to February is peak season. Book small boats — dahabiyas and Lake Nasser ships — furthest in advance, because they hold a fraction of the passengers a cruise ship does.
Three or four nights covers the major temples between Luxor and Aswan and suits most first visits. Seven nights covers the same ground at a slower pace with free time in both cities. Dahabiyas generally run five to seven nights, Lake Nasser cruises three to four, and feluccas one to two.
Yes. We operate extended sailings that continue north of Luxor to Cairo, taking in Dendera, Abydos, Tell El-Amarna and the Bani Hassan tombs — sites that standard Luxor–Aswan itineraries never reach. These run 11 to 15 days.
Yes. We run dedicated solo departures on the Luxor–Aswan route where a private single-occupancy cabin is included in the quoted price, with no separate single supplement added at booking. You travel with a group and tour with the same Egyptologist guide.
Book directly through this website, by phone, or by email. Private and tailor-made sailings are available on all four cruise types, and we can adjust any itinerary to your dates.
