This 15-day Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan covers more than 1,000 kilometers of the Egyptian Nile — the complete river route that shorter cruises skip. With Egypt Best Vacations, you board your 5-star ship in Cairo and sail south through Middle Egypt, stopping at sites most travelers never see: the painted rock tombs of Beni Hassan, Akhenaten’s lost capital at Tell el-Amarna, the Temple of Seti I at Abydos, and the astonishing ceiling of Hathor’s temple at Dendera.
The journey opens at the Giza Plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then trades city crowds for quiet stretches of river where feluccas, farmland, and village life drift past your sun deck. In Luxor, a licensed Egyptologist guide leads you through Karnak and the Valley of the Kings before you continue south past Edfu and Kom Ombo to finish at the island Temple of Philae in Aswan.
This is Egypt at river pace — one unpacking, fourteen nights aboard, every meal and entrance fee arranged. Small group tour, tailor-made, and led by Egyptologists who know the sites between Cairo and Aswan better than anyone.
Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, you will meet and assist by our representative of “Egypt Best Vacations” who will help you through the arrival and visa regulations. Then, transfer to your cruise ship to begin your 15 days Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan itinerary. Free evening in Cairo.
Meals Plan: Lunch & Dinner
Your actual Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan just begins when our tour guide picks you up from your hotel for the tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the GEM Museum.
Today, you will explore the Giza Plateau. Today’s tour includes the Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure with the great Sphinx. The only ancient wonder which still exists (Khufu’s pyramid) awaits you. Are you ready to explore it from the inside? (Optional). Today you will learn about the history of the pyramids, how they were built, and why they were built.
Savor your lunch at a local restaurant, then proceed to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Explore the world’s largest collection of ancient Egyptian treasures in one stunning modern complex. You’ll stand face-to-face with the full Tutankhamun collection and enjoy immersive galleries that bring Egypt’s history to life. Then, transfer back to your Nile cruise for a free evening in Cairo.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Following your breakfast at the hotel, you will visit the Citadel of Saladin, which was built in 1172 to protect Cairo from the Crusaders. At the citadel, you can visit the White Mosque of Mohammed Ali Pasha, which is one of its most prominent features. Continue to Coptic Cairo District to visit the Hanging Church, Abu Serga Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. Your tour will conclude in the largest market in Egypt, Khan El-Khalili, a historical bazaar. Then, return back to the ship. Overnight in Cairo.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Enjoy some relaxation. Your fourth day of your Cairo to Aswan Nile cruise itinerary is free. So, set sail to Bani Suef to overnight there. Embrace the scenery. Capture memorable photos of the riverbanks, villages, and ancient ruins along the way. Enjoy onboard amenities.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Set sail to El-Minya to overnight there. Embrace the scenery. Capture memorable photos of the riverbanks, villages, and ancient ruins along the way. Enjoy onboard amenities.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today, your 15 days Nile cruise tour takes your to visit the lovely tombs from the Middle Kingdom period in Bani Hassan. The tombs are located in two distinct areas: the upper and lower cemeteries. The tombs of the upper cemetery are a testament to the ancient Egyptians’ architectural skills. They were cut into the rock with great accuracy using simple tools like chisels with bronze blades, which were struck with wooden mallets. The tombs are the final resting places of the senior officials of this region, the 16th Upper Egyptian province, which was known as the Oryx nome. The repetition of names like Baqet, Khety, and Khnumhotep through a number of generations suggests that many of the owners of these tombs were related.
Then proceed to visit the cult center of the god Thoth at Ashmunein. A provincial capital since the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Hermopolis developed into a major city of Roman Egypt, and an early Christian center from the third century. It was abandoned after the Muslim conquest but was restored as both a Latin Catholic (meanwhile suppressed) and a Coptic Orthodox titular see. End your tour at Tuna El-Gabal. It is the necropolis of Hermopolis Magna, ancient capital of the 15th nome and cult centre of Thot, god of writing and sciences. Head back to your Nile cruise. Overnight in El-Minya.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Set sail to Tell El-Amarna to visit the City of king Akhenaton where Tutankhamun was born. On a virgin site on the east bank of the Nile River, Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) built the city about 1348 BCE as the new capital of his kingdom when he abandoned the worship of Amon and devoted himself to worship of the Aton. About four years after Akhenaten’s death (c. 1332), the court returned to Thebes, and the city was abandoned. Then set sail to Assiut. Overnight in Assiut.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Set sail from Assyut to Sohag to overnight there. Embrace the scenery. Capture memorable photos of the riverbanks, villages, and ancient ruins along the way. Enjoy onboard amenities.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Set sail to Baliana to visit the wonderful Temple of pharaoh Seti I at Abydos. The Temple of Seti I at Abydos is amongst the most famous, cited by many as the most impressive religious structure still standing in Egypt. Unlike other Egyptian temples, it is L-shaped rather than rectangular and incorporates seven great doorways and seven sanctuaries. The temple was dedicated to the major gods Osiris, Isis, Horus, Amun-Ra, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah as well as the deified Seti I himself. Then, set sail to Qena. Overnight in Qena.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today, your 15 day Nile cruise Egypt takes you to visit the beautiful Temple of the goddess Hathor at Dendera. Visit the beautiful Temple of the goddess Hathor at Dendera. The temple of Dendera dates back to the Ptolemaic Period, although evidence points to older structures once existing on the site, dating as far back as king Pepy I, from the Old Kingdom. Among the temple’s most notable features are astronomical engravings on its ceiling. Set sail to Luxor. Overnight in Luxor.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today you will visit the West Bank of Luxor. Discover the magnificent tombs of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, where the kings of the New Kingdom were buried. The tombs in the Valley of the Kings are hewn out of the bedrock and decorated with scenes of the journey of the Sun-god Re through the underworld. Then proceed to the unique Temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut served as solo pharaoh for 20 years. End your tour at the impressive Colossi of Memnon. Return back to your Nile cruise for a free evening in Luxor. Then, head back to the Nile cruise for a free evening in Luxor.
Optional tour: Sunrise Hot Air Balloon over Luxor
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Visit the East bank of Luxor which includes the largest temple in the world, the Temple of Karnak. The Temple/Complex of Karnak was the great god’s chief sanctuary and much larger than any other monument in Egypt. This huge and splendid complex which actually contains many separate temples covers 1700 years of expansion and an area of 300 acres.
Then proceed to the majestic Temple of Luxor. The Temple of Luxor was built by the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III (1387-1349 BCE), the grandson of the military genius Tuthmosis III, and expanded by the 19th Dynasty pharaoh Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE). Numerous other sovereigns, including Tutankhamun, Horemhab, and Alexander the Great enriched the construction with reliefs, inscriptions, and minor buildings. Back to your river cruise to set sail to Edfu via the Lock of Esna. Overnight in Edfu.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Take a horse and carriage to visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu. This temple is the most intact temple in Egypt and was built during the Greco-Roman period. The Temple of Edfu is fully inscribed with reliefs and hieroglyphs on its exterior and interior walls. Take your carriage back to your river cruise to set sail to Kom Ombo. Visit the twin Temple of Sobek, the Crocodile god, and Horus, the falcon god. Then proceed to the Crocodile Museum in the vicinity of the temple. Then, go back to your Nile cruise ship to set sail to Aswan. Overnight in Aswan.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Welcome to the lovely City of Aswan. Your Aswan tour includes the largest engineering project in the 1960s of the High Dam as well as the granite quarry of the Unfinished Obelisk and the amazing Temple of Philae. This temple was built during the Greco-Roman era and dedicated to Isis, goddess of Love and Magic in Ancient Egypt. Transfer back to your cruise ship to enjoy a free afternoon onboard or discover Aswan on your own. Enjoy the final night of your 15 days Aswan to Cairo Nile cruise package.
Optional tour: Nubian Village tour
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Conclude your long Nile cruise from Cairo to Aswan with disembarkation and transfer to Aswan airport/railway. It is sad to leave, but feel free to contact us about your next adventure in Egypt.
Meals Plan: Breakfast Only
