The 7 night Nile cruise package from Egypt Best Vacations is an 8-day round-trip voyage between Luxor and Aswan, with full-board meals, licensed Egyptologist guides, and departures every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. You choose from four ship categories, starting at $1,150 per person, and the itinerary covers the essential monuments of Upper Egypt — the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae — at a pace no shorter cruise can match.
Where the classic 3 and 4 night cruises sail one way, this 8 days 7 nights Nile cruise sails both directions through the Esna Lock, giving you two full days in Aswan, a free day for the optional Abu Simbel excursion, and unhurried afternoons on the sun deck watching palm groves, villages, and desert hills drift past. It is the difference between visiting the Nile and actually living on it for a week.
Your journey begins in Luxor, the world’s greatest open-air museum. On the West Bank, descend into the painted royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings and stand before the terraces of Hatshepsut Temple; on the East Bank, walk the colossal Hypostyle Hall of Karnak. Sailing south, a horse-drawn carriage carries you to the Temple of Horus at Edfu — the most intact temple in Egypt — before the twin sanctuary of Sobek and Horus at Kom Ombo. In Aswan, the island Temple of Philae, the High Dam, and the Unfinished Obelisk complete the story.
This 7 night Luxor Aswan Nile cruise suits first-time visitors, families, couples, and seniors alike, with a small group of no more than 16 travelers and every detail — transfers, entrance fees, and 21 onboard meals — handled for you. If a week on the world’s most storied river sounds like your kind of holiday, this 7 night Nile River cruise is the one to book.
Your 7 night Nile cruise begins the moment you land. An Egypt Best Vacations representative meets you at Luxor International Airport or the railway station and drives you directly to your cruise ship, moored on the banks of the Nile. Check in, leave your bags in your cabin, and take the afternoon at your own pace — relax on the sun deck with the Theban hills on the horizon, or step ashore for a first walk through Luxor before dinner is served on board. Overnight in Luxor.
Meals Plan: Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast on board, cross to the West Bank of Luxor — the land the ancient Egyptians reserved for eternity. In the Valley of the Kings, the pharaohs of the New Kingdom abandoned pyramid-building and instead cut their tombs deep into the limestone cliffs to hide them from robbers. More than 60 royal tombs have been found here, and your Egyptologist will steer you to the three finest ones open on the day of your visit.
Next comes the terraced temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, built for the remarkable queen who ruled Egypt as pharaoh for some two decades. Your morning ends at the Colossi of Memnon, the two towering guardians that are all that remains standing of Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple. Back on board, your ship casts off and sails south through the Lock of Esna — one of the quiet highlights of any 7 nights Nile cruise — reaching Edfu by evening. Overnight in Edfu.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
A horse-drawn carriage collects you at the dock this morning for the short ride to the Temple of Horus — the best-preserved temple in all of Egypt. Built in the Greco-Roman period, its walls still carry complete scenes of the falcon god’s mythical battle with Seth, and standing in its shadowed halls you’ll understand why Edfu is a favorite stop on every 7 night Nile cruise itinerary.
Sail on to Kom Ombo, where the riverside twin temple is split perfectly down the middle: one half for Sobek the crocodile god, the other for Horus the falcon — a built-in balance of order and danger. Before returning to the ship, step into the adjacent Crocodile Museum to see mummified crocodiles once offered to Sobek himself. Your ship continues south overnight toward Aswan.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Aswan is where the Nile is at its most beautiful, and you’ll have two full days here on your 7 night Nile River cruise. Today’s guided tour opens at the Aswan High Dam, the colossal 1960s project that tamed the annual flood and lit up Egypt with hydropower. From there, a motorboat carries you across the water to the island Temple of Philae, the graceful Greco-Roman sanctuary of the goddess Isis, rescued stone by stone from the rising lake.
The tour closes in the ancient granite quarries at the Unfinished Obelisk, where a single cracked monument — abandoned mid-carving — reveals exactly how Egypt’s stoneworkers cut giants from the bedrock. Return to the ship for lunch and a free afternoon.
Optional tour: Nubian Village Tour in Aswan — cross to the west bank for an afternoon among the painted houses, spice markets, and warm hospitality of a traditional Nubian village.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Today is yours. Spend it on the sun deck watching feluccas glide between the islands, explore Aswan’s souk at your own pace — or join the optional excursion to Abu Simbel, the two mountain-carved temples of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari near the shores of Lake Nasser. Many guests call this the single most breathtaking sight of their entire Nile cruise holiday; because today is completely free, you can visit without missing anything on the main itinerary.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Pure Nile time. Your ship turns north today, retracing the river toward Luxor with brief stops at Kom Ombo and Edfu for newly boarding guests — you’re free to relax on board throughout. This is the day the 8 days 7 nights Nile cruise truly earns its length: no schedule, no bus, just tea on deck as fishermen, water buffalo, and golden desert hills slide past, before the ship threads the Esna Lock once more on its way down to Luxor.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Your final day of sightseeing is saved for Luxor’s East Bank — the bank of the living. At the Karnak Temple Complex, one of the largest religious complexes ever built, walk the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes into the Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of 134 columns raised for Amun, Mut, and Khonsu over two thousand years of construction.
Then continue to the Temple of Luxor, begun by Amenhotep III and expanded by Ramses II, where the evening light on the great colonnade makes the perfect closing scene for your 7 night Luxor Aswan Nile cruise. Return to the ship for a farewell dinner on board.
Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
After a final breakfast on board, your 7 night Nile cruise package comes to a close. Disembark in Luxor, where your driver will be waiting to transfer you to Luxor International Airport or the railway station. If your departure is later in the day, ask us about a farewell stop before you go. Wherever you travel next, the Nile has a way of calling people back — contact Egypt Best Vacations whenever you are ready to plan your return to Egypt.
Optional tour: Sunrise Hot Air Balloon over Luxor — float over the Valley of the Kings and the Theban hills at dawn before your Karnak tour.
Meals Plan: Breakfast Only
