The Sonesta St. George Nile cruise sails between Luxor and Aswan on 3, 4 and 7-night itineraries aboard the MS Sonesta St. George I, a five-star ship launched in 2006 with 57 cabins and suites. With Egypt Best Vacations it starts from $1,800 per person and includes full board, every entrance fee on the itinerary, private transfers and your own licensed Egyptologist guide at every site.
The ship is styled after turn-of-the-century French interiors: a piano bar under a handmade chandelier, a Panoramic Lounge on Deck 4 and an oversized pool with a Jacuzzi on the sun deck. Every cabin faces the river through double-glazed French windows, and every bathroom has a spa unit with steam bath, Jacuzzi and water massage, which is rare on a ship of this size. Breakfast and lunch are buffets and dinner is served à la carte.
We class the St. George I as Luxury, our top tier: five stars in Egypt and five stars by European and North American standards too. That is why every sailing is private on shore. Your guide and your vehicle wait for you, not for a coach of forty, and at Karnak, Edfu and the Valley of the Kings a guide who reads the walls turns a photo stop into an afternoon you remember.
Over Christmas and New Year the ship charges a compulsory gala dinner on 24 and 31 December. Our festive prices already include it, so there is nothing extra to pay on board.
Egypt Best Vacations is a licensed tour operator based in Luxor, founded by a professional Egyptologist and a TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winner in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Comparing luxury ships? See the MS Farah, the all-suite Le Fayan Suites, or our full range of luxury Nile cruises.
| Ship | MS Sonesta St. George I |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sonesta |
| Launched | 2006 |
| Our classification | Luxury: 5 stars by European and US standards |
| Egyptian category | 5-star |
| Cabins | 47 Deluxe cabins, about 22 m² (236 ft²) |
| Suites | 6 Presidential, 3 Elite and 1 Royal Suite (57 cabins and suites in total) |
| Route | Luxor ⇄ Aswan |
| Departures | Friday from Aswan (3 nights) · Monday from Luxor (4 and 7 nights) |
| Board basis | Full board, with à la carte dinner |
| Touring | Private: your own Egyptologist guide and vehicle |
Your Egypt Best Vacations representative meets you inside the arrivals terminal at Aswan airport, or on the platform at Aswan railway station, holding a signboard with your name, helps with passport and visa formalities, and hands you over to your private Egyptologist guide.
Board the MS Sonesta St. George I in time for lunch, then set out. The Aswan High Dam, finished in 1970, ended the Nile’s annual flood and created Lake Nasser behind it. A short motorboat ride takes you to the Temple of Philae on Agilkia Island, the sanctuary of Isis that UNESCO moved block by block above the rising water. Finish at the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in its granite quarry where a crack stopped the work. Finished, it would have stood about 42 metres tall and weighed roughly 1,100 tonnes.
Afternoon tea on the sun deck, the captain’s welcome cocktail, a Nubian show and an à la carte dinner. Overnight in Aswan.
Optional tour: Nubian Village tour and camel ride in Aswan
Meals included: Lunch & Dinner
The ship sails north at dawn and reaches Kom Ombo after breakfast. The temple stands right above the bank, so you walk up from the gangway. Kom Ombo Temple is a double temple split down its axis, one half for Sobek the crocodile god and the other for Haroeris, Horus the Elder, with two sanctuaries and two sets of doors. Look for the relief of surgical instruments on the outer wall, then the mummified crocodiles in the Crocodile Museum next door.
Lunch on board as the ship continues to Edfu. In the afternoon a horse-drawn carriage takes you to the Temple of Horus, built between 237 and 57 BC and the most complete temple in Egypt. The roof is intact, both pylons stand, and the granite falcon still guards the gate.
The ship sails on to Esna in the late afternoon. Dinner on the sun deck and a galabeya party. Overnight in Esna.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship passes through the Esna Lock before dawn and reaches Luxor by breakfast. Then you cross to the West Bank with your guide.
The standard ticket for the Valley of the Kings covers three tombs, and your guide picks the best three open that day. Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses V/VI need separate tickets. Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, three terraces set against the cliff. Hatshepsut began as regent for Thutmose III and went on to rule as a crowned king in full pharaonic regalia, with his regnal years still running alongside hers. End with a photo stop at the Colossi of Memnon, the two seated statues of Amenhotep III.
Back on board for lunch, with the afternoon free on the sun deck or in town. Dinner and overnight in Luxor.
Optional tour: Karnak Sound and Light Show
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Breakfast on board and check-out at 08:00. Your guide takes you to the Karnak Temple Complex, about 100 hectares of temples built over some 2,000 years and the largest religious complex ever built. The Great Hypostyle Hall alone holds 134 columns. Then Luxor Temple on the corniche, built mainly by Amenhotep III and Ramses II and joined to Karnak by the Avenue of Sphinxes.
Private transfer to Luxor airport, the railway station or your Luxor hotel.
Optional Experience: Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride over Luxor
Meals Included: Breakfast
Your Egypt Best Vacations representative meets you inside the arrivals terminal at Luxor airport, or on the platform at Luxor railway station, holding a signboard with your name, helps with passport and visa formalities, and hands you over to your private Egyptologist guide.
Board the MS Sonesta St. George I in time for lunch. In the afternoon your guide takes you to the Karnak Temple Complex, about 100 hectares of temples built over some 2,000 years and the largest religious complex ever built. Nothing prepares you for the Great Hypostyle Hall and its 134 columns. Then Luxor Temple, built mainly by Amenhotep III and Ramses II and at its best in the last hour of light.
Dinner and overnight on board in Luxor.
Optional tour: Karnak Sound and Light Show
Meals Included: Lunch & Dinner
After breakfast, cross to the West Bank. The standard ticket for the Valley of the Kings covers three tombs, and your guide picks the best three open that day. Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses V/VI need separate tickets. Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. Hatshepsut began as regent for Thutmose III and went on to rule as a crowned king in full pharaonic regalia, with his regnal years still running alongside hers. End at the Colossi of Memnon.
Lunch on board as the ship leaves Luxor and sails south. Afternoon tea on the sun deck, the captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner. Overnight in Esna.
Optional tour: Sunrise hot air balloon ride over Luxor, before the West Bank visit
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship passes through the Esna Lock early and reaches Edfu by mid-morning. A horse-drawn carriage takes you to the Temple of Horus, built between 237 and 57 BC and the most complete temple in Egypt. The roof is intact, both pylons stand, and the walls carry the full text of the annual drama in which Horus defeats Seth.
Lunch on board as the ship sails to Kom Ombo. You visit Kom Ombo Temple in the early evening, as the floodlights come on. It is a double temple split down its axis, one half for Sobek the crocodile god and the other for Haroeris, Horus the Elder. The Crocodile Museum next door holds mummified crocodiles from the site.
Oriental dinner on the sun deck and a galabeya party. Overnight in Kom Ombo.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship reaches Aswan before breakfast. Start at the Aswan High Dam, finished in 1970, which ended the Nile’s annual flood and created Lake Nasser. A short motorboat ride takes you to the Temple of Philae on Agilkia Island, where the last hieroglyphic inscription in Egypt was carved in AD 394. Finish at the Unfinished Obelisk, abandoned in its quarry when the granite cracked.
Lunch on board, with the afternoon free. A Nubian show and dinner close your last night. Overnight in Aswan.
Optional Tour: Visit a traditional Nubian Village in Aswan
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Breakfast on board and check-out at 08:00, then a private transfer to Aswan airport, the railway station or your Aswan hotel.
If your flight allows, add the Abu Simbel temples by road before you leave. Tell us when you book and we will time it around your departure.
Meals Included: Breakfast Only
Your Egypt Best Vacations representative meets you inside the arrivals terminal at Luxor airport, or on the platform at Luxor railway station, holding a signboard with your name, helps with passport and visa formalities, and sees you onto a private transfer to the MS Sonesta St. George I.
There is no touring today, so any arrival time works. Check in, take lunch on board and spend the afternoon by the pool or walking the Luxor corniche. Dinner and overnight on board in Luxor.
After breakfast your guide takes you to the West Bank. The standard ticket for the Valley of the Kings covers three tombs, chosen from those open that day; with a week on the river, Seti I is worth its separate ticket. Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. Hatshepsut began as regent for Thutmose III and went on to rule as a crowned king in full pharaonic regalia, with his regnal years still running alongside hers. End at the Colossi of Memnon.
Lunch on board as the ship sails south. The captain’s welcome cocktail and dinner. Overnight in Esna.
Optional tour: Sunrise hot air balloon ride over Luxor, before the West Bank visit
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship passes through the Esna Lock early and reaches Edfu by mid-morning. A horse-drawn carriage takes you to the Temple of Horus, built between 237 and 57 BC and the most complete temple in Egypt, with its roof intact and the granite falcon at the gate.
Lunch on board as the ship sails to Kom Ombo and moors for the night. You visit Kom Ombo Temple on Saturday, on the way back north, so the evening is free: a cooking class, an oriental dinner on the sun deck and a galabeya party. Overnight in Kom Ombo.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship reaches Aswan before breakfast. Start at the Aswan High Dam, finished in 1970, which ended the Nile’s annual flood and created Lake Nasser. A short motorboat ride takes you to the Temple of Philae on Agilkia Island, where the last hieroglyphic inscription in Egypt was carved in AD 394. Finish at the Unfinished Obelisk, abandoned in its quarry when the granite cracked.
Lunch on board, with the afternoon free. A Nubian show and dinner. Overnight in Aswan, where the ship stays for two nights.
Optional Tour: Visit a traditional Nubian Village in Aswan
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship stays moored in Aswan all day and nothing is scheduled. This is the natural day for the Abu Simbel temples by road: about three hours each way, leaving before dawn and back by mid-afternoon. Ramses II’s two rock-cut temples were cut into blocks and rebuilt 65 metres higher in the 1960s, when Lake Nasser rose behind the dam.
If you would rather stay in Aswan, there is the pool and the spa on board, the souk, and the Nubian Museum, one of the best museums in Egypt. Dinner and overnight in Aswan.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship sails north at dawn and reaches Kom Ombo after breakfast. The temple stands right above the bank, so you walk up from the gangway. Kom Ombo Temple is a double temple split down its axis, one half for Sobek the crocodile god and the other for Haroeris, Horus the Elder. Look for the relief of surgical instruments on the outer wall, then the mummified crocodiles in the Crocodile Museum next door.
The rest of the day is spent on the river as the ship passes Edfu and continues to Esna. Dinner and a galabeya party. Overnight in Esna.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
The ship passes through the Esna Lock before dawn and reaches Luxor by breakfast, leaving the morning free. After lunch your guide takes you to the Karnak Temple Complex, about 100 hectares of temples built over some 2,000 years and the largest religious complex ever built, with the 134 columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall. Then Luxor Temple on the corniche, best near dusk when the floodlights come on.
Farewell dinner and your last night on board in Luxor.
Optional tour: Karnak Sound and Light Show
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Breakfast on board and check-out at 08:00, then a private transfer to Luxor airport, the railway station or your Luxor hotel. If you are staying on, ask us about Luxor day tours or the temples of Dendera and Abydos.
Meals Included: Breakfast
