5-Day Nile Cruise Over Christmas & New Year from Luxor to Aswan

The ancient Egyptians lived on the East Bank, where the sun rises, and buried their kings on the West Bank, where it sets. 

Today begins with an optional sunrise hot air balloon over the Theban Necropolis, then a journey into the most famous royal cemetery on earth.

📍The Valley of the Kings

Hidden in a desert valley, the Valley of the Kings holds more than 60 tombs of New Kingdom pharaohs, painted with the Book of the Dead and other texts guiding the king through the underworld.

Did you know? The valley lies beneath El-Qurn in the Theban hills, a natural pyramid-shaped peak that may be why the pharaohs chose this place. The tombs of Tutankhamun (KV62) and Seti I (KV17) need separate tickets. Tutankhamun's mummy still rests inside his tomb.

📍The Mortaury Temple of Hatshepsut

Rising in terraces against golden cliffs at Deir el-Bahari, the Temple of Hatshepsut honours one of Egypt's few female pharaohs. Its middle terrace shows her expedition to the Land of Punt, with ships bringing back frankincense and myrrh trees.

🔎 Insider Reveal: After Hatshepsut’s death, Thutmose III ordered many of her names and images to be erased from monuments. Look closely at the carvings, and you can still spot the outlines and recessed surfaces where her figure was deliberately chiselled away.

📍The Colossi of Memnon

These two 18-metre statues of Amenhotep III have stood on Luxor’s West Bank for more than 3,400 years. The Colossi of Memnon once flanked the entrance to his enormous mortuary temple, much of which was destroyed by floods, earthquakes and the passage of time.

💡Did You Know? The Greeks and Romans believed one of the statues “sang” at dawn, a mysterious phenomenon known as the Vocal Memnon. The sound reportedly disappeared after the statue was repaired around AD 200 under the Roman emperor Septimius Severus.

Back on board, the ship sets sail south. In the afternoon, you pass through the Esna Lock, then you reach Edfu, where you will moor in for the night. Tomorrow, you meet Horus, the falcon god.

Morning on the Nile brings mist over the water and the sound of the river waking up. A horse-drawn carriage carries you through Edfu's streets to a temple that has barely changed in 2,000 years.

📍The Edfu Temple 

The Temple of Horus is the best-preserved ancient Egyptian temple, built between 237 and 57 BC. Two granite falcon statues of Horus stand at its entrance, while its towering walls preserve scenes from the ancient myth of Horus’s battle with Seth over the throne of Egypt. 

💡Did you know? Every year, the statue of the goddess Hathor sailed from her temple at Dendera to Edfu to meet her husband Horus. The "Festival of the Beautiful Meeting" was one of ancient Egypt's greatest celebrations.

Back on board, sail south through some of the Nile's most beautiful scenery and enjoy lunch and afternoon tea on the sundeck.

📍Kom Ombo Temple

In the late afternoon, the ship moors beside Kom Ombo, an unusual double temple built on a bend of the Nile where crocodiles once inhabited the riverbanks. Its two halves honor different gods: Haroeris (Horus the Elder) on one side and Sobek, the crocodile god, on the other. 

📌Insider tip: Don't miss the Crocodile Museum next door, with its mummified crocodiles. Then look for the temple's Nilometer, a well used to measure the Nile's flood and set the year's taxes.

As evening falls, the ship sails on towards Aswan. Tomorrow, you reach Egypt's southern gateway, where the Nile is at its most beautiful.

Aswan is where Egypt meets Nubia, a city of granite islands, golden dunes and white-sailed feluccas. For early risers, the day can begin with an optional journey to Abu Simbel, the colossal temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari.

📍The Aswan High Dam & Lake Nasser

The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, ended the Nile's annual flood and created Lake Nasser, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, stretching about 500 km into Sudan.

💡Did you know? Lake Nasser threatened to submerge ancient Nubian temples. In one of the world’s largest archaeological rescue campaigns, UNESCO and international teams relocated dozens of monuments, including Abu Simbel and Philae, to higher ground, saving them from the rising waters. 

📍The Unfinished Obelisk: 

Hidden in Aswan’s ancient granite quarries, the Unfinished Obelisk was abandoned after a crack appeared in the stone. Had it been completed, it would have stood about 42 metres (138 feet) tall, making it the largest obelisk ever carved in ancient Egypt. Today, the quarry lets you see exactly how these monumental stones were cut from the bedrock.

📍Philae Temple by Motorboat

A short motorboat ride brings you to the island Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis, the goddess of magic and motherhood, and part of the UNESCO-listed Nubian Monuments.

💡Insider reveal: The last known hieroglyphic inscription was carved at Philae in 394 AD. The temple was one of the last to keep the old gods until the 6th century, when part of it became a church. Look for the Christian crosses still carved on its walls.

Spend your last evening on board with a farewell dinner. Tomorrow, your Nile journey ends, unless you choose to continue the story.

After a delicious breakfast on board, check out and disembark in Aswan. You'll be transferred to Aswan Airport (ASW) or the train station, or to your hotel if you're staying longer.

🔻Stay longer in Aswan? Our cruise guests enjoy a special rate at Heissa Artie, a boutique Nubian guesthouse on Heissa Island, just across the water from Philae. 

🔻Want more of Egypt? Your guide can extend your holiday on the spot. Add Cairo and the Pyramids, Abu Simbel, a Nubian village stay, or the Red Sea, and turn this cruise into one of our 7-day, 8-day or 10-day Egypt Christmas packages, or a tailor-made Egypt tour built around your dates.