4 nights · Southbound
Luxor to Aswan
The classic downstream run, calling at Edfu and Kom Ombo, with the current helping the boat along. The most popular first cruise and the easiest to schedule.
Route details →
Independent cruise planning · Luxor & Aswan · Since 2018
The Nile, at the right pace, on the right boat.
A Nile cruise is the calm heart of any trip to Upper Egypt — but the choice between a forty-cabin floating hotel and a six-cabin dahabiya sailing boat changes everything about how the days feel. We don't own a fleet; we plan independently. Tell us how you want to travel and we match you to the vessel, route and season that actually fit, then show you what a fair price looks like.
3–7
Nights afloat
2
Boat styles
5
Major temple stops
210 km
Luxor → Aswan
How it works
From idea to gangway in three steps
We're a planning desk. You book your chosen voyage through the operator; our job is to make sure it's the right one before any deposit is paid.
1
Tell us your trip
How many nights, which direction, your budget, and whether you want the sociable buzz of a larger cruiser or the slow quiet of a sailing dahabiya. Travelling with children or wanting a chef's table changes the shortlist, so we ask.
2
We match the voyage
We compare boats, routes and departure dates against your answers — cabin layout, the temples each itinerary actually visits, the difference a sun-deck pool or a shaded sailing makes in the season you're travelling.
3
You book direct
We point you to the operator and a fair price, and flag the practical details — which excursions are included, where the boat docks, and the legs where smaller dahabiyas need a tow through the locks at Esna.
Featured voyages
The classic Nile itineraries
Six of the voyages we plan most. The full route breakdown lives on our cruise pages.
5 nights · Northbound
Aswan to Luxor
The upstream voyage, often a night longer to allow for the slower going. Starts among Aswan's islands and ends at Luxor's great temples — a fine sense of arrival.
Route details →
7 nights · Dahabiya
Slow sail by dahabiya
A small wind-powered boat of six to ten cabins, mooring at sandbanks and villages the big cruisers pass by. Quiet, unhurried and increasingly the choice of repeat visitors.
About dahabiyas →
Extension
Lake Nasser & Abu Simbel
A separate cruise on Lake Nasser reaching Abu Simbel by water — a rarer, quieter route for travellers who want more than the standard Luxor–Aswan stretch.
See extensions →
3 nights · Short
The short cruise
A three-night southbound option for travellers tight on time, covering the essential temple stops between Luxor and Aswan without a full week aboard.
When to go →
Family
Family-friendly voyages
Larger cruisers with pools, connecting cabins and flexible meal times suit families best. We flag the boats and excursions that work with children and the pace that keeps everyone happy.
Family cruises →
Why plan with us
One river, very different journeys
The brochures make every Nile cruise look the same: same temples, same sun deck, same buffet. They aren't. A large cruiser is comfortable, social and good value, but it moors in a raft of identical boats and follows a fixed timetable. A dahabiya sails by wind, carries a dozen guests at most, and stops where the captain chooses — at a price to match. Picking the wrong one is the single biggest regret travellers report.
Because we don't own boats, we have no reason to push you toward one over another. We keep current notes on the fleets, the routes and the seasons, and we match them to how you actually want to travel. Read how the desk works, compare the cabins and ships, or check the best season for your dates.
Know your trip already? Send us the details and we'll come back with a shortlist and honest pricing.
It helps to think of the Nile cruise as the spine of an Upper Egypt trip rather than a bolt-on. The temples you reach by boat — Edfu and Kom Ombo above all — are genuinely hard to fit in any other way, mooring as they do almost at the riverbank, and the rhythm of sailing between Luxor and Aswan gives the heavy programme of tombs and temples room to breathe. Where the cruise sits in your week, which direction you sail and how many nights you spend aboard all shape the rest of the itinerary, which is why we plan the voyage first and let the land days settle around it rather than the other way round.
No fleet, no commission pressure
We plan independently and don't take a cut from any single operator. The voyage we suggest is the one that fits your answers — not the one that pays us most.
Common questions
Before you book a cruise
If you want a sociable trip with a pool, evening entertainment and the lowest price per night, a large cruiser is the sensible choice. If you value quiet, small numbers, flexible mooring and a more intimate experience — and you'll pay more for it — a dahabiya is hard to beat. Our dahabiya page compares them in detail.
Southbound (Luxor to Aswan) runs with the current and is usually a night shorter; northbound builds toward Luxor's biggest temples as a finale. Neither is "better" — it often comes down to your flights and how you want the trip to climax. See cruise routes.
October to April is the comfortable window, with December and January busiest. Summer is hot but cheaper and quieter, and a boat with a good pool and air conditioning makes it manageable. Our best season guide breaks it down month by month.
It varies by operator. Most cruises include guided shore excursions to the main temples but not every optional site, and entry tickets are sometimes extra. We tell you exactly what's covered before you book — see shore excursions.
Dahabiyas have few cabins and book up months ahead for peak season; large cruisers have more flexibility but the best dates still go early. For December–January travel we suggest planning several months out. Our booking tips cover deposits and timing.
Plan your Nile voyage
Send your dates, party size and the kind of boat you have in mind. We'll reply with a matched shortlist and fair pricing.
Start planning