Nile Cruise 4 Days 3 Nights from Aswan to Luxor
4.5
Nile Cruise 4 Days 3 Nights from Aswan to Luxor
By Reflections Travel
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About
from per adult (price varies by group size)
£658.86
Lowest price guaranteeFree cancellation
Ages 0-99
Duration: 4 days
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: German, English, Italian, French, Spanish
More
- Lunch
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Meet and assist service upon arrival & departure
- All transfers by a modern a/c deluxe vehicle
- Accommodation for 3 nights on board 5* cruise on full board basis
- All Nile Cruise excursions as mentioned in the itinerary
- Egyptologist guide during your excursions
- All service charges and taxes
- Admission to Philae Temple
- Admission to High Dam
- Admission to Unfinished Obelisk
- Admission to Kom Ombo Temple
- Admission to Edfu Temple
- Admission to Valley of the Kings
- Admission to Queen Hatshepsut Temple
- Admission to Colossi of Memnon
- Admission to Karnak Temple
- Admission to Luxor Temple
- A bottle of water during your trip
- All service charges & taxes
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Philae
- Entry/Admission - Aswan High Dam
- Entry/Admission - Unfinished Obelisk
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Kom Ombo
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Horus
- Entry/Admission - Valley of the Kings
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Hatshepsut
- Entry/Admission - Colossi of Memnon
- Entry/Admission - Temple of Karnak
- Entry/Admission - Luxor Temple
What's not included- Any optional tours
- Tipping
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.
- Option 1Aswan, Aswan Governorate, Egypt
- Option 2فتحي منصور, 3VQX+HWP, Sheyakhah Thalethah, Aswan 1, Aswan Governorate 1242720, Egypt
Pickup details- We pick up all travelers from Hotels, Airports, Railway station and any point In Aswan
Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.Airport pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included airports.- Aswan Airport, Aswan Egypt
End:- Luxor, Luxor City, Luxor, Luxor Governorate, Egypt
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Pushchair accessible
- Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 8672P7- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- Most travellers can participate
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 8672P7
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Similar experiences
Itinerary
Overview
Full Map
11 stops
Day 1
Aswan Sightseeing:- Philae...
Day 2
Kom Ombo & Edfu Temples
Day 3
Luxor Sightseeing:- Valley of...
Day 4
Disembarkation/ Karnak and Luxor...
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- alex00mihai0 contributionsVery niceThe felucca journey on the Nile was very nice. Everything was nice. The history told by the guide was very interesting.Written 16 May 2023
- teekay202020180 contributionsGood but rushedI toured Unfinished Obelisk, Aswan High Dam, and Philae Temple. Good tour guide but the tour was rushed throughout and there was no free time to look around on your own at any of the sites.Written 13 December 2022
- RSAOS0 contributionsAvoidThe tour was supposed to have four elements - Felucca, entry to Elephantine Island, Aga Khan mausoleum and the botanical gardens We actually received a motorised boat journey to the botanical gardens where we were left to wander in our own There was no real explanation as to why the tour was changed We were offered a visit to buy spices and essential oils instead which we declined The tour guide then suggested that we walk back to our hotel Avoid this tourWritten 11 October 2022
- V1912HEstevef0 contributionsGreat tour of Abu SimbelWe had a great tour of Abu Simbel. Our guide was Dalia Moho and she was very friendly and kind and looked after us very well indeed. She was very informative and ensured we had a great day. The driver was also very good and drove well. We also left our belongings behind and they delivered it to us the next day which was very kind of them. Thoroughly recommend this tour and company for your travel needs.Written 15 April 2022
- ivoh20170 contributionsAmazing trip at a reasonable price by Reflections Travel with the best guide Roshdy.This was the fourth trip I took with Reflections Travel and it was perfect just like the other private tours I took with them before. Georgina from Reflections understands very well what tourists like and she arranged this perfect trip for me for a very reasonable price. My guide was Roshdy (again) and I was so pleased he went with me to Abu Simbel because he’s the best guide! Normally the trip to Abu Simbel starts very early in the morning like 04:30 AM but because it was a private tour I decided to leave Aswan around 06:00 AM and I would recommend everybody to do the same because we arrived Abu Simbel by the time most groups already left. Therefore it was much less crowded and much better! Roshdy met me at my hotel perfectly on time and we had a very nice car and good and save driver. To get to Abu Simbel takes a while, but it was worth it. What an amazing temple complex! So don’t forget to go to Abu Simbel when you’re in “the neighbourhood” (Aswan) and book your trip with Reflections Travel and ask for Roshdy to be your guide. You won’t regret it!Written 13 March 2022
- lamariposa6190 contributionsGood Guide, Bad ActivityThe tour guide Hazem was amazing and so helpful. Very generous and attentive. However the sound and light show is self is not worth the money. I much rather see this by day and have Hazem give me his explanation than listen to the story provided by the facility.Written 8 February 2022
- cmcaudillo0 contributionsWonderful temple! Just okay serviceSeeing Abu Simbel Temple was amazing and I am overall glad that I went and saw it. I do not know that it is worth the high cost to fly rather than drive (and I did not do that drive so cannot compare it). You really only need an hour or so at Abu Simbel to see both temples so you are traveling (or sitting in the airport to travel) for about 5-6 hours so keep that in mind. The reason for 3 stars in my review is due to the lack of communication with the company. Our flight was changed without us being told and I only noticed when checking in for our flight the night before. That's not much time to fix anything when you have a 5am pickup. I finally was shown our flight confirmation on WhatsApp but only because I repeatedly asked. When we were dropped at the airport, our driver also did not have our correct flight information but he got us into the airport with whatever information he had. Once we went to the desk to check in our luggage, they could not find tickets attached to our passports and only because I had requested confirmation the night before did I have what was needed. It made for a stressful night prior and a stressful morning. Our flights were also delayed (not their fault obviously) but communication to us that if flights are delayed, then the return flight is also delayed automatically to give you enough time to see Abu Simbel. So much of our stress could have been alleviated with a little more communication to us. For that reason, I'd recommend seeing Abu Simbel, but it is easy enough to do on your own or have your travel advisor put together. I went as a travel agent to test out the different tours and I wouldn't book my clients on this one unless communication were to be improved. Our guide once we got to Abu Simbel was fine-he did a speed talk version of the information and left us to see the temple on our own. It was good information and I'm glad we had a guide but it was not extraordinary. As another reviewer posted, it was a bit confusing on the shuttle bus process and we did not think we had time to wait for them so we took a private taxi. If we had known about how flight delays were treated, we would have saved ourselves the money and taken the shuttle bus.Written 10 January 2022
- David F0 contributionsAmazing guide!Our guide, was really amazing, very helpful and nice! The sites itself are not really mind blowing. Bothanical garden is a nice place to walk and relax, but the site lacks care. Agha Khan is closed. Choose for a windy day for the feluca ride!!!Written 7 November 2021
- Riah_be0 contributionsHigh Priority TripYosra was a blast! We laughed a lot on our camel journey and enjoyed exploring the Monastery. A must when visiting the beautiful Aswan!Written 9 October 2021
- David K0 contributionsAn amazing site!Six of us had a private tour, which was a huge savings over the optional excursion offered by our Globus tour. Our tour guide met us at our river cruise boat and then dropped us at a hotel afterward. It's a long ride (3+ hours each way) with nothing but desert in between. Abu Simbel is fantastic. The only thing keeping it from being a 5-star review was our tour guide. She didn't provide as much history and narrative as we would have liked.Written 15 February 2020
- YiduoZ40 contributionsHighly no recommendedI booked a private tour to abu simbel The day before departure they send me a guy for briefing which nothing important I had to wait at the hotel for the whole afternoon The guy told me to be at lobby at 4:15 which I did but the car arrived at 4:30 On my way back the car was broken They send me back with the nearest coach they could find which is very positive When I arrived at aswan They continued to sell more tours without saying any sorry The entrance fee didn’t include in the tour price Which all other companies included I had to cancel the following tour with them due to the unacceptable solution they tried to ask me for more money one more positive thing was the guide and driver were very friendly and nice But the travel agency is awful 超级不推荐 浪费时间 车坏了 没有任何处理结果 只想着推销和多收费 非常糟糕的旅行社 不包含景点门票 千万别选!!Written 14 November 2019
- MickeyMouseFanatic0 contributionsGreat tour, but could have been more organizedThe guide picked us up from our Nile River cruise. On the way to the airport, he asked if we had a tour scheduled when we arrived in Abu Simbel. We said that the tour that we booked was supposed to be a private guided tour, so we were concerned, since he didn't know anything about it. When we arrived in Abu Simbel, there was a gentleman than greeted us, and said that we could take a bus, or pay him 200 Egyptian pounds, and he would take us to Abu Simbel. This seemed a bit fishy to us, but we weren't keen on taking a bus with about 50 other people, so we paid to habe him take us. When we arrived at the temple or Egyptologist guide meet us, and the rest of the tour went smoothly. The guide was excellent and very knowledgeable.Written 16 September 2019
- 146jjay0 contributionsAswan TourI had a great tour if Aswan with Sayed. Very knowledgeable of sites and artifacts, and other great insights. Goes above and beyond for tourist, offering advice and great tips. I highly recommend him as your tour guide, and he speaks numerous languages! Great tour!Written 2 June 2019
- SonaL670 contributionsAmazing time with our wonderful guide Ahmed darwishWithout our tour guide Ahmed darwish I don't think me and my friend love Egypt, he is excellent in everything and services from reflection travel was amazing thank you so much for the time we spent in your lovely country and especially Ahmed darwish helped so much and made us felt free, special thanks for Ahmed darwishWritten 17 May 2019
- Jia6830 contributionsPrivate tour in AswanAmazing trip to Aswan. Ahmed Fathalla was my tour guide and made sure everything was a breeze and had nothing to worry about the entire time I was there! so many great sites to see and rich culture and history to enjoy. I would recommend this trip to anyone visiting Egypt for the first time. Ahmed Fathalla also helped to ensure the trip was safe and secure and full of plenty of explanations of the sites to see, his knowledge and descriptions of the sites in Aswan were amazing. many thanks to Ahmed and Reflections Travel for making my trip to Egypt a safe and filing experience to remember.Written 5 May 2019
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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4.5
23 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
2
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Kelly O
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Family
My husband and I took our four children on their first international trip and Egypt was our destination. Our favorite part of our 12 day trip was cruising the Nile!! The boat was amazing, food was great, staff was great. But our guide Haysam made the whole experience so smooth!! He was so knowledgeable about all the sights we were seeing and he put up with our children endless questions and was super flexible to accommodate us.
Written 21 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samyu b
33 contributions
Jan 2019 • Family
I contacted reflections directly through their website. G. was responsive up until i booked my tickets. After that, it was so hard to get it touch and the excuse was that 'in meeting or with client' (I can show proof from my messages) whenever I called or messaged. The price was reasonable but you end up paying 40% more per head when you count tip (10$ per day per person) and plus excursions (if you take it). Tour guide Gayal charged for wifi hotspot 30$ for 4 days because the "free" wifi on the ship was useless. I thought water was included in our tours and transfer. We did not get water every single time and we did not get enough so you would end up buying it on the cruise anyway.
First day starts off getting picked up from train station and off to a few sites, the Dam, Phillae temple etc. Tour guide was kind of rude and definitely not a personable human being. First 10 minutes of meeting him, we were told we cannot interrupt him while talking "Do not interrupt me!" or "you need to stand right in front of me when I speak".
He did not allow us to linger in that market where they sold unique jewelry (which we did not see same one anywhere else btw). He kept rushing us saying we don't have time. However, we were starving and wanted to go the ship as it was 2 pm and we were picked up at 8 am but Gayal took us to some perfume shop (where they literally corner foreigners into buying their items for yes OVERPRICED). When we said we did not want to buy anything, Gayal was questioning us why we did not want it and it looked like they would never let us leave unless we spent money there.
We heard about Abu Simble and Hot air balloon excursion through another passenger on the cruise. We told tour guide we want to do it and he made it seem like "its so last minute" and tried to charge us more $ than listed on reflections website. FYI, it is not our fault we did not KNOW about it and company never mentioned these to us. The cruise itself is very standard/mediocre (we went on Liberty Nile). Cruise only takes cash and this was such a problem for MANY tourists and they were complaining multiple times. It was ridiculous that a cruise ship cannot accept card. In addition, he kept bringing vendors to us in ship to force us to buy stuff. We are forced to write reviews in middle of the tour so naturally NO ONE HERE IS GOING TO SAY NEGATIVE THINGS.
now positive things.
We loved all the sites itself, they are majestic and beautiful. The only good thing about the tour guide was he was always on time, very knowledgeable about everything, and dropped us off correctly but he needs to become more personable or the company should not be forcing people to buy stuff or go to complimentary places we say we don't want to go. We were very upset with how this all was and I dont recommend this cruise to westerners . Our Cairo tour company and guide was spectacular compared to this experience (Emo tours!).
First day starts off getting picked up from train station and off to a few sites, the Dam, Phillae temple etc. Tour guide was kind of rude and definitely not a personable human being. First 10 minutes of meeting him, we were told we cannot interrupt him while talking "Do not interrupt me!" or "you need to stand right in front of me when I speak".
He did not allow us to linger in that market where they sold unique jewelry (which we did not see same one anywhere else btw). He kept rushing us saying we don't have time. However, we were starving and wanted to go the ship as it was 2 pm and we were picked up at 8 am but Gayal took us to some perfume shop (where they literally corner foreigners into buying their items for yes OVERPRICED). When we said we did not want to buy anything, Gayal was questioning us why we did not want it and it looked like they would never let us leave unless we spent money there.
We heard about Abu Simble and Hot air balloon excursion through another passenger on the cruise. We told tour guide we want to do it and he made it seem like "its so last minute" and tried to charge us more $ than listed on reflections website. FYI, it is not our fault we did not KNOW about it and company never mentioned these to us. The cruise itself is very standard/mediocre (we went on Liberty Nile). Cruise only takes cash and this was such a problem for MANY tourists and they were complaining multiple times. It was ridiculous that a cruise ship cannot accept card. In addition, he kept bringing vendors to us in ship to force us to buy stuff. We are forced to write reviews in middle of the tour so naturally NO ONE HERE IS GOING TO SAY NEGATIVE THINGS.
now positive things.
We loved all the sites itself, they are majestic and beautiful. The only good thing about the tour guide was he was always on time, very knowledgeable about everything, and dropped us off correctly but he needs to become more personable or the company should not be forcing people to buy stuff or go to complimentary places we say we don't want to go. We were very upset with how this all was and I dont recommend this cruise to westerners . Our Cairo tour company and guide was spectacular compared to this experience (Emo tours!).
Written 6 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alistair B
New Forest National Park Hampshire, UK3 contributions
This is a 5* review!
We have had the most wonderful 5 days with Sayed and would recommend him to you without question.
What an excellent, knowledgable guide who has made the treasures of Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel come alive for us.
His joyous personality has made each day so enjoyable with extra trips being organised at a moment's notice to local markets where we were the only tourists in the bustle of Egyptian life, to public coffee shops to try shisha and mint tea, boat trips to swim in the Nile, visiting local Nubian villages and the botanical gardens in Aswan. Our knowledge of Ancient Egypt will remain with us which is no mean feat.
Our lives have been changed for the better by Sayed, we leave with a love of Egypt, its people, its rich history and stunning temples.
We have had the most wonderful 5 days with Sayed and would recommend him to you without question.
What an excellent, knowledgable guide who has made the treasures of Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel come alive for us.
His joyous personality has made each day so enjoyable with extra trips being organised at a moment's notice to local markets where we were the only tourists in the bustle of Egyptian life, to public coffee shops to try shisha and mint tea, boat trips to swim in the Nile, visiting local Nubian villages and the botanical gardens in Aswan. Our knowledge of Ancient Egypt will remain with us which is no mean feat.
Our lives have been changed for the better by Sayed, we leave with a love of Egypt, its people, its rich history and stunning temples.
Written 9 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dhanraj a
51 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
This was a most amazing part of our trip to Egypt... Luxurious ship... Wonderful food... Excellent service... Visited all the Temples on the way to Luxor...amole time to visit and take pictures in each stop.. Truly amazing....fully recommended by our family
Written 25 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BStraveladventures
Toronto, Canada18 contributions
We had our 3-night/4-day Nile Cruise (Premium Nile) booked with Reflection Travel and our private tour guide Roshdy. I cannot explain how professional and personable Roshdy was. He went over and beyond his role as our tour guide. Besides all of the information he provided for the tours, We needed playing cards - no problem he got it, I got sick - no problem he got me meds, my partner needed deodorant- no problem he got it. He made this history tour for us so much fun! Thank you Roshdy!
Written 21 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith
17 contributions
Jul 2019
From the knowledge and courtesy of the guide to the comfort of the rooms in the ship, it was an absolutely relaxing, educational, and enjoyable trip. I would HIGHLY recommend and Mohsen was very attentive to making this an enjoyable trip. He was very educational on the numerous sights seen on this trip pointing out details within the amazing ruins to making sure you were never taken advantage of by anybody along the way. I highly recommend this tour with Reflections and thank you to Georgina and Mohsen for making this a most memorable trip!
Written 9 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shawkins22202
4 contributions
Nov 2022
This is a complicated review because it turns out that there are several different entities involved in this service. If you don’t feel like reading further, the bottom line is that we had a great time and a wonderful experience. All the logistics worked, and the communications were as frequent as needed and accurate.
In order, the review that follows will address Viator (we paid them), Imperial Egypt (they made the cruise arrangements and provided our great guide and all the logistics), and Iberotel (their boat, the Crown Emperor was what we sailed on).
Our cruise was the standard 4-day, 3-night downstream sailing from Aswan to Luxor. It started on Monday, November 28 and ended on Thursday, December 1. We docked at and toured from Aswan on Monday (Phillae) and Tuesday (Abu Simbel), sailed to Kom Ombo on Tuesday evening, then continued on to Edfu to dock overnight. We toured Edfu temple on Wednesday morning and then sailed on to Luxor, arriving in time to tour Luxor temple before dinner on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, we started with the optional dawn hot air balloon and then after breakfast proceeded to tour The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s temple, and Karnak. The days were packed with touring or watching the banks of the Nile slide by from the sun deck, or both. Both Tuesday and Thursday started at 4am to be able to pack in all that was going on. There were a lot of moving parts to this, but they all worked and were well-coordinated.
First, Viator is the company we paid for the cruise. Viator is a company owned by TripAdvisor. They don’t have anything to do with any of the specific cruise services, but the handling of the money and the connection from them to Imperial Egypt, the company that actually made the arrangements and provided the guide and the logistics was efficient and as advertised.
Second, Imperial Egypt was the actual tour company that provided all of the arrangements, the logistics, and the guide. Soon after making our booking, we began to receive emails from Imperial Egypt (Hany) and he was very good about confirming our arrangements and informing us about what was included in the tour package and what had to be paid separately. The bottom line on costs is that they will pick you up either from the airport or from one of their listed hotels at the start of the tour and will take care of any needed logistics until the time they drop you off at the airport or your departure hotel at the end. All costs are covered except you do have to pay separately for all entry fees and you do have to pay for all drinks (except coffee/tea at breakfast and tea time and the bottled water they put in your stateroom each day). In our case, we also had to arrange for a different pickup site since the hotel we were staying at was not in the downtown Aswan list.
Imperial Egypt also makes the arrangements for the boat (see below), which in our case was the Crown Emperor, operated by Iberotel.
Our guide was Mido Mosa and he was excellent. Mido is a very knowledgeable Egyptologist and was very good about explaining which temple was related to which person or god and what was going on in the temples at various times and during various feasts and festivals. Mido was also very clear about the daily schedule and logistics and what the costs would be for each day as we went along. He also set up a WhatsApp group for us, both so we could communicate if something wasn’t clear or didn’t seem to be going as expected, and so he could share photos he had taken over the years or were from the archives and showed the way things were ‘before’. Mido was really the core to our excellent experience.
Finally, our boat was the Crown Emperor, which is one of several operated by Iberotel. They were responsible for the boat itself, all activities on the boat, and the food. The Crown Emperor is in good shape and has been fairly well maintained, but it is an older boat and has seen some wear and tear. The decks are somewhat uneven and creaky and the linen has been washed many times and has the scratchy feeling that goes along with that age. That said, everything basically worked and the important stuff, such as the bathroom and the food, were really quite good. One of the reasons they are able to keep the costs of this kind of cruise so reasonable is very likely the age of the equipment they are running, so if you want something newer and shinier, you are liable to pay more.
As a side note, the hot air balloon at dawn over the Valley of the Kings turned out to be enormous fun. It is completely optional and at additional cost, but for us it was $75 each, which seemed like a great deal.
So, in summary, this was a wonderful experience that we greatly enjoyed. We saw so much history that it all started to jumble together. If you get a chance, you should do one.
In order, the review that follows will address Viator (we paid them), Imperial Egypt (they made the cruise arrangements and provided our great guide and all the logistics), and Iberotel (their boat, the Crown Emperor was what we sailed on).
Our cruise was the standard 4-day, 3-night downstream sailing from Aswan to Luxor. It started on Monday, November 28 and ended on Thursday, December 1. We docked at and toured from Aswan on Monday (Phillae) and Tuesday (Abu Simbel), sailed to Kom Ombo on Tuesday evening, then continued on to Edfu to dock overnight. We toured Edfu temple on Wednesday morning and then sailed on to Luxor, arriving in time to tour Luxor temple before dinner on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, we started with the optional dawn hot air balloon and then after breakfast proceeded to tour The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s temple, and Karnak. The days were packed with touring or watching the banks of the Nile slide by from the sun deck, or both. Both Tuesday and Thursday started at 4am to be able to pack in all that was going on. There were a lot of moving parts to this, but they all worked and were well-coordinated.
First, Viator is the company we paid for the cruise. Viator is a company owned by TripAdvisor. They don’t have anything to do with any of the specific cruise services, but the handling of the money and the connection from them to Imperial Egypt, the company that actually made the arrangements and provided the guide and the logistics was efficient and as advertised.
Second, Imperial Egypt was the actual tour company that provided all of the arrangements, the logistics, and the guide. Soon after making our booking, we began to receive emails from Imperial Egypt (Hany) and he was very good about confirming our arrangements and informing us about what was included in the tour package and what had to be paid separately. The bottom line on costs is that they will pick you up either from the airport or from one of their listed hotels at the start of the tour and will take care of any needed logistics until the time they drop you off at the airport or your departure hotel at the end. All costs are covered except you do have to pay separately for all entry fees and you do have to pay for all drinks (except coffee/tea at breakfast and tea time and the bottled water they put in your stateroom each day). In our case, we also had to arrange for a different pickup site since the hotel we were staying at was not in the downtown Aswan list.
Imperial Egypt also makes the arrangements for the boat (see below), which in our case was the Crown Emperor, operated by Iberotel.
Our guide was Mido Mosa and he was excellent. Mido is a very knowledgeable Egyptologist and was very good about explaining which temple was related to which person or god and what was going on in the temples at various times and during various feasts and festivals. Mido was also very clear about the daily schedule and logistics and what the costs would be for each day as we went along. He also set up a WhatsApp group for us, both so we could communicate if something wasn’t clear or didn’t seem to be going as expected, and so he could share photos he had taken over the years or were from the archives and showed the way things were ‘before’. Mido was really the core to our excellent experience.
Finally, our boat was the Crown Emperor, which is one of several operated by Iberotel. They were responsible for the boat itself, all activities on the boat, and the food. The Crown Emperor is in good shape and has been fairly well maintained, but it is an older boat and has seen some wear and tear. The decks are somewhat uneven and creaky and the linen has been washed many times and has the scratchy feeling that goes along with that age. That said, everything basically worked and the important stuff, such as the bathroom and the food, were really quite good. One of the reasons they are able to keep the costs of this kind of cruise so reasonable is very likely the age of the equipment they are running, so if you want something newer and shinier, you are liable to pay more.
As a side note, the hot air balloon at dawn over the Valley of the Kings turned out to be enormous fun. It is completely optional and at additional cost, but for us it was $75 each, which seemed like a great deal.
So, in summary, this was a wonderful experience that we greatly enjoyed. We saw so much history that it all started to jumble together. If you get a chance, you should do one.
Written 6 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brinda V
Coimbatore District, India11 contributions
We boarded the Nile cruise ship Hapi V at Aswan, excited after the high of seeing the Great Pyramids of Giza in Cairo. We flew into Aswan and transferred to the ship Hapi V. The first look of the ship lobby was disappointing. It showed its age, lots of wood and worn out flooring. Our room was on the second floor, clean but old. The carpet was dirty and a dark grey because of the dirt. The bathroom was old, but clean enough. The shower stall glass door had hard water stains. There were no toiletries nor was there a coffee kettle and supplies. Hot water was freely available in the bathroom at all times so that’s one good thing.
Our room boy was very sweet and accommodating. He made innovative flower and elephant decorations with the bath towels every day!
The dining room was below the water level. It was cramped. Food served buffet style. Hardly enough room to go around the buffet and squeeze back to your table. Unknowingly, since there were no servers around, I sat at a table and the dining room manager Ahmed, shouted across the room at me that I could not sit there. When my friend objected this manger told her not to raise her voice! Fair enough, sir, but you could have politely told me at the table! I moved anyway and told him that it was not proper to yell to get me to move on his part. I felt it was a racist move, brown skinned customers not the same as other tones I guess. Anyway we had to bring his behavior to the attention of the management because when my friends continued to ask why he was behaving this way, he started to shout at them. Some English people told us, “You Indians leave this place!” The GM of the ship Mr Mohammed did apologize and assure us that we could dine together as a group and promised to put us on the platform with the view of the River.
We were seated in the less privileged section of the dining area, away from the windows which were occupied by white people. I guess the euros/dollars they paid were more worthy than the $$$ we paid. Grudgingly, after we asked about it, they did seat us the next day at a platform table that was in a corner near the smoky cooking area. I feel the need to call out racism even if it’s from a fellow brown person. The Nile River cruise is popular enough that Hapi V or Hapi Five cruise ship could have done better. I did not expect such behavior from Egyptians on the front lines of the tourism industry.
The food was below average on the Hapi V in taste and variety. They repeated the first day menu on all four days we were in the cruise ship!
The servers/waiters were all young boys, when we tipped them, they had to hand over the tip money to the restaurant manager. We saw them do this several times.
The entertainment included one cocktail hosted by the ship captain. There was belly dancing one evening by a man in Turkish costume. He was pretty good.
The deck of the ship was above the third floor bar. There is no elevator/lift available to get up there. So if you have trouble climbing stairs don’t book this cruise ship. There is a pool, but at this time of the year the water is cold. There were a couple of people and kids having fun at the pool though.
It was pleasant to sit on the deck, the views were stunning. We had a great view of the Esna locks from the deck. The shopping while waiting for the locks to be free was nerve-racking! It involved the seller in a tiny boat displaying his wares, while you were on the deck at the very top of the ship. Much tossing of towels, shawls and dining table clothes went on from sellers to the ship. Money was thrown back to them! Beware of pickpockets while watching the shopping down below. One of our purses was half opened but luckily only one small item was missing from the bag. Point to note - we were surrounded by white Europeans on the deck.
On the whole our experiences in other parts of Egypt were very good. The only sour note was this cruise ship. My travel agent unknowingly booked us in this poor quality ship when there are so many choices and we were willing to pay more. Be cautious of the Nile River cruise ship the Hapi V or Hapi Five if you have the money to avoid it! They especially welcome white tourists over others was the feeling I got.
Our room boy was very sweet and accommodating. He made innovative flower and elephant decorations with the bath towels every day!
The dining room was below the water level. It was cramped. Food served buffet style. Hardly enough room to go around the buffet and squeeze back to your table. Unknowingly, since there were no servers around, I sat at a table and the dining room manager Ahmed, shouted across the room at me that I could not sit there. When my friend objected this manger told her not to raise her voice! Fair enough, sir, but you could have politely told me at the table! I moved anyway and told him that it was not proper to yell to get me to move on his part. I felt it was a racist move, brown skinned customers not the same as other tones I guess. Anyway we had to bring his behavior to the attention of the management because when my friends continued to ask why he was behaving this way, he started to shout at them. Some English people told us, “You Indians leave this place!” The GM of the ship Mr Mohammed did apologize and assure us that we could dine together as a group and promised to put us on the platform with the view of the River.
We were seated in the less privileged section of the dining area, away from the windows which were occupied by white people. I guess the euros/dollars they paid were more worthy than the $$$ we paid. Grudgingly, after we asked about it, they did seat us the next day at a platform table that was in a corner near the smoky cooking area. I feel the need to call out racism even if it’s from a fellow brown person. The Nile River cruise is popular enough that Hapi V or Hapi Five cruise ship could have done better. I did not expect such behavior from Egyptians on the front lines of the tourism industry.
The food was below average on the Hapi V in taste and variety. They repeated the first day menu on all four days we were in the cruise ship!
The servers/waiters were all young boys, when we tipped them, they had to hand over the tip money to the restaurant manager. We saw them do this several times.
The entertainment included one cocktail hosted by the ship captain. There was belly dancing one evening by a man in Turkish costume. He was pretty good.
The deck of the ship was above the third floor bar. There is no elevator/lift available to get up there. So if you have trouble climbing stairs don’t book this cruise ship. There is a pool, but at this time of the year the water is cold. There were a couple of people and kids having fun at the pool though.
It was pleasant to sit on the deck, the views were stunning. We had a great view of the Esna locks from the deck. The shopping while waiting for the locks to be free was nerve-racking! It involved the seller in a tiny boat displaying his wares, while you were on the deck at the very top of the ship. Much tossing of towels, shawls and dining table clothes went on from sellers to the ship. Money was thrown back to them! Beware of pickpockets while watching the shopping down below. One of our purses was half opened but luckily only one small item was missing from the bag. Point to note - we were surrounded by white Europeans on the deck.
On the whole our experiences in other parts of Egypt were very good. The only sour note was this cruise ship. My travel agent unknowingly booked us in this poor quality ship when there are so many choices and we were willing to pay more. Be cautious of the Nile River cruise ship the Hapi V or Hapi Five if you have the money to avoid it! They especially welcome white tourists over others was the feeling I got.
Written 18 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
L Zhao
2 contributions
Mar 2022
Luxor. Our guide is knowledgeable and nice. He explained every to us clearly. We had a really good time.
Written 23 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Austin B
2 contributions
Nov 2021 • Family
Luxor was our favorite part of the trip, there were lots of beautiful sights to see along the way. We had a wonderful local guide who was knowledgable and had good english. The Nile cruise was awesome with good staff and great middle eastern food.
Written 11 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What is the name of the cruise ship for December 25th departure? I would like to see picture and reviews of the ship online.
Written 19 July 2019
I would suggest EmoTours. We went with them for something other the cruise (our mistake) and they were amazing.
Written 19 July 2019
interested in this tour and would like to book a hot air balloon with another tour agency on day 4. can i check where the pick up will be if we were to arrange one once we reached luxor? What's the earliest time we can check out of the cruise?
Written 17 April 2019
We are strict vegetarians. Do the cruise allow guest t use microwave for heating the precooked meal ?
Written 25 February 2019
There are various items in every meal however they may serve heat the precooked food for the guest, but you may need to send a special request in advance.
Written 1 March 2019
Queremos realizar un viaje por nuestra cuenta a Egipto pero, la opción ce coger el trayecto por el río Nilo (Asuan-Luxor) 3 o 4 noches queremos hacerlo programado( por el tema de transporte, entradas a los diferentes templo y quitarte de regateos y líos) el caso es que no encuentro ninguna página clara donde poder comprar estos pack. Alguna web(español, inglés, etc) que pueda realizarlo. Gracias.
Written 28 December 2018
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