My 3-Day Nile Cruise Review: Aswan, Luxor & Abu Simbel
So, you’re thinking about a short Nile cruise, and, like, this three-day option from Aswan to Luxor probably caught your eye, you know. I mean, it packs in so much stuff, like the temples at Abu Simbel and a hot air balloon ride, so it’s seriously tempting, right? Honestly, I get it. This kind of quick trip is pretty much a whirlwind tour of ancient Egypt’s greatest hits, and you sort of feel like you’re time-traveling. Anyway, you get to sleep on a boat that moves down the river, which is a very special feeling, actually. This is basically my take on what those three days really feel like, what with the early mornings and the sheer amount of amazing things you get to see. At the end of the day, it’s about seeing if this fast-paced tour is the right kind of adventure for you.
Day 1: Aswan’s Welcome and the Beginning of Your River Story
Okay, so on the first day, you more or less arrive in Aswan and that city has this very chill, relaxed vibe, you know. You will then, like, find your way to the cruise boat, which becomes your floating hotel for the next few nights, which is actually really cool. The crew is usually very friendly, so they make you feel at home right away. First, you typically go see the Aswan High Dam, and honestly, the scale of it is kind of wild to see up close. Next, you visit the Unfinished Obelisk, which, as a matter of fact, gives you a peek into how ancient craftsmen worked with stone. But frankly, the real showstopper of the day is Philae Temple. To get there, you, like, have to take a little motorboat, and seeing the temple appear on its island is just a beautiful moment, seriously. It’s a very graceful place, almost floating on the water, and dedicated to the goddess Isis, and stuff. After a full day, you get back to the boat, maybe for dinner, as it gets ready to set sail down the river, which is a really great way to end your first day.
The Optional, Yet Unmissable, Abu Simbel Adventure
Alright, this Abu Simbel part is, technically, an extra, but honestly, pretty much everyone says you have to do it. The catch is that you have to wake up at, like, 3 in the morning, which is a little bit tough, to be honest. You then join a group of cars or buses that all drive out into the desert together, which is sort of an experience in itself, you know. The whole point of going so early is to get there for sunrise, and well, it is absolutely worth it. Watching the first light hit those four huge statues of Ramesses II at the main temple is a sight you won’t forget, really.
You then, you know, walk inside and the rooms are covered in pictures that tell old stories of fights and gods. It’s pretty much mind-blowing that this whole place was carved right out of a mountain, as a matter of fact. And there’s another, slightly smaller temple right next to it for his wife, Nefertari, that’s just as interesting, seriously. The guide will also probably tell you the crazy story of how they moved these temples in the 1960s to save them from the rising lake water, which is just an incredible feat of modern work. So, at the end of the day, that super early morning is something you’ll be very glad you did.
Day 2: Sailing North and Temples by the Water
So, waking up on the second day is, like, a whole different feeling, really. You can, for instance, just sit on the boat’s top deck with some tea and watch the banks of the Nile slide by. You see farmers working in the fields and children waving from the villages, so it’s a very peaceful scene, actually. The boat usually stops first at Kom Ombo, which is, basically, a very interesting temple. It’s unique because it’s a double temple, sort of split down the middle for two different gods: the crocodile god Sobek on one side and the falcon god Horus on the other. You can still see a mummified crocodile in the little museum there, which is kind of creepy but also very cool, you know.
After that, you just get back on the boat, have some lunch, and continue sailing north towards Edfu, you know. Life on the river is very slow and relaxing, unlike the busy temple visits, so you actually get time to just chill out. When you get to Edfu, you often take a horse-drawn carriage to get to the temple, which is a bit of a fun and noisy ride, honestly. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is one of the most complete ancient temples left in Egypt, so you can almost imagine what it was like thousands of years ago. Walking through its giant stone gateways and into the dark halls is seriously like stepping back in time, at the end of the day.
Day 3: The Grand Finale in Luxor and a View from Above
Alright, your last day is, frankly, the most packed day of the whole trip, so you need to be ready. It starts very early again, even before the sun is up, for the hot air balloon ride over Luxor’s West Bank. Getting into that basket and then, like, silently floating up into the sky is an absolutely incredible feeling, seriously. From up there, you get a bird’s-eye view of the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut’s Temple just as the sun peeks over the horizon, which is just stunning. You just drift over these ancient places, and the quietness up there is something special, really.
Once you are back on the ground, the day of exploring begins for real, you know. First, you head into the Valley of the Kings, where you can actually go inside some of the tombs of pharaohs, like Tutankhamun. The colors of the pictures inside are so well-preserved, it’s almost unbelievable. Next is the huge Temple of Hatshepsut, which is built into the side of a cliff and looks very modern in a way. On the way back, you stop at the two giant statues called the Colossi of Memnon, which are kind of sitting by themselves in a field and are quite a sight. In the afternoon, you finally cross over to Luxor’s East Bank to see the Karnak Temple complex, which is just enormous and so full of history, you could, like, spend a whole day there. And then, finally, you visit Luxor Temple, which is especially beautiful at night when it’s all lit up. It’s a very long and tiring day, but at the end of the day, you see so much of what makes this place famous.
Life Onboard: What’s the Nile Cruise Boat Really Like?
So, let’s talk about the boat itself, because, like, it’s your home for these few days. The cabins are pretty much like small hotel rooms, usually with a window that looks out onto the river, which is really the best part. Honestly, there’s nothing quite like waking up and seeing the Nile right outside your window. The boats typically have a restaurant where you eat all your meals, and the food is often a mix of local and international dishes served buffet-style, you know. As a matter of fact, it’s usually quite good and there’s a lot of variety, so you won’t go hungry.
The best part of the boat, for many people, is the sundeck. This is where you can, basically, just lie back on a sun lounger, maybe dip in the small pool, and just watch the world go by. It’s the perfect place to relax between the very busy temple tours.
In the evenings, there is sometimes a little bit of entertainment, like a belly dancing show or a traditional Nubian music night. It’s usually pretty low-key and fun, a nice way to unwind, you know. You get to meet the other people on the cruise, who are from all over the world, which is also a nice part of the experience. The staff on board are almost always very helpful and work hard to make sure you have a good time. So really, the boat isn’t just a way to get from A to B; it’s a big part of the whole adventure itself.
Read our full review: 3-Day Nile Cruise Aswan & Luxor with Abu Simbel Full Review and Details
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