Choosing a boat

By the Explora Egipto teamUpdated:

The stretch of Nile between Luxor and Aswan holds the greatest concentration of standing temples anywhere in Egypt, and nearly all of them sit on the bank. A cruise means the temples come to you and you unpack once. Which boat you pick matters less than most people expect. When you go, and what is actually included, matter more.
Two Nile cruise ships moored side by side, their railed decks hung with life rings

The best month to take a Nile cruise

October through April is the comfortable window. Inside it:

  • November, and late February into March, are the sweet spots. Warm days, cool
    evenings, and the sites are walkable through the middle of the day.
  • Late December and Easter are the crowded peaks. Boats fill, the good ones fill
    first, and the temples are at their busiest.
  • The first half of December and the second half of January are the quiet weeks
    with the same weather. If your dates flex, this is where to put them.
  • May through September is genuinely hot in the valley. A cruise handles summer
    better than an overland trip does, because the boat is air conditioned and there is water and shade
    between sites, but you will be starting at dawn and resting through the afternoon.

Winter nights on an open deck are colder than people expect. Bring a jacket even in a week where
the afternoons are in shirtsleeves. Seasons in detail are on
the best time to visit Egypt.

Which direction should you sail

Both directions see the same temples and generally cost the same. What changes is rhythm.

Luxor to Aswan, upstream, sails against the current, so it is slower and gives
more hours on deck watching the valley pass. Aswan to Luxor, downstream, is quicker
and leaves more time ashore.

The bigger factor is usually neither: it is which end fits your flights and the rest of your
itinerary. We run Luxor to Aswan and
Aswan to Luxor, and we will tell you
which one your dates actually suit.

A modern glass fronted Nile cruise ship moored on flat calm water at first light, its whole length mirrored in the river

Read the night count, not the day count

A cruise sold as five days is four nights, and the first and last days are partial. You board in
the afternoon and disembark after breakfast. That is normal and it is not a trick, but it means a
five day cruise gives you three full days on the river.

When you compare two itineraries, compare nights and compare the list of temples. Two boats can
both say five days and stop at a different number of sites.

What actually differs between boats

Most Nile cruise boats are more alike than the marketing suggests. The things that genuinely
change your week:

  • Cabin window versus balcony. The single biggest comfort difference. A french
    balcony or a proper one changes how much of the river you actually see.
  • Deck space. You will spend more time on the sun deck than in the cabin. A
    crowded deck on a full boat is the most common complaint.
  • How many passengers. A standard cruiser carries a hundred or more. A dahabiya,
    a small traditional sailing boat, carries a handful. Completely different trips.
  • Your guide, which is not the boat. On most cruises the guide is arranged
    separately from the vessel. The person walking you through Karnak shapes the week far more than the
    carpet in the corridor does.
  • Which temples are included and which are sold as an extra once you are aboard.
    Ask for the list before you book.
A large modern Nile cruise ship at dusk with every cabin window lit warm gold, reflected in the still river, sun shades on the top deck

How much does a Nile cruise cost

We are not going to print a number here, because any single figure would be wrong for most people
reading it. What actually moves the price:

  • Season. The same cabin in late December and in early June are different
    products commercially.
  • Boat standard and cabin type. Balcony cabins and upper decks cost more.
  • Occupancy. Prices are quoted per person sharing a double. Traveling alone means
    a single supplement, and it is often substantial. Ask about it before you compare two quotes,
    because one may include it and one may not.
  • What is bundled. Guide, monument entry and transfers may or may not be inside
    the number you are shown.

That last point is where most comparisons go wrong. A lower headline with entry fees excluded can
easily end up costing more than a higher one with everything prepaid.

The flight question, stated plainly

Our Nile cruise itineraries do not include flights, domestic or international.
Getting to Luxor or Aswan from Cairo means a domestic flight or an overnight train, and on the cruise
products that sector is arranged separately rather than bundled in.

We say this directly because the industry is vague about it. You will see multi-day Egypt trips
advertised as including air fare where the airline ticket in question is a domestic hop, not the
flight from your home airport. Ask any operator, including us, exactly which flights a price
contains.

A long white Nile cruise ship in profile under way, sun canopies on the top deck, palms and low desert hills along the far bank

Which company is best

Nobody should believe an operator who answers that about itself, so here are the questions that
actually separate them. Ask any company, and ask us:

  • Which boat, by name? An operator who will not name the vessel before you pay has a reason.
  • Is the guide private to my party or shared, and in which language do they work?
  • Which temples are included, listed one by one, and which are extra?
  • Is the quote per person sharing a double, and what is the single supplement?
  • Who do I call at two in the morning if something goes wrong?

Concrete answers to concrete questions tell you more than any review page. Vague answers are
themselves an answer.

Common questions

Is a Nile cruise worth it?
For the Luxor to Aswan stretch, yes. The temples are on the bank and the alternative is driving
back and forth to a hotel. It is the rare case where the transport is also the accommodation and
neither suffers.
How many nights do I need?
Four nights covers the classic run with its main temples. Three is tight. More than five and you
are usually adding Cairo rather than more river.
Are the boats safe?
The river is calm and the boats are river cruisers rather than seagoing ships. Motion sickness is
essentially a non issue.
Can I do the Nile overland instead?
Yes, and some people prefer it for the control over timing and the fixed hotel. We run
an overland version for exactly that.
What is a dahabiya?
A small traditional sailing boat carrying a handful of guests. Slower, quieter, more expensive
per person, and a completely different feel from a standard cruiser.

Tell us your dates

Send us when you can travel and which end you want to start from, and we will tell you what fits,
which boat, and what the quote does and does not contain.
Message us on WhatsApp.

Related reading: Nile cruises,
how many days you need in Egypt,
Egypt monument entrance fees, and
what is included in an Egypt tour.