Egypt in November is the month everyone wants, and here is how to still get the ship you want
Egypt in November is the month everyone wants, and here is how to still get the ship you want
Egypt in November is the most requested month of the year, and for good reason. Cairo sits in the low to mid 70s Fahrenheit (about 22 to 24 Celsius), Luxor and Aswan hover around 80 Fahrenheit (27 Celsius) by day and cool off after dark, the Red Sea is still warm enough to swim, and the desert is finally cold enough at night to make a campfire feel earned. The catch is the ships. November Nile cruises, and Thanksgiving week above all, fill up months ahead, so the real question is not whether to come but how early to lock in the cabin, the guide and the balloon slot. This guide answers that, region by region and week by week.
Why November is the month everyone wants
Ask ten Egyptologists or cruise managers which month they would pick for a first trip and most will say November. The heat that makes Luxor brutal in summer is gone, the gray skies that reach Alexandria in January have not started, and you can walk the Valley of the Kings at two in the afternoon without anyone in your group asking to go back to the van.
It is also the month when every part of the country works at once. In summer you choose between the Red Sea and the temples. In deep winter the desert camps and the ship's sun deck get cold enough to lose their charm. November is the overlap: temples, beach, desert and city all at their best in the same two weeks, which is why a 12 to 15 day itinerary makes more sense now than in any other month.
Cairo has its own November rhythm too. Cairenes are back outdoors in the evenings, and the Cairo International Film Festival usually falls in this part of the year, around the Opera House in Zamalek. We do not give dates because they shift, but expect Zamalek and downtown hotels to be fuller for about ten days.
The downside of that consensus is scarcity. November is the peak of the peak, as we explain in our guide to high and low season in Egypt. The best ships, the better dahabiyas, the experienced English speaking guides and the sunrise balloon baskets are all finite, and Americans, Europeans and Egyptian holiday makers want the same weeks. That simply changes the order in which you plan: ship first, then everything else.
What the weather feels like, region by region
Cairo and Giza
Early November in Cairo is close to perfect: highs in the mid 70s Fahrenheit (around 24 Celsius), mornings in the upper 50s (about 14 Celsius), no humidity to speak of. By the last week the highs slip toward 70 (21 Celsius) and you will want a light jacket on the Giza plateau at eight in the morning and for dinner outdoors.
Luxor and Aswan
This is the pair that makes November famous. Luxor runs in the low 80s (27 to 29 Celsius) in the first half of the month and the upper 70s (about 25 Celsius) in the second, with nights in the upper 50s (13 to 15 Celsius). Aswan is a couple of degrees warmer and drier. You can do the west bank at ten instead of at dawn, sit on the sun deck at noon, and still need a sweater when the ship leaves Kom Ombo after dark.
The Red Sea
Hurghada, El Gouna, Sahl Hasheesh and Sharm el Sheikh sit in the upper 70s by day (about 25 to 26 Celsius) with water still in the mid 70s (around 24 Celsius). It is swimming and snorkeling weather without the summer glare, though from mid month the wind on the Hurghada side picks up on some days and a shorty wetsuit makes a long snorkel more comfortable.
The Western Desert
The White Desert, Bahariya and Siwa are pleasant in the 70s (low 20s Celsius) by day and properly cold at night, dropping into the low 40s (around 5 Celsius) and close to freezing by the end of the month. That is not a warning, it is the point. Desert nights in November mean a real campfire, a sky full of stars and a sleeping bag you are glad to have.
Alexandria
Alexandria is the one region where November means a change of season. Highs sit around 72 Fahrenheit (22 Celsius), the sea wind is constant, and the first short rain showers of winter arrive, usually in the second half of the month. It is still a good day trip from Cairo for the library and the catacombs, but pack a windbreaker and do not plan a beach day.
The real November problem is the ship, not the weather
Every conversation about November eventually turns into a conversation about cabins. The ships sail on fixed days each week, so a given ship on a given week has a fixed number of cabins and no way to add more. Those cabins sell in three waves: tour operators who block space the previous winter, Europeans who book in spring, and Americans who decide in late summer and find the ship they read about already full.
Here is the timeline in practice. Treat it as a guide, not a rule, and if you are reading this late, go straight to the right hand column.
| Type of boat | When November space usually tightens | If you are booking late |
|---|---|---|
| The famous top tier ships | Six to nine months ahead; Thanksgiving week earlier still | Ask us for a sister ship from the same company, often the same standard under a different name |
| Standard five star ships | Three to five months ahead | Flexibility on the sailing day usually opens a cabin; moving the trip by two days is often all it takes |
| Dahabiyas with 8 to 12 cabins | Four to six months ahead; a family charter can block a whole week | Ask about the shorter Esna to Aswan routing, which has more departures |
| Any cabin over Thanksgiving week | Earliest of all; many are gone by early summer | Sail the week before or after and spend the holiday itself in Cairo or on the Red Sea |
The most useful thing you can do for a November trip is tell us your dates before you book anything else, so we can see which ships have space and build the itinerary around the sailing. Our guide on how to choose a Nile cruise explains the ship categories, so that a change of ship never feels like a downgrade.
Thanksgiving week on the Nile
For American travelers, the fourth week of November is the busiest single week of the year on the river. Families with school age kids, couples using the long weekend as the anchor for a longer trip, and retirees skipping the family circuit all converge on the same handful of sailings, and the ships that reach Aswan by the holiday go first.
What we have learned from running Thanksgiving trips for guests from the US:
- Book the flights inside Egypt early too. The Cairo to Luxor and Cairo to Aswan sectors fill on the days before the big sailings, and the morning departures go first.
- Ask whether the ship does anything for the holiday. Some ships with mostly American guests put on a turkey dinner. It is never guaranteed, but it is nice to know in advance.
- Consider a dahabiya for that week. With eight to ten cabins an extended family can often take the whole boat without a stranger on board. Our dahabiya Nile cruise guide explains how those sailings work.
- If the ships are full, flip the trip. Do Cairo first, spend the holiday weekend on the Red Sea, where hotels have far more room, and sail the following week.
If your dates are flexible, the week after Thanksgiving is the one we steer people toward: the US wave has gone home, the December holiday crowd has not arrived, and the weather has not changed at all.
Sunset is around five, and it changes how the day is built
By November the sun sets behind the west bank of Luxor at about five and rises a little after six, roughly eleven hours of daylight against fourteen in June. It sounds like a detail until you try to fit Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi into one day and find yourself walking into Medinet Habu in fading light.
How we schedule a November day in Luxor:
- Balloon at dawn if you are flying. The baskets lift before sunrise and the air at altitude is cold enough for a fleece. Read our guide to the hot air balloon over Luxor first, because it takes the first two hours of the morning.
- West bank from about eight: the Valley of the Kings first, while the tombs are cool and the coaches are still on the road, then Hatshepsut and the Colossi.
- A long lunch on the east bank or on the ship. Midday is comfortable now, so use it for a rest rather than another temple.
- Karnak from about two thirty. The hypostyle hall is at its best when the sun is low and the columns throw long shadows, and you are out by four thirty with light to spare.
- Luxor Temple after dark. It is lit at night and the walk from the Corniche is short. Save this one for the evening, not Karnak.
On the ship the same logic applies. Kom Ombo is often visited after sunset on the northbound route, atmospheric but photographed by floodlight. If daylight at Kom Ombo matters to you, say so and we choose a direction and a ship that reaches it in the afternoon.
Why November is the month for the full 12 to 15 day trip
Most of the year a long itinerary forces a compromise. In summer the extra days go to the coast because the temples are too hot to add more of them; in January the desert gets cut because the nights are too cold. November removes both, so the extra days can go wherever you like.
Our favorite shape for two weeks in November, close to what our 12 day grand Egypt tour does and what a custom 15 day version extends:
- Days 1 to 3, Cairo and Giza: the pyramids and the Sphinx, Saqqara and Dahshur, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Coptic and Islamic Cairo. The museum alone deserves most of a day.
- Day 4, Alexandria as a day trip, or a fourth Cairo day if the film festival is on.
- Days 5 to 9, the Nile: fly to Luxor and take the four night cruise to Aswan. This is the block to fix first.
- Days 10 and 11, Aswan and Abu Simbel: two nights around the cruise let you visit Abu Simbel at a civilized hour and take a felucca at sunset.
- Days 12 to 14, either the White Desert with a night under the stars, or the Red Sea. Choose by temperament: stars or snorkeling.
- Day 15, back to Cairo, with a morning at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir if it fits.
Two weeks also solves the scarcity problem from a different angle. If the ship you want only has space two days later than planned, a long itinerary absorbs the shift. A seven day trip cannot.
November against October and December, and a word on Ramadan
People often ask whether to shift a November trip a few weeks either way to dodge the crowds. Here is how the three months compare.
| What matters | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luxor and Aswan by day | Warm to hot early on, ideal by the end | Ideal all month | Ideal by day, cold mornings and evenings |
| Ship availability | Tightening week by week | Peak; the ships sell out first | Quieter first half, then the holiday rush |
| Daylight | Sunset closer to five thirty | Sunset around five | The shortest days of the year |
| Desert nights | Pleasant | Cold, campfire weather | Very cold, near freezing |
| Red Sea water | Warmest of the three | Still swimming weather | Sunny but breezy, water noticeably cooler |
If your dates are flexible, the honest answer is that late October and early December give you conditions very close to November with a little more room on the ships. December has its own rhythm, which we cover in our guide to visiting Egypt in December. For the whole year side by side, read our guide to the best time to visit Egypt.
One more variable. Ramadan follows the Islamic lunar calendar and moves earlier by about eleven days every year, so we never tie it to a month. If your November trip happens to coincide with Ramadan, the monuments stay open, cruises sail as usual and tourist restaurants serve during the day, but opening hours shorten, your guide and driver are fasting, and the evenings after iftar are wonderful and very busy. It is a reason to plan the days differently, not a reason to cancel.
How we would book November if it were our own trip
Opinionated, because that is what you came for. First, decide on the week, not the day: in November the sailing day of the ship decides your arrival day in Luxor. Second, take the four night cruise rather than the three night one; the extra night is the difference between Kom Ombo and Edfu in daylight and by floodlight. Third, do not cut Abu Simbel to save a day.
Fourth, put the desert or the beach at the end, not the beginning. Ending under the White Desert stars after ten days of temples is the right emotional order. Fifth, tell us your Thanksgiving plans early. If the holiday itself matters, we put you in Cairo or on the coast for that day and on the ship the week before or after; if not, we simply hunt for the cabin.
All of this is what we do for our own guests, with our own guides, our own vehicles and direct relationships with the ships, so we see availability rather than guess at it. Send us your dates and we send you the quote with the ships that actually have space.
Frequently asked questions
Is November too crowded to enjoy Egypt?
No, but it is crowded in specific places at specific hours: the Valley of the Kings between ten and one, the Giza plateau from mid morning, and Karnak's first courtyard when three ships dock at once. The fix is timing, not avoidance. Start early, use midday for lunch and the ship, and go to Karnak after two thirty. Most of the country, from Aswan to the White Desert, is never crowded at all.
How far in advance should I book a Nile cruise for November?
For the well known top tier ships, six to nine months ahead is realistic, and earlier for Thanksgiving week. For standard five star ships, three to five months usually works. Dahabiyas fall in between because a single family charter can block a whole week. If you are inside those windows, send us your dates anyway; the sister ships and the alternate sailing days are where the last cabins usually are.
Can I still swim and snorkel in the Red Sea in November?
Yes. The water is still in the mid 70s Fahrenheit (around 24 Celsius) in Hurghada and a little warmer in Sharm el Sheikh, and the air is in the upper 70s by day. Some days from mid month bring wind on the Hurghada side, so a shorty wetsuit makes long snorkel sessions more comfortable. Evenings need a light layer. It is beach weather without the summer glare, which many guests prefer.
What should I pack for Egypt in November?
Layers. Short sleeves and light trousers for the temples, a sweater for the ship's deck after sunset, and a real jacket plus a warm hat if you are sleeping in the desert, where nights get close to freezing late in the month. Closed shoes for the tombs, a scarf for mosques, sunscreen even though it feels mild, and a windbreaker if Alexandria is on your list. Our packing list for Egypt has the full checklist.
Is Thanksgiving week a bad time to be on the Nile?
It is a wonderful time to be on the Nile and a difficult time to get a cabin. The weather is ideal and the ships run full, so the atmosphere on board is lively. The only problems are availability and the flights inside Egypt before the big sailings. Book early if you can; if you cannot, sail the week after, which is quieter and just as warm, and spend the holiday itself in Cairo or on the coast.
Does the short daylight in November mean I see less?
Not if the day is built for it. With sunset around five you have about eleven hours of light, enough for the west bank in the morning and Karnak in the afternoon as long as lunch does not become a two hour affair. The trade off is that some ship stops, Kom Ombo in particular, happen after dark on certain routings. Tell us which temples you want in daylight and we choose the sailing accordingly.
November is the month everyone wants. Let us get you the ship.
Send us your dates, how many you are and whether Thanksgiving matters to you. We check the ships that actually have space for your week, build the itinerary around the sailing, and send you the quote with our own guides and vehicles on every day of it. The earlier you write, the more choice you have.
