Classic Nile Cruise Tour
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Classic Nile Cruise OVERVIEW

TOUR SUMMARY

8 days

Classic Nile Cruise

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£0 (p/p)

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Country(ies): Egypt

Tour type: Private

Group size: Min: 1 | Max: Any

Accommodation: No Accommodation

Meals: Breakfasts - 7, Lunches - 7, Dinners - 7

Transport: A/C Minibus & 5-star deluxe Nile cruiseboat

Highlights:

River Nile cruising, Aswan - Philae temple & island felucca trip, Abu Simbel option, Edfu & Komombo temples, Luxor - Karnak temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatchepsut temple, Medinat Habu temple, Colossi of Memnon

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Cutting through the barren, lifeless desert, and through lush farmland, the River Nile flows past some of Egypt's most spectacular and well preserved ancient temples and tombs. This tour uses one of Egypt's famous luxury Nile Cruiseboats (5-star deluxe level) and sails up and down this great river between Luxor and Aswan, allowing you to experience the wonders of ancient Egypt as you go, and enjoy all the comfort and luxury that modern Egypt has to offer.

Note: We run this tour with one of our own Egyptologist guides accompanying you on the boat. All the sightseeing tours are done with our own transport and guide - you will not be joining one of the large boat groups for these tours.

You start your cruise in Luxor with a visit to the temples of Luxor and Karnak on the East bank of the Nile. You also have some time to explore the town and bazaars of Luxor itself, and stroll up and down the banks of the river.

Surrounded by the sumptuous surroundings of the cruise boat you slowly make your way up river. You can relax by the pool and watch the world go by during the day, and dine and enjoy traditional Egyptian entertainment by night. En route south to the beautiful town of Aswan you will stop to tour the ancient temples of Esna and Edfu.

Aswan is situated on the banks of the cascading waters of the Nile, just below Lake Nasser. Here you can relax and watch myriad feluccas sail lazily around the many small islands or experience traditional Egyptian life with a stroll along the mazy streets of the town's colourful bazaar. We take you on a visit to the island temple of Philae and you have the option of a flight or drive out to Abu Simbel, with its remarkable temple to Ramses II, before continuing your cruise back down the Nile towards Luxor, stopping to tour Komombo temple en-route.

Back in Luxor you take a tour to the Pharaonic tombs in the Valleys of the Kings as well as the cliff-side Temple of Hatchepsut and the Colossi of Memnon.

Your tour ends in Luxor with a transfer to the airport for your flight home.

ITINERARY

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We welcome you on your arrival in Luxor, and transfer you to the cruise boat. Cabins are available from around 2pm onwards. After you settle in, we introduce you to your Egyptologist guide who will accompany you on the cruise and be your private guide for all the sightseeing trips. The rest of the day is free to relax and have a look around Luxor centre.

OVERNIGHT:

Nile cruiseboat

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 0, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1

EXTRAS:

Single room supplement (EGTMNC)

You start your exploration of Egyptian ancient history today with tours to two important Pharaonic temples. Firstly you visit Karnak, one of the largest temple complexes in the world, and then the impressive Luxor temple situated right in the centre of Luxor. In the afternoon the boat leaves Luxor and sails south to the locks on the Nile at Esna where you overnight.

OVERNIGHT:

Nile cruiseboat

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1

EXTRAS:

Hot air balloon in Luxor

You visit the small Esna temple this morning before sailing further south, past Edfu temple and on to Komombo. While on the river you can enjoy watching rural Egyptian life pass you by on the banks of the river while you relax on the sun-deck.

OVERNIGHT:

Nile cruiseboat

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1

EXTRAS:

None

You sail on to Aswan today where the Nile is at its most picturesque. After mooring in town, you visit the beautiful island temple of Philae by boat and your Egyptologist continues his explanations of the development of Pharaonic culture and customs.

OVERNIGHT:

Nile cruiseboat

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1

EXTRAS:

None

You have a free morning today to explore Aswan's markets and walk along the Corniche on the banks of the Nile. Alternatively you can take an optional early morning tour to see the temples to Ramses II at Abu Simbel. One of Egypt's main highlights, these temples were completely dismantled and rebuilt when Lake Nasser was flooded. In the afternoon we take you on a felucca sailboat trip around some of the islands on the Nile.

OVERNIGHT:

Nile cruiseboat

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1

EXTRAS:

Abu Simbel overland

The boat heads north again today as you leave Aswan and stop to tour the riverside temple at Komombo en-route back to Luxor.

OVERNIGHT:

Nile cruiseboat

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1

EXTRAS:

None

You start early this morning to avoid the crowds and the extreme heat in the middle of the day, which particularly at the Valley of the Kings can be oppressive. We tour the Pharaonic tombs in the Valley of the Kings, visit the unique tiered temple to Queen Hatchepsut, and explore the impressive Medinat Habu temple with its colourful hieroglyphics before returning back to Luxor via a stop to view the Colossi of Memnon. Your afternoon is free in Luxor to do some last shopping in the bazaar or visit one of the good local museums. You can also do a spectacular sunrise hot air balloon flight over the west bank of the Nile today.

OVERNIGHT:

Nile cruiseboat

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 1, Dinners - 1

EXTRAS:

None

Your tour finishes today and your time is free until we transfer you to Luxor airport for departure.

OVERNIGHT:

N/A

MEALS:

Breakfasts - 1, Lunches - 0, Dinners - 0

EXTRAS:

None

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Included:
  • All accommodation as stated in the itinerary on 5-star deluxe cruiseboat
  • All transport and transfers in private AC vehicles
  • 24-hour airport arrival & departure transfer service
  • Sightseeing tours as detailed in the itinerary
  • Services of a local Egyptologist guide for all the sightseeing tours
  • Entrance fees to sites visited
  • Meals as indicated in the itinerary
Excluded:
  • International flights (available on request)
  • Visa fees (USD 25 available on arrival for most nationalities)
  • Travel Insurance (mandatory, available on request)
  • Meals not indicated in the itinerary
  • Tipping kitty (allow US$45)
  • Drinks, snacks and other personal expenses (e.g. laundry)
  • Tour guide tips
  • Hotel Gala Dinners (if charged by the hotels on 24 & 31 Dec, see Tour notes)
  • Any other items not mentioned above

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If you are looking for a tour and not finding what you are looking for, have a look at our best other related tours to check out for your travel plans. At Egypt Uncovered, we offer a variety of tours to suit your needs. So sit back, relax, and let us help you plan the perfect getaway.

Dates and Prices

This tour is designed as a sample tailor-made tour itinerary. As such we do not offer set group departure dates that you can join. Rather, the tour is available for you to do privately starting on any date of the year (subject to fitting in with Nile Cruise schedules which do not operate every day). Guideline seasonal prices are given below, based on 2 people travelling. If you would like to adjust the tour itinerary, or there will be more or less people travelling, please contact us and we will customise a price for you.

Start Date
End Date
Price (P/P)
Offer Price
Note

Accommodation

The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often use on this tour. From time to time we may exchange these for similar properties at the same level. In general, specific hotels cannot be guaranteed on our group tours, but you may select your preferred options if you are booking a tailor-made trip.

Nile Cruiseboat

Luxor

Luxor

Local rating

Our rating

Grand Islamabad Hotel Grand Islamabad Hotel

Nile Cruise boats are superbly appointed, floating, 5-star hotels featuring a restaurant, bars, shops, a relaxing sun deck and small swimming pool. Buffet breakfasts, lunches and evening meals featuring different cuisines are all included (though beverages and bottled water are not). You will have your own en-suite, AC cabin with large, panoramic opening windows to enjoy the view of the river while you sail. Single cabin supplements apply.

Our Egyptologist guides travel on board with you. This means you do the sightseeing tours in a small group with travellers and a guide you know, rather than joining one of the large boat groups. The guide can also help with any problems with your cabin, dietary requirements, or just to sit and talk about Egypt with you. They will often volunteer to give short lectures about both ancient and modern Egypt in the evenings to those interested.

Nile cruise itineraries are slightly flexible, mainly depending on the time passing through the lock at Esna. Some sailing may be done after dark, and boats may need to moor alongside each other at night. Gala dinner supplements may be added to our prices if you are on board on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve.

Deluxe 5-star level boats, all-suite boats, and Dahabiyas are also available on private and tailor-made tours. Please contact us for details. 

Options

Our tours are designed to include all that you need to enjoy a really special time in the destination you're visiting. However, we do also offer some extra options to complement the tour and add some additional sightseeing or activities, or some extra time at either end of the tour.

TOUR NOTES

The detailed Tour Notes below have been written to give you some more detailed information about how the tour runs, what to expect, and how to prepare for your holiday. We recommend downloading an up to date copy of these shortly before you travel in case of any changes.

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Our trips feature a mix of different transport options. We want you to feel like you're really experiencing the country you're travelling through, but at the same time we want you to finish journeys refreshed enough to enjoy the next stage of the tour. In Egypt we do not use any public tourist buses or overnight coach journeys as we know that people don't sleep on board and end up very tired for the following few days. All the vehicles we use are air-conditioned, many are fitted with speed limiters, and all are inspected and checked daily.

Nile cruise boat itineraries are subject to alterations depending on local conditions at the time of travel. Some sailing may be done after dark. Boats may moor up alongside each other at night, requiring you to cross through other boats to reach the shore. On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve the cruise boats normally run a special Gala Dinner. The cost of this is normally compulsory, whether you attend or not, and is included in our group tour prices, and will be added to private and tailor-made tour quotes as required.

This tour is designed as a sample tailor-made tour itinerary. As such we do not offer set group departure dates that you can join. Rather, the tour is available for you to do privately starting on any date of the year (subject to fitting in with Nile Cruise schedules which do not operate every day). Guideline seasonal prices are given below, based on 2 people travelling. If you would like to adjust the tour itinerary, or there will be more or less people travelling, please contact us and we will customise a price for you.

If you would like to book a place on this tour, please complete the online reservation form on our website (via the Dates & Prices tab on the tour page). You can pay your deposit or full balance online, or just hold a reservation if you prefer. We will then contact you with more details about how to complete your booking. Payments may be made by debit or credit card (subject to a card processing fee), or by making a bank transfer or posting us a cheque/bank draft. Full details will be provided in your booking confirmation email. Please contact us if you would like any more information or have any questions before making a booking.

Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our tours and needs to cover personal accident & liability, medical expenses and repatriation, travel delay & abandonment. We also strongly recommend that you take out cover against cancellation and lost/stolen baggage. Personal medical insurance does not normally provide sufficient cover and is generally not suitable for travel on our tours. You will not be able to join your tour if you have not provided us with details of your insurance or if you arrive without cover in place (no refunds will be due in this event). More information...

You may arrange your own insurance, or you can take advantage of a comprehensive policy that we can arrange for you through Endsleigh Insurance which has been designed to be suitable for our tours. The policy is available to travellers of all nationalities and you do not need to live in the UK  to take out the policy. For full details of cover provided, prices and to apply for one of our policies, please complete travel insurance application form.

Note: Any country that borders the Mediterranean is considered as 'Europe' for the purposes of travel insurance (including Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Morocco). If you are doing a tour that visits one country in 'Europe' and one that is 'Worldwide' (for example, an Egypt and Jordan tour), then you need a 'Worldwide' policy. When completing the form you should enter your travel dates including any extra days involved in overnight flights or connecting travel between your home and the tour. Our policies are not able to cover any extra time or activities other than your tour and options booked with us and your travel to & from home.

If you plan to arrange a hot air balloon flight locally, or do some scuba diving during your tour, you should check the small print in your policy to make sure these are covered (these are covered in our policy). Please also check the maximum altitude that you will be reaching and that full cover including emergency evacuation is provided up to this altitude.

IMPORTANT:  We must have your travel insurance details (policy number and type of insurance) before you depart or you may not be allowed to join the tour.  If you haven't told us already, please let us know the details when you can. You should take a paper copy of your insurance policy with you as you may be asked to show this at the start of the tour.

We are a UK registered company and an ABTA Member (Y4447) and you can be confident when booking with us that your money is safe and protected. Financial failure insurance is provided through Affirma to protect all customers for the land portion of their tour.
Please see our website or booking conditions for more information.

It is impossible not to have an impact on the local environment, cultures and eco-systems when you travel. However, it is very possible to try and ensure that these impacts are as limited, or positive as possible. We are committed to ensuring that we try to leave our host countries in a better state than we found them and encourage and assist our travellers to help us with this.
The following are a few simple tips that require very little effort on your part but which will help ensure that any effect you have on the locations you visit is positive rather than negative.

  • Don’t prejudge: Things in different countries will almost certainly be different. That doesn’t make them worse or inferior, just different.
  • Communicate: Don’t expect locals to speak your language. Take the trouble to learn a few words or phrases of the local language. Don’t worry about sounding silly. Most locals are patient and accommodating and appreciate you making the effort to communicate in their language.
  • Conserve energy: Be careful not to waste valuable resources. Use local resources sparingly. Switch off lights, air-conditioning and fans when you leave the hotel room and don’t waste water. Remove superfluous packaging. Many countries have far less efficient waste disposal systems than ours. Remove packaging from newly acquired items before leaving home.
  • Don’t litter: No matter how untidy or dirty the country you’re travelling in may look to you, avoid littering, as there is no need to add to the environment's stress. Many of the countries we visit have a tough challenge dealing with rubbish and waste. Please consider taking home as much plastic waste as you can (e.g. water bottles).
  • Choose environmentally friendly products: By using environmentally friendly (bio degradable) sun creams, shampoos and detergents you can help reduce pollution.
  • Respect local customs and traditions: As you are a guest in these countries, you should also comply with the local customs. If you are friendly and well mannered, the locals will reciprocate and it will only enhance your experience. It’s important to follow dress and behaviour guidelines especially when visiting religious or sacred sites (your tour leader will advise you how best to do this).
  • If a client commits an illegal act the client may be excluded from the tour and Egypt Uncovered shall cease to have responsibility to/for them. No refund will be given for any unused services.

All porters are employed and equipped following guidelines set by the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG).

You can stay in touch with us online by following us on Facebook and Twitter. We post updates on relevant travel news in our destination countries, special offers and discounts and other interesting travel related news and information.
www.facebook.com/EgyptUncovered
www.twitter.com/encounterstravl (yes, without the 'e')

It is important when considering and preparing to travel anywhere in the world that you have a good understanding of the country you are visiting, its laws and customs, and the possible risks and situations that may occur. This includes specific risks related to your itinerary (eg. does it involve water & can you swim, are you fit enough for the activities included), as well as more general risks such as terrorism and natural disasters.

General details and links to more information about health risks, visa requirements, money, and travel insurance are given in these tour notes. We recommend that you re-read all these before your departure as well as the small print of your travel insurance policy so you know exactly what is covered and what is not.

You should take copies of your important travel documents with you and ideally also store them online securely as a backup. Make sure that you have given us your emergency contact details and told that person where and when you are travelling. Ensure you take enough money with you and that you have access to emergency funds.

Finally, you should read through and stay updated with the current official government travel advice for your destination. We are registered partners with the UK Foreign Office's 'Travel Aware' campaign which provides further useful and invaluable information.

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