Nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan

A Nile cruise covers the 215 kilometres between Luxor and Aswan, stopping at Esna, Edfu and Kom Ombo. Every boat visits the same temples with the same tickets and every boat is full board — so the choice is not about what you see, it is about how you spend the hours in between. A standard five-star cruiser carries 60 to 80 cabins with a compact panoramic-window room, buffet meals, a small pool deck and an entertainment programme. A deluxe or all-suite boat halves the passenger count and gives you 36 square metres, à la carte dining and shore excursions that move noticeably faster. At the top, the luxury boats run six-night itineraries that reach Dendera and Abydos — two of the finest temples in Egypt that the four-night boats simply cannot fit in. A dahabiya is something else entirely: a flat-bottomed sailing boat with eight to twelve cabins, towed only where the wind fails, mooring at sandbanks and village landings the big boats cannot use. There is no entertainment programme, which for some travellers is the entire point. Sailing south from Luxor takes four nights against the current and ends in Aswan, which positions you well for Abu Simbel. Sailing north from Aswan takes three, is cheaper, and suits anyone who wants Abu Simbel at the start. We book both directions on every boat listed here.