Egypt Nile Cruise Tour from Luxor with Abu Simbel

Hot Air Balloon Ride to Luxor (optional):  A 30-45 minute hot air balloon flying over the west bank of Luxor offers a spectacular perspective of the country's iconic landscapes from the air. Enjoy the sunrise over the great temples and mountains below as it lights up the sky over the open-air museum city (Luxor).

After the morning breakfast, we will take you to visit the archaeological sites of ancient Egypt on the Luxor west bank tour of the Nile, including the Valley of the Kings, where you will see the well-preserved tombs of the kings of the new kingdom, including the great ruler Ramses II, the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut, called "the Holy of Holies". It consists of three levels connected together by ramps and on its walls, there are various scenes representing the divine birth of the queen and also her trading expedition to the land of Punt. The temple is mainly dedicated to the cult of the supreme god Amon-Ra.

At the end of the day you will visit the 2 Colossi of Memnon which are two massive statues representing King Amenhotep III in a sitting position). Then back to the floating hotel for lunch, a folkloric show, and sailing back to Edfu to overnight.

Breakfast is served after arrival in Edfu. Then you will visit the most complete and best-preserved temple in Egypt, the temple of Hours. A massive temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus dominates this Upper Egyptian site. Construction of the Ptolemaic Temple of Horus, built on the site of an earlier temple, took place between the reigns of Ptolemy III and Ptolemy IV.

After that, you will sail to the Kom combo. Lunch on board the Nile cruise during the sail and then visit the temple of Kom Ombo. The temple, along with the adjacent housing complex, is located 40 kilometers north of Aswan and was dedicated to the gods Sobek and Horus during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Return to the ship, have dinner, then sail to Aswan for the overnight.

Early in the morning, you will visit Abu Simbel to see the most famous temples of King Ramses II and his wife Queen Nefertari. The position of this temple in the solid rock above the banks of the Nile is its most striking feature. The sun's rays reached the sanctuary on October 22 and February 22 and illuminated the sculptures on the back wall, except for the figure of Ptah, which was always dark. These dates would coincide with the king's birthday and the day of his coronation. Then, in the afternoon, return to Aswan.

Afterward, you will take a felucca tour of the Aswan Islands and the Kitchener Botanical Garden, where you will see a variety of unusual plants, as well as Elephantine, the largest island in the vicinity of Aswan. On the island, various monuments have been discovered, including the ruins of a temple dedicated to the ram god Khnum. Back to the cruise for an overnight on the water.

Disembarkation after breakfast. You will be driven to the Aswan High Dam, which is one of Egypt's most important achievements of the last century. It provides Egypt with water and energy and protects the country from the catastrophic floods of the Nile. You will then go to the Temple of Isis in Philae, which was built in honor of the goddess Isis, considered the mother of the gods and partner of the god Osiris. In the afternoon, transfer to Aswan International Airport to catch a flight back to Cairo, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the night.