Cairo, Aswan and a Nile cruise in 8 days

Everything follows from the boat's day

The Oberoi Zahra leaves Aswan on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with embarkation at 12:00. The rest of the trip is set around that day: three nights in Cairo, one night in Aswan, then the boat.

Times in this text are those of the boats, hotels and sites, in local time: 2 hours ahead of London.

The trip flies down the country from north to south, then travels back up it with the current: you finish in Luxor and fly home from there, without retracing your steps.

Three nights in Giza

The Marriott Mena House is 760 m from the Pyramid of Khufu and 2.1 km from the Grand Egyptian Museum. The tour listed in this idea combines both in six hours, tickets and meal included; the Grand Museum displays Tutankhamun's treasure in full, more than 5,000 objects. The other two days are shared between Memphis and Saqqara, to the south, home to Djoser's Step Pyramid, and Historic Cairo, the city founded in 969, from al-Muizz Street to the Citadel. The Cairo and Giza region page details these three days.

A tip for the last evening: pack your bags. The flight to Aswan leaves in the morning, and the following day starts before dawn.

Twenty-four hours in Aswan

This is the crux of the trip: a single night for Abu Simbel, Philae and embarkation.

Day 4, arrival. The Cairo–Aswan flight takes about 1 h 25. The Old Cataract, a palace hotel opened in 1900 on a granite cliff facing Elephantine Island, arranges the airport transfer, at extra cost. Until July 2027 only the Palace, the historic building, takes guests: 35 rooms and suites. Book early, and aim for a Nile-side suite if the budget allows.

The afternoon raises a question of overlap. The tour listed in this idea goes to the High Dam, Philae Temple and the Unfinished Obelisk, in five hours, entry fees included. But the Oberoi Zahra also takes its passengers to the High Dam and Philae, at 14:15, on embarkation day. Two ways to handle it:

• keep the tour on day 4, with the Unfinished Obelisk, which the boat does not show, and skip the boat's visit the next day: it comes right after the return from Abu Simbel, when tiredness sets in;
• replace it with the river: a felucca landing is about 180 m from the hotel, for a sail around Elephantine in the late afternoon, then tea on the terrace, facing the West Bank.

Day 5, Abu Simbel, then the boat. The two temples of Abu Simbel, Ramesses II's, cut into the rock around 1264 BC, and Nefertari's, were cut up and rebuilt higher in 1968, safe from the waters of Lake Nasser, during UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) rescue campaign. They are about 280 km south of Aswan.

The tour listed in this idea leaves by air-conditioned bus around 04:00, with a guide and entry fees. Allow 3 to 4 hours' driving each way, about an hour on site, and a return to Aswan around eight hours after departure, so around noon: embarkation time. It is the tightest day of the trip. Tell the boat about the excursion, and leave your bags ready at the hotel. For more margin, the flight between Aswan and Abu Simbel, about 45 minutes, cuts the excursion to half a day, at a higher price.

The Sudanese border, including the road south of Abu Simbel, is among the areas advised against: the site is the end of the tourist road. Before you leave, check France Diplomatiediplomatie.belgium.beDFAE (eda.admin.ch)mae.gouvernement.luGOV.UK (FCDO)ireland.ie (DFA)Auswärtiges AmtRegeringen (UD)Udenrigsministeriet (um.dk)RegjeringenOdyseusz (MSZ)MZV ČRBMEIANederland WereldwijdViaggiare Sicuriexteriores.gob.esPortal das ComunidadesUlkoministeriö (um.fi).

Three days on the river

Embarkation is at the Sheraton quay, on the Aswan corniche. The Oberoi Zahra has 28 cabins and suites, all facing the Nile; the Luxury Cabin measures 26.4 m². The boats sail down the river for about 240 km to Luxor.

Day 5, Aswan. Lunch at 12:30, the High Dam and Philae at 14:15, cocktails in the Club Lounge at 19:00, then the boat sails for Kom Ombo over dinner.

Day 6, two temples. Kom Ombo at 09:00: a double temple dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and to Haroeris, with two axes and two sanctuaries side by side; the Crocodile Museum is next door. The boat then sails to Edfu, where at 15:00 you visit the Temple of Horus, built under the Ptolemies and long buried beneath houses, which explains its state of preservation. In the evening the boat reaches Esna. Between stops, life happens on the upper deck, around the 11 m pool, shaded by a large awning.

Day 7, Luxor. The boat leaves Esna at 02:00 and reaches Luxor in the morning. At 07:00 you leave for the West Bank: Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu temple, Colossi of Memnon. At 15:00, Luxor Temple and the Karnak temples. It is the fullest day; the spa, open from 09:00 to 20:00, must be booked 24 hours ahead.

Day 8, departure. Breakfast at 07:00, disembarkation at 08:00. Oberoi allows 25 minutes from the quay to Luxor airport, and airport transfers are included. The flight to Cairo takes about an hour, for the connection to Europe. Luxor is also a few hours' flight from Europe's main cities, direct or with one stop.

Season and who it suits

October to April. In Aswan the average maximum temperature is 23.2 °C in January and 35.5 °C in April, according to the 1991–2020 normals of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO); it exceeds 39 °C from May to September. January mornings are cool, around 10 °C, at the time of departure for Abu Simbel.

Twice a year, on 22 February and 22 October, the rising sun crosses the great temple of Abu Simbel and lights up the statues in the sanctuary. In 2027, 22 February is a Monday: arriving in Cairo on Thursday 18 February and adding a night in Aswan, you see Abu Simbel on the right morning and board on Tuesday 23. That day the site is very busy and the ticket costs more.

The trip is for couples and travellers discovering Egypt who want to see its great sites in a week. On board the Oberoi Zahra, children are accepted from age 7, in a separate cabin, at the full rate.

Variations

• An extra night in Aswan. Abu Simbel on day 5, embarkation on day 6: the tightest day becomes the easiest.
• The other direction. The Oberoi Zahra sails Luxor–Aswan in 4 nights, adding Aswan's botanical garden and a Nubian dinner; the trip then ends in Aswan.
• The dahabiya. To travel under sail, the idea "The Nile by dahabiya, from Esna to Aswan" replaces the boat with one of Nour El Nil's sailing boats, over 5 nights.