8-Day Nile Cruise Package Departing Marsa Alam

A Marsa Alam Tours representative will greet and assist you at your hotel in Marsa Alam for the transfer to Luxor (roughly 4 hours through the eastern desert). On arrival in Luxor , you'll be met by your expert Egyptologist for boarding and lunch aboard the Nile Cruise, before setting off to explore the East Bank of the Nile, including Karnak temple. Karnak is far more than a temple — it's a spectacular complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons, and obelisks, all dedicated to the Theban gods and to the greater glory of Egypt's pharaohs; Karnak was the most important centre of worship for the Theban Triad (Amun, Mut, and Khonsu). Luxor Temple was largely erected by New Kingdom pharaoh Amenhotep III and finished under King Tutankhamun and the great Ramses II, whose first pylon depicts his military campaign at Kadesh.
Dinner and an overnight stay follow aboard the Cruise in Luxor

An optional hot-air balloon ride is available, with breakfast served aboard the Nile cruise. Today's visits include: the Valley of the Kings — once known as the great Place of Truth, this valley, now called the Valley of the Kings, was a majestic domain where pharaohs once rested in great stone sarcophagi awaiting immortality; the secluded valley behind Deir el Bahri is overshadowed by a pyramid-shaped mountain peak. The Colossi of Memnon: two massive statues known as the Colossi of Memnon, rising about 18 m from the plain, remnants of what was once the largest complex on the west bank, built by Amenhotep III. Queen Hatshepsut temple, rising from the desert plain in a series of terraces — Hatshepsut's temple merges with the sheer limestone cliffs of the eastern face of the Theban Mountain, as though nature herself had shaped this extraordinary monument. At 13:00, sail toward the Esna lock with lunch served during the sail; arrival at Esna Lock follows at 18:00, then continuing on to Edfu with dinner.
An overnight stay follows aboard the Cruise in Edfu

Breakfast is served aboard the Cruise. At 07:00, visit the temple of Edfu. Edfu temple : an Upper Egyptian site dominated by a large, remarkably well-preserved temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus. The Ptolemaic temple was built on the site of a much older sanctuary, dating to around the reign of Ptolemy III (246 BC). The wall carvings depict the myth of the conflict between Horus and Seth, likely re-enacted annually as a religious drama. At 09:30, sail toward Kom Ombo; at 12:30, lunch is served on board the Nile cruise during the sail; arrival at Kom Ombo follows at 15:30, with a visit to the temple of Kom Ombo. Kom Ombo temple : the temple and its associated settlement, located 40 km north of Aswan, was dedicated to the gods Sobek and Horus and dates mainly to the Ptolemaic and Roman period (332 BC–395 AD). At 17:30, continue sailing toward Aswan, with dinner served during the sail; arrival in Aswan follows at 21:00, with an overnight stay aboard the Cruise.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Breakfast is served aboard the cruise. There's an optional tour to visit Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel temples: carved into the mountainside on the Nile's west bank between 1274 and 1244 BC, the two temples honour Ramses II and Queen Nefertari. The Great Temple, fronted by 4 colossal statues, was dedicated to Ramses II, Ra-Harakhty, Amun Ra, and Ptah, while the second temple honours Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor; both were later dismantled stone by stone and reassembled on higher ground — a relocation ranking among UNESCO's greatest achievements. Enjoy a Felucca sail around Elephantine Island, and you can book an optional excursion to the Nubian village (costing 40 $ per person).
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Breakfast is served aboard the Cruise. At 08:00, continue with visits around Aswan, including the Temple of Philae and a Felucca tour around Elephantine, the High Dam, and the Unfinished Obelisk. Philae temple: raised to honour the goddess Isis, this was the final temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Work began around 690 BC, making it one of the last places where the goddess was worshipped. The High Dam: the Aswan High Dam is a rock-fill dam positioned on Egypt's northern border with Sudan. Fed by the River Nile, its reservoir forms Lake Nasser. Construction ran from 1960 to 1968, with the official opening following in 1971. The Unfinished Obelisk Aswan supplied ancient Egypt's finest granite, prized for statues and for adorning temples, pyramids, and obelisks. The huge unfinished obelisk in the Northern Quarries offers valuable clues about how such monuments were made, though the full building process remains somewhat uncertain. Three faces of the shaft, nearly 42m in length, were finished apart from the inscriptions. At 1,168 tonnes, once complete it would have been the heaviest single stone the Egyptians ever shaped.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Breakfast is served aboard the Nile cruise on this free day of sailing. You can choose to visit Edfu on day 3 or on day 6 instead. Edfu temple : an Upper Egyptian site dominated by a large, remarkably well-preserved temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus. The Ptolemaic temple was built on the site of a much older sanctuary, dating to around the reign of Ptolemy III (246 BC). The wall carvings depict the myth of the conflict between Horus and Seth, likely re-enacted annually as a religious drama.
You'll then sail toward Luxor through the Esna lock, with free time in Luxor . You can book optional tours to Luxor Museum or the mummification museum for 40 $ per person

Enjoy a free day in Luxor . You can book an optional tour to Madinet Habu temple, the Ramesseum, and the Valley of the Queens. Madinat Habu temple: in ancient times, Madinat Habu was known as Djanet and, according to ancient belief, was the place where Amun first appeared. Both Hatshepsut and Tuthmosis III built a temple to Amun here, and later Rameses III constructed his larger memorial temple on the site. First Pylon — the temple of Rameses III: during his reign, Djanet became the administrative centre of Western Thebes. The whole temple complex was ringed by a massive fortified enclosure wall, with an unusual gateway at the eastern entrance known as the pavilion gate. This structure, a copy of Syrian migdol fortresses, is something you wouldn't expect to find in Egypt. Rameses III, a military man, likely appreciated the merit of such a design. He probably resided here from time to time, since a royal palace adjoined the south side of the temple's open forecourt, while priests' dwellings and administrative buildings flanked the temple on either side. A canal with a harbour outside the entrance once linked the temple to the Nile, though the desert erased this long ago. The Ramesseum: the funerary temple of Ramses II (1279–13 BC), built on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes in Upper Egypt. Famous for its 57-foot (17-metre) seated statue of Ramses II — of which only fragments remain — the temple honoured the god Amun and the deceased king. Its walls, only about half preserved, bear reliefs depicting the Battle of Kadesh, the Syrian wars, and the Festival of Min. Deir El Madina: the main cemetery of the royal workmen at Deir el-Medina lies west of the village, on the slope of the Theban hills. Most tombs were built during the 19th dynasty, some impressive in decoration and scale. By the 20th dynasty, these had become family tombs housing descendants of the original owners, with few changes beyond an added subterranean burial chamber. The lower courses of the eastern hill of Qurnet Murai held the burials of babies and children — more than a hundred were interred in ordinary domestic pottery jars or amphorae, in baskets (even fish baskets), chests, boxes, or proper coffins. The poorest burials, those of stillborn babies, held no jewellery or amulets, only small vessels of food for the afterlife. Adult graves, many dating to the 18th dynasty, sat higher up the slope. Lunch is included during the tour. The Valley of the Queens: also known as Biban el-Harim, Biban el-Sultanate, and Wadi el-Melikat, this is where the wives of Pharaohs were laid to rest in ancient times. Known then as Ta-Set-Neferu, meaning 'the place of the Children of the Pharaoh', it holds not just Queens of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties (1550–1070 BCE) but also many princes, princesses, and members of the nobility. Mortuary priests maintained these tombs, performing daily rituals and offering prayers for the deceased. Located near the better-known Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile opposite Thebes (modern Luxor ), this barren stretch of western hills was chosen for its relative isolation and proximity to the capital. Rather than the traditional pyramid burial chambers (perhaps due to their vulnerability to robbers), 18th-dynasty kings opted for rock-cut tombs. The necropolis reportedly holds more than seventy tombs, many stylish and lavishly decorated — among them the rock-carved resting place of Queen Nefertari (1290–1224 BCE) of the 19th Dynasty, whose polychrome reliefs remain intact. The ancient Egyptians called it Set Neferu, meaning "seat of beauty". Between 1903 and 1906, an Italian expedition uncovered around eighty tombs, some belonging to royal children; many had been badly damaged, burned, or repurposed as stables for donkeys and camels. Among the best-known tombs is that of Nefertari, most cherished of Ramesses II's many wives, in whose honour he built a beautiful temple at Abu Simbel. In the evening, you can enjoy an optional Sound and Light Show at Karnak : the show opens with a historical introduction covering the birth of the great city of Thebes and the erection of the Karnak Temple.
The narration recounts the glorious achievements of several great Pharaohs, set to a magnificent, poetic description of the artistic treasures and great legacy contained within the Karnak temple. Overnight stay at a 5-star hotel.

Breakfast and disembarkation, then drive to Marsa Alam . You can book an optional trip to the Luxor museum and Dendera temple . About Luxor Museum: this wonderful museum houses a well-chosen, brilliantly displayed and explained collection of antiquities spanning from the end of the Old Kingdom right through to the Mamluk period, mostly gathered from the Theban temples and necropolis. The ticket price puts many people off, but don't let that discourage you — it's one of the most rewarding sights in Luxor and among the finest museums in Egypt. Drive on to Dendera temple : Dendera temple : the Temple of Hathor was largely built during the late Ptolemaic period, notably under the reigns of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra VII, with later additions made in the Roman era. Though raised by a dynasty of rulers who weren't themselves native Egyptians, the temple's design matches that of other classical Egyptian temples, with one exception — the front of the hypostyle hall, which an inscription above the entrance credits to Emperor Tiberius. The temple complex also features scenes portraying the Ptolemaic rulers; for instance, carved into the outer face of one wall is a massive relief of Cleopatra VII with her son by Julius Caesar and co-ruler, Ptolemy XV (better known as Caesarion), both shown in Egyptian dress offering sacrifices. Hathor was also revered as a goddess of healing, reflected in the sanatorium within the temple complex, where pilgrims came seeking her cure. Sacred water — made holy by pouring it over statues inscribed with sacred texts — was used for bathing, priests of Hathor dispensed unguents, and sleeping quarters were provided for those hoping the goddess would appear in their dreams to help them.
Lunch will be served in Qena, and we'll then drive you back to your hotel in Marsa Alam .