Nile River Cruises and Holidays in Egypt

We offer holidays combining a River Nile cruise with visits to the main sights of Egypt or the Red Sea. We offer many cruise and stay options, of lengths betweeen 7 and 14 nights. Itineraries can include a stay on Egypt's Red Sea coast, extensions to Abu Simbel by ship or air, or Cairo and the Pyramids.

From the UK fly to Luxor or Aswan, some 500 miles (800km) upriver from Cairo, to join your Nile river cruise ship. From Luxor some cruises go north to Denderah, for a visit to the temple of the God Hathor, then sail back to Luxor.

From Luxor visit the Valley of the Kings, with its hundreds of tombs, most famously that of Tutankhamun. See also the Valley of the Queens, Deir El Bahri, the mortuary temple of Queen Hatsheput and the Colossi of Memnon. Cruises also offer visits to the temple complexes of Luxor and Karnak, both noted architectural sights.

Your cruise ship sails via the river lock at Esna to Edfu. The temple of Edfu, dedicated to the falcon-headed God Horus, is one of the best preserved in Egypt. Further down the River Nile is the famous Kom Ombo temple dedicated to the crocodile God Sobek, with its mummified crocodiles.

Aswan is a colourful city, noted for its markets. Visit the Aswan High Dam, and the temple of Philae which was dismantled and rebuilt to avoid being submerged under the Dam's rising waters. Kitchener Island is a beautiful botanic garden with many exotic plants and trees.

From Aswan there are excursions by air to the temples of Abu Simbel. This massive ancient site was moved from its original position and rebuilt to avoid being submerged by the rising waters of the new Lake Nasser. The people in the picture (bottom right) indicate its huge size.

It is also possible to cruise from Aswan to Abu Simbel and see marvellous desert landscapes, particularly sunrises and sunsets. This allows visits to temples and sights only accessible by water, on the shores of Lake Nasser. There are virtually no towns or villages, or mooring sites, so small boats are used for transport ashore. Excursions include Wadi El Seboua and the temple of Ramses II, Kasr Ibrim and the relocated temple of Amada.

Visits to Cairo are usually based on Giza to the south east of the city, where you find the Pyramids and the Sphinx and be amazed by their size. The fascinating Egyptian Museum includes the burial treasures of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun. In the evening is a Sound and Light Show in the shadow of the Sphinx.

Our cruise selection below covers the most popular cruise holidays on the River Nile, and shows the length of each cruise holiday and the areas covered. Click on the cruise name to reach the detailed information pages. All cruise prices include flights from the UK.