Nour El Nil Dahabiya Nile Cruise

Day 1: Monday – Esna

• Arrive at Luxor airport/train station and meet your tour guide.
  • You will likely be met by a representative holding a sign with your name on it.
  • The drive from Luxor airport to Esna is about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Take a guided tour of Esna, including the Temple of Khnum, an ancient place of worship.
  • The Temple of Khnum is a Greco-Roman temple that was built on the site of an earlier Middle Kingdom temple. The temple is dedicated to Khnum, the ram-headed god of creation. The most prominent feature of the temple is the hypostyle hall, which has 24 columns. The walls of the temple are decorated with reliefs depicting scenes from Egyptian mythology.

Day 2: Tuesday – El Kab & Edfu

• Sail to El Kab, visit the temple of Nekhbet and tombs.
  • The sailing time from Esna to El Kab is about 1 hour.
  • The temple of Nekhbet is a rock-cut tomb dedicated to the vulture goddess Nekhbet, who was the patron goddess of Upper Egypt. The temple dates back to the Middle Kingdom and was expanded during the New Kingdom. The walls of the temple are decorated with reliefs depicting scenes from Egyptian mythology.
  • The tombs at El Kab are rock-cut tombs that date back to the Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom. The tombs are decorated with reliefs depicting scenes from the lives of the deceased.
• In the afternoon, arrive at Edfu and visit the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the falcon god Horus, by horse-drawn carriage.
  • The sailing time from El Kab to Edfu is about 2 hours.
  • The Temple of Horus at Edfu is one of the most well-preserved temples in Egypt. The temple was built during the Ptolemaic period (332-30 BC) and is dedicated to the falcon god Horus. The temple is a massive structure with a pylon, hypostyle hall, sanctuary, and chapels. The walls of the temple are decorated with reliefs depicting scenes from Egyptian mythology.

Day 3: Wednesday – Sail & Swim

• Enjoy an optional morning walk and breakfast, then set sail for the day.
• In the afternoon, stop at an island for a stroll or a swim in the refreshing Nile waters.
• In the evening, take a walk along a valley with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and stone-age inscriptions.
• The boat will tie up near the floodlit temple of Gebel Silsileh.

Day 4: Thursday – Gebel Silsileh

• Visit the small temple of Horemheb and the sandstone quarries where ancient Egyptians obtained building materials.
  • The Temple of Horemheb is a small rock-cut temple that was built by the pharaoh Horemheb. The temple is decorated with reliefs depicting scenes from Horemheb’s military campaigns.
  • The sandstone quarries at Gebel Silsileh were used by the ancient Egyptians to obtain building materials for their temples and tombs. You can see evidence of the quarrying process, such as hammer marks and chisel marks.
• Enjoy tea and shisha, a traditional flavored tobacco water pipe, at a local cafe.
• Sail to a riverbank for lunch and a swim in the Nile.

Day 5: Friday – Kom Ombo

• Visit the temple of Kom Ombo, a unique structure dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and Haroeris, the falcon god.
  • The temple of Kom Ombo is a unique structure that is dedicated to two gods: Sobek, the crocodile-headed god, and Haroeris, the falcon god. The temple dates back to the Ptolemaic period and is made of sandstone. The temple is a symmetrical structure with two entrances, two hypostyle halls, two sanctuaries, and two chapels. The walls of the temple are decorated with reliefs depicting scenes from Egyptian mythology.
• Visit the new Crocodile Museum to learn more about these fascinating creatures.

Day 6: Saturday – Aswan

• Enjoy breakfast on board.
• Transfer to Aswan airport/train station for your departure.
  • The drive from Aswan to the airport is about 20 minutes.