Best Five-Day River Sailings Around the World — Our Top 15

1.Egypt: Private 5-Day Tour, Nile Cruise, Flights & Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 248 reviews · 5 days · from $1,400Our pick

Cover Cairo, Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan, and Abu Simbel in five days with private guides, flights, hotels, a two-night Nile cruise, and a Luxor balloon ride. Guides such as Jasmine, Nada, Muhammad, and Merna have earned strong praise, but expect early starts, extra entry fees, and changing daily logistics.

“Manal is my guide, she has many knowledge and answered every questions. And also she is a good photographer!”

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2.5 Days Private Guided Nile River Cruise Tour from Luxor to Aswan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 229 reviews · from $881Top rated

Spend four nights aboard a standard five-star Nile cruise, traveling privately from Luxor to Aswan with an English-speaking Egyptologist guide. You’ll visit Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Aswan’s High Dam, with meals, water, transfers, and onboard internet included. Guide Omar is specifically praised for his clear knowledge of Egyptian history.

“The best part of this trip was our tour guide Omar and all the wonderful knowledge he has about Egypt and history. We didn’t have to worry about anything from the moment we arrived in Luxor and we’re picked up by the tour company representative. We were able to visiRead more”

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3.5-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan with Balloon Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 168 reviews · 5 days · from $1,200

Spend five days moving from Luxor to Aswan by Nile cruise, with Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel. You also get a sunrise balloon ride, felucca trip, meals, transfers, and Egyptologist guides. Guides such as Amr, Heba, Ahmed, and Mustafa have earned special praise, though ship quality can vary.

“The trip was extremely well organised, Zeinab was extremely responsive over WhatsApp and our tour guides, Paul and Samar Helmet were very knowledgeable. Highlight was definitely the sunrise balloon ride. Only negatives were the extortionate price of drinks on the boat (TiYi), a medium bottle of water was 8x the price of what we were paying for a large bottle of water off the boat. This was even worse if you wanted an alcoholic drink. Then also the pool on the boat, definitely could have done with a deep clean. The staff on the boat were super attentive, helpful and welcoming”

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4.Luxury 5 Days Nile River Cruise from Luxor to Aswan with Private Tour Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 114 reviews · from $1,900

Spend four nights cruising from Luxor to Aswan with a private English-speaking Egyptologist, visiting Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Aswan’s High Dam. Meals, airport or station transfers, and assistance throughout the trip are included. Cruise ships may include Princess Farida, Jaz Viceroy, or Steigenberger Legacy.

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5.5 days 4 night Nile Cruise: Luxor to Aswan with Flight from Cairo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 96 reviews · from $775

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, spend four nights aboard a Nile cruise, and visit Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Aswan’s High Dam. The package includes flights, meals, transfers, and guided sightseeing. Guide assignments vary, with Mohamed Gobran and Mahmoud Amin praised for clear explanations and attentive care.

“Good tour. Things went smoothly. Food was good. People were nice. Tour sights are very busy, even in off season. Guide did his best to explain tour sights in English. Pricey but decent value. Only thing I disliked is constant asking for tips and extra money for entrance fees, etc.”

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6.5 Day 4 Night – Deluxe Nile Cruise Luxor to Aswan – Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 86 reviews · from $774

Spend four nights aboard a deluxe Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, with private transfers, an Egyptologist guide, full-board meals, and visits to Karnak, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Aswan. The cruise includes a felucca ride and evening shows. Abu Simbel and a hot-air balloon ride cost extra.

“Our Guide In Cairo for the first 2 days was Nevin Morris, who was so in knowledgable on everything and took us to experience all other things off the usual agenda. The Amir Al Shakairy who join us for our Nile Cruise from Luxor was amazing: His historical knowledge and cRead more”

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7.5 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 58 reviews · 5 days · from $720

Sail four nights from Luxor to Aswan aboard a 5-star Nile boat, with an English-speaking Egyptology guide, temple visits, Abu Simbel, meals, and transfers. You’ll see Karnak, Luxor, Hatshepsut, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and the Aswan Dam. Guides such as Samy Saleh and Adal may lead the tours.

“The price for solo travellers is too much. Food is great though.”

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8.From Cairo by Plane: 5 Days & 4 Nights Nile Cruise to Luxor

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 39 reviews · 5 days · from $1,540

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, board a five-star Nile cruise, and follow an English-speaking Egyptologist through Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Aswan. The small group is limited to 16 people. Mahmoud and Ahmed Shawky Ali have earned especially strong praise, while flight coordination needs close checking.

“Mahmoud was very good and professional guide. he was excellant”

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9.5 Days 4 Nights Nile Cruise Luxor-Aswan With Tours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 30 reviews · from $699

Leave Hurghada at 6:00 am for a five-day, four-night Nile cruise aboard a 5-star boat. An English Egyptologist guide leads visits to Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Abu Simbel, and Philae. Transfers, meals, and Hurghada hotel pickup are included, but entrance fees, drinks, and Wi-Fi cost extra.

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10.5 Day Nile Cruise from Hurghada to Luxor and Aswan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · from $865

Travel from Hurghada to Luxor by private air-conditioned vehicle, then spend four nights on a 5-star Nile cruise to Aswan. An Egyptologist guide leads you through Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and the High Dam. The final day reaches Abu Simbel by road.

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11.5-Day Tour with Nile Cruise, Balloon, & Flights

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 27 reviews · 5 days · from $1,119

Travel privately from Cairo to Aswan and Luxor with flights, a three-night Nile cruise, guides, meals, and hotel transfers. See the Giza Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Nubian Village, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, and Karnak. The Luxor balloon ride is the visual highlight. Guide quality can vary, so confirm your language and luggage plan.

“Abanoub the guide was very informative and fun. He helped us a lot, especially to help my husband who broke his foot 2 weeks before our trip. We give him 7+++ stars 🌹🌹🌹”

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12.5 Days Nile Cruise with Guided Tours & Abu Simbel

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 20 reviews · 5 days · from $870

Travel from Hurghada to Aswan aboard a 4-night Nile cruise, with guided visits to Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Abu Simbel, Philae, and the Aswan High Dam. English-speaking Egyptologists such as Adel, Ahmed, and Omar lead the tours. Meals and transfers are included, but entrance fees, drinks, and WiFi cost extra.

“We had some logistical problems and we needed to be Pick up late from the Airport, and the agency helped and supported and pick us up from the Airport, and we arrive in Luxor and Khaled Gad received us and was very kind, also Adel Assad our guide in Luxor is an excellent guide, honestly I forgot the name of the other guides, but they were great and our guide in Aswan Omar Kashy was the coolest one... what about the boat? It is okay, the staff and specially the waitres at the Restaurant are the best! The food is delicious, does it worth it? Absolutely, great food, superb staff…”

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13.5-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 19 reviews · 5 days · from $1,300

Cruise from Aswan to Luxor for four nights on a 5-star ship, with an English-speaking Egyptologist, private transfers, Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor’s temples, and a hot air balloon ride. You receive meals and a private Nile-view cabin, but entry fees, drinks, and some airport transfers cost extra.

“Ahmed sony was a very friendly and knowlegable guide with a lot of humor. it was educational and fun”

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14.5 Day Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 16 reviews · from $600

Spend four nights aboard a five-star Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, with guided visits to Karnak, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and optional Abu Simbel. Pickup, meals, transfers, bottled water, and an Egyptologist guide are included. The group is limited to 15 people.

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15.5-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan & Balloon by Flights

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 15 reviews · 5 days · from $1,400

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, then cruise four nights to Aswan with visits to Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel. You also get a felucca ride and a sunrise hot-air balloon flight. Guides such as Mustafa, Rinet, Ahmed Ashraf, and Mina Gabra have earned praise for their explanations, but scheduling can be uneven.

“La actividad ha sido excelente, Nice tour tiene una excelente comunicación, cumple con todo lo prometido, además los guías fueron excelentes, Mustafa en Luxor y Rinet en Aswan los dos son apasionados por la historoa de su país y de sus respectivos tours, hablan excelente español, de vd muy contento con toda la información y todo lo que aprendí en este viaje. Además los conductores son bastante buenos y educados.”

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