Best Five-Day River Sailings Around the World — Our Top 10

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

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

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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6.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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7.5-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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8.5-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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9.5-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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10.5 Days 4 Nights Nile Cruise from Luxor, Aswan & Abu simbel

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 9 reviews · 5 days · from $850

Sail from Luxor to Aswan aboard a four-night Nile cruise, with Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel. You will also take a hot-air balloon ride over Luxor’s west bank. English-speaking guides may include Mahmoud, Mustafa, or Wael. Entrance fees and tips are extra.

“Mustafa Ragab and Mohamed Gobran accompanied us to Luxor, Edfu and Assuan making us discover the beauties of these places. Always careful and on time, they made us discover the peculiarities of the place, giving us the right information to better appreciate the history of the pharaohs. Alone we would have lost ourselves among the infinite things to see. Highly recommended!!”

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