3 Nights Cruise Luxor to Aswan including Abu Simbel & Hot Air Balloon from Luxor

Our Nile Rive cruise experience was definitely up and down. I’ll lay out the positives and negatives below: Positives: - Our friendly and charismatic guide Mahmoud who always made sure to accommodate our needs and requests and kept us laughing along the way. - The staff on the boat were hard-working, helpful, and friendly. Always professional and going above and beyond. - The buffet at meal time was always amazing, full of plenty of options for any type of eater, with quality products and smiling faces serving them. - Rooms were well-equipped with comfortable beds. - The schedule of temples and activities was well-organised and we enjoyed every place very very much. Negatives: - When we arrived we were asked for our passports, however, they said they wouldn’t give them back until the next day in the evening which we didn’t understand. They all sat at the front desk, in plain view of everyone on the boat, with no one guarding them. We had to ask for them back, nobody brought them to us. - When we started sailing after a long morning of touring, we wanted to take a nap and relax in our room without the distractions of the constant hustle off the boat. We were instead awoken by shouting outside our window from small boats that were attached to the main boat selling touristy items to people from their windows and the rooftop of the boat. We had to listen to that shouting for hours. The boat crew actually allows it and ties those boats so they can do this. On a positive note, we asked the front desk about this and they made them leave a few minutes later. - One day the itinerary called for horse carriage rides from the boat to the temple. My friend and I refused and were happily accommodated with a Tuk Tuk. The horses were in poor condition, abused by their handlers, with open wounds on several, skinny, dehydrated in extremely hot weather. They are strictly used for tourists. We believe that they should not encourage this industry at all or at least let tour groups know that the Tuk Tuk is an option. - Lastly, and most importantly, there is NO WATER PROVIDED on the boat. Meals do NOT include water or any type of beverage. The price is also more than the typical cost outside the boat. The tour says it includes MEALS, since when was water or a beverage not part of a meal?? Also, it’s in the middle of the desert, often with temperatures reaching close to 45 degrees in the morning and no water is provided? We spent around 40 euros just in water over those 4 days. - Naturally, tipping is important for services, but we were literally asked to tip everyone for everything. Anything from taking a picture to carrying a bag to transport. Even when I lived in the US I didn’t tip this much! It’s not just encouraged, it’s expected from tourists and you’re asked to tip literally everyone multiple times a day. We found it frustrating as we would actually tip more if we didn’t feel so pressured all the time.

Excellent gaurde, enjoyed the tour, if more variety of food would be perfect. Don’t worry, everything is arranged

The boat was clean and comfortable and the time cruising on the Nile was very nice. The crew on the boat was kind, considerate, and attentive. The food was also generous and good. However, there weren't any COVID measures taken by crew, those serving food, or most other passengers beyond the optional hand sanitizer at the entrance. It was impossible to social distance, there was no mask enforcement, and there was no ventilation in the dining area which was concerning as most tables had at least one person coughing, sneezing, or with a runny nose (this is during the highly contagious Omicron outbreak). It also seemed strange that the buffet didn't even include water. It seems they could add $10 or $20 to the overall package to include water to avoid the conception that they're squeezing money out of us at any opportunity possible. Regarding the guides the first day we had a guide that didn't seem to provide any information that we couldn't already see "This temple has three levels, the first, second, and third one" or read on a display. At the Valley of Kings he gave us a very short timeframe but then he took us to an alabaster factory where he encouraged us to stay as long as we wanted and made it look like a cultural activity when the only thing to do there was to buy things we weren't interested in. Our second guide shared more interesting information with us and was much more knowledgeable about the sights. The first day we were with him he was very kind, but the 2nd and 3rd days he created unnecessary tension and awkwardness among our small group of six (three couples). In general, he was nice as long as he could sell additional activities and get extra money from us. For example, he'd announce a price for an activity then change it when it was time to pay. "$25 excursion to include felucca, motor boat, camels, and visit to Nubian Village," but then say the camels were 120L.E. more. But when it was time to pay him back he'd gaslight us and tell us it was 130L.E. Also, when we discussed tipping the crew he said 40L.E. per person per day, but when it was time to pay he again gaslighted us and swore it was 50L.E despite the objections of the group. Additionally, as he was getting tired commenting in French and English to French for one couple and to English he asked my wife (who's a French/English interpreter and another wife) to translate everything to English so that he wouldn't need to and was very frustrated by their kind objections. An English speaking guide was included and the guide seemed frustrated to carry out his duties. By the end of the experience none of the three couples had a good relationship with the guide. With one couple he ostracized and mocked them behind there backs for opting out of some of the excursions complaining that he "didn't know what was wrong with them." He also complained that one of the wives needed to pray five times a day calling her fanatic. For the other couple, he had a very friendly relationship until they stopped buying everything he was selling. In the end he wanted them to give him cash to organize a for them a tour in Cairo which they felt increasingly uncomfortable with. When they declined we heard he angrily left them on the last day instead of joining them for a lunch as planned. For my wife and I, we wanted to give him a tip and leave on our own to catch a train and he was clearly upset that he couldn't upsell us on train tickets and lunch avoiding any eye contact or friendly farewells. He also wasn't happy that we didn't feel comfortable leaving this review while he was with us. Overall, we enjoyed the time on the boat but hated that we felt milked like cows at every opportunity for money, particularly by our guide. Part of the reason we booked a tour package was to avoid surprises in what we needed to spend and to stick to our budget. All the couples felt uncomfortable that we were constantly faced with surprise expenses which made it very difficult to maintain our budgets. Expect to spend at least twice the quoted tour package price as they milk it out of you.

My friends and I took the 4 nights cruise. Our guides Mahmoud and B were very knowledgeable and fun. We enjoyed every second of our trip.

Positive: The best thing about this trip were the two main guides. Both were fluent in english (without accent) and made the trip very enjoyable. They both had big knowledge of egypt and did everything they could to make the trip enjoyable. What i liked the most is, that they would also engage with us outside of the trips. Big "thank you" to the guides. The food was decent but couldve been more interesting. We didnt have a bad stomache at all. The crew was very friendly and helpfull. No one bothered us. The trips were very interesting and we have seen a lot of egyptian temples and ruins. I think 3 nights is perfect, since it becomes repetitive after a while. We did feel safe at all times. Negative: The boat has seen better times. Everything is old and it shows. The TV in the room didnt work, the shower and tiles were broken. The shower water was sometimes brown, but i guess thats something you would expect coming to egypt, especially at that price. What i didnt like is the organisation of the tour. We booked german guides and a day before the tour we got told the guides would be english. Wasnt a huge problem since we speak english but would have absolutely ruined the whole trip if we didnt understand english. When the boat left, our first guide changed and we were not told by the organisators who our new guide would be. We had to find out ourselves. Would have wished to eat more egyptian/arabic food. I would ditch the horse riding in Kom Ombo. The horses are in horrible shape, skinny and abused. Feels bad supporting something like that. The drinks on the boat are horrible. A 10€ cocktail is made with instant powder instead of orange juice, let alone real oranges.

GENERAL Unexpected things: - WATER NOT INCLUDED in the cruise! Considering it is very hot, you need to drink a lot and you expect this to be included. I even asked before booking and I was assured that water was included in the price. If you want to go buy outside the cruise, you can expect to pay 10 EGP per 1.5 lt bottle (0,60 euro). - Non of the Tickets for the temples and sightseeing is included, even when in the Viator website, under "What to Expect" says: "Admission Ticket Free". Only for this item consider 1800 EGP (100 euros) per person. --------- CRUISE - Food is outstanding and infraestructure excellent. Personel is very nice and helpful. Nice swimming pool. In the room, if you are lucky you get a double bed. We could not get one, instead 2 singles together. Sometimes loud noise due to motor of the ship. TOUR - good plan since you visit what are the "must-see places". A couple of times they took us in a shop, even when we had no interest on buying anything, and consuming the time planned for a visit in a sightseeing. Besides that, in general very good. Amazing places. In average we spent 1 hour per temple/sightseeing. GUIDE - Rabi is an egyptologist with a lot of knowledge and is very friendly. He was very helpful and even help on arranging some things outside the planned activities in the tour. Totally recommended. Maybe one small improvement: it would have been nice, to have more time to take pictures! :) Thanks for all!!!

We had a fantastic trip for our honeymoon. Everything was extremely well organized and the tour guides go above and beyond to ensure we had a good trip. The boat is excellent - there is a good mixture of relaxation and culture. Highly recommended, we'd certainly be happy to come again!

Our cruise experience was a comfortable and beautiful float down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan. We had 2 guides to take us around the sites and monuments of the region, Mohammed and Khaled. Both of them were very knowledgeable and friendly. They answered any questions we had about the history of ancient Egypt and the state of affairs in the modern world as well. Our cabin was an upgraded suite with more than enough space and beautiful bathrooms. The food was decent or very good every day of the trip. The manager of the bar on the boat, Tito, was very kind and always made us feel welcomed. We will miss our chats with him now that the cruise is done. All in all this Nile Cruise is a must-have experience for any first time traveler to Egypt. It's a great way to see the countryside and it includes tours of some remarkable temples. 5/5 from this young American couple!

The tour overall was very good! Taking a cruise in the Nile River is an unique experience everyone should ever have when coming to Egypt. The agency took care of everything including the transportation and the luggage pick up from the hotel to the boat. Though the original programme was changed with very short notice, it perfectly worked and fit to our travel plans. The boat was the best thing, specially the food, the staff and the upper deck with lots of sunbeds and a swimming pool where enjoying the views while cruising. Mahmoud was a very nice guide and we had lot of fun with him while learning with his explanations. The only thing I would remark to improve is the big amount of cash required to pay the temples and other activities. It would be nice if this could be included in the tour pride to avoid carrryint so much money in the bag but I understand some people do not join all the activities and so they would lose it if so…

Lovely experience, i came with 2 other friends and we spent an amazing time Mhamoud was our main guide, he was amazing and so kind with us