4-Days Nile Cruise From Aswan To Luxor including Abu Simbel and Hot Air Balloon

Posted By : andrewcQ3322VG
The trip was very good, the view was majestic and food is super delicious. The experienc is very memorable from dusk to dawn. Our guide Mohamed Gobran arranged everything for us seamlessly and optimized our experience very well.

I would highly recommend the trip to my friends! My wife and my friends all loved it.
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Posted On : 2024-01-06 06:05:07

Posted By : gautam02jan
The only good thing about the cruise was the guide Mr. Muhammed Gobran. He is very knowledgeable and made sure that the tourists see and understand the history of each of the places.

The cruise is not at all five stars, as it claims. The food and staff behaviour is not good. Sometimes, I found the staff to be rude. Tourists need to purchase even drinking water. The price of water is 3 times that of the outside. It's better to avoid the cruise and instead take private tours to the places of attractions from Awan and Luxor.
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Posted On : 2024-01-06 00:22:28

Posted By : M9152REmelissag
There is no better way to experience all the most important temples of the ancient Egypt civilization than taking a Nile river cruise. There was also the chance to go through a small dam, and the view alongside the river is unreal. The tour group is kept small (8 of us) and well-run, guide is attentive and wiling to explain multiple times for us to have the most takeaway from each temple. All transportation is in very clean condition. The cruise ship has some ages, so not the most modern, but the crew has made the experience enjoyable.
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Posted On : 2024-01-05 13:31:33

Posted By : Sriram_G
We travelled as a family of 4 vegetarians and had a lifetime great experience.

Thanks to our guide Mahmoud Amin (whom we called lovingly as 'Habibi' throuhout the entire trip). He was so hospitable and knowledgable. He was patient with every single tourist in the group and was quite knowledgable with the monuments. His English was pretty good and was also giving us great tips about what to do, where to go, how to spend, etc. Loved it!

The cruising was great - stoping by monuments as we sailed. Hot air baloon was simply surreal for us. The weather too cooperated well and we could have a fantastic balloon ride. If you are lucky, you could get a glimpse of sunrise too.

The food at the cruise was pretty good. We were vegetarians and we could get a good deal of options to eat for the main course too - not just salads and desserts. Specific thanks to cook Abdul!!

My cost saving suggestion to all: If you are travelling with your kids who are students, I would strongly recommend to carry their student ID. This saved me close to US$60 per student on teh entry charges at the monuments and temples.

Another important suggestion: The food is included within the overall crusie charges... but drinks are extra... And they charge exorbitantly for the drinks... including drinking WATER (Yes! you heard it right!!). So it is better to buy a crate of drinking water from the shore before you board the cruise.

Mahmoud also helped us with stay and cab arrangements in Luxor after the cruise trip was completed (We had a few hours till our return flight).

In all.... the trip was worth every bit of money we piad!! Would recommend to all...
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Posted On : 2024-01-03 12:03:44

Posted By : Yuta_S
Overall it was a memorable experience, led by Talaat Abdo. I thank him for his guidance and coordination throughout the tour, especially during this super high season. His knowledge was evident but due to the crowds and tight schedule, I feel like we didn't get a full advantage of his guide (due to peak season, everywhere we went was packed and at times it was hard to hear him). His guide could have been better if it had been more narrative rather than stating the facts. It may be better if he explains key historical details or interesting facts on the bus so that tourists can maximize their time at the sites.

The cruise ship (Hapi V) was decent and clean, and matched my value expectations. The staff were accommodating to make sure that our needs were met, which I appreciated.

Visiting 11 places in 3.5 days, including the 300km journey to Abu Simbel, is no small feat. This whirlwind adventure requires dedication, but it's an ideal option for anyone wanting to experience these historical wonders in a compressed timeframe.

Also, we paid $140 per person for the admission fee and tips to staff at the ship, drivers etc (1 USD = 30EGP, as of Dec. 2023) on Day 1.

Hot air balloon ride over Valley of Kings on the last day was the highlight of this tour. Our pilot, Bob, with nearly 30 years of experience in flying balloons, was professional and funny, and it was so smooth that we didn't even notice take off and landing. The view from the balloon is truly remarkable and definitely recommended.
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Posted On : 2024-01-03 06:23:22

Posted By : AhmadMubeen_I
It was truly amazing and so enriching. Great thanks to our tour guide and specialist Egyptologist Ahmed Shawky Ali who truly with his professionalism enlightened us. Without forgetting he was very friendly and nice person.
Thanks to all the crew team as well.
From Ahmad Mubeen Ismael
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Posted On : 2024-01-02 09:15:29

Posted By : rohan_Preetham_Pinto
Our Tour Guide Mohammed Gobran is hardworking, helpful, puts in a lot of effort and he was great. A small flaw is that he was bit unintelligible hence hard to follow in English Although his positive attitude overshadows this flaw so no complaints..
Food on the cruise was excellent, diverse and was of really good quality.
Most tours in general were poorly organized as a whole set up (not singling out our cruise agency) as it was overcrowded and makes it really difficult to make the most of the limited time that is provided as many cruises dock at the same time.
Over all 3 and half to 4 star rating for the overall experience.
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Posted On : 2023-12-31 09:16:15

Posted By : Gopal_H
Outstanding: Tour guide Mohamed Gobran, iconic must see locations, friendly and very helpful crew of Al Nabilata. Packed itinerary.

We took an early morning flight to get to Aswan from Cairo on Nesma airlines. Those flights leave from terminal 1. Get there ~1 he ahead. Very crowded, but lines move fast. After security, there are no food stalls or bathrooms. Plan accordingly.

The ship Al Nabilata itself is quite old. While the rooms and bathrooms are very clean, they are small and show their age. A newer or refurbished ship would make it a five star ship.

We were picked up at Aswan by a friendly Moody travels rep. Both him and Mohamed had sent us detailed information over whatapp (preferred mode of communication in Egypt). We checked in around 1200 noon and had lunch onboard. The buffet lunch had a lot of vegetarian options. Post lunch, we left for Aswan high dam and took a boat to Philae temple. We were done by 430 pm.

Mohamed had an optional side tour to Nubian village ($25 per person). We take a very pleasant boat tour on the Nile river, went to Nubian village, their school and home including tasting their food. Extremely pleasant experience. We worth it. Highly recommend.

Day 2 started early with wake up call at 3 am, coffee at 330 and departure to Abu Simbal at 4 am. It is a 288 km 4 hr drive. Fantastic place. Well worth the visit. Make sure you get inside both temples first before taking pictures outside. They tend to get very crowded with long lines to get in. Mohamed took us to a Nubian spice shop in Aswan. Excellent high quality apices. Negotiate to get at least ~50% off quoted prices. In the evening, we reached Kom Ombo and took in Kom Ombo temple.

Day 3 started early again at 5 am wake up call, 530 am departure to see Edufu temple. Very nice place. You can skip it if you want to sleep in. Ship sailed at 830 am after we returned to ship. Peaceful Nile village scenery passing by on both sides while we relaxed in the room or sun deck. Esna locks are worth watching as Nile river lowers by 9 mtrs. The line of ships crossing was very long and it took us a good 3 hrs to cross. We arrived very late around 730 pm to Luxor.

Day 4 started early with 5 am wake up call. Pack out and check out of the ship. We then were taken to West Bank of Nile for a hot air balloon ride. Fantastic experience flying over skies of Luxor watching iconic monuments. We then visited Hatshepsut temple, followed by valley of kings (highly recommend paying extra to see king Tut's tomb). We had a delicious lunch at Alibaba ($10 pp well worth it) overlooking Memnun colossi. We then visited Karnak temple followed by Luxor temple. Both are fantastic unbelievable places full of history. Dropped off to the ship at 6 pm after a packed day and off to airport at 745 pm.

All along Mohamed made the tour very interesting. He is a treasure house of Egyptian history, very accommodating and provided detailed explanation at multiple important locations within each site that made history come alive for us. Two thumbs up and five star!


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Posted On : 2023-12-31 00:33:33

Posted By : Voyager294263
Outstanding: Tour guide Mohamed Gobran, Fablous Nile river, friendly, cheerful and very helpful crew of Al Nabilatan and iconica locations

Five star for all of the above!

The fully packed itinerary covered all key historical monuments along Nile river basin around Aswan and Luxor.

We flew to Aswan from Cairo on Nesma airlines. It flies out of terminal 1 of Cairo airport. Get there ~1 hr in advance. It gets very crowded during morning hours with many flights flying out. Lines move fast. Get something to eat/drink before you go thru security. There are no bathrooms or food options beyond security.

We were picked up at Aswan airport by Moody Travel. The person who picked us up and the tour guide Mohamed had sent us detailed WhatsApp messages (preferred mode of communication in Egypt). We checked in around noon at Al Nabilatan. The ship is very old and needs refurbishment. While the rooms and bathroom are clean, they are very small. The age shows on them - definitely not 5 star quality ship. What ship lacks, is made up by its friendly crew. They are cheerful, helpful and very friendly bunch. The food buffet is actually very good with extensive vegetarian selections.

The itinerary itself was jam packed - we started at 1245 pm with tour of Aswan high dam. We visited Philae temple using a boat. In the evening, there was an optional tour ($25) of Nubian village. We took a 35 min boat tour over Nile river to reach the village. Very pleasant experience. Highly recommend.

Next day started very early at 3 am wake up and 4 am departure to visit Abu Simbel, one of the most iconic stone temples in Egypt. It takes 4 hrs each way. Very beautiful and worth it. On the way back, we stopped at a Nubian spice shop. Excellent spiced. Ship sailed at 330 pm and reached Kom Obo temple at 630 pm. We took 2 hrs to visit the temple and the crocodile museum. Fascinating ptolemic temple. Well worth it!

Next day, woke up at 5 am to visit Edufu temple. Very nice, however super crowded! Ship sailed after we returned at 730 am. Esna locks on the way to Luxor also worth watching.

Day 4 is an early start with hot air balloon ride at 530 am followed by visit to Valley of Kings, Hatshepsut temple, Luxor temple and Konark temple. Finally a stop at Purdue factory.

Tour guide Mohamed is very knowledgeable and explains salient points very nicely. Easily accessible too over WhatsApp and keeps everyone informed well. Highly recommend!

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Posted On : 2023-12-29 14:25:03

Posted By : Servesh A
We had a great set of tours. Our guide, Mohamed, went above/beyond for my fellow passengers on the tour. Nubian village is a must
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Posted On : 2023-12-29 13:39:03