The 15 Best Nile Cruise and Balloon Packages in Cairo

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

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

See Egypt’s greatest sights in five demanding but well-planned days. You’ll visit the pyramids with guides such as Jasmine or Nada, fly over Luxor at sunrise, cruise to Edfu and Kom Ombo, and reach Abu Simbel by road. Flights, hotels, meals listed in the itinerary, and private transfers are included.

“If you’re heading to Luxor, stop looking for a guide and go straight for Damiana! 😁 From the moment we met her, we knew we were in for a treat. Damiana isn’t just a guide; she’s a walking encyclopedia with a heart of gold. Her knowledge of Luxor’s ancient wonders – like the stunning Hatshepsut Temple, the awe-inspiring Valley of the Kings, and that other massive temple (we honestly didn’t even need to look up its name because she made it unforgettable!) – is nothing short of amazing. What really set Damiana apart, though, was how she made history come alive. Instead of just rattling off facts, she wove the…”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.4-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Balloon Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 112 reviews · 4 days · from $1,300

Fly from Cairo to Aswan, visit Philae and Abu Simbel, then sail north on a 5-star Nile cruise through Kom Ombo and Edfu. Finish with a sunrise balloon ride and Luxor’s great temples. English, French, Spanish, German, and Arabic guides are available, with guides such as Mary, Ahmed, and Jackie assigned according to availability.

“This trip has many moving parts which is why I wanted professionals to coordinate it for me. I booked at late notice, less than 24 hours before it started. Arwa went above the call of duty to pull it all together for me, finding late notice flights, keeping me informed of pickups, checking if I needed anything more, and tracking down knowledgeable local tour guides for me at every stop. It meant I had a brilliant cruise seeing many of the amazing highlights of Egypt without having to get stressed about personally finding/dealing with a lot of intermediaries. Bravo Arwa.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.3 Night Luxor and Aswan Nile Cruise with Hot Air Balloon, Abu Simbel from Luxor

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews · from $546Top rated

Travel from Luxor to Aswan aboard a three-night cruise, with guided visits to the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, the High Dam, and Abu Simbel. A hot air balloon flight over Luxor, meals, transfers, and Egyptologist guides are included.

“We chose this tour based on the fact that it was short and covered the Great temple of Abu Simbel. Many other tours we look could not be as short and cover Abu Simbel so it fit our schedule perfectly. This tour starts in Luxor and ends in Aswan so let me clarify that if you are in Cairo or other cities you must find a way to get to Luxor either by train or plane. They help you with transportation which is a big plus. It takes the stress of the hagglers that surround you at the airport if you have something pre-arranged. Let me start by saying that…”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.3-Day Nile Cruise with Hot Air Balloon & Flights

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 71 reviews · 4 days · from $1,300

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, rise over the ancient temples in a sunrise hot-air balloon, then cruise two nights to Aswan. You’ll visit the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Abu Simbel with guides such as Ayman, Hassan, and Ahmed.

“Mohra provided exceptionally responsive service. During the actual tour she provided plan details and made adjustments based on our feedback. We felt like we had a caring friend from start to finish.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.3-Day Nile Cruise with Hot Air Balloon from Cairo by Flights

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 53 reviews · from $642

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, rise over ancient temples in a hot-air balloon, then cruise for two nights toward Aswan. You’ll visit the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Abu Simbel with an English-speaking Egyptologist guide. Flights, meals, transfers, and hotels are included.

“Really nice tour if you don’t have a lot of time. It allows you to see the most important temples. Food cruise could be better and it is bad no beverage it’s included not even water.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.From Cairo 4-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan by Flights& Hot Air Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 44 reviews · from $1,000

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, then spend three nights on a full-board five-star Nile cruise with an Egyptologist guide. Visit Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Abu Simbel, plus a sunrise balloon ride. Guide assignments vary, with Ahmed Anwer, Gabriel, and Marwa among the names praised.

“Great tour and experienced guides. In Luxor my tour guide was Abdo. I had other tour guides in Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan/Abu Simber but canät remmenber their names”

Check availability →Read our full review

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

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

Join a private five-day Egypt journey with flights, a three-night Nile cruise, Cairo sightseeing, a Nubian Village visit, Abu Simbel, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Luxor temples, and a hot-air balloon ride. Guides such as Abanoub and Waleed Adnan have earned praise for clear, engaging explanations, though guide quality can vary.

“Egypt Tour Feedback – Luxor Experience In Luxor, my guide Laila was kind, but unfortunately very difficult to understand. Her English was limited, and her explanations lacked depth or context—often reduced to phrases like “This is Amun Ra” or “This is Ramses,” with no background or storytelling. I eventually gave up trying to follow. A major issue occurred during my cruise checkout. I was told I could leave my luggage at the reception since I’d return after the Luxor and Karnak tour. However, after the tour, the driver took me straight to the airport—without my luggage. Despite multiple reminders to both the guide and driver, they only replied “yes” without…”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.11-Day Tour, Nile Cruise, Flights, Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 20 reviews

You’ll see Egypt’s major sights in 11 days, with Cairo hotels, domestic flights, a three-night 5-star Nile cruise, Red Sea time in Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, and a Mount Sinai hike. Private guides may include Anna, Omar, or Esshak, while the hot-air balloon ride offers an early view over Luxor.

“Our first day was memorable with the visit of the piramids of Giza, the museum, shopping and a dinner river cruise. I have to point out that our guide Anna is remarkable and she made our experience very pleasant and fun. She is very knowledgeable of the Egyptian history and her English is almost perfect. The best photos were done my her. She truly represents the culture and beauty of Egypt. Our driver Afaet was very skilled getting us around during heavy traffic and waited patiently for us.”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.5-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan & Balloon by Flights

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

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, tour Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel, then return by air from Aswan. You’ll spend four nights on a full-board cruise and take a sunrise balloon flight. Guides may include Mustafa, Rinet, Pola, Romany, Ahmed Ashraf, or Mina Gabra.

“What a terrible experience (Nice tours)terrible tours company, the tour supposed to be 5 days, but instead it was 4 days, they delayed the flight from Cairo to Luxor by 15 hours then we lost the first day which we paid for it, the transportation should have been with a bus, but it was most of the time a smelly horse carriage, and most importantly the fact that everybody ( Egyptians ) is trying to scam you and get every penny of you, even though we paid for the whole tour, dishonesty in Egypt is part of their culture I would say, you can see it everywhere, I will never…”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.3 nights Luxor&Aswan Nile cruise with hot air balloon and Abu Simbel from Luxor.

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 13 reviews · from $560

Sail three nights from Luxor to Aswan with an Egyptologist guide, visiting the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel. The tour also includes a hot-air balloon flight over Luxor, all meals, cabin accommodation, transfers, and a horse-and-carriage ride in Edfu.

“The cruise was beautiful. Very nice and attentive staff, nice food, great room. The excursions we're well executed and our guide Rameses was outstanding”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.4 Days Nile cruise luxor, Aswan,Hot air balloon&abu simbel with Train from Cairo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · from $750

Travel from Cairo by first-class train for three nights on a Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan. Visit royal tombs, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel, with an Egyptologist guide and a sunrise balloon flight over Luxor. Entrance fees and drinks cost extra.

“The service couldn’t be better! The guides, drivers and servers were absolutely highest quality. The tours were mind-blowing. I would highly recommend”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.9 Days Egypt Tour to Cairo, Nile cruise, Abu Simbel and Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $1,590

See Egypt’s major ancient sites with private transfers and an Egyptologist guide, then sail four nights from Luxor to Aswan. You’ll ride a hot-air balloon over Luxor, visit Abu Simbel, cross to Philae by boat, and travel between Cairo and Upper Egypt by train. Guides may include Mohamed, Mustafa, or Mervat.

“My husband and I went on a Nile cruise to reach the Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt and it was one of the best trips I took this year. We enjoyed the peaceful, picturesque and culturally immersive view of the Nile River, which is undoubtedly the best way to explore the Pharaonic temples, royal tombs and hieroglyphic chambers of ancient Egypt.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.One package From Hurghada to Luxor: Balloon & Luxor Day Tour & Lunch & Felucca

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $239Best value

Leave Hurghada at 11 pm for a private Luxor day trip with an Egyptologist guide, sunrise balloon flight, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Karnak, Luxor Temple, lunch, and a sunset felucca ride. Guides such as Mohammad, Houssam, and Ziad have led this experience.

“Very well organized, we got everything that was agreed on & highly recommend this tour guide, you won't be disappointed!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.4-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Balloon & Flights

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 7 reviews · from $675

Fly from Cairo to Aswan, cruise three nights to Luxor, visit Abu Simbel, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings, then float over Luxor by hot air balloon. Zeinab handles the trip planning, while an English-speaking Egyptologist guides the visits.

“Boat a little aging, expensive wifi ($5 per person per day) but very decent rooms and food and remarkable staff with real attention and a real sense of permanent service. Very pleasant stay!”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.9 Days Egypt Tour with Cairo, Nile cruise, Abu Simbel and Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $1,800

You’ll see the Pyramids, Sphinx, Luxor’s temples, the Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel, and Philae with an Egyptologist guide. The tour includes two Cairo hotel nights, four nights on a Nile cruise, first-class train travel, a Luxor balloon ride, most meals, and airport transfers.

“Exploring Egypt with our exceptional guide was an adventure beyond imagination. The mesmerizing historical sites, breathtaking ancient ruins, and immersive museum displays created an unforgettable journey through time.”

Check availability →Read our full review