Nile Cruises in April 2026

What people love about Nile River Cruises in April

• MichelleTraveled in February

  4

  I had booked the 4 day / 3 night River Nile Story Cruise with Egypt Best Holidays through tourradar for my mother, my husband and myself for our visit to Egypt. The booking process did not specifically state the time that the cruise would depart Aswan or arrive Luxor, etc. I had chatted online a few times to try and get the specifics and was told that I had to be to Aswan on the boarding day by 11am. I arrived very early- landing around 8:30am from Cairo and followed the instructions I was given the week prior through WhatsApp from “Peter.” It seemed as if the instructions he gave me were different than the idea of the person picking us up. Luckily a tour guide not associated with Egypt Best Holidays took pity on us and called them for us. He was able to locate the guide and had been told that they were picking someone else up and would be there shortly. When the guide arrived, he told us that I walked too far and that I missed him - however I followed the instructions to a T. It all worked out fine but the vehicle that was supposed to pick us up with “Michael” broke down so this gentleman picked us up in his personal car. On the way to the boat, he offered for us to visit the High Dam as it was closer to go that direction first before the ship and also we were there too early for check in (what- then why did we have to arrive so early?). We visited the High Dam and then went to the boat to check in where the driver dropped us off with Michael. Michael brought us in and sat with us to explain the ins and outs of the cruise and what to expect. He said that the meals were included but no beverages and that we settle the bill at check out. I asked if we could pay using our credit card or if we should be prepared with enough cash and he said that we could pay with a credit card, “absolutely.” When we went to check out- this was not the case. The boat accepts only cash. We also found out at that time that the boat sits in Aswan that first day and wasn’t departing until 1pm the following day. So we arrived very early Friday but there really was no rush to be there so early as we had all Saturday morning and early afternoon to sight see. We did not add on Abu Simbel because it was a six hour round trip drive and since the boat was leaving at 1pm, we would have had to have left very very early Saturday morning which was disappointing. I could have planned better for that, but not having answers or the itinerary during the planning stage had an impact on that. I had assumed that we would be with a group or a tour guide the entire trip. This was not the case. Michael left and said he would be back around 3pm to take us to see a temple but another guide came to get us instead. He had us call him “B.” He was great. We had to pay $200 Egyptian for the boat to get to the site and then tip the captain $30 Egyptian. The fees to the temples are not covered by the tour so you need to have enough cash for all of the tickets, tips, etc. we enjoyed B. He was well spoken, easy to understand and was very helpful overall. We departed Saturday and the afternoon stop was at Kom Ombo. There wasn’t a lot of time- maybe an hour and a half to get off the boat, walk to the monument, stand in line to buy tickets and see the monument. The guide (couldn’t even understand his name) spoke very quickly and softly. We felt as if he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. He told us how to get back to the boat and said goodbye. Honestly he was the only guide we didn’t enjoy. We also didn’t feel that there was enough time at this stop. The next was Edfu Temple and our guide was Sammy. He was great- but this was a 5:30am departure and it was cold and dark. Tip- if it is winter time in Egypt bring warmer clothes for this one for sure. The horse drawn carriage was included but of course tipping the driver and guide is expected. Our guide when we arrived Luxor was Talaat and he was very kind and had a very extensive handle on the ancient history of Egypt. We arrived Luxor in the late afternoon and headed right to Luxor Temple. He was very knowledgeable and sat us down when we got there to go through a lot of history. Since the sun was setting we would have liked to have had time to explore the area with more sunlight and get the history later but it was still a very nice visit. He planned for us to visit Karnak Temple for the sound and light show which was at 7pm, however, later he mentioned the time changed and it would be at 8pm. We would have not gone at 8pm that night if we had known because that meant we would miss dinner and we could have gone the next night since we were staying in Luxor in a hotel. Rather than advising us of the time change and making sure we still wanted to go, he had the tickets purchased and if we decided not to go, we would have lost the money spent. We went to the boat and had dinner which started at 7:30 (which was really 7:35) and then had to inhale our meal so we could leave by 7:45- which we couldn’t meet that deadline. We got there in time since the driver was quick and my husband was able to carry my mom in his back to run to the light show in time. The following morning we were picked up to visit the West Bank and that was really great. We enjoyed having the same guide twice. One thing I disliked was the speed of the guides. My mother is 71 and in good shape, but she has asthma and doesn’t walk quickly. It didn’t feel as if that was considered or taken into account and many times we tell behind the guides. It made my mom feel as if she had to rush to keep up. As far as the cruise is concerned- our first impression was awful. The vanity in my mom’s room as peeling and was taped together with Scotch tape. The rooms did not smell fresh and they just didn’t have the feeling of being so clean. This was surprising because the lobby area looked so nice. After the first day of cleaning though we felt the rooms were recovered well and quite possibly the initial impression was due to the prior guests checking out and the crew trying to turn the rooms over too quickly. With that first impression, we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the cruise itself. The meals were excellent and the dining area clean with very friendly service. Everyone was always smiling and welcoming. We were a party of 3 and were seated at our own table the duration of the cruise. The front desk and housekeeping staff was excellent as well and made us feel relaxed with their willingness to speak English with us. We enjoyed sailing hours up on the pool deck with plenty of seating for everyone. The WiFi was $100 Egyptian for 24 hours but could only be used in the lobby which was inconvenient- especially because the guides contact you through WhatsApp which requires internet access. I also felt that for a five star experience, at least bottled water should be included- even if it were a bottle per person per day in the room. All in all, we had an enjoyable experience but could have used a lot more information in the planning stage which was difficult to acquire and the transitions with the pickup and guides weren’t as seamless as they could have been. I certainly don’t regret booking this cruise, but may have considered booking one that included all admission and gratuities unless you are planning on carrying a lot of cash with you. We didn’t feel comfortable carrying too much cash and had some ATM issues with our bank that could have been avoided had I booked and paid and in advance for everything.

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  River Nile Story - 4 Days 5 stars Nile Cruise Aswan to Luxor with meals and Sightseeing
• WilsonTraveled in August

  5

  We had a great time on the cruise and stopped off at some of the most amazing sites along the way. Our guide Khaled was amazing and so knowledgeable about any questions we had along the way. It’s a great way to see the variety of sceneries of Egypt.

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  River Nile Cruise For 4 Nights From Luxor to Aswan (Opt. Balloon & Abu Simbel)
• TamTraveled in October

  5

  This 7 days Nile River Cruise is a great tour going from Luxor to Aswan with an option to visit Abu Simbel (3 hours there and 3 hours back) and then return back to Luxor. The first 4-5 days will be busy with tours on the itinerary and you'll see all the temples and everything. Don't over do it. The tours can be very tired as it was very hot in September month. I enjoyed the last few days going back to Luxor without not doing much and just enjoyed the beautiful Nile River. It's one of the most relaxing thing cruising on the river. Food was fantastic, every meal was delicious.

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  Luxury Nile cruise Luxor & Aswan for 7 nights includes tours