Lady Mary: Nile Cruises Between Aswan and Luxor
Overview
The Lady Mary covers the same six temple sites as the ships costing twice as much, on the same stretch of river, with the same entrance tickets and the same licensed Egyptologist walking you through them. What you trade is cabin size and the extent of the on-board facilities. For travellers who intend to spend their days ashore rather than by the pool, that is a reasonable exchange.
Two sailings run each week. Four days and three nights leave Aswan every Monday, heading north. Five days and four nights leave Luxor every Thursday, heading south. Both routes cover the full site list; the southbound simply gives you an extra night and a slower schedule.
Aswan gives you Philae, dedicated to Isis and reached by motorboat — the temple stood on a neighbouring island until the dams raised the water, and was dismantled and rebuilt block by block on Agilkia in the 1970s. The Unfinished Obelisk lies nearby in its granite quarry, abandoned when a flaw opened along its length, with the ancient tool marks still visible in the stone.
Between Aswan and Luxor the ship stops twice. Kom Ombo sits directly above the riverbank, close enough to walk to from the mooring, and is unusual for being built double: one half for Sobek the crocodile god, the mirrored half for Haroeris, Horus the Elder, laid out either side of a shared axis. Edfu is reached by horse-drawn carriage from the quay, and its Temple of Horus still has both roof and enclosure walls intact, which makes it the most complete pharaonic building left standing in Egypt.
Luxor is the largest stop. Karnak was enlarged by one pharaoh after another across two thousand years, and the Hypostyle Hall's 134 sandstone columns still hold traces of their original paint high up where the light does not reach. Luxor Temple stands a few kilometres south on the corniche. Across the river, three tombs in the Valley of the Kings hold painted ceilings that have survived three thousand years underground, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple is terraced into the cliff at Deir el-Bahari, and the Colossi of Memnon sit where Amenhotep III's own temple once stood.
Evenings on board are programmed rather than left empty: a Nubian music and dance show at Aswan, a galabeya night mid-sail, a cocktail party and a belly dance performance at Luxor. Meals run full board throughout, as buffets of Egyptian and international dishes.
Tell us which direction suits your flights and we'll come back with availability and a per-person price.
Daily Itinerary
Your representative collects you from Aswan airport, the railway station or your hotel and drives you to the ship, where you board and have lunch. The afternoon is spent ashore: a motorboat crossing to Agilkia Island for Philae Temple, then the Unfinished Obelisk in its quarry. Dinner on board is followed by a Nubian music and dance performance.
Overnight: On board in Aswan
Included visits: Philae Temple, Unfinished Obelisk
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: Felucca sail around Elephantine Island at sunset; the Nubian villages by motorboat
Important notes: Boarding is generally from late morning. Philae involves a short boat crossing at each end.
Breakfast is on board. The morning is free unless you have booked Abu Simbel, which leaves before dawn for the drive south. The ship sails for Kom Ombo in the afternoon, and you go ashore for the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris, a short walk from the mooring and at its best in the late light. Sailing resumes for Edfu, with a cocktail party, dinner and a galabeya evening on board.
Overnight: On board at Edfu
Included visits: Temple of Sobek and Haroeris at Kom Ombo
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: Abu Simbel by road or short flight, booked in advance
Important notes: Abu Simbel means a pre-dawn start and about three hours on the road each way. Confirm the sailing time with reception before booking it. A galabeya can be bought or hired on board.
After breakfast a horse-drawn carriage takes you from the mooring into Edfu for the Temple of Horus. The ship sails north for Luxor once everyone is back, with lunch served under way. The afternoon covers the East Bank: Karnak first, which needs a couple of hours, then Luxor Temple on the corniche. Dinner is followed by a belly dance performance.
Overnight: On board in Luxor
Included visits: Temple of Horus at Edfu, Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: The sound and light show at Karnak
Important notes: Karnak is large and largely unshaded. Small notes are useful for the carriage drivers at Edfu.
Breakfast on board, then disembarkation with your luggage. The morning covers three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari and the two seated Colossi of Memnon, after which your representative transfers you to Luxor airport or the railway station.
Included visits: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon
Meals: Breakfast
Optional experiences: Dawn hot-air balloon over the West Bank, before disembarkation; the tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I, ticketed separately
Important notes: Uneven ground and warm, still air inside the tombs — closed shoes are worth wearing. Book onward travel for the afternoon or later.
Your representative collects you from Luxor airport, the railway station or your hotel and drives you to the mooring, where you board and have lunch. The afternoon covers the East Bank: Karnak, then Luxor Temple a few kilometres south on the corniche. Dinner on board is followed by a belly dance performance.
Overnight: On board in Luxor
Included visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: Luxor Temple again after dark, when it is lit; the sound and light show at Karnak
Important notes: Boarding is generally from late morning. Hat and water for Karnak.
Breakfast is on board, unless you have booked the balloon, which lifts off before sunrise and returns in time for it. The morning crosses to the West Bank for three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari, and the Colossi of Memnon on the road back. Lunch is served as the ship casts off for Edfu, passing through the Esna lock during the afternoon — slow, and worth being on deck for. A cocktail party precedes dinner.
Overnight: On board at Edfu
Included visits: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: Dawn hot-air balloon over the West Bank; the tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I, ticketed separately
Important notes: The balloon is booked the previous evening and depends on weather. Closed shoes for the tombs.
After breakfast a horse-drawn carriage takes you into Edfu for the Temple of Horus. The ship sails on towards Kom Ombo once everyone is back, with lunch under way. You go ashore for the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris, then continue to Aswan, with dinner and a galabeya party on board.
Overnight: On board in Aswan
Included visits: Temple of Horus at Edfu, Temple of Sobek and Haroeris at Kom Ombo
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Breakfast on board, then ashore for Philae Temple by motorboat and the Unfinished Obelisk in its quarry. Lunch is back on board and the afternoon is unscheduled. Dinner is followed by a Nubian music and dance performance.
Overnight: On board in Aswan
Included visits: Philae Temple, Unfinished Obelisk
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: Felucca sail around Elephantine Island at sunset; the Nubian villages by motorboat
Breakfast is served on board before you disembark with your luggage, after which your representative transfers you to Aswan airport or the railway station. If you have booked Abu Simbel, it runs as a very early road departure and has to be arranged before the last night.
Included visits: None
Meals: Breakfast
Optional experiences: Abu Simbel by road or short flight
Important notes: Disembarkation is usually mid-morning, so book onward travel for the afternoon or later. Abu Simbel on the departure day only works with a late flight — check with us before booking both.
What's Included
- Meet-and-greet by our representative on arrival and departure
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers
- Three nights aboard the Lady Mary on full board (four on the Luxor departure)
- Shore excursions run as small-group tours with fellow passengers
- Aswan: Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple
- Kom Ombo and Edfu temple visits
- Luxor East Bank: Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple
- Luxor West Bank: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon
- Entrance tickets to every site named in the itinerary
- Licensed English-speaking Egyptologist on all excursions
- Bottled water whenever you are ashore
- All service charges and applicable taxes
Not Included
- Entry Visa to Egypt
- Domestic Flights / Sleeper Train
- Pre & Post Nile Cruise Accommodation arrangements
- Any extras and Optional Tours
- Personal Spending (Beverages during meals - Phone Calls - Laundry....etc)
- Tipping
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