MS Coral II: Nile Cruises Between Luxor and Aswan
Overview
The MS Coral II runs the river in both directions, so the sailing fits your flights rather than the reverse. Five days and four nights leave Luxor every Saturday, heading south. Four days and three nights leave Aswan every Wednesday, heading north. Both cover the same six sites; what changes is the order and how much slack the schedule leaves you.
Southbound puts Luxor first, which means the heaviest touring is behind you before the sailing days begin. Karnak was enlarged by one pharaoh after another over 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. The West Bank follows the next morning: three tombs in the Valley of the Kings with painted ceilings that have survived three thousand years underground, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple terraced directly into the cliff at Deir el-Bahari, and the two seated Colossi of Memnon, all that remains of Amenhotep III's own temple.
Northbound inverts it. You board in Aswan, see Philae and the Unfinished Obelisk on the first afternoon, and work upstream through Kom Ombo and Edfu towards Luxor, finishing with the temples and the royal tombs. It ends on the strongest note but compresses the same site list into one fewer day.
The two stops in between are the same either way. Kom Ombo sits directly above the riverbank, walkable 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 standing anywhere in Egypt. Aswan gives you Philae, dismantled and rebuilt on Agilkia Island when the dams raised the water, reached by motorboat, and the Unfinished Obelisk lying in the granite quarry where a flaw opened along its length.
Evenings are programmed rather than left empty: a Nubian music and dance show at Aswan, a galabeya night mid-sail, a belly dance performance at Luxor, and a cocktail evening on the sailing day. Meals run full board throughout, as buffets of Egyptian and international dishes, and an Egyptologist accompanies every excursion ashore.
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 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 first, which needs a couple of hours, then Luxor Temple 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. Karnak is large and mostly unshaded — hat and water.
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 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. Uneven ground and warm, still air inside the tombs — closed shoes are worth wearing.
After breakfast a horse-drawn carriage takes you from the mooring 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, a short walk from the mooring and at its best in the late light. Sailing resumes for 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
Important notes: Small notes are useful for the carriage drivers at Edfu. A galabeya can be bought or hired on board.
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 — the sundeck, or one of the optional excursions if you would rather be off the ship. 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: Abu Simbel by road or short flight, booked in advance; a felucca sail around Elephantine Island at sunset; the Nubian villages by motorboat
Important notes: Philae involves a short boat crossing at each end.
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.
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.
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. 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 is a pre-dawn start and roughly three hours on the road each way. Confirm the sailing time with reception before booking it.
A horse-drawn carriage takes you into Edfu after breakfast for the Temple of Horus. The ship sails north for Luxor once everyone is back, with lunch under way. Karnak and Luxor Temple fill the afternoon. 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
Breakfast on board, then disembarkation with your luggage. The morning covers three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the 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: Book onward travel for the afternoon or later.
What's Included
- Meet-and-greet by our representative on arrival and departure
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers
- Four nights aboard the MS Coral II on full board (three on the Aswan 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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