MS Salacia Nile Cruise
Overview
The MS Salacia runs the river in both directions, so the sailing fits your flights rather than the other way round. Five days and four nights leave Luxor every Thursday. Four days and three nights leave Aswan every Monday. The site list is the same on both; what differs is where you start and how much slack the schedule leaves you.
Southbound puts Thebes first. You board in Luxor and go ashore the same afternoon for Karnak — a complex successive pharaohs enlarged across two thousand years, where the Hypostyle Hall's 134 sandstone columns still hold traces of paint high up where the light cannot reach — and then Luxor Temple on the corniche, joined to Karnak by an avenue of sphinxes now cleared along its full length. The West Bank follows next morning: three tombs in the Valley of the Kings with their painted ceilings intact, and Hatshepsut's mortuary temple terraced against the cliff at Deir el-Bahari, the only building of its kind the New Kingdom produced. The ship casts off after lunch, so the demanding part of the trip is behind you before the sailing days begin.
The passage between the two cities is the quiet half. You cross the Esna lock in the afternoon, then wake at Edfu, where a horse-drawn carriage takes you into town for the Temple of Horus — roof intact, enclosure walls intact, the most complete pharaonic building left standing in Egypt, with the Horus and Seth story carved in sequence along the inner walls. Kom Ombo comes later, directly above the riverbank and unusual for being doubled: one half for Sobek the crocodile god, the mirrored half for Haroeris, Horus the Elder.
Aswan closes the voyage. Philae, dedicated to Isis, is reached by motorboat — it stood on a neighbouring island until the dams raised the water, and was taken apart and rebuilt block by block on Agilkia in the 1970s. The Unfinished Obelisk still lies in its granite quarry, abandoned when a flaw opened along its length, the ancient tool marks visible on the stone.
Cabins are outward-facing with full-height windows onto the river, and there are two spa areas, a pool on the Lido Terrace, a library and three separate bars, which matters more than it sounds in the hours when the temples are too hot to visit. Meals run as buffets of Egyptian and international dishes in the Palm Court, with lighter service on the Sahara Terrace. Full board covers every meal from your first lunch to your last breakfast, 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 meets you at Luxor airport or the railway station and drives you to the mooring, where you board and settle in before lunch. The afternoon covers the East Bank: Karnak first, which needs a couple of hours, then Luxor Temple a few kilometres south on the corniche. Dinner is on board.
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 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 and Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari. Lunch is served as the ship casts off. You pass through the Esna lock during the afternoon, which is slow and worth watching from the deck, with afternoon tea served on the way. Sailing continues to Edfu.
Overnight: On board at Edfu
Included visits: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: Dawn hot-air balloon over the West Bank; the Colossi of Memnon and Medinet Habu as an extension to the morning; 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. The balloon is booked the previous evening and depends on weather.
After breakfast a horse-drawn carriage takes you from the mooring into Edfu for the Temple of Horus. The ship sails on once everyone is back, with lunch under way and afternoon tea on deck as you approach Kom Ombo. 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 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.
Breakfast on board, then ashore for the Unfinished Obelisk in its quarry and a motorboat crossing to Agilkia Island for Philae Temple. Lunch and dinner are both on board, and the afternoon is unscheduled — the pool deck and the spa, or one of the optional excursions if you would rather be off the ship.
Overnight: On board in Aswan
Included visits: Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple
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 for your onward journey.
Included visits: None
Meals: Breakfast
Important notes: Disembarkation is usually mid-morning, so book onward travel for the afternoon or later.
Your representative meets you at Aswan airport or the railway station and drives you to the ship, where you board and have lunch. Your Egyptologist takes you ashore in the afternoon for the Unfinished Obelisk and then by motorboat to Philae Temple on Agilkia Island. Dinner is on board.
Overnight: On board in Aswan
Included visits: Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: Felucca sail around Elephantine Island; the Nubian villages by motorboat
Breakfast on board as the ship sails north to Kom Ombo, where you go ashore for the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris. Lunch follows, and the ship continues to Edfu during the afternoon. Dinner is 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 from Aswan by road or short flight, booked before you sail
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 horse-drawn carriage takes you into Edfu after breakfast for the Temple of Horus. The ship then sails north for Luxor, crossing the Esna lock on the way, with lunch and afternoon tea served under way. Dinner on board is followed by a belly dance performance.
Overnight: On board in Luxor
Included visits: Temple of Horus at Edfu
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Breakfast on board, then disembarkation with your luggage. Karnak and Luxor Temple come first, then you cross 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. Free time in Luxor follows before your transfer to the airport or the railway station.
Included visits: Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple, 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: This is a full day of sightseeing on a departure day. Book your onward flight for the evening — an afternoon departure will cut the West Bank out.
What's Included
- Meet-and-assist by our representative on arrival and departure
- Guest relations support for the length of your stay
- Air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers
- Four nights aboard the 5-star MS Salacia on full board
- Shore excursions run as small-group tours with fellow passengers
- Licensed English-speaking Egyptologist on all excursions
- Entrance tickets to every site named in the itinerary
- All meals as set out day by day below
- Mineral water replenished in the vehicles
- Wi-Fi on board
- All service charges and applicable taxes
Not Included
- Any optional tours
- Personal spendings
- Tipping
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