Royal Ruby II Nile Cruises
Signature Brand
All Egypt Tours
Overview
The Royal Ruby II runs the Nile in both directions, so you can pick the sailing that fits your flights rather than rearranging a trip around a fixed departure. The five-day southbound leaves Luxor every Saturday. The four-day northbound leaves Aswan every Wednesday. Both cover the same six sites; what changes is where you start, where you finish, and how much unhurried time you get on the water.
The southbound route front-loads Thebes. You board in Luxor and go straight to Karnak, enlarged by successive pharaohs across two thousand years, where the Hypostyle Hall's 134 sandstone columns still carry paint high up where the light cannot reach them, and then to Luxor Temple on the corniche. The West Bank follows the next morning: three tombs in the Valley of the Kings with their painted ceilings intact, Hatshepsut's mortuary temple terraced against the cliff at Deir el-Bahari, and the two weathered Colossi of Memnon. Only then does the ship cast off, which means the temples are behind you and the sailing days are genuinely restful.
The northbound route inverts that. 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 Karnak and the royal tombs. It ends on the strongest note but leaves less slack in the schedule — four days rather than five, with the same site list packed into them.
Either way the middle of the trip is the same. Edfu is reached by horse-drawn carriage from the mooring: the Temple of Horus still has its roof and its enclosure walls, which makes it the most complete pharaonic building left in Egypt, and the Horus and Seth myth runs in carved sequence along its inner walls. Kom Ombo sits directly on the riverbank and is unusual for being doubled, one half for Sobek the crocodile god and a mirrored half for Haroeris. Philae was dismantled and rebuilt on Agilkia Island when the dams raised the water behind Aswan, and is reached by motorboat. The stretch either side of the Esna lock is the best sailing on the river, with farmland and palm belts running down to the water and the desert edge close behind.
Evenings on board are programmed rather than left empty: a captain's cocktail, a galabeya night, a belly dance performance and a Nubian music and dance show across the sailing. Meals are full board throughout, buffet-style with Egyptian and international dishes, and an Egyptologist accompanies every excursion.
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 settle into your cabin. Lunch is served on board. The afternoon covers the East Bank: Karnak first, which needs a couple of hours, then Luxor Temple a few kilometres south on the corniche, connected to Karnak by the avenue of sphinxes now excavated along its full length. Dinner on board is followed by a belly dance performance in the lounge.
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 largely unshaded — bring a hat and water.
Breakfast is on board, unless you have booked the balloon, which lifts off before sunrise and gets you back in time for it. The morning crosses to the West Bank for three tombs in the Valley of the Kings, cut deep into the limestone; the terraced mortuary temple Hatshepsut set against the cliff at Deir el-Bahari; and the Colossi of Memnon, all that survives of Amenhotep III's own temple. Lunch is on board as the ship casts off for Edfu, passing through the Esna lock during the afternoon — 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: Uneven ground and warm, still air inside the tombs — closed shoes make a difference. The balloon is booked the previous evening and is weather-dependent.
After breakfast a horse-drawn carriage takes you into Edfu for the Temple of Horus. The ship sails on to Kom Ombo once everyone is back, with lunch served under way. You go ashore in the afternoon 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 the Unfinished Obelisk, abandoned in its granite quarry when a flaw opened along its length, with the ancient tool marks still visible. A motorboat then carries you across to Agilkia Island for Philae Temple, dedicated to Isis and moved here block by block when the water rose. Lunch and dinner are on board, and the evening brings a Nubian music and dance performance.
Overnight: On board in Aswan
Included visits: Unfinished Obelisk, Philae Temple
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Optional experiences: 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. Your representative transfers you to Aswan airport or the railway station for your onward journey. If you have booked Abu Simbel, that runs as a very early departure by road, roughly three hours each way, and needs 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
- Four nights aboard the 5-star Royal Ruby II on full board
- Shore excursions run as small-group tours with fellow passengers
- Luxor East Bank: Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple
- Luxor West Bank: Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, Colossi of Memnon
- Edfu and Kom Ombo temple visits
- Aswan: Philae Temple and the Unfinished Obelisk
- 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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