M/Y Alyssa Nile Cruise | 3 Nights / 4 days From Aswan | 5-Star

Board the M/Y Alyssa Nile cruise from 12:00 PM at Aswan. After settling into your cabin and a welcome lunch on board, your Egyptologist guide introduces the program ahead.

Afternoon — Philae Temple & Aswan High Dam

Your first excursion: the Temple of Isis at Philae. One of the most romantic ancient sites in Egypt, Philae is an island temple that was completely submerged by the original Aswan Dam, then painstakingly dismantled block by block and rebuilt on a higher island in one of the greatest archaeological rescue operations in history, completed in 1980. You reach it by motorboat across the still waters of the reservoir — an approach that makes the temple's island setting genuinely magical.

The Aswan High Dam — completed in 1971, one of the largest embankment dams in the world — follows, providing dramatic context for understanding Egypt's ancient and modern relationship with the Nile.

Evening on board

Piano Bar from 19:30. Dinner at 20:00. Overnight in Aswan.

Optional early departure at 02:00 AM: Abu Simbel — the two colossal temples of Ramesses II carved directly into the sandstone cliff above Lake Nasser in the 13th century BCE, and relocated in their entirety between 1964 and 1968 to save them from the rising waters behind the High Dam. Watching the four 20-metre statues of Ramesses II emerge from the darkness as the sun rises is one of the most extraordinary sights in the world. Guests who prefer to sleep enjoy breakfast on board as normal.

13:00 — Lunch on board. The M/Y Alyssa Nile cruise sails north to Kom Ombo

16:30 — Afternoon tea with live music on the Sun Deck as the Nile and its ancient banks pass at the pace they were always meant to be seen.

17:00 — Kom Ombo Temple. Perched on a bend in the Nile where the river turns dramatically, Kom Ombo is unique in Egyptian history — a completely symmetrical double temple, each half dedicated to a different deity. The right side belongs to Sobek, the crocodile god. The left to Haroeris, a form of Horus. Its walls contain what is believed to be the earliest known depiction of medical instruments in any ancient monument — surgical tools including forceps and scalpels, carved in stone relief over 2,000 years ago.

Evening: Cocktails and Piano Bar at 19:30. Dinner at 20:00. The famous Gallabiyah Party — guests dress in traditional Egyptian gallabiyah for a night of music, dancing, and celebration.

Overnight moored at Edfu.

05:30 — Edfu Temple. An early start, before the heat and before the crowds. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt — buried to its roof in desert sand and river silt for centuries, which is why its painted ceilings, carved reliefs, and towering pylon gateway survive in extraordinary condition. Walking through it, you understand immediately what all the partially-ruined temples of Egypt once looked like in their complete state.

Breakfast and lunch on board as the M/Y Alyssa Nile cruise sails north. The ship passes through the Esna Lock — a working 19th-century Nile lock that all cruise ships must navigate. As the ship waits, vendors in small boats come alongside below, throwing goods up to passengers on deck — an informal floating market that has been running alongside Nile cruises for generations. It is pure Egypt.

Late afternoon — arrival in Luxor

(subject to Esna Lock traffic). Your Egyptologist guide takes you to Karnak Temple — the largest religious complex ever built by human hands, covering 63 acres, constructed over 2,000 years by successive pharaohs, each trying to outdo the last. The scale is incomprehensible until you are standing in it.

Luxor Temple in the early evening — the elegant colonnade and obelisk-fronted facade of this magnificent riverside temple, illuminated as the light fades over the Nile.

Evening on board

Dinner at 20:00. Belly Dancer and Tanoura Whirling Dervish Show — one of the best-loved evenings of any Nile cruise.

Overnight in Luxor.

07:00 — Breakfast on board. 08:00 — Disembarkation.

Optional: Hot Air Balloon over Luxor at sunrise — a spectacular way to see the West Bank from above before your guide takes you through it on the ground.

West Bank — The Theban Necropolis. Your Egyptologist guide leads you through the Valley of the Kings — the royal burial ground of the New Kingdom pharaohs, where over 60 rock-cut tombs are carved into the limestone cliffs above the Nile. Your admission covers three tombs; your guide will recommend the finest based on which are open and what you most want to see. Tutankhamun's tomb requires a separate ticket and is always worth it.

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut — the extraordinary three-tiered mortuary temple carved into the natural cliff face of Deir el-Bahari, built by Egypt's most powerful female pharaoh and one of the finest examples of ancient Egyptian architecture anywhere.

Colossi of Memnon — the two immense seated statues of Amenhotep III that have guarded the entrance to the Theban Necropolis for over 3,300 years.

Transfer to Luxor Airport or Luxor train station for your onward journey.