The Nile between Luxor and Aswan is the reason the temples are where they are, and a cruise is still the only way to arrive at Edfu and Kom Ombo the way they were meant to be reached — from the water.
The balloon goes up on the morning of day two, before you board. You spend the rest of that day in the Valley of the Kings and at Hatshepsut, then sail south, waking at Edfu and Kom Ombo and finishing at Philae and the High Dam in Aswan.
Cruise boat, cabin category and exact sailing dates depend on availability — send us your travel window and we will come back with what is running.
Itinerary
Day 1 — Luxor
- Arrival and hotel check-in
- Karnak Temple
- Luxor Temple
Day 2 — Luxor
-
SunriseHot air balloon flight
-
Valley of the Kings
-
Temple of Hatshepsut
-
Colossi of Memnon
-
Board your Nile cruise
Day 3 — Edfu
- Edfu Temple The best-preserved temple in Egypt, to Horus
- Sailing
Day 4 — Kom Ombo
- Kom Ombo Temple The double temple to Sobek and Haroeris
- Sailing to Aswan
Day 5 — Aswan
- Philae Temple
- The High Dam
- Aswan departure
What’s included
- Hotel night in Luxor
- Sunrise hot air balloon flight
- Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple
- Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi
- Nile cruise cabin with full board
- Edfu Temple
- Kom Ombo Temple
- Philae Temple and the High Dam
- Egyptologist guide at every site
- All transfers
- Flight certificate
Questions about this tour
Hotel pickup is usually between 4:00 and 4:30 AM, and the balloon lifts off right at sunrise — roughly 5:30 AM in summer and 6:30 AM in winter. Exact times shift with the season, so we confirm your pickup the evening before your flight.
The flight itself lasts 35 to 45 minutes in the air. Allow around 3 to 3.5 hours door to door, including hotel pickup, the safety briefing, inflation, the flight, the landing celebration and the drive back to your hotel or Nile cruise.
Prices start at $65 per person for the standard sunrise flight, $125 for the balloon-plus-Luxor-tour package and $180 for the premium small-basket experience. Booking direct with us includes hotel transfers, insurance, a flight certificate and refreshments, with no booking fee.
Yes. Every flight is operated under the regulations of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority by licensed commercial balloon pilots, with fully insured passengers, modern equipment inspected before each flight, and a strict no-fly rule whenever wind or visibility falls outside safe limits.
Wear comfortable closed shoes, long trousers and a light jacket or fleece — early mornings in Luxor are cool even in summer, and layers come off once the sun rises. Bring a hat, sunglasses and your camera; the basket has room for it.
October to April offers the most comfortable temperatures and the highest number of flyable mornings. Balloons fly year round in Luxor, and summer flights take off earlier when the air is coolest and calmest.
