Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride in Aswan, Egypt
Aswan, Egypt

Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride

Outty Ranking 83 4.7 · 130 traveler reviews72 hoursFrom $436
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Outty Ranking

83/100

Exceptional. Our proprietary evaluation. How we score

Traveler rating

4.7/5

Based on 130 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.

Quick answer

Is Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride worth booking?

Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride is a 72-hour experience in Aswan, Egypt, from $436 per person. It scores 83 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Exceptional”, based on a 4.7/5 rating across 130 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.

Outty Ranking
83 / 100
Rating
4.7/5 (130)
Duration
72 hours
From
$436 per person

Sail along the Nile River from Aswan to Luxor on a scenic 2-day boat trip. See sights such as the Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple, enjoy all meals included, and ride aboard a hot air balloon.

What you get

    About this experience

    Sail along the Nile River from Aswan to Luxor on a scenic 2-day boat trip. See sights such as the Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple, enjoy all meals included, and ride aboard a hot air balloon.

    What's included

    Included

    • Professional Private Egyptologist English-speaking guide
    • Private cabin with all amenities
    • 2 nights and 3 days accommodation on a 5-star boat
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • In-vehicle air conditioning
    • Horse carriage ride at Edfu
    • Breakfast

    Not included

    • All types of Drinks including water
    • Entrance fees to temples

    Where it starts and ends

    Hotel pickup

    Pickup is included for all travelers.

    Options you can book

    • Luxury Ship

      Pickup included

    • Deluxe Ship

      Pickup included

    • Standard Ship

      Pickup included

    Before you book

    Cancellation
    For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
    Languages
    de, en, fr, es
    Ticket
    Mobile Only
    Runs on
    Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
    Group size
    Up to 15 travelers per booking
    Operated by
    Nice tours

    Know before you go

    • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
    • Public transportation options are available nearby
    • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

    Photos

    Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride in Aswan, photo 2Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride in Aswan, photo 3Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride in Aswan, photo 4Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride in Aswan, photo 5Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride in Aswan, photo 6Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride in Aswan, photo 7

    What travelers are saying

    Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 130 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.

    The guide

    10 mentions

    Travelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works.

    Knowledge and storytelling

    3 mentions

    Reviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.

    Organization

    3 mentions

    Pickup, timing, and logistics are described as running smoothly.

    Food and drink

    2 mentions

    The tastings and food stops are a highlight for most reviewers.

    Good for families

    2 mentions

    Reviewers traveling with kids report it landed well with their group.

    Pace and timing

    2 mentions

    Several reviewers found the schedule tight or the day long.

    Traveler reviews

    130 verified traveler reviews for Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.

    5 star
    105
    4 star
    17
    3 star
    5
    2 star
    0
    1 star
    3
    Sort
    Dr_N · October 2026

    Enjoyable / memorable / magical cruise with experiences

    Overall a good package and great fun filled experience . Pros: Good cars / good drivers for all excursions . Guide for Abu simbal Mr Ahmad was very polite , knowledgeable . He made the whole Abu simbal excursion memorable . Guide for Luxor Mr Adam was exceptional and literally a history book in himself . Cruise experience was good too, super clean top notch rooms and service . Hot air balloon was magical and a million thanks for the experience . Cons : Nice tours should make communication better , so that we r not left confused about anything like 1 excursion guide never came and then we had to rush to the temple Kom ombo where they quickly arranged an alternate guide ( appreciated) .. but could have been smoother . But overall a great tour and company to go with 👍

    via Viator

    arihat2026 · September 2026

    Little bit rushed but amazing overall

    If you pick this option you might have an uneven distribution of tours but that is not this company's fault, its just the best division possible based on the ship's schedule. Nice tours are extremely helpful and trustworthy. They make sure you are comfortable from before to after the trip. They will take care of you. Our tour guides were amazing, some rushed a lot and are often less understandable but Ahmed Zanan and Asmaa were absolutely incredible. With them you feel that you are visiting with friends. Would also recommend bearing in mind that tours are DEADLY when you have a lot of tours back to back and temperatures are extremely high. It is no joke. Very happy with nice tours though! They do everything possible to meet high standards

    via Tripadvisor

    pat_jahns · June 2026

    Got us seeing everything we wanted but disappointing

    Overall, the whole tour and experience helped us see everything we wanted to, and made things much simpler than if we tried to do the individual tours alone, but the whole experience was tainted and made less special by the fact that almost every staff member (of the boat, the tour guides, the drivers) constantly kept harrasing us for more money/tips on multiple occasions (rarely ever aggressively, but on the rare occasion we did have people angrily tell us off in Arabic for not giving enough or less than what they wanted). The boat itself is very outdated (most of the furniture was falling apart/being held together by bit and pieces of random fixings) and the service was pretty bad (never cleaned our room despite our request, never said hello; the younger / teenage staff members were actually the nicest of the bunch) and the tour guides were overall adequate but mostly explained very little and did not show much interest in actually giving us a good experience Read more about - Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride

    via Tripadvisor

    Patrick_J · June 2026

    Got us seeing everything we wanted but disappointing

    Overall, the whole tour and experience helped us see everything we wanted to, and made things much simpler than if we tried to do the individual tours alone, but the whole experience was tainted and made less special by the family that almost every staff member (of the boat, the tour guides, the drivers) constantly kept harrasing us for more money/tips on multiple occasions (rarely ever aggressively, but on the rare occasion we did have people angrily tell us off in Arabic for not giving enough or less than what they wanted). The boat itself is very outdated (most of the furniture was falling apart/being held together by bit and pieces of random fixings) and the service was pretty bad (never cleaned our room despite our request, never said hello; the younger / teenage staff members were actually the nicest of the bunch) and the tour guides were overall adequate but mostly explained very little and did not show much interest in actually giving us a good experience

    via Viator

    dk00tw · April 2026

    Average experience, no proactive communication about detailed itinerary

    Tour Breakdown: The tour operator doesn't own the ship, they booked rooms on a ship, and arrange mutiple day tours for the group. In my case, the ship guests are assembled by multiple tour groups from different operators. Unlike other cruise tours, this tour start from Abu Simbel, so I could skip the first day which the ship was actually staying in Aswan, and arrange better alternative tour. 1st day: I'm told to get ready for pickup before 3:30 AM, but actually the person for pickup came at 4 AM. Luggages are stored in the hotel I stayed in Aswan. Started from Abu Simbel tour, 4 AM, transfered by cars, about 3 hours each way. After the tour, returned to the hotel, pick up luggages, and transfered to the ship, then lunch on the ship. The ship sailed to Kom Ombo in the afternoon, then we had a tour of Kom Ombo temple, and returned to the ship for dinner. 2nd day: Edfu tour only, started at 4 AM, transfered by horse carriages, about 10 minutes each way. After the tour, returned to the ship for breakfast, lunch, dinner. I joined no activities on the ship arranged by the tour operator, to have a rest for 4 AM start next day. The ship sailed to Esna Lock in the afternoon, after crossing the lock, continued sailing to Luxor. 3rd day: The balloon tour started at 4 AM, tourists may take a breakfast box, transfered by vans and boats, then returned to the ship for checkout. After checkout, the group was split into some smaller groups, and my group went for Luxor tour, visited Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, Colossi of Memnon, and Luxor Temple, finally transfered to the hotel I booked in Luxor. Communication: 1/5 0 information about itinerary details communicated proactively. Mostly shocks, a little surprises, and a lot of confusion. Detailed info is provided in this review, for future tourists' reference. Actual ship name Princess Du didn't match the name tour operator told: Albrans. I asked for next day tour start time, and always got confirmed at night before that day. They did post schedule info every day near the reception, but it functioned as a day recap rather than a notice. I was first time heard about Esna Lock after visiting Edfu Temple, the info came from a tourist of other tour group. At least they did commnunications in English. Tour Arrangement: 3/5 4 AM. Everyday in this tour, we must wake up and get ready before 4 AM. 1 almost empty day around Esna Lock. This is not avoidable by any tour operators, but they should arrange something or at least clearly reveal the fact on tour info page. Abu Simbel: I was able to visit the temple inside before the crowds came, but the guide only explained the temple outside. The good part is, the guide adviced us to purchce online tickets in advance, and helped to buy tickets from ticket office for whom had difficulties purchasing online tickets. Kom Ombo: The tour guide came late, but he really did a good job in explaining the temple. The group also had some time to visit Crocodile Museum. Edfu: We were transferred to(and back from) the temple by hourse carriages, and arrived after many other groups. The temple was actually opened from 5 AM. It was super crowded inside, moving inside was like a struggle, and the guide couldn't explain well because of lack of space and noise. Baloon: We were transferred by vans to the pier, and took a boat to west side of Nile, then transferred to the balloon site by vans again. The group is really lucky, the weather was bad for previous 5 days, and finally we had a good day for ballooning. Luxor Tour: After the balloon, the group had to go to the ship and pack up for check out, and join tour of Nile "west" bank. I was wondering if we could start west bank tour without going back to the ship. The tour guide does a average job. Cruise Guide / Coordinator: 2/5 The person who was supposed to hand turists to the day tours, and transfer them back to the ship. In my case, his name is: Mina habeb For the Abu Simbel part, the result is good, but I had no clue about his effort, let's believe he did a good job. For Edfu part, the carriage transfer came late and the driver asked for exccessive tips. Shouldn't he protect tourists from Arabic frustrations? For the baloon, only another tour guide showed up, and all the arrangements finally went smoothly. The group had to buy tickets for temples by themselves, hopfully there mostly no ticket queues. Accommodation: 3/5 The meal/buffet on the ship is like what you would find in an average tourist buffet restaurant. The room space is not big, but it's enough for 2 adults + 1 child, and open 2 suitcases at the same time. The bathroom is small, but it's clean and functional. Remarks for Esna Lock part: Although no mention on the tour info page, the experience of crossing Esna Lock is actually quite interesting, and there were some merchants came around the ship to sell textiles and play bargaining games with tourists. For me, it's a very long way to travel to Egypt, so every day of the tour is precious. the day around Esna is actually a huge waste of time. If you also need to travel a long way to Egypt, please consider this point when planning your cruise tour.

    via Tripadvisor

    Good to know

    Duration
    72 hours
    Free cancellation
    Up to 24h before
    Minimum age to book
    All ages
    Availability
    Bookable today
    Runs on
    Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
    Price range
    $436 to $1,795
    Hotel pickup
    Included for all travelers
    Booked in 30 days
    46
    Verdict
    Exceptional

    Who runs this experience

    Operated by Nice tours, who run 31 experiences we rank across 6 cities, with an average Outty Ranking of 66.4.

    See everything Nice tours runs

    Why this scores 83

    The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.

    Traveler sentiment (30% weight)79
    Review evidence (18% weight)92
    Booking momentum (14% weight)90
    Value for money (12% weight)100
    Listing quality (10% weight)61
    Local standing (8% weight)49
    Booking flexibility (8% weight)100

    Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride: questions travelers ask

    Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for Aswan.

    How much does Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride cost?

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    Prices start at $436 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in Aswan usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.

    How long does Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride take?

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    Plan for about 72 hours from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in Aswan is not rushed.

    Is Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride worth it?

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    It holds an Outty Ranking of 83 out of 100, which we label "Exceptional". That score blends traveler sentiment (4.7/5 across 130 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable last minute in Aswan, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.

    Can I cancel or reschedule Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride?

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    Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.

    Is Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride suitable for kids and families?

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    Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 72-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.

    How far in advance should I book Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride?

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    Around 46 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in Aswan can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.

    What should I bring or wear?

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    Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in Aswan and add a light layer if any part of the 72-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.

    Where does Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride start and how do I get there?

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    The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central Aswan within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.

    What are the best things to do in Aswan?

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    On Outty we rank every Aswan experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include 3 or 2 or 1 Nights Mighty Nile Felucca Adventure, 4-Day 3-Night Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor - Private Tour, 4-Day 3-Night Nile Cruise from Aswan to Luxor&Abu Simbel+Balloon. The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.

    When is the best time to visit Aswan?

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    Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.

    How many days do you need in Aswan?

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    Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.

    Do I book through Outty or through the operator?

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    Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.

    What is included in Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride?

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    Included: Professional Private Egyptologist English-speaking guide; Private cabin with all amenities; 2 nights and 3 days accommodation on a 5-star boat; Lunch; and Dinner. Not included: All types of Drinks including water; and Entrance fees to temples. Always check the voucher for the final list before you travel.

    Does Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride include hotel pickup?

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    Yes, pickup is offered for every traveler from 58 listed pickup locations in and around Aswan.

    What languages is Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride offered in?

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    It is offered in German, English, French and Spanish. Pick your language when choosing a date and time, as not every departure runs in every language.

    Will I get instant confirmation and a mobile ticket for Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride?

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    Confirmation is sent by the operator after booking, usually within 48 hours; if it is not confirmed you are not charged. Mobile tickets are accepted, so you can show the voucher on your phone.

    Is Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride wheelchair or stroller accessible?

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    The operator notes: Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller. If accessibility is critical, contact the operator after booking to confirm arrangements for your date.

    What happens to Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride if the weather is bad?

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    It generally runs rain or shine, so dress for the forecast in Aswan. Standard cancellation terms apply: free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.

    What do travelers say about Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride?

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    Across 130 reviews averaging 4.7 out of 5, recurring themes include the guide, knowledge and storytelling, organization. Travelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works. One thing to know: Several reviewers found the schedule tight or the day long.

    What booking options are available for Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride?

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    There are 3 options to choose from, including Luxury Ship, Deluxe Ship, Standard Ship. Prices and start times differ by option, so compare them on the booking screen.

    Ready to lock in your spot?

    Pick a date, choose your group, and see the exact price for Private 3-Days Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride.

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