DWA Nile Cruise

Aswan is where your Nile journey begins — and it sets the tone perfectly. Smaller and quieter than Cairo or Luxor, this southern city sits where the Egyptian desert meets the river in a landscape of golden sand, granite boulders, and slow-moving feluccas. A Memphis Tours representative meets you at Aswan airport or train station and transfers you directly to the DWA for embarkation before lunch. After checking into your cabin, your Egyptologist takes you to two of Aswan's standout sites before dinner on board.

• Meet and assist at Aswan airport or railway station
• Private transfer to the DWA for embarkation before lunch
• Check-in and settle into your cabin
• Lunch on board
• Guided visit to Philae Temple
• Guided visit to the Unfinished Obelisk
• Dinner on board

Philae Temple occupies a small island in the Nile — you reach it by a short motorboat crossing, which makes arriving feel like a proper discovery. Dedicated to the goddess Isis, it was one of the last temples in Egypt where the ancient religion was still practiced. When the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge it permanently, UNESCO coordinated its complete dismantling and reassembly on higher ground — one of the most remarkable feats of archaeological preservation ever undertaken. The Unfinished Obelisk nearby tells a different kind of story: abandoned mid-carving after a crack appeared in the granite, it still lies in the quarry exactly where the workers left it, offering a uniquely raw look at the engineering behind ancient Egypt's most iconic monuments.

Walking and effort:

Moderate. Philae involves a short motorboat transfer with a step up from the dock, followed by uneven stone paths and a few shallow stairs. The Unfinished Obelisk is a short walk on a sloping granite surface with no shade — flat, closed-toe shoes and a hat are recommended.

Embarkation:

Boarding is before lunch. If you arrive earlier than your cabin is ready, reception will store your luggage and you are welcome to use the lounge and sundeck in the meantime.

Overnight: Aboard the DWA in Aswan

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

The morning after breakfast belongs to the river. You set sail north toward Kom Ombo with no agenda until the afternoon — time to find a spot on the sundeck, watch the landscape change from granite desert to palm-lined banks, and let the Nile work its particular kind of calm on you.

• Breakfast on board
• Morning sailing toward Kom Ombo
• Lunch on board
• Afternoon tea
• Guided visit to Kom Ombo Temple
• Sail to Esna
• Dinner on board

Kom Ombo Temple stands directly on the riverbank — one of the few ancient Egyptian temples built in a position where you can see the Nile from inside its sanctuaries. What makes it architecturally unique is its dual dedication: the entire structure is perfectly symmetrical, with duplicate halls, gateways, and sanctuaries built side by side for two separate gods — Sobek the crocodile god on one side and Horus the Elder on the other. Ancient crocodile mummies discovered near the site are displayed in a small museum on the grounds. After the visit you sail on to Esna as the evening settles in.

Walking and effort:

Light. Kom Ombo is directly riverside, so the temple is a short, mostly level walk from the mooring with only a gentle ramp and a few steps — the easiest sightseeing day of the program.

Overnight: Aboard the DWA in Esna

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Please note: scheduled timings may be adjusted due to operational or environmental factors.

Today moves quickly and covers a lot of ground — an early morning temple visit in Esna, a sail through the famous Esna Lock, and two of Luxor's greatest East Bank monuments in the afternoon. The evening brings a belly dance show on board, a lively end to your most action-packed day.

• Guided visit to Esna Temple
• Breakfast on board
• Lunch on board while sailing toward Luxor through the Esna Lock
• Afternoon tea
• Guided visit to Karnak Temple (East Bank)
• Guided visit to Luxor Temple (East Bank)
• Dinner on board
• Egyptian cultural evening on board

Esna Temple is easy to overlook on a Nile cruise itinerary — but it shouldn't be. Dedicated to Khnum, the ram-headed god believed to have shaped humanity on a potter's wheel, it was buried under the city for centuries and only partially excavated, so the street level of modern Esna sits several meters above the ancient temple floor. Walking down into it feels like descending into another time entirely. The Esna Lock, navigated mid-morning, brings cruise ships through one at a time and is a surprisingly compelling thing to watch from the deck. Karnak Temple, the afternoon's main event, is the largest religious complex ever built on earth — 200 acres of sanctuaries and columns raised by 30 different pharaohs across 1,300 years. Luxor Temple, visited close to evening, is best seen as the light fades and the floodlights take over, turning its stone façade a deep amber against the darkening sky.

Walking and effort:

The most demanding day of the program. Esna Temple requires descending and re-climbing a full flight of stairs to reach the excavated temple floor. Karnak covers a large site on uneven ground and involves the longest continuous walking of the cruise. Luxor Temple adds a further moderate walk with some steps and low light toward the end of the visit. Comfortable walking shoes and plenty of water are essential.

Overnight: Aboard the DWA in Luxor

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Entertainment: Egyptian cultural evening.

Please note: scheduled timings may be adjusted due to operational or environmental factors.

Your final morning takes you to the West Bank — the ancient burial ground of Egypt's pharaohs, where the cliffs hide more than 60 royal tombs and the landscape itself feels charged with history. After the visits, your Memphis Tours representative transfers you to Luxor airport or the train station.

• Breakfast on board
• Check-out after breakfast
• Guided visit to the Valley of the Kings
• Guided visit to the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
• Guided visit to the Colossi of Memnon
• Transfer to Luxor airport or railway station

Inside the Valley of the Kings, painted tomb walls remain as vivid as the day they were sealed — the dry desert air has preserved colors and details that would have faded anywhere else on earth. Your standard admission includes entry to three open tombs, selected by the government authorities and rotated periodically to protect the sites — each with its own scenes of the afterlife, offerings to the gods, and hieroglyphic texts intended to guide the pharaoh's soul safely through death. Tutankhamun's tomb — discovered in 1922 with its treasures virtually untouched — is also located in the valley, and can be visited on a separate ticket purchased on site; the tombs of Seti I and Ramses V/VI are likewise separately ticketed and are not part of the standard admission. The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, a short distance away, is one of the most architecturally striking buildings in Egypt: three colonnaded terraces rising in clean horizontal lines directly against the sheer limestone cliffs behind it. Hatshepsut was one of ancient Egypt's most successful rulers, reigning as pharaoh for over two decades — a fact her successors tried hard to erase from history, and failed. The two Colossi of Memnon, all that remains of a vanished mortuary temple, close the morning with a brief photo stop beside the road.

Walking and effort:

Moderate to demanding. The Valley of the Kings involves walking between tomb entrances in open desert heat and descending sloping ramps and stairs inside each tomb, which are warm and enclosed. Hatshepsut has a long, gently rising approach with optional stairs between terraces. The Colossi of Memnon is a level, five-minute stop.

Disembarkation:

Check-out takes place after breakfast, so please have your luggage ready and settle any onboard extras at reception the evening before. Cabins are vacated before the West Bank tour; your luggage is stored securely and travels with you to the airport or station afterward.

Meals:

Breakfast

Your DWA Nile Cruise ends in Luxor — but Egypt doesn't have to. Ask us about combining it with Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza, or extending to the Red Sea. We'll build the itinerary around your schedule.