Luxury Dahabiya Nile Cruise & Solar Eclipse Viewing Egypt Eclipse Tour 2027: Luxor to Aswan Cruise
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What's included
- Accommodations
- Domestic Airfare
- English-Speaking Guide
- Entrance Fees
- Meals - Half Board
- Sightseeing
- Transfers
- Transportation
- Airfare- International
- Beverages
- Optional Activities
- Personal Expenses
- Snacks
- Tips
- Trip Insurance
- Visa Services
Eclipse & Nile Discovery Tour – Egypt 2027
July 30 – August 9, 2027
Experience Egypt like never before on this unforgettable 11-day journey combining ancient wonders, luxury sailing, and the rare celestial spectacle of a total solar eclipse, with totality expected to be over 6 minutes long. From the grandeur of the pyramids to the serenity of the Nile aboard a private dahabiya, this tour offers a perfect blend of history, comfort, and natural beauty.
Sailing the Nile on a dahabiya is one of the most elegant and authentic ways to experience Egypt’s timeless river. These traditional twin-sailed boats, once used by Egyptian aristocracy and 19th-century explorers, offer a refined and intimate alternative to large cruise ships.
Unlike modern vessels, dahabiyas carry just a handful of guests ensuring personalized service, a relaxed pace, and a deeper connection to the river and its surroundings. Onboard, you’ll find spacious cabins with private baths, inviting lounges, and a shaded upper deck perfect for watching the changing landscape glide by: date palms, village life, grazing water buffalo, and ancient ruins rising from the banks.
The real beauty of a dahabiya lies in its ability to access sites that larger ships cannot—quiet river islands, remote villages, and less-visited temples. With no noisy engines (they are wind-powered and occasionally towed), the sailing is peaceful and quiet, just as it was centuries ago.
Each day offers a balance of exploration and relaxation. You’ll step ashore to visit monumental temples like Edfu, Kom Ombo, Temple of Khnum, often without crowds, and return to gourmet meals, tea under the stars, and the gentle motion of the boat as it drifts along the Nile.
A dahabiya cruise is more than a mode of transport—it’s an experience of luxury, history, and serenity, echoing the golden age of Nile travel.
Tour Highlights:
- Private dahabiya cruise from Luxor to Aswan
- Solar Eclipse viewing from a special location in Upper Egypt
- Visits to iconic temples and tombs: Karnak, Luxor, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Philae
- Free time in Aswan with optional Abu Simbel excursion
- Exploration of the Giza Pyramids, Sakkara, and the Grand Egyptian Museum
Please note:
- Deposit for this: $1000 per person
- Caravan-Serai Tours creates and markets tours many months or even years in advance of departure. Tour prices, taxes, and airfares quoted in this brochure are based on tariffs, costs, and U.S. dollar exchange rates that were in effect at the time of publication. However, due to fluctuations in global oil prices and other services associated with this tour, a surcharge may be applied to your final invoice.
- It is important to acknowledge that viewing the total solar eclipse is weather dependent, and Caravan-Serai Tours can make no guarantees that the weather will cooperate.
- Caravan-Serai Tours, working with our partners, makes every effort to follow the published itinerary. However, please keep in mind that it is subject to change depending on weather and other local conditions.
- Day 1 – July 30
- Day 2 – July 31
- Day 3 – August 1
- Day 4 – August 2
- Day 5 – August 3
- Day 6 – August 4
- Day 7 – August 5
- Day 8 – August 6
- Day 9 – August 7
- Day 10 – August 8
- Day 11 – August 9
Cairo Arrival
Welcome to Egypt!
Arrive in Cairo, where our representative will greet you and assist with immigration.
Transfer to a 5-star hotel (Le Passage Hotel, InterContinental Hotel or similar) near the airport for a restful overnight.
No meals included
Cairo - Luxor
Luxor & Temples of the East Bank
Fly to Luxor and board your elegant private dahabiya, your floating home for the next 7 nights. After lunch on board, set out to explore the East Bank of ancient Thebes.
• Karnak Temple Complex: One of the largest religious structures ever built, Karnak was developed over more than 2,000 years. You’ll walk through the awe-inspiring Great Hypostyle Hall, lined with 134 towering columns, and see sacred lakes, obelisks, and the remnants of shrines to Amun-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu.
• Luxor Temple: Linked to Karnak by the ancient Avenue of Sphinxes, Luxor Temple is striking at sunset. Unlike Karnak, this temple was not dedicated to a single god but to the rejuvenation of kingship. You’ll see colossal statues of Ramses II, beautifully carved walls, and traces of different civilizations layered through history.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Luxor
Valley of the Kings
We will have an early start today. Cross to the West Bank to visit the Valley of the Kings, burial site of pharaohs from Egypt’s New Kingdom.
• Valley of the Kings: You’ll explore three of the richly decorated tombs carved deep into the limestone hills, each covered in colorful hieroglyphics and mythological scenes to guide the pharaohs in the afterlife. We will explore 3 tombs in the valley then.
Return to your dahabiya for a relaxing dinner and overnight.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Luxor - Esna
Eclipse Day!
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast on board and prepare for our eclipse experience. We will travel to a specially selected, remote site to witness the 2027 Total Solar Eclipse in optimal conditions—an unforgettable event set against Egypt’s timeless desert landscape. Afterwards we return to our dahabiyah for lunch and begin our journey on the Nile. Overnight near Esna.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Esna - Edfu
Enjoy breakfast on board as the dahabiya transits through the locks, moving from the lower level of the Nile to the higher level.
Esna Locks & Temple
Our dahabiya will pass through the Esna Locks, a fascinating engineering gateway between water levels on the Nile.
• Temple of Khnum: Hidden beneath the streets of Esna, this well-preserved temple is dedicated to Khnum, the ram-headed god who was believed to create humans on a potter’s wheel. The ceiling features beautiful astronomical imagery, and its carvings are vivid and detailed despite the temple being partially below ground.
Continue sailing south toward Edfu as you relax on board.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Edfu - Kom Ombo
Temple of Horus
Enjoy a leisurely morning of sailing before arriving in Edfu, home to one of Egypt’s most magnificent temples.
• Temple of Horus: Dedicated to the falcon-headed god Horus, this is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. Built during the Ptolemaic period, its massive pylons, courtyards, reliefs, and sanctuary vividly illustrate ancient rituals and myths—particularly the battle between Horus and his uncle, Seth.
Sail onward to Kom Ombo, passing serene riverside scenes.
Kom Ombo Temple & Island Dinner
This morning, visit the striking Kom Ombo Temple, perched right on the banks of the Nile.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Kom Ombo
• Temple of Kom Ombo: Unique in its dual dedication to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder, the temple is perfectly symmetrical, with twin halls, courts, and sanctuaries. It includes fascinating carvings of surgical instruments and a crocodile museum housing mummified reptiles.
Spend the day sailing through idyllic countryside. In the evening, enjoy a memorable dinner under the stars on a Nile island, surrounded by the gentle sounds of nature.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Aswan
Aswan Sites & Leisure
Arrive in Aswan, a serene city known for its Nubian culture and scenic beauty.
• High Dam: Built in the 1960s to control the Nile’s flooding and provide hydroelectric power, this engineering feat dramatically reshaped modern Egypt.
• Philae Temple: Dedicated to Isis, goddess of magic and motherhood, this beautifully relocated temple complex sits on an island in the Nile. The site features graceful colonnades, detailed reliefs, and legends of Isis resurrecting Osiris.
Return to the boat for lunch. The afternoon is yours to enjoy at leisure—explore Aswan's souks, take a felucca ride, or simply relax on deck.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Aswan - Cairo
Optional Abu Simbel or Free Morning
You may choose to visit one of Egypt’s most iconic monuments on an optional excursion:
• Abu Simbel Temples: Carved into a mountainside by Ramses II, these colossal temples were moved in the 1960s to save them from rising waters after the dam’s construction. The Great Temple is guarded by four 66-foot statues of Ramses, and the adjacent temple honors his beloved queen, Nefertari. The scale, precision, and alignment with the sun make this one of the most awe-inspiring sites in Egypt. (Price TBD, book one month prior to tour)
Or, enjoy a free morning before transferring to the airport for our flight to Cairo. On arrival in Cairo we check in to our 5-star hotel (Sofitel Al Gezirah Hotel, Movenpick Hotel or similar) and enjoy the evening at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast
Cairo
Giza Pyramids & Grand Egyptian Museum
After breakfast at the hotel, discover Egypt’s most iconic monuments:
• Sakkara Step Pyramid: The earliest large-scale stone structure ever built, Sakkara was designed by Imhotep for Pharaoh Djoser. This pyramid marks the beginning of Egypt’s grand architectural legacy.
• Giza Pyramids & Sphinx: No visit to Egypt is complete without standing before the mighty Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Marvel at these ancient wonders and the enigmatic Great Sphinx, guarding the plateau for thousands of years.
• Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM): Recently opened near the Giza Plateau, this state-of-the-art museum houses the full Tutankhamun collection, many items displayed for the first time, along with a vast array of priceless artifacts from across Egypt’s long history.
Return to your hotel for a final night in Cairo.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Departure
Farewell, Egypt!
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
End of services
More about Egypt
More about this tour
Download a flyer for this tour here.
Egypt Eclipse Tour July 30 - August 9, 2027
- Caravan-Serai Tours creates and markets tours many months or even years in advance of departure. Tour prices, taxes, and airfares quoted in this brochure are based on tariffs, costs, and U.S. dollar exchange rates that were in effect at the time of publication. However, due to fluctuations in global oil prices and other services associated with this tour, a surcharge may be applied to your final invoice.
- It is important to acknowledge that viewing the total solar eclipse is weather dependent, and Caravan-Serai Tours can make no guarantees that the weather will cooperate.
- Caravan-Serai Tours, working with our partners, makes every effort to follow the published itinerary. However, please keep in mind that it is subject to change depending on weather and other local conditions.
Tour Inclusions:
- 7 nights aboard a luxury private dahabiya (full board)
- 3 nights in 5-star hotels in Cairo (bed & breakfast)
- Domestic flights: Cairo–Luxor and Aswan–Cairo
- All private transfers in modern air-conditioned buses
- Entrance fees to all sites listed
- All meals as per itinerary
- A professional Egyptologist guide/tour manager throughout
Not Included:
- International air tickets
- Visa to Egypt - $25* cash, obtained on arrival (subject to change without notice)
- Any tours, transfers, drinks or meals that aren't included as per itinerary
- Personal expenses such as phone calls, laundry, etc.
- Optional activities such as the Abu Simbel excursion
- Tips to Dahabiya crew, guide & drivers
- Trip insurance
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