Egypt Short Breaks Itinerary: What to See in 3, 4, or 5 Days
November 19, 2025
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about Egypt Short Breaks Itinerary: What to See in 3, 4, or 5 Days
From:
$1875
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Tour Details
| Duration |
5 Days / 4 Nights |
|---|---|
| Tour Location |
Cairo / Aswan / Lake Nasser / Kalabsha / Wadi El Seboua / Amada / Kasr Ibrim / Abu Simbel |
| Tour Type |
Daily Tour |
| Pickup |
Cairo Airport or Your Hotel |
Iconic 5 Day Lake Nasser Cruise From Cairo With Flight
This 5 day Lake Nasser cruise from Cairo to Abu Simbel covers Cairo, Aswan, Kalabsha, Wadi El Seboua, Amada, Kasr Ibrim, and Abu Simbel in a single package. A domestic flight from Cairo to Aswan is included, so boarding the cruise begins the moment you land, no separate tickets, no connecting transfers to arrange. Designed around the cruise experience itself rather than extended overland sightseeing, it appeals to travellers searching for Nile cruises without land tours. The only 5-day Lake Nasser cruise package that departs from Cairo with a domestic flight to Aswan includes no separate travel arrangements needed.
The itinerary runs as follows: Day 1 departs Cairo by domestic flight to Aswan, where you board the Lake Nasser cruise ship and settle in as the vessel begins its southward sail. Day 2 brings the first shore excursion at Kalabsha Temple, one of the UNESCO relocated Nubian monuments, before the ship continues toward Wadi El Seboua. Day 3 covers the Wadi El Seboua temple complex, the Temple of Amada with its 18th Dynasty reliefs, the Temple of Derr, and the Tomb of Pennut. Day 4 passes Kasr Ibrim viewed from the ship's deck, as the site cannot be entered, then sails to Abu Simbel for a guided visit to the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefertari, with the optional Sound and Light Show available that evening. Day 5 disembarks at Abu Simbel for the return domestic flight to Cairo.
Why Book This Tour
- Only 5 day Lake Nasser cruise that departs from Cairo with a domestic flight to Aswan
- Domestic Flights Included Both Ways
- Private Egyptologist Guide Throughout
- 4 Nights Aboard a Lake Nasser Cruise Ship
- Full Board Meals Included
- All Entrance Fees Included
- Private Air Conditioned Transfers
- Flexible Travel Options
- 24/7 Tripidays Support
Included
- Meet and assist with the Tripidays representative at Cairo airport
- 4 Nights of accommodations on a Lake Nasser cruise
- Full Board Meals Throughout the Cruise
- Private Egyptologist Guide
- Private Air-Conditioned Transfers
- Entrance Fees to All Included Sites
- Domestic flight Cairo → Aswan, Abu Simbel → Cairo
- Bottled Water During Guided Excursions
- Our assistance during your stay
- All Taxes and Charges
Excluded
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egypt entry visa
- Travel insurance
- Personal expenses: souvenirs, laundry, phone calls, and any items not specified above
- Gratuities for guides, drivers, and cruise ship crew
- Abu Simbel Sound and Light Show
- Any meals taken outside the cruise ship
- Upgrades to luxury or ultra luxury cruise ship accommodation
- Cairo hotel accommodation before Day 1 departure or after Day 5 return
Highlights
Abu Simbel Attractions
- Kalabsha Temple
- Wadi El Seboua
- Amada Temple
- Derr Temple
- Tomb of Pennut
- Kasr Ibrim
- Abu Simbel Temple
Itinerary
Your Tripidays representative meets you at Cairo International Airport for the domestic flight to Aswan. On arrival, luggage is handled, and you are escorted directly to the Lake Nasser cruise ship. The Cairo departure means boarding begins the moment you land, with no additional transfer to arrange, making this one of the most seamless itineraries featured among all 5 day Egypt packages.
Meals
Lunch, Dinner
The ship sails south from Aswan across the wide, open reaches of Lake Nasser as Day 2 begins. Your guide briefs the day's excursion over breakfast onboard before the vessel anchors at Kalabsha for disembarkation. After you visit the temple of Kalabsha, you will continue sailing to Wadi El Seboua.
Kalabsha Temple
You step off the ship onto the rocky shore and walk toward a temple that should, by rights, be 50 metres underwater. Kalabsha was dismantled block by block during the UNESCO Nubian rescue campaign and reassembled near Aswan, its dedication to the Nubian god Mandulis intact across more than 2,000 years.
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The most site-dense day of the cruise. Your guide will move you through four distinct temple complexes, each representing a different moment in Nubian history. The ship anchors close to each landing, so travel between sites is minimal.
Wadi El Seboua
The avenue of sphinxes leading to this temple is the first thing you'll see from the shore, the same processional approach that priests and pilgrims used more than 3,000 years ago, relocated here after the flooding of Lake Nasser. Your guide explains how the temple served both Ramses II's imperial reach and the region's older Nubian religious traditions simultaneously.
Temple of Amada Temple
Explore the Temple of Amada, renowned for its well-preserved 18th Dynasty reliefs, and the Temple of Derr, reflecting Ramses II’s influence in the region, along with the nearby Tomb of Pennut, which offers rare insight into the administration and daily life of ancient Nubia through its detailed wall scenes.
Temple of Derr
Your guide leads you through the rock-cut interior carved under Ramses II, where the wall scenes shift the visual language from ceremonial to military, a contrast with Amada's earlier painted surfaces that is worth noting. Derr is the only rock-cut Nubian temple of Ramses II relocated during the UNESCO campaign.
Tomb of Pennut
From the outside, it reads as a modest rock entrance; inside, the scenes covering the walls document the daily administration of Nubia under the Viceroy Pennut with a specificity that royal tombs rarely show. You'll see the accounting of grain, the receiving of tribute, and the private life of an official who governed this region under Ramses VI, details absent from every other site on this itinerary.
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The defining day of the Lake Nasser cruise from Cairo with a flight itinerary. The morning brings Nubia's only in-situ monument; the afternoon brings its most famous temples.
Kasr Ibrim
You'll see Kasr Ibrim from the deck as the ship passes a fortress perched on a cliff above the waterline, the single Nubian monument that was never moved because it was never submerged. Landing is prohibited. That constraint is actually what makes this encounter distinctive: the site sits exactly where it was built, and you are looking at it from exactly the angle that approaching boats have always seen it, across water that is now Lake Nasser but was once the Nile.
Abu Simbel Temples
Arrive at the legendary Abu Simbel temples, where colossal statues and extraordinary reliefs reflect the pinnacle of ancient Egyptian engineering. Explore both the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Hathor, dedicated to Queen Nefertari, with detailed explanations from your Egyptologist.
Optional Sound & Light Show
After the guided visit, the site remains open for the evening show. The narration plays across the illuminated cliff face after dark, worth attending if you want to see the colossi in a completely different register from the afternoon.
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Final breakfast is served onboard as the ship sits at anchor near Abu Simbel. Disembarkation follows, then a transfer to Abu Simbel Airport for the included return domestic flight to Cairo.
Fly to Cairo
The return flight to Cairo is included in the package; the same logic as Day 1 applies in reverse: your journey ends in Cairo, not at a distant airport requiring onward arrangements. Transfers from Cairo Airport to your hotel can be arranged through Tripidays on request.
Meals
Breakfast
Notes:
* You can let us know if you'd like to customize your tour itinerary to meet your needs. We value your input and aim to accommodate your requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
The package includes domestic flights in both directions (Cairo–Aswan and Abu Simbel–Cairo), 4 nights aboard a Lake Nasser cruise ship with full-board meals, a private Egyptologist guide for all shore excursions, entrance fees to every site on the itinerary, and all transfers by private air-conditioned vehicle. International flights, visa, travel insurance, and gratuities are not included.
Every other Lake Nasser cruise itinerary at this duration departs from Aswan; travellers are expected to reach Aswan independently before boarding. This is the only 5 day Lake Nasser cruise package that departs from Cairo with a domestic flight to Aswan included, so the full journey is managed in a single booking from your Cairo hotel door. For travellers who prefer to join the cruise directly in Aswan, see the join from Aswan without flight option.
Lake Nasser is the world's largest artificial reservoir, created by the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s and stretching over 500 kilometres into Sudan. Its formation submerged ancient Nubia, prompting the UNESCO campaign that relocated more than 20 temples and monuments, including Kalabsha, Amada, Wadi El Seboua, and Abu Simbel, to the elevated shores that this cruise now sails between. For travellers considering a Nile River alternative, the Nile cruise with Abu Simbel instead covers comparable temple ground via a different waterway and departure structure.
Your Tripidays driver collects you from your Cairo hotel and transfers you to Cairo International Airport for the included domestic flight to Aswan. On landing in Aswan, a Tripidays representative meets you at the arrivals hall, handles your luggage, and escorts you directly to the Lake Nasser cruise ship for check in. The boarding process begins the same day as your Cairo departure, with no overnight stay in Aswan required.
Yes, both directions are included: Cairo to Aswan on Day 1 and Abu Simbel to Cairo on Day 5. No separate flight booking is required for either leg.
What to Pack
Hat
Backpack
Comfy Shoes
Powerbank
Medical Kit
Comfy Clothes
Sunglasses & Sunscreen
Personal Hygiene Products
Valid Passport For 6 Months
