Egypt Tours · Style
Lake Nasser Cruises
Lake Nasser is the 550-kilometer reservoir created when the Aswan High Dam was completed in 1971. Beneath its surface lie the original sites of the Nubian temples – most rescued and reassembled on higher ground in a UNESCO-led operation in the 1960s. A Lake Nasser cruise visits the four major rescued temple complexes that line the shore: Wadi El Seboua, Amada, Kasr Ibrim, and Abu Simbel – Ramesses II's twin rock-cut sanctuaries facing the lake. The waterborne approach is the original one: you arrive at Abu Simbel from the south by boat, the way Ramesses's architects designed the facade to be seen. Lake Nasser cruise itineraries run 3 nights (Aswan → Abu Simbel) or 4 nights (Abu Simbel → Aswan), almost always combined with a separate Luxor–Aswan Nile cruise to cover the whole river system in one trip.
1 matching cruise
Practical questions
What travelers ask about this style of tour.
01What's the difference between a Nile cruise and a Lake Nasser cruise?
A Nile cruise sails the river between Luxor and Aswan – temples on both banks, pharaonic Egypt, dense schedule. A Lake Nasser cruise sails the reservoir south of the Aswan High Dam to the Nubian temples – fewer stops, longer sailing legs, the spectacular waterborne arrival at Abu Simbel. Most travelers do both, back-to-back: 4-night Nile cruise + 3-night Lake Nasser cruise = a full one-week sailing of every monument from Karnak to Abu Simbel.
02Which ships sail Lake Nasser?
Lake Nasser has a small fleet of dedicated cruise ships – the original M/S Eugénie and M/S Kasr Ibrim (operated by Belle Epoque), the M/S Prince Abbas, and a couple of newer vessels. They cannot transit the Aswan High Dam locks, so they live permanently south of Aswan. All are 4 or 5-star with full board, Egyptologist guides, and shore-excursion landings at each temple.
03How long is a Lake Nasser cruise?
Three nights (Aswan to Abu Simbel, downstream) or four nights (Abu Simbel to Aswan, upstream – adds one more landing). Both include the same four temple complexes (Wadi El Seboua, Amada, Kasr Ibrim, Abu Simbel) and an Aswan High Dam transit briefing on departure. Booking is most commonly paired with a 4-night standard Nile cruise to assemble the full week.
From the Cairo desk
Found the shape. Now make it yours.
Every Nile cruise we run is tailor-made – your dates, your cabin, your sailing direction. Send a short brief or talk to the Cairo desk direct. Replies within one working day.
– Suhaila & the Cairo team · 38 years · 6 offices · IATA #90255546