3-Day Aswan , Nubian Village ,Abu Simbel , Luxor & Train ticket

Southern Egypt is packed into three demanding days here, from a motorboat ride to Philae Temple to the enormous temples of Karnak and Abu Simbel. The plan handles the awkward parts, including local transfers and the first-class train from Aswan to Luxor, while leaving your hotels and meals in your own hands.

I like two things right away: door-to-door transport reduces the usual Egyptian travel fuss, and the route covers the major sights without making you book several separate tours. Peter, the named travel contact, is described as responsive and accommodating. The main drawback is the pace. Abu Simbel requires about eight hours, and Day 3 packs five major stops into one long sightseeing day.

Key points to know before booking

• Philae begins by motorboat: Reaching the island temple by water makes this more than a simple vehicle transfer.
• The Nubian Village visit adds local culture: This is a useful change of pace after ancient monuments.
• Abu Simbel is an all-day commitment: The shared group outing takes about eight hours, with entrance fees extra.
• The Aswan to Luxor train saves planning time: A first-class seated ticket and station transfers are included.
• Luxor’s major sights arrive in one packed day: The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Karnak, and Luxor Temple are all covered.
• The price is transport focused: At $177 per person, you still pay for hotels, meals, and sightseeing tickets.

What $177 buys you across southern Egypt

At $177 per person, this is best understood as a transport and guiding package rather than a fully paid holiday. You receive the main transfers, a first-class seated train ticket, an Egyptologist guide, the motorboat to Philae, and guided visits in Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Luxor.

You do not receive hotel accommodation, meals, or entrance fees. That distinction matters because the headline price is attractive, but your final cost will be higher. Entrance tickets must be paid at the sights by credit card, so keep room in your budget for several major monuments.

I like this middle ground. You keep control of your hotel and food choices, yet you avoid arranging every car, boat, station transfer, and guide yourself. If you prefer a fully packaged trip with meals and rooms included, this is not that kind of product.

The advertised group limit is 15 people. The Abu Simbel visit is specifically described as a shared group tour, while the other arrangements include private vehicles and door-to-door pickups. One review also describes the tours as private, so it is wise to confirm the exact group setup for each day before paying.

Day 1: Philae Temple by boat and a Nubian Village visit

Your first day begins with pickup from an Aswan hotel, train station, or airport. That flexibility is useful if Aswan is only one stop on a longer Egypt trip. You need to send your hotel, train, or flight details in advance so the pickup can be arranged properly.

Philae Temple takes about 90 minutes, not counting the transfer. The ride to the island is by motorboat, and that is one of the more appealing details in the plan. Instead of arriving at an ordinary roadside entrance, you approach the temple across the water.

Philae is dedicated mainly to the goddess Isis and was relocated to higher ground after the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The supplied tour details do not promise a particular sequence inside the temple, so expect your Egyptologist guide to shape the visit around the main monuments and the time available.

The entrance fee is not included. Since payment is expected by credit card at the sightseeing sites, carry a working card and check that you have enough available credit for all the paid stops over the three days.

The Nubian Village visit lasts about 90 minutes. You reach it by felucca, adding another water journey to the day. This part gives the schedule a more human scale after the stone columns and formal temple spaces.

The phrase Nubian Village covers a local community visit, but the supplied details do not specify particular activities, demonstrations, or shops. I would treat it as an introduction rather than a full cultural program. You will have time to see the setting and follow the guide, but not necessarily time for a long independent exploration.

Afterward, a comfortable transfer returns you to your Aswan hotel. Since the day starts with a pickup and includes two boat trips, wear practical shoes and bring sunglasses. A passport and sunglasses are specifically requested for the experience.

Day 2: Abu Simbel before the train to Luxor

Day 2 is the toughest day physically. The Abu Simbel group tour takes about eight hours, with an early morning start and a return to Aswan in the afternoon. The long duration reflects the distance and the return transfer, not eight hours inside the temples.

Abu Simbel is one of Egypt’s great showpiece sites. Its rock-cut temples were built for Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari, with huge seated figures guarding the main temple entrance. The setting feels different from Aswan’s island temples and Luxor’s sprawling complexes, which is why many people consider the long outing worthwhile.

You should go into this day knowing that it is a shared tour. The maximum group size for the overall experience is 15 people, though the exact number on your Abu Simbel departure can vary. The guide provides the historical background, while the vehicle handles the difficult distance.

Entrance tickets are extra here too. The tour includes the guided group outing and transportation, but not admission to Abu Simbel. The provider asks you to pay entrance fees by credit card at the sights, so do not assume the $177 covers the full day.

After returning to Aswan, you are transferred to the station for the first-class seated train to Luxor. The train segment is listed as about three hours. A station transfer on both ends removes one of the most common sources of confusion when moving between Egyptian cities.

First class does not turn the journey into a luxury rail holiday. Its real value is simple: you have a reserved seating arrangement and a planned connection instead of needing to organize the route on your own. Once you arrive in Luxor, pickup takes you from the station to your hotel.

This is an efficient but tightly timed day. You need to have your luggage ready, stay close to the schedule, and avoid planning a separate activity in Aswan after the Abu Simbel return. The strength of the plan is that the train transfer is already joined to the sightseeing. The cost is a long day with little spare time.

Day 3: The Valley of the Kings and the great temples of Luxor

The final day covers both banks of the Nile. Pickup from your Luxor hotel takes you first to the West Bank, where the Valley of the Kings is scheduled for about two hours.

The valley is famous for its royal tombs cut into the dry hills. The tour details do not specify which tombs are included, and entrance rules can vary, so confirm what your ticket covers when you arrive. Standard admission does not always cover every special tomb, and additional tickets may be required for certain chambers.

Your Egyptologist guide is particularly useful here. Tomb decoration can look like a series of painted symbols if you do not know what you are seeing. A guide can explain the scenes, the role of the pharaoh, and why the burial site was chosen, though the amount of detail will depend on the day’s timing.

The Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari follows, with about 90 minutes scheduled. Its broad terraces sit against the cliffs, and the design is unlike the more enclosed temple spaces at Karnak or Luxor. The visit gives you a strong look at Queen Hatshepsut’s public image and the scale of royal building projects.

Again, admission is not included. The listing gives an admission charge for the stop but does not state the amount, so plan for this as part of your additional sightseeing budget.

The Colossi of Memnon is a short 30-minute stop. These two huge seated statues once guarded the entrance to a temple complex that no longer survives in its original form. This is a quick photo and explanation stop, not a long visit. It works well as a pause between the West Bank sites and the East Bank temples.

Karnak Temple comes next, with two hours planned. This is one of the places where the schedule earns its keep. Karnak is too large to absorb casually, and the central avenues, columns, chapels, and sacred spaces can feel confusing without a route through them.

Two hours is enough for a guided introduction to the major areas, but not enough to inspect every corner. You will need to accept a highlights visit. Entrance is extra, and the guide’s pacing will help you use the time well.

The day ends at Luxor Temple, with about 90 minutes before transfer back to your hotel or the Luxor train station. Luxor Temple is especially effective late in a sightseeing day because it feels more compact after the immense scale of Karnak. Its location in the city also makes the final transfer straightforward.

The complete Day 3 schedule totals roughly seven hours of listed sightseeing, before driving between sites. Add the early pickup, transfers, heat, and walking, and you have a full day. I would not pair it with a late-night departure unless you are comfortable being tired.

Why the transport plan matters

Egypt’s major sights are not arranged for easy independent hopping. Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Luxor require different vehicles, a boat, and an intercity train. This package is useful because it links those pieces into one route.

The included air-conditioned vehicles matter in southern Egypt, where sightseeing can be hot and roads between sites can take time. The plan also includes pickup and return transfers in Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Luxor, reducing the need to negotiate separate rides at each stage.

The motorboat to Philae and felucca to the Nubian Village are not just transport details. They give Day 1 a clear character and break up the car time. By contrast, Abu Simbel is mainly a long road outing followed by a return journey, so set your expectations accordingly.

The first-class train ticket is another useful inclusion. You do not need to find your own Aswan to Luxor connection, and a pickup is arranged at the Luxor arrival station. If you are organizing a wider Egypt itinerary, this can save considerable planning time.

Guides, group size, and the pace of the route

An Egyptologist guide is included for the guided day tours. That is important at Philae, the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, and Luxor Temple, where the visual scale is easy to appreciate but the meaning is harder to grasp without context.

The supplied information does not name the Egyptologist guide. Peter is identified as the responsive travel contact, not necessarily the person leading each sightseeing day. If personal attention matters to you, ask who will guide each portion and whether the Aswan and Luxor days are private or shared.

The maximum group size is 15. Abu Simbel is clearly a shared group visit. The rest of the transport is described as private, and one account says the tours were private, but the exact arrangements should be confirmed in writing.

The pace suits you if you want to see the headline monuments quickly. It is less suitable if you prefer long museum visits, unplanned walks, or slow meals between sights. You will cover a lot, but you will also spend time in vehicles and follow a fixed schedule.

What you still need to arrange

You arrange your own accommodation in Aswan and Luxor. The company handles transfers to and from the hotels, but the quality, location, and price of your rooms are outside this package.

Meals are also not included. That gives you freedom to choose where and when you eat, but Day 2 requires extra thought because of the early start and long Abu Simbel outing. Keep food and water plans in mind, even though no meal service is promised.

Entrance fees are excluded at Philae, Nubian Village, Abu Simbel, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s temple, Karnak, and Luxor Temple. Colossi of Memnon and the train transfer are listed with no admission charge. Since exact ticket prices are not provided, ask for the current total before departure.

Confirmation is provided at booking. Most people can participate, but the plan includes boat transfers, walking around temple sites, and a long sightseeing day. Bring your passport and sunglasses as requested, and send complete arrival details for a smooth pickup.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time. Within 24 hours, the payment is not refunded, and late changes are not accepted.

Is this three day Egypt route right for you?

I would book this if you want the main monuments of Aswan and Luxor, cannot spend a week on the route, and prefer someone else to organize the transport. The combination of a motorboat, felucca, Abu Simbel transfer, first-class train, and air-conditioned vehicles gives you a practical framework at a reasonable starting price.

I would pause if you dislike early starts, long road days, or entrance fees paid separately. You also need to arrange hotels and meals yourself, and Day 3 may feel rushed if you want serious time inside every temple.

For many visitors, the best reason to choose it is simple: it connects the hard-to-organize pieces. Go in knowing the $177 price covers the route and guiding, not every cost, and you will have a clear, busy, rewarding three days in southern Egypt.

FAQ

How long is the experience?

The experience lasts approximately three days.

What destinations are included?

The route includes Aswan, the Nubian Village, Abu Simbel, Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut’s temple, Colossi of Memnon, Karnak Temple, and Luxor Temple.

Is transportation included?

Yes. The package includes air-conditioned vehicle transfers, the motorboat to Philae, a felucca trip to the Nubian Village, transfers in Aswan and Luxor, and a first-class seated train ticket from Aswan to Luxor.

Are hotel stays and meals included?

No. You arrange and pay for your own accommodation and meals.

Are entrance fees included?

No. Entrance fees to the sightseeing sites are not included and should be paid by credit card at the sights.

Is the Abu Simbel visit private?

The Abu Simbel visit is described as a shared group tour. The overall activity has a maximum of 15 participants.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations or changes made within 24 hours are not refunded or accepted.