Nile River Private Tour: Felucca Rides and Temples

Private felucca in Cairo: one hour or a dinner

The simplest private option starts at your Cairo hotel. Private transfers are included, and the boat itself is yours for one hour of sailing; with the transfers the outing takes about two hours. Water and a guide or assistant are included, and tips, food and other drinks are not. At $15 per person, two people pay $30 and four pay $60.

For an evening, the dinner felucca is a private boat for two hours with a personal waiter, a three-course dinner, unlimited soft drinks, entertainment and safety equipment. It starts from a boat landing on Nile Street in Dokki, Giza, and does not include hotel pickup. At $46 per person, a couple pays $92. Pick the dinner when you want an evening out, and the hour-long ride when you only want to be on the water.

Sunset felucca in Luxor

In Luxor the private felucca is a two-hour sail at sunset with tea on board, and a company representative collects you from selected hotels. It costs $29 per person: $58 for two, $116 for four. It suits couples looking for a quiet evening and families who want the river without a cruise. The 4.9 rating from 405 reviews is the strongest of the four.

Edfu and Kom Ombo by private car from Aswan

The longest option is a nine-hour day. A private air-conditioned vehicle and guide collect you at your Aswan hotel, visit the temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, and bring you back to Aswan. Entry fees, a packed lunch, water and taxes are included. For two people the day costs $238, for four $476.

Edfu is the Temple of Horus; Kom Ombo is the double temple of Sobek and Horus the Elder, with the Crocodile Museum next door. This day suits travellers who prefer a fixed price over haggling with a taxi driver, and families with older children who can manage a long day. If you only want Aswan sights, the Aswan page covers shorter group half days, and the felucca guide covers the Aswan boat trip.

Private or shared: which fits you

A private felucca costs little and suits almost any party, so privacy rarely adds much there. If you would rather pay less, the shared half-day trips around Aswan start at $25 per person, but they cover the Nubian village or Philae rather than these two temples.