The classic Nile cruise between Luxor and Aswan is one of the great slow journeys in travel. The four-day southward route (or three days returning north) passes through agricultural Upper Egypt, stopping at the Ptolemaic temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo and arriving at Aswan past the modern monuments of Nubia. Most cruises include guided visits to all the temples.
The boats range from very basic to luxurious; the middle tier — clean, comfortable, with air conditioning and a pool deck — is the standard option for independent travellers. Most sail every few days, with departures concentrated in the October-to-April high season. The landscape from the water is magnificent: date palms, mud-brick villages, feluccas, and the occasional egret on a sandbank. If the pace of individual sightseeing from Luxor is wearing you down, a cruise provides the temples at a more measured rate, with the river to look at between sites.