What to pack for a Nile cruise comes down to two different days in one trip: hot, dusty mornings at the temples, and quiet hours on a moving ship. For the temples you want loose cotton that covers your shoulders and knees, closed shoes, a hat and more water than you think. For the ship you want something comfortable for the deck, and from November to February one warm layer for the evening. Everything else is detail, and the detail is below.
- Loose cotton or linen, light colours, long sleeves and long skirts or trousers for the temple mornings.
- Closed shoes with a proper sole. The Valley of the Kings is dust and uneven stone, not a pavement.
- Hat, sunglasses, high factor sunscreen, and a refillable water bottle.
- One warm layer for evenings on deck, November to February. Nights in Luxor drop to around 7C in January.
- Egypt runs on 220V with European two pin sockets, types C and F, so bring an adapter.
- Small notes in Egyptian pounds for tips and small purchases.
What to wear at the temples
You are out at about 6:30 in the morning, when the stone is still cool, and back on board around lunchtime. Those hours are the reason to think about clothes at all.
Loose beats tight, and cotton or linen beats anything synthetic. Light colours stay cooler. Long sleeves and long trousers or a long skirt sound wrong in the heat and are not: they keep the sun off your arms and legs, which matters more at midday than the extra fabric costs you.
Covering shoulders and knees is also the respectful way to dress at religious sites in Egypt, and at a mosque it is required. Women travelling here often carry a light scarf, which does three jobs: cover at a mosque, shade for the head and neck, and something over the mouth if the wind picks up dust.
Shoes for the Valley of the Kings
The single thing people get wrong. The Valley of the Kings is loose stone and fine dust, Karnak is uneven paving, and the ramps at Hatshepsut are long. Closed shoes with a grippy sole, trainers or light walking shoes, are all you need, and sandals with a strap are fine for the boat and the evening. Flip-flops are for the sundeck only.
Sun, dust and water
The sun here is stronger than most visitors expect, even in December, and there is almost no shade inside a temple courtyard. Bring a hat with a brim, sunglasses, and a sunscreen you actually like wearing, because you will use it every day. A refillable bottle is worth the space: there is drinking water on board, and you should be drinking through the whole morning, not only at lunch.
A few small things earn their place: tissues and hand sanitiser, wet wipes for dust, and lip balm. In spring the khamsin can put dust in the air for a few days, and a scarf or a buff is the easiest answer.
What to wear on the ship
Life on the ship is informal. Nobody dresses for dinner on the Nile the way they do on an ocean liner, and there are no formal nights. Bring what you would wear to a relaxed restaurant: a shirt or a light dress is more than enough.
What the boat does need is a swimming costume, because every ship we work with has a pool on the sundeck, and something warm. The moment the sun goes down in winter the deck gets cold, and a ship in motion makes its own wind. A fleece, a shawl or a light jacket covers it. In July and August you can leave the jacket at home.
Many ships hold an Egyptian evening where guests wear a galabeya. If that appeals, you do not need to bring one: the sellers who row out to the ships at the Esna lock, and the shops in Luxor and Aswan, sell nothing else.
A small medical kit for Egypt
Nothing dramatic, and there are pharmacies in Luxor and Aswan, but it saves you a trip: whatever you normally take for an upset stomach, painkillers, plasters, rehydration sachets for the hot months, and any prescription medicine in its own packaging with enough for the whole trip. If you burn easily, after-sun as well.
Money, documents and plugs in Egypt
Bring your passport and your visa, and a photo of both on your phone. For money, small notes in Egyptian pounds are the useful thing: for tips, for a bottle of something in a shop, for the man who holds a door. Large notes are hard to break.
On electricity, Egypt runs at 220 volts, 50Hz, with the European style two round pin sockets, types C and F. A European plug fits. From the UK you need an adapter. From the United States you need an adapter and, for anything that is not dual voltage, a converter, because a plug adapter alone does not change the voltage.
What you can leave at home
Heavy walking boots, a hairdryer and a beach towel, which most ships provide, and formal clothes. Drone flying needs a permit in Egypt and is not something to pack casually. You also do not need a month of clothes: most ships have a laundry service, and three or four changes for a week is enough.
What to pack for a Nile cruise, season by season
From November to February, pack the warm layer and expect to wear it every evening. From March to May, add something for the dust and keep the sun cover. From June to September, the lightest, loosest clothes you own, a second hat if you sweat through one, and more water than that. The month-by-month temperatures are in the best time for a Nile cruise.
The packing list, short enough to check
The whole list of what to pack for a Nile cruise, in one line: loose cotton shirts and trousers, one long skirt or a second pair of trousers, a light scarf, closed shoes, sandals, swimming costume, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, water bottle, small medical kit, plug adapter, power bank, small notes in Egyptian pounds, one warm layer in winter, and a book for the sailing hours.
If you are still deciding when to come or how long to sail, see how many nights to take and the day by day itinerary. When you are ready, how to book a Nile cruise sets out the order to do things in, or send us your dates on WhatsApp or through our contact page.
