South of Luxor

There are three noteworthy stops south of Luxor: Esna, where two locks in the Nile require the cruise ships to line up and navigate their way; al-Kab, which has a little-visited temple; and Edfu, where the Temple of Horus is the most impressive and intact temple on the shores of the Nile. Esna and al-Kab are normally bypassed by the Nile cruisers (and even by the tourist convoys plying the land route between Luxor and Aswan), though it's possible to book private tours from Luxor. Edfu is included on all Nile cruise itineraries, but the temple can also be seen on overland day trips from Luxor.