Tour Operator · Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Turkey and Morocco
9 days / 8 nights · Egypt
to · 9 days
This 9-day Egypt tour pairs the famous sights with the older pyramids most visitors skip. You see Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, fly to Luxor for a 4-night full-board Nile cruise to Aswan, then return to Cairo by air to explore the Step Pyramid at Saqqara and the Bent and Red Pyramids at Dahshur. Both domestic flights are included.
Our representative meets you at Cairo International Airport once you clear arrivals, then drives you to your hotel. There is no sightseeing planned today, so the time is yours to rest after the flight and get your bearings.
If you land in daylight, a short walk near the hotel is a good way to adjust. If you land late, go straight to bed: tomorrow starts after breakfast with the pyramids.
Your guide confirms the next morning's pickup time on arrival or by phone in the evening. A local SIM card or an eSIM set up before you travel makes these calls easier for the rest of the trip. No meals are included today, so plan dinner at the hotel or nearby.
After breakfast you drive to the Giza Plateau with your guide. The pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure were raised in the Fourth Dynasty, roughly 4,500 years ago, and standing at their base shows the true size of each block in a way photos cannot. Below them sits the Great Sphinx, carved from the bedrock, and beside it the Valley Temple, where granite pillars still frame the original halls.
Next comes the Grand Egyptian Museum, a short drive away. Its collection spans about 5,000 years of Egyptian history. The colossal standing statue of Ramses II greets you in the entrance hall, and your guide then leads you through the royal galleries and their treasures.
Lunch is included today. You return to your hotel in the late afternoon. Pack tonight, because tomorrow begins with an early flight south.
An early transfer takes you to Cairo Airport for the morning flight to Luxor. On arrival you check in to your 5-star Nile cruise ship, which is your home for the next four nights.
Your first visit is Karnak, the vast temple complex of the god Amun. You enter the Great Hypostyle Hall, a forest of towering stone columns, and pass granite statues of Ramses II. Your guide then shows you the obelisks raised by Queen Hatshepsut and Thutmose III and explains how pharaohs kept adding to the site over many centuries.
Later you visit Luxor Temple, best seen after dark when lights pick out its columns and colossal seated statues. Then it is back to the ship. From today until you disembark in Aswan, breakfast, lunch and dinner are served on board.
Today you cross to the West Bank of Luxor, the ancient city of the dead. In the Valley of the Kings you walk down into rock-cut royal tombs whose painted corridors and burial chambers set out what the pharaohs believed would happen after death.
Nearby, the mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari rises in wide terraces against the face of the cliff. It is one of the most striking buildings in Egypt and a good place to ask your guide about one of the few women to rule as pharaoh.
On the way back you stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two huge seated statues of Amenhotep III that once guarded his temple. You return to the ship for lunch, and in the afternoon it casts off and sails south toward Edfu. Dinner is on board. Start early today, as the West Bank gets hot by late morning.
In the morning you visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, dedicated to the falcon-headed god. It is among the best-preserved temples in Egypt, with its high pylon gate, roofed halls and inner sanctuary still largely intact. Your guide points out the wall carvings that tell the story of Horus and his battle with Seth.
You return to the ship for lunch while it sails on to Kom Ombo. This riverside temple is unusual because it is a double temple, split down the middle between two gods: Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus, the falcon god. Each half has its own entrance, halls and sanctuary.
After the visit you are back on board for dinner and the night. Kom Ombo is lovely in the late afternoon light, so keep your camera ready as you leave the temple.
Today is open, and you choose how to spend it. The main option is an early-morning trip to Abu Simbel, near the Sudanese border. Here Ramses II had two temples cut into the rock, one for himself and one for his queen Nefertari. In the 1960s both were cut into blocks and rebuilt on higher ground to save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser.
In the afternoon you can also join an optional visit to a Nubian village, known for its brightly painted houses and its own language and traditions. Both excursions cost extra and are not part of the package price. Let your guide know your plans once you are on board.
If you prefer a slower day, stay on the ship and rest on the sun deck. Either way, you are back on board for dinner.
After breakfast you check out of your cabin and head out with your guide. A short boat ride takes you to Philae Temple on Agilkia Island, a sanctuary of the goddess Isis. The temple was taken apart and moved here from its original island when the Aswan dams flooded the area, and its carved halls and colonnades now sit right at the water's edge.
You then stop at the Aswan High Dam. It was built between 1960 and 1970 to control the Nile flood and generate electricity, and it created Lake Nasser behind it.
In the evening you transfer to Aswan International Airport for your flight back to Cairo. A driver meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel. Only breakfast is included today, so plan lunch and dinner around the flight time.
Today is about the pyramids that came before Giza. At Saqqara you see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built in the 27th century BC and the earliest large stone pyramid in Egypt. Saqqara is part of the Memphis necropolis, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. You also visit the Pyramid of Teti and the structures around it.
Lunch is at a local restaurant, a chance to try everyday Egyptian dishes. Then you drive southwest to Dahshur, where the pharaoh Sneferu built two pyramids. The Bent Pyramid changes its angle partway up, and the Red Pyramid shows the smooth, true pyramid shape that Giza later perfected. Seeing them in order helps you understand how pyramid building developed.
Dahshur is much quieter than Giza, so you often have the site almost to yourself. You return to your Cairo or Giza hotel by evening.
Enjoy a last breakfast at your hotel and finish packing. Check-out times vary, so ask the front desk if you need to store bags or want a later departure from your room.
At the agreed time, a driver collects you and takes you to Cairo International Airport for your flight home. Allow plenty of time at the airport, as security checks at the entrance and at the gate can take a while at busy hours.
If your flight leaves late in the day, we can help you plan how to use the free hours in Cairo. Tell us your flight details when you book so we can set the right pickup time. It is also worth keeping some Egyptian pounds for tips and small purchases at the airport before you leave.
Per person, two sharing. Prices are a starting point; your planner confirms the final price for your dates.
| Two sharing | $1,150 |
| Single room | $1,600 |
The price is $1,150 per person when two people share a double room and $1,600 per person in a single room. That covers your Cairo hotel, the 4-night full-board Nile cruise, both domestic flights, guided sightseeing and transfers. Entrance fees, optional excursions and tips are paid separately.
The price includes 4 nights in a 5-star Cairo hotel, 4 nights on a 5-star Nile cruise with full board, the meals listed in the itinerary, flights from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo, an English-speaking guide on scheduled tours, airport transfers, transport to every site and support during the trip.
You see the Step Pyramid of Djoser and the Pyramid of Teti at Saqqara, then Sneferu's Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid at Dahshur on Day 8. These are older than the Giza pyramids and far less crowded, so they show how pyramid building began and developed before Khufu.
No. Entrance fees to temples, museums and archaeological sites are not included and are paid separately. Budget for them separately when planning your spending money. Optional excursions, such as Abu Simbel, and tips for guides, drivers and cruise crew are also extra and not part of the package price.
Abu Simbel is optional and not included in the package price. On Day 6 the ship is in the Aswan area and the day is free, so you can join an early-morning trip to the Abu Simbel temples. An afternoon visit to a Nubian village is also offered as an option.
Yes. Two domestic flights are included: Cairo to Luxor on the morning of Day 3, and Aswan to Cairo on the evening of Day 7. Flying saves two long days on the road. Your international flights to and from Egypt are not included.
Yes. On Day 2, after the Giza Pyramids, you visit the Grand Egyptian Museum with your guide. You see the colossal statue of Ramses II in the entrance hall and the royal collections that cover about 5,000 years of Egyptian history.
October to April is the best time, when days are warm rather than hot and sightseeing in Luxor and Aswan is comfortable. From May to September, temperatures in southern Egypt rise sharply by late morning, so tours start early and you need sun protection and plenty of water.
You need a moderate level of fitness. Most days involve two to four hours of walking on uneven ground at open-air sites, plus some early starts and steps into tombs. The tour suits travelers aged about 10 to 70 who can walk comfortably in the heat.
Choose your travel date and room type and send your booking request. A deposit secures your place, and the balance is paid before you travel. We then confirm your hotel, cruise ship and flight times in writing, and you can contact our team at any point before the trip with questions.
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