Overview
Tour Description
This 13-day private tour is built around two things: the new Grand Egyptian Museum and a full seven-night Nile cruise. Most cruises run three or four nights one way. This one sails the classic round trip from Luxor to Aswan and back, so you have time for the places shorter cruises skip — including Abu Simbel and the beautiful temples of Dendera and Abydos north of Luxor.
You start and finish in Cairo with five nights in a 5-star hotel: the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum at the beginning, then the Coptic quarter, Sultan Hassan Mosque and the old bazaars at the end. Domestic flights, a private Egyptologist and all transfers are included.
Trip highlights
- The Grand Egyptian Museum with Tutankhamun’s complete treasure
- Giza, Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur — all the great pyramid sites
- Seven nights on a 5-star deluxe Nile cruise, Luxor to Aswan and back
- Abu Simbel, Philae, Edfu and Kom Ombo
- Dendera, with its famous zodiac ceiling, and the Temple of Seti I at Abydos
- Coptic Cairo, Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
Read more: Grand Egyptian Museum, Step Pyramid of Djoser, Abu Simbel.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Cairo
Meet our representative at Cairo International Airport and transfer by private car to your 5-star hotel.
Overnight: Cairo
Day 2: Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum
Visit the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx in the morning. In the afternoon, explore the Grand Egyptian Museum with your Egyptologist, including the full Tutankhamun galleries.
Meals: breakfast · Overnight: Cairo
Day 3: Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur
Head south of Cairo to Saqqara and the Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed by Imhotep and the first pyramid ever built. Continue to Memphis, Egypt’s first capital, with its fallen colossus of Ramses II, and finish at Dahshur to see the Bent and Red Pyramids, the experiments that led to the Great Pyramid.
Meals: breakfast · Overnight: Cairo
Day 4: Fly to Luxor – Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon
Fly to Luxor and board your 5-star Nile cruise for the next seven nights. Cross to the west bank for the Valley of the Kings, the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Overnight: Nile cruise
Day 5: Karnak and Luxor Temples
Spend the morning at Karnak, the largest religious site of the ancient world, and visit Luxor Temple in the center of town. The ship then sails south.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Overnight: Nile cruise
Day 6: Edfu Temple – Sail to Aswan
Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, built between 237 and 57 BC and the best-preserved temple in Egypt, then continue sailing to Aswan.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Overnight: Nile cruise
Day 7: Abu Simbel
A full-day excursion from Aswan to Abu Simbel to see the Great Temple of Ramses II and the Temple of Nefertari, moved to higher ground in the 1960s to save them from Lake Nasser. If conditions allow, end the day with a motorboat ride around the islands of Aswan.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Overnight: Nile cruise
Day 8: Aswan – High Dam, Philae and the Nubian Museum
See the Aswan High Dam, then take a boat to Philae Temple on Agilkia Island. In the afternoon, visit the Nubian Museum and finish in Aswan’s lively spice market.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Overnight: Nile cruise
Day 9: Kom Ombo – Sail North
Begin the journey back downstream with a visit to the double temple of Sobek and Haroeris at Kom Ombo, where sacred crocodiles once basked on the riverbank.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Overnight: Nile cruise
Day 10: Dendera and Abydos
A day trip north of Luxor to two of Egypt’s finest temples. At Dendera, the Temple of Hathor has its roof, its painted astronomical ceiling and a relief of Cleopatra VII with her son Caesarion. At Abydos, the Temple of Seti I holds some of the most delicate carvings in Egypt and the famous list of kings.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner · Overnight: Nile cruise
Day 11: Fly to Cairo – Coptic Cairo
Fly back to Cairo and visit Coptic Cairo: the remains of the Babylon fortress, the Church of St Sergius, linked to the Holy Family’s stay in Egypt, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue, where the famous Cairo Genizah documents were found.
Meals: breakfast · Overnight: Cairo
Day 12: Sultan Hassan Mosque and Khan el-Khalili
After a slow morning, visit the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, a masterpiece of 14th-century Mamluk architecture, then walk through the old city gates to Khan el-Khalili for your last shopping.
Meals: breakfast · Overnight: Cairo
Day 13: Departure
Transfer to Cairo International Airport for your flight home.
Meals: breakfast
Included and Excluded
- Meet and assist at all airports in Egypt
- 5 nights in 5-star hotels in Cairo with breakfast
- 7 nights on a 5-star deluxe Nile cruise, full board
- Domestic flights Cairo–Luxor–Cairo
- Private English-speaking Egyptologist guide
- Entrance fees to the sites in the itinerary
- All transfers in a private air-conditioned vehicle
- All taxes and service charges
- Gratuities (recommended).
- Any extras not mentioned in the itinerary.
- Personal expenses.
Prices:
What will it cost you?
Prices per person change with the season and how many of you travel. Set yours and see the real number — no email needed.
Note:
All the accommodation in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan hotels and Nile cruises are 5* ultra deluxe accommodations
Tour Attractions
FAQs
How long is the Nile cruise on this tour?
Seven nights, sailing from Luxor to Aswan and back, with Abu Simbel, Dendera and Abydos included.
Is the Grand Egyptian Museum included?
Yes, with a guided visit to the main galleries and the complete Tutankhamun collection on Day 2.
Is this tour private?
Yes. Your guide and vehicle are private. The cruise ship is shared with other guests.
Can I shorten the cruise?
Yes. We can replace the round trip with a 3- or 4-night one-way cruise and adjust the price.
What is included in a luxury tour?
VIP airport service, private guides and vehicles, 5-star hotels, a deluxe cruise or dahabiya, and internal flights.
