Overview
Tour Description
Three nights on a luxury dahabiya between Aswan and Esna, wrapped in three full days of private touring in Cairo. The boat carries only a small number of guests, sails when the wind allows and moors at islands like Beshir and Fawaza, where big cruise ships never stop. On land, your guide and driver are yours alone.
Highlights
- The Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Grand Egyptian Museum
- The Royal Mummies at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Old Cairo and the Citadel
- Small-boat sailing from Aswan to Esna, with Kom Ombo, Gebel el-Silsila, Edfu and El Kab
- The Valley of the Kings and Karnak on the way back to Cairo
- Domestic flights and an entry visa on arrival included
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Cairo
Your tour manager and driver meet you at Cairo International Airport and take you to your 5-star hotel. After a smooth check-in they confirm tomorrow’s pick-up time, and the rest of the day is yours.
Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 2: Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum
Your guide and driver collect you after breakfast for the Giza Pyramids: the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. After lunch nearby you visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, about 2 km from the pyramids.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch. Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 3: Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Old Cairo and the Citadel
In the morning you visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and its Royal Mummies Hall, then the historic churches of Old Cairo. After lunch you drive up to the Citadel of Salah el-Din for the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and wide views over the city.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch. Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 4: Fly to Aswan, board the dahabiya, Kom Ombo
A morning flight takes you to Aswan, where you are met and driven to the pier to board your dahabiya around noon. Lunch is served as you sail to Kom Ombo, the temple shared by Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus. Dinner on board and a quiet night moored at Beshir Island.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya, Beshir Island.
Day 5: Gebel el-Silsila
A slow morning under sail to Gebel el-Silsila, the ancient sandstone quarries where you see rock-cut shrines and inscriptions. In the afternoon the boat sails on to Fawaza Island in time for sunset.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya, Fawaza Island.
Day 6: Edfu and El Kab
You visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best-preserved temple in Egypt. After lunch on deck the boat docks at El Kab, where your guide shows you the tombs and temples of ancient Nekheb. You sail on to El Hegz Island near Esna for your last night on board.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: dahabiya, near Esna.
Day 7: Valley of the Kings and Karnak, fly to Cairo
After a final breakfast you leave the boat at Esna and drive to Luxor. Your guide takes you to the Valley of the Kings, where more than 60 tombs have been found, including Tutankhamun’s, and to Karnak, enlarged by pharaoh after pharaoh over 2,000 years. In the evening you fly back to Cairo and are taken to your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast. Overnight: 5-star hotel, Cairo.
Day 8: Fly home
After breakfast your tour manager and driver take you to Cairo Airport for your flight home.
Meals: Breakfast.
Included and Excluded
- Meet and assist at all airports and guest relations support
- Egypt entry visa on arrival at Cairo Airport
- 4 nights in a 5-star hotel in Cairo with breakfast
- 3 nights on a luxury dahabiya, full board
- Domestic flights Cairo to Aswan and Luxor to Cairo
- Private guided sightseeing in Cairo and Luxor
- Small-group sightseeing during the dahabiya cruise
- Entrance fees to all sites in the itinerary
- Lunch at good local restaurants
- All transfers in private air-conditioned vehicles with Wi-Fi
- Bottled water during tours and transfers
- All service charges and taxes
- International flights
- Optional activities and tours
- Drinks on board
- Tips for guides, drivers and crew
- 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 much does the 8-day dahabiya and Cairo tour cost?
From $12,750 per person sharing a double cabin from May to September, and $13,550 per person from October to April. Single travelers pay $14,000 in summer and $15,200 in winter.
How many guests are on the dahabiya?
Usually between 8 and 20, depending on the boat. That is what makes a dahabiya feel calm and personal compared with a large cruise ship.
Is the Egypt visa included?
Yes. We arrange your entry visa on arrival at Cairo Airport as part of the meet-and-assist service.
Why does the cruise end in Esna rather than Luxor?
Dahabiyas usually start or finish at Esna to avoid the busy lock. Luxor is about an hour away by road, and you see its main sites on the same day.
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.
