Duration: 6 days · 5 nights
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 12 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

A private hotel-based tour: a full day in Cairo, both banks of Luxor, Philae and the High Dam in Aswan, and an early drive to Abu Simbel before flying back to Cairo.

If you would rather sleep in hotels than on a cruise boat, this trip covers much of the same ground by road and air. Your first full day in Cairo is busy: the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, Saladin's Citadel with the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, and finally Khan el-Khalili.

Very early the next morning you fly to Luxor, where your guide meets you for the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon, then Karnak and Luxor Temple. After a night in Luxor, a private car takes you about three hours south to Aswan, where a boat carries you out to the island temple of Philae and you see the High Dam above Lake Nasser.

The final excursion starts before dawn: about three and a half hours across the desert to Abu Simbel, whose temples were cut from the rock for Ramses II and moved, block by block, above the rising waters of Lake Nasser in the 1960s. You fly from Aswan to Cairo the same day for a last night before going home.

Highlights

The pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
The Egyptian Museum and the Citadel
The Valley of the Kings and Karnak
Philae temple, reached by boat
The rock temples of Abu Simbel
Private guide and lunch on the main touring days

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Arrival in Cairo
Whatever time you land, our representative is waiting at Cairo International Airport to help with formalities and luggage. A private air-conditioned transfer brings you to your hotel to check in and settle. Overnight in Cairo.
2
Day 2
Pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Citadel & Khan el-Khalili
Pickup at 8:00 for the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and the Sphinx on the Giza plateau, followed by lunch. In the afternoon you visit the Egyptian Museum, then Saladin's Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, ending in Khan el-Khalili. Overnight in Cairo.
3
Day 3
Cairo → Luxor: both banks
A 3:30 transfer to Cairo airport for the early flight to Luxor, where your guide is waiting. On the West Bank, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon; after lunch, Karnak and Luxor Temple on the East Bank. Overnight in Luxor.
4
Day 4
Luxor → Aswan: Philae & High Dam
Breakfast and an 8:00 departure for the three-hour drive to Aswan, with lunch included along the way. After checking in, you take a boat to Agilkia Island for the Temple of Isis at Philae, then drive up to the High Dam for the view over Lake Nasser. Overnight in Aswan.
5
Day 5
Abu Simbel → fly to Cairo
An early start for the drive of about 280 km, three and a half hours, to Abu Simbel and the temples of Ramses II and Nefertari, the latter dedicated to Hathor. Both were rescued from Lake Nasser in a UNESCO campaign in the 1960s. You return to Aswan in the early afternoon for the flight to Cairo, where you are met and taken to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.
6
Day 6
Departure from Cairo
A last breakfast in Cairo before our driver takes you to Cairo International Airport, timed around your flight. Our representative helps you with check-in and departure formalities.

What's included

5 nights in 3-star hotels with breakfast: 3 in Cairo, 1 in Luxor and 1 in Aswan (4- and 5-star hotels on request, at extra cost)
Domestic flights Cairo – Luxor and Aswan – Cairo
Private air-conditioned transport in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan
Meet-and-assist service at every airport
Private guide for all visits (English, German or Spanish)
Boat crossing to the Philae temple island
Lunch on days 2, 3 and 4
Bottled water on every tour
Entry fees for the sites in the itinerary, plus all taxes and service charges

Not included

International flights and Egypt visa
Meals not listed as included
Optional extras such as entering the Great Pyramid or Tutankhamun's tomb
Luxor balloon flight and Nile dinner cruise
Tips for guides and drivers
Travel insurance

What to bring

Passport valid for at least six months
Hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Comfortable walking shoes
Clothes that cover shoulders and knees for the Citadel mosque
A warm layer for the pre-dawn Abu Simbel drive
Small daypack and a refillable water bottle

Pickup & meeting point

Arrival pickup at Cairo International Airport: our representative meets you in the arrivals hall with a name sign and helps you through passport control and baggage.

Children up to 11 pay the child rate