Duration: 8 days · 7 nights
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 12 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

The essential first trip: the pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, then flights south for Abu Simbel and a Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, all with Egyptologist guides.

If this is your first time in Egypt, this is the trip we'd plan for you. It covers the great sites in a sensible order, uses short domestic flights instead of long drives and lets the Nile do the rest. A licensed Egyptologist guide leads every visit, and our team takes care of every transfer, ticket and boarding pass in between.

Your first days are in Cairo, with the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Saqqara, then the Grand Egyptian Museum and the churches and bazaars of Old Cairo. On day four you fly south to Aswan, visit Philae, sail a felucca in the afternoon light and board your cruise boat, which is home for the next four nights.

From Aswan, an early excursion takes you to the temples of Abu Simbel before the boat sails north past Kom Ombo and Edfu to Luxor, where the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and Karnak complete the picture. On the last morning you fly back to Cairo for your flight home.

Highlights

The pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and Saqqara
The Grand Egyptian Museum and Old Cairo
Four nights on a 5-star Nile cruise
The temples of Abu Simbel
Philae, Kom Ombo and Edfu
The Valley of the Kings and Karnak
Licensed Egyptologist guides throughout

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Arrival in Cairo
Our representative meets you at the airport and drives you to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest after your flight.
2
Day 2
Pyramids, Sphinx & Saqqara
A full day with your Egyptologist guide at the Giza plateau, the panoramic viewpoint and the Sphinx, then Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara. Lunch in a local restaurant and back to your hotel in the afternoon.
3
Day 3
Grand Egyptian Museum & Old Cairo
Morning at the Grand Egyptian Museum with the full Tutankhamun collection. Afternoon in Coptic Cairo, then a walk along Al-Muizz Street into Khan el-Khalili bazaar.
4
Day 4
Fly to Aswan → Philae → felucca → board the cruise
Morning flight to Aswan, about an hour. Visit the Temple of Isis at Philae, sail a felucca around the islands in the afternoon and board your Nile cruise boat for dinner and the first night on board.
5
Day 5
Abu Simbel → afternoon sail
A very early road trip across the Nubian desert to the temples of Ramses II and Nefertari at Abu Simbel. Back on board for lunch as the boat begins to sail north.
6
Day 6
Kom Ombo → Edfu
Visit the double temple of Kom Ombo and its crocodile museum, then the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Afternoon on the sundeck as the boat sails on towards Luxor.
7
Day 7
Luxor: West Bank & East Bank
The Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon in the morning, then Karnak and Luxor Temple in the afternoon. Last night on board.
8
Day 8
Fly to Cairo → departure
Disembark after breakfast and fly from Luxor to Cairo, where we transfer you to your international departure.