10 days, 9 nights: the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo, then a flight to Luxor and 6 nights on a Nile cruise to Aswan and back, with Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. Includes hotels, full-board cruise, flights, a guide and entrance fees except optional visits.
This ten-day tour gives the Nile more time than most. After two nights in Cairo you fly to Luxor and board a cruise ship for six nights: three days sailing up the river to Aswan, two nights moored at Aswan, and the voyage back downstream to Luxor. You unpack once, the ship is your hotel for most of the trip, and the days on the water are slow enough to watch the river rather than only the temples. A flight back to Cairo and a last night there end the trip.
On the way you see the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the Tutankhamun galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and Khan el-Khalili, Karnak and Luxor Temple, the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the double temple of Kom Ombo, Philae, the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk at Aswan, a felucca sail around the islands, and Luxor's West Bank. Abu Simbel is an optional day trip from Aswan on Day 6. Both domestic flights, Cairo to Luxor and Luxor to Cairo, are included in the price.
It is a weaker fit if you want to see as many different sites as possible in ten days: the round trip passes Edfu and Kom Ombo twice, and the time in Cairo is short. In that case a one-way cruise with more Cairo days in our Egypt classic tours, or a tailor-made trip, will suit you better. Our Nile cruise itineraries show the shorter options.
The pace is easy to moderate. Cairo is one full sightseeing day; on the ship, most visits last two to three hours and the rest of the day is spent sailing, on the sun deck or at meals. Abu Simbel, if you add it, means a 4 am start. The travel days are:
Our representative meets you in the arrival hall of Cairo International Airport and drives you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned vehicle, 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. At check-in you go through the plan for the coming days: the pick-up time tomorrow and the flight to Luxor on Day 3.
No meals are included today. If you arrive early, a walk to a café nearby or dinner at the hotel is the easiest start; keep the evening light, because tomorrow is a full day.
After breakfast your guide meets you at the hotel for the Giza Plateau. The three pyramids were built for the kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure about 4,500 years ago; the Great Pyramid of Khufu is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Below them, the Great Sphinx and the granite Valley Temple of Khafre mark where the king's funeral began. Going inside the Great Pyramid needs a separate ticket bought at the site.
The Grand Egyptian Museum stands about 2 km from the pyramids. You pass the colossal statue of Ramses II in the Grand Hall, climb the Grand Staircase lined with royal statues and spend most of the visit in the Tutankhamun galleries, where the gold mask and the objects from the young king's tomb are shown together. Your guide chooses a route through the key pieces in about three hours.
After a lunch stop you drive to historic Islamic Cairo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of medieval mosques and gates, and end at Khan el-Khalili, a market since the late 14th century, for spices, lamps and silver.
The evening is free. A walk along the Nile in the city centre, or dinner with a view of the river, is a good way to end the day.
After breakfast and check-out you transfer to Cairo airport for the flight to Luxor, about one hour. Our representative meets you and drives you to your Nile cruise ship. Lunch is served on board.
Your guide takes you to Karnak, the temple of Amun, enlarged by pharaoh after pharaoh over some 2,000 years. The Great Hypostyle Hall alone has 134 columns, and the obelisks of Thutmose I and Hatshepsut still stand at its heart. Our article on facts about Karnak has more.
Luxor Temple, built mainly by Amenhotep III and Ramses II, stands in the centre of the modern town, linked to Karnak by the Avenue of Sphinxes, about 2.7 km long. One of its two obelisks still stands; the other has been in the Place de la Concorde in Paris since 1836.
Back on the ship there is afternoon tea, the captain's welcome drink and dinner. The night is on board in Luxor.
The ship sails south through the lock at Esna and reaches Edfu, where a horse carriage usually takes you from the river to the Temple of Horus. Built between 237 and 57 BC, it is the most complete temple in Egypt, with its pylon, roofed halls and granite shrine still standing. The walls tell the story of the battle between Horus and Seth. Read more about the Temple of Horus at Edfu.
Lunch is on board as the ship continues past palm groves, fields and villages, with afternoon tea on the sun deck.
At Kom Ombo you visit the double temple on a bend of the river, with two entrances and two sanctuaries: one for Sobek, the crocodile god, and one for Haroeris, Horus the Elder. A small museum next to it shows mummified crocodiles. Dinner is on board, followed on many ships by a galabeya party.
The ship reaches Aswan early. A short motorboat ride takes you to Philae, the temple of Isis, moved stone by stone to Agilkia Island in the 1970s in a UNESCO campaign to save it from the water between the two dams. Read about visiting Philae Temple.
The High Dam, completed in 1970, ended the yearly Nile flood and created Lake Nasser, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. From the top you see the lake on one side and the river on the other.
After lunch on board you sail on a felucca, the traditional sailing boat, around Elephantine Island and past the Botanical Garden on Kitchener's Island. Later you visit the Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient granite quarries; had it been finished it would have stood about 42 metres tall, but a crack in the stone stopped the work.
Dinner is on board, moored in Aswan, with a folkloric or belly-dance show on many ships.
If you choose the optional Abu Simbel excursion, you leave the ship at about 4 am with a breakfast box for the three-and-a-half-hour drive across the desert. The Great Temple of Ramses II is cut into the rock behind four seated statues of the king, each about 20 metres tall; beside it, the smaller temple is dedicated to Hathor and Queen Nefertari. In the 1960s both temples were cut into blocks and rebuilt 65 metres higher, out of reach of Lake Nasser. You are back on board in the early afternoon. Our facts about Abu Simbel give the background.
If you stay, the day is yours: the sun deck and pool, a walk along the Corniche and the spice market, or, at extra cost, a boat to a Nubian village on the West Bank.
Lunch and dinner are on board. The ship stays moored in Aswan, and many ships put on a Nubian show in the evening.
After breakfast the ship turns north and begins the voyage back down the Nile. The morning is for the sun deck: the banks are greener here than further north, with granite outcrops and Nubian villages.
The ship stops again at Kom Ombo. You can visit the temple a second time, when it is often quieter, and take a closer look at the details your guide pointed out on Day 4: the relief often read as a set of medical instruments, the calendar carved on the wall and the Nilometer once used to measure the river. You can also stay on board.
Lunch and afternoon tea are on board as the ship sails on towards Edfu. Dinner is followed on many ships by a galabeya party.
The ship moors at Edfu after breakfast. The temple is open for a second visit, a chance to walk the outer corridor between the temple and its enclosure wall, where the story of Horus and Seth is carved, or to stay by the pool.
Lunch is on board as the ship sails north. At Esna it passes through the lock beside the barrage, where the river level changes by several metres; ships often queue here, and traders row alongside to sell cloth. It is one of the moments people remember from a Nile cruise.
The ship reaches Luxor in the evening or overnight. Dinner is the last on board.
After breakfast you leave the ship. Before the flight, your guide takes you to the West Bank: the Valley of the Kings, with more than 60 royal tombs cut into the hills (the standard ticket opens three; the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI need separate tickets), the terraced temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon. See our guide to the best tombs in the Valley of the Kings. A sunrise hot-air balloon flight is an optional extra for this morning.
You transfer to Luxor airport for the flight to Cairo, about one hour. Our representative meets you and drives you to your hotel.
The evening is free for a last dinner in Cairo, or a visit to the Citadel area or Khan el-Khalili if you would like to go back.
After breakfast you have time for last purchases if your flight is late in the day. Our representative then drives you to Cairo International Airport for your international flight; airlines usually ask you to be there three hours before departure. This is the end of the tour.
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Children pay less, see the children policy below. Christmas, New Year and Easter dates add 25%. Prices are per person in US dollars.
October to April is the most comfortable season for a long cruise. In December and January, days are around 18 to 21 °C in Cairo and 23 to 26 °C in Luxor and Aswan, with cool mornings and evenings on the deck. From May to September, Aswan often passes 40 °C; the sightseeing then happens early in the morning and the afternoons are for the shade and the pool. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks. Sailing schedules, the order of the temple stops and the time spent at the Esna lock change slightly from ship to ship and week to week.
Our list of what to pack for a Nile cruise has more detail.
Many nationalities can buy a tourist visa on arrival at Cairo airport or apply for an e-visa in advance on Egypt's official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg. Rules and fees depend on your passport, so check them before you book flights. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from your arrival date; the ship keeps a copy at reception during the cruise. The visa is not included.
The currency is the Egyptian pound. The ship and hotels take cards; drinks on board are charged to your cabin and settled before you disembark. Keep small notes for the felucca crew, the horse carriages at Edfu, markets and toilets at some sites. Tips are not included, and most ships collect a shared tip for the crew at the end of the cruise; the tipping guide in the travel policies below gives the usual amounts, and how much you give is your choice.
All prices are per person in US dollars. The price changes with the season (winter 1 October to 30 April, summer 1 May to 30 September), the accommodation level and the size of the group. Christmas, New Year and Easter dates add 25%. Your quote lists the final price and everything it covers. After the deposit, changes to your itinerary cost US$25 per request, plus any third-party fees.
A deposit of 30% of the total tour cost confirms your booking. We send you a secure payment link for the deposit; the balance is paid in cash or by card on arrival in Egypt, unless your written offer gives another date. We never ask for card details by email, chat or WhatsApp. We confirm every booking by email.
No-show travelers are charged 100%. During peak events in Egypt, hotels and Nile cruises do not refund deposits. Groups of more than 10 people may have different terms.
Add each child and their age in the enquiry form so the quote is exact.
Optional visits, such as a hot air balloon ride in Luxor, a Sound and Light show or a felucca ride, are not in the price. Tell us which ones you want and we add them to your quote with their cost.
Not included in the price: International flights to and from Egypt; Egypt entry visa; Optional tours, such as Abu Simbel, a Nubian village visit or a balloon flight in Luxor; Personal expenses and tips; Extra tickets at the sites: inside the Great Pyramid, and the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI; Drinks on board the cruise and with meals.
Tipping is customary in Egypt and is not included in the price. A usual amount for a private tour is US$8 to 10 per person per day for your guide, US$4 to 5 for your driver and US$5 to 8 per person per day for the crew on a Nile cruise. Your guide can advise you on the day.
You stay on one ship for six nights, so you only unpack once, and you get sailing days in both directions and two nights moored in Aswan, which leaves time for Abu Simbel. The trade-off is that Edfu and Kom Ombo are passed twice; the second visit is a chance to see them more quietly, or to stay on board.
No, it is an optional excursion on Day 6, from Aswan by road (about three and a half hours each way, starting around 4 am). You can book it with us in advance or decide during the trip, subject to places. A short flight from Aswan is also possible at a higher price.
Yes. The domestic flights from Cairo to Luxor on Day 3 and from Luxor to Cairo on Day 9 are included. Your international flights are not, so book them to and from Cairo.
The ship has cabins with private bathrooms and a river view, a restaurant, a lounge and a sun deck, usually with a pool. Meals are mostly buffets. Evenings bring a welcome drink, a galabeya party and a folkloric show on most ships. Drinks are paid on board.
Yes. Because the tour is private, we can add nights in Cairo before or after the cruise, for example for Saqqara, Coptic Cairo or Alexandria, and the price changes with them.
Independent reviews on the platforms travelers already trust.
Amazing Egyptian vacation! We did an 11 day private tour of Cairo, cruise on the Nile between Aswan and Luxor and a 4 day stay in Hurghada. The guided tours were very interesting, with extremely knowledgeable guides, attentive and helpful.
Egypt package to the Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara was a fascinating journey through Egypt's ancient past ,guide knowledge, the majesty of the pyramids, and the historical depth of Saqqara made this tour truly enriching!
our honeymoon to Egypt ,Giza and Saqqara was a magical escape into history The pyramids looming in the distance, the quiet serenity of the desert, and the ancient wonders of Saqqara created moments that will be with me forever!
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