13 days, 12 nights: Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur, then by private car through Middle Egypt to Amarna, Abydos and Dendera, a 3-night Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, and Abu Simbel before the flight to Cairo. Includes hotels, full-board cruise, an Egyptologist and entrance fees.
This private 13-day tour is for travelers who want more than the classic Cairo to Luxor line. After four nights around Cairo, with the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur, you drive south through Middle Egypt, a part of the Nile Valley that few visitors see: the rock tombs of Beni Hassan, the city of Akhenaten at Amarna, Hermopolis and the catacombs of Tuna el-Gebel. You then reach Abydos, with the finest painted reliefs of any temple in Egypt, and Luxor, with a day trip to the Temple of Hathor at Dendera.
From Luxor a Nile cruise takes you south to Aswan, with Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae and Elephantine Island on the way, and the tour ends with the drive to Abu Simbel and a flight back to Cairo for your last night. A certified Egyptologist guides every sightseeing day, the vehicle is private for your group, and the Aswan to Cairo flight is included.
It is a weaker fit if you want beach days, short transfers or international hotel brands every night: the nights in Minya and Abydos are in simple local hotels, and Days 5 to 7 are long road days. For a shorter or softer route, see our Egypt classic tours or ask us for a tailor-made trip.
The pace is moderate to full. Sightseeing starts after an early breakfast, and the Middle Egypt days combine several sites with long drives; in Minya and Assiut provinces the police may escort tourist vehicles, which can shift the timings by an hour or so. Expect uneven ground, steep steps up to the Beni Hassan tombs and sloping corridors inside the pyramids. The longer transfers are:
Our representative meets you in the arrival hall of Cairo International Airport, helps with the visa if you buy it on arrival, and walks you to your private air-conditioned vehicle. The drive to your hotel in Giza takes 45 to 75 minutes, depending on traffic.
At check-in your tour leader goes through the plan for the next days, including the long road days in Middle Egypt and what to wear there. Dinner is at the hotel.
Keep your passport at hand from now on: the police checkpoints on the roads south of Cairo ask for it, and we send your details ahead before Day 5.
After breakfast your Egyptologist meets you at the hotel. The three main pyramids were built for the Fourth Dynasty kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure about 4,500 years ago; the Great Pyramid of Khufu is the largest and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. Your guide explains how the plateau worked as a royal cemetery, with temples, causeways and the tombs of officials around each pyramid. Entry inside the Great Pyramid needs a separate ticket bought at the site. From the panoramic viewpoint you see all three pyramids in one line.
The Great Sphinx, carved from the bedrock of the plateau, is usually dated to the reign of Khafre. Beside it stands his Valley Temple, built of huge granite blocks, where the funeral rites of the king began.
Lunch is at a local restaurant near the plateau. A short stop at an essential oil shop shows how perfumes and oils are made in Egypt today; buying is up to you. You are back at the hotel in the afternoon, and dinner is at the hotel.
Saqqara, about 30 km south of Giza, was the burial ground of Memphis for some 3,000 years. The Step Pyramid of King Djoser, designed by the architect Imhotep around 2650 BC, is the earliest large stone building in Egypt, and its walled complex shows the first attempts to build in stone what had been built in reed and mud brick.
The small Pyramid of Unas, last king of the Fifth Dynasty, is the first with the Pyramid Texts carved on the walls of its burial chamber: spells to help the king rise to the sky. They are among the oldest religious writings known.
The Serapeum is a long gallery cut into the rock where the sacred Apis bulls of Memphis were buried in huge granite sarcophagi, some weighing around 70 tonnes. The corridors are cool and dimly lit.
Lunch is served at your hotel, and the rest of the afternoon is free.
Dahshur lies about 40 km south of Giza, on the edge of the desert, and sees far fewer visitors than Giza. Both of its stone pyramids were built for King Sneferu, the father of Khufu, and they show how the builders learned to make a true pyramid.
Back in Giza, lunch and dinner are at the hotel, and the afternoon is free to rest before the road south tomorrow.
After an early breakfast you check out and drive south to Minya, about 250 km and four to five hours with stops. The road follows the edge of the valley, with fields on one side and desert on the other. Your guide uses the time to set the scene for Middle Egypt.
About 25 km south of Minya, a row of rock-cut tombs looks over the Nile from the eastern cliffs. They belonged to the regional governors of the Middle Kingdom, around 2000 BC, and their painted walls show daily life in detail: farming, fishing, crafts and wrestlers in dozens of poses. A stairway climbs to the tombs, and the view from the terrace is one of the finest in the valley.
Further south on the east bank lies Tell el-Amarna, the city that Akhenaten founded around 1346 BC for the worship of the sun disc, the Aten. It was abandoned soon after his death. Low walls and foundations remain, and your guide explains the story of Akhenaten and Nefertiti and the art of their reign. The visit depends on the light and the time left after Beni Hassan.
Lunch is at a local restaurant or your hotel, and dinner and the night are at your hotel in Minya.
After breakfast in Minya you drive about 45 minutes south to el-Ashmunein, ancient Hermopolis, the city of Thoth, god of writing and wisdom, shown as an ibis or a baboon. Two colossal quartzite baboon statues still stand on the site, with the columns of a Roman-period basilica.
A few kilometres west, Tuna el-Gebel was the cemetery of Hermopolis. Underground galleries hold the burials of thousands of mummified ibises and baboons, and above ground the tomb-chapel of Petosiris, a high priest of Thoth around 300 BC, mixes Egyptian and Greek styles in its reliefs.
Lunch is on the way. The drive south to Abydos, near el-Balyana in Sohag province, takes about four hours. You check in to the House of Life hotel near the temple, where dinner is served.
Abydos was the holiest burial ground of Egypt, linked to Osiris, god of the dead. The temple of Seti I, built around 1290 BC and finished by his son Ramses II, has seven chapels side by side for seven gods and the deified king, and some of the most delicate painted reliefs in Egypt, many with their colours. In a corridor, the Abydos King List names 76 earlier kings, a key source for Egyptian history.
Behind the temple lies the Osireion, a sunken building of massive granite pillars that was conceived as a symbolic tomb of Osiris. Groundwater often stands in it, which adds to its atmosphere.
After lunch near the site, the drive to Luxor takes about three hours. You check in to your hotel in the late afternoon; dinner is included.
After breakfast you drive about 65 km north of Luxor, a little over an hour, to Dendera, near Qena.
The Temple of Hathor, goddess of love, music and joy, was built mainly in the late Ptolemaic and early Roman periods and is one of the best preserved in Egypt. Its hypostyle hall has columns topped with the face of Hathor, and the ceilings, cleaned in recent years, show the sky goddess Nut and the hours of the day and night in bright blue and gold. In a rooftop chapel you see a cast of the Dendera Zodiac; the original circular ceiling has been in the Louvre since the 1820s. Stairways decorated with processions lead to the roof, and the crypts below hold fine reliefs. Behind the temple, a relief of Cleopatra VII and her son Caesarion stands on the outer wall.
Lunch is on the way back. You are in Luxor before sunset, with dinner at your hotel.
After breakfast you check out and visit Karnak, the temple of Amun, built and enlarged over some 2,000 years. The Great Hypostyle Hall has 134 columns, and the obelisks of Thutmose I and Hatshepsut still stand at the heart of the temple. Your guide also takes you to the quieter corners: the chapel of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet in the temple of Ptah, and, when open, the precinct of the goddess Mut to the south.
You board your Nile cruise ship in Luxor for lunch. The afternoon is free on the sun deck. Dinner is on board, and many ships hold a welcome evening.
The ship sails south through the lock at Esna. At Edfu, a horse carriage takes you from the river to the Temple of Horus, built between 237 and 57 BC and the most complete temple in Egypt: its pylon, roofed halls and granite shrine still stand much as they were built. The walls tell the battle between Horus and Seth.
Lunch is on board while the ship sails on past fields, palm groves and villages.
Kom Ombo is a double temple with two entrances and two sanctuaries: one for Sobek, the crocodile god, one for Haroeris, Horus the Elder. Your guide shows you a relief often read as a set of medical instruments and the Nilometer. Next door, the Crocodile Museum displays mummified crocodiles from a nearby cemetery. Visits here often end at sunset.
Dinner on board as the ship continues to Aswan.
After breakfast a short motorboat ride takes you to Philae, the temple of Isis. It was moved stone by stone to Agilkia Island in the 1970s, in a UNESCO campaign, to save it from the water between the old and new dams. The reliefs tell the story of Isis, Osiris and their son Horus.
In the ancient granite quarries lies the Unfinished Obelisk. Had it been finished it would have stood about 42 metres tall and weighed over 1,000 tonnes; a crack in the stone stopped the work, and the tool marks around it show how the quarrymen worked.
After lunch on board, a boat takes you to Elephantine Island, a settlement since prehistoric times and the old southern border town of Egypt. You walk through the ruins of the temple of Khnum, the ram-headed creator god, and see one of Aswan's Nilometers.
Dinner and the last night on board in Aswan. Tonight you prepare a small bag for tomorrow: the day starts very early.
You leave the ship before dawn with a breakfast box. Abu Simbel is about 280 km south of Aswan, three and a half hours across the desert by private vehicle.
The Great Temple is cut into the rock, with four seated statues of Ramses II, each about 20 metres tall, on its facade. Inside, the halls show his battle at Kadesh, and twice a year, around 22 February and 22 October, the rising sun reaches the sanctuary. The smaller temple honours Queen Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. In the 1960s both temples were cut into blocks and rebuilt on higher ground to save them from Lake Nasser.
You drive back to Aswan, with lunch on the way or in town, and transfer to Aswan airport for the flight to Cairo, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Our representative meets you and drives you to your hotel for the last night.
After breakfast, our representative drives you to Cairo International Airport in time for your international flight; airlines usually ask you to be there three hours before departure. This is the end of the tour.
If your flight leaves late in the day, ask us when you book about an extra visit, such as the Grand Egyptian Museum, at extra cost.
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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 suits this route best. From December to February, days are around 18 to 22 °C in Cairo and 23 to 26 °C in Middle and Upper Egypt, with cool mornings that make the early starts at Beni Hassan, Amarna and Abu Simbel easy. From May to September, Luxor and Aswan often pass 40 °C and the open sites of Middle Egypt have very little shade, so visits move to the early morning. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks for cruises and Luxor hotels.
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. The rules and the fee depend on your passport, so check them before you book your flights. Your passport should be valid for at least six months from the day you arrive, and you should carry it every day: the police checkpoints on the Middle Egypt roads ask for passport details, which our team also sends ahead.
The currency is the Egyptian pound. Cards work in Cairo, Luxor, on the ship and in larger shops, but in Minya and Abydos you need cash, in small notes, for drinks, toilets at some sites and small purchases. Tips are not included in the price; the tipping guide in the travel policies below gives the usual amounts, and the choice is yours.
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 flight tickets to/from Egypt; Visa fees for entry into Egypt; Travel insurance coverage; Any optional activities or extra services not listed in the official itinerary.
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.
Yes, these provinces receive foreign visitors every week. Tourist vehicles pass police checkpoints and, in some stretches, travel with a police escort, which we arrange with the authorities before Day 5. It can add some waiting time, so keep your passport with you and allow some flexibility in the timings.
They are simple and clean, not international brands. Minya has a few mid-range hotels on the Nile, and at Abydos the House of Life is a small hotel a short walk from the temple. They are the only practical way to see Middle Egypt without very long day trips.
By private vehicle from Aswan, about three and a half hours each way, leaving before dawn on Day 12. A flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel can replace the drive for an extra cost, subject to flight days; ask us when you enquire.
No. Your guide and vehicle are private for your group. The Nile cruise ship and the hotels are shared with other guests, as on any cruise or hotel stay.
Yes. Because the tour is private, the nights in Minya and Abydos can be replaced with more time in Cairo or Luxor, or the route can be changed to fly from Cairo to Luxor. The price changes with the plan; tell us what you would like.
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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