Eight days that fit in Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a three-night Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and Karnak, and two nights on the Red Sea with a snorkelling trip and a desert safari. Both domestic flights are included.
This eight-day tour packs the three faces of Egypt into little more than a week: the pyramids and museums of Cairo, the temples of the Nile Valley seen from a cruise ship, and the reefs and desert of the Red Sea. It moves quickly. You see Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum on your first full day and fly to Aswan the same evening to board the ship; after three nights on the Nile you visit Luxor's West Bank and Karnak, drive to Hurghada, and spend two active days on the coast before flying back to Cairo for your last night.
The sites are the ones most first-time visitors come for: the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, the Tutankhamun galleries of the Grand Egyptian Museum, the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk and Philae at Aswan, the temples of Kom Ombo and Edfu, the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatshepsut, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak. On the Red Sea a snorkelling trip and a desert safari are included. Licensed Egyptologists guide the sightseeing days, and both domestic flights, Cairo to Aswan and Hurghada to Cairo, are in the price.
It is a weaker fit if you want time to rest: there is no free day, and Day 2 and Day 5 are long. For a slower version with more nights in Cairo and Hurghada, see our 11-day Cairo, Nile cruise and Red Sea tour, or ask for a tailor-made trip.
The pace is fast. Most days start after an early breakfast, and the cruise days follow the ship's docking times. The longer journeys are:
After passport control and baggage collection, our representative meets you at the meeting point given in your travel documents and drives you to your hotel in a private air-conditioned car; the drive takes 30 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic and the terminal. Dinner is at the hotel.
Tomorrow you check out after breakfast and fly to Aswan in the evening, so pack tonight and keep what you need for the next three nights on the ship easy to reach. Our team confirms the flight time, the ship and the boarding arrangements before you arrive; if the flight time changes, we adjust the order of the Cairo visits.
After breakfast and check-out, your luggage stays in the car and your Egyptologist takes you to the Giza Plateau. The three pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure were built about 4,500 years ago; the Great Pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing, and going inside needs a separate ticket. Below them you see the Great Sphinx and the granite Valley Temple of Khafre.
The Grand Egyptian Museum is about 2 km away. Your guide leads you past the colossal Ramses II in the Grand Hall and up the Grand Staircase to the Tutankhamun galleries, choosing the pieces that fit your interests and the time before the flight. Lunch is at a local restaurant.
You transfer to Cairo airport for the flight to Aswan, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Our representative meets you and takes you straight to your Nile cruise ship, where dinner is served. The night is on board in Aswan.
After breakfast your guide takes you to the High Dam, completed in 1970, which ended the yearly Nile flood and created Lake Nasser. Then to the ancient granite quarries and the Unfinished Obelisk: had it been finished it would have stood about 42 metres tall, but a crack in the stone stopped the work, leaving the quarrying marks in view.
A motorboat takes you to Agilkia Island and Philae, the temple of Isis, moved stone by stone in the 1970s in a UNESCO campaign to save it from the rising water. Our article on visiting Philae Temple has more.
You are back on the ship for lunch before it sails. The afternoon is on the sun deck, watching the feluccas and the granite islands, and dinner is on board.
When the ship docks at Kom Ombo, you walk with your guide to the double temple on the riverbank, with two entrances and two sanctuaries: one for Sobek, the crocodile god, and one for Haroeris, Horus the Elder. Look for the relief often read as a set of medical instruments and the Nilometer. Read about Kom Ombo Temple.
Lunch is on board as the ship sails north past fields and villages.
At Edfu, a horse carriage usually takes you from the dock to the Temple of Horus, built between 237 and 57 BC and the most complete temple in Egypt; its walls tell the story of Horus and Seth. Read more about the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Back on board, dinner is served while the ship continues towards Esna and Luxor.
After breakfast you leave the ship, with your luggage in the car, and cross to the West Bank. The Valley of the Kings holds more than 60 tombs of the New Kingdom pharaohs. The standard ticket opens three of the tombs open on the day; the tombs of Tutankhamun, Seti I and Ramses VI need separate tickets. Your guide picks the tombs to suit the crowds and your walking. See our guide to the best tombs in the Valley of the Kings.
The temple of Queen Hatshepsut rises in three terraces against the cliffs of Deir el-Bahari, with little shade. On the way back you stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two seated statues of Amenhotep III about 18 metres tall.
On the East Bank, Karnak, the temple of Amun, was enlarged over some 2,000 years; its Great Hypostyle Hall has 134 columns. Lunch follows at a local restaurant.
Your private car takes you north to Qena and east across the Eastern Desert to the Red Sea, about four hours with a stop. You check in to your Hurghada resort in the evening, in time for dinner.
After breakfast you are collected for a boat trip on the Red Sea. The usual destinations from Hurghada are the reefs around the Giftun Islands, a protected area, but the exact stops, time in the water and departure depend on the wind, the sea and the port authority on the day, and the crew decides what is safe. Expect two or three snorkelling stops with lunch on board; equipment is provided. Tell the crew if you are not a confident swimmer: life jackets and floats are available.
If you prefer to stay dry, ask about a glass-bottom boat or a semi-submarine instead. Our guide to the best beaches in Hurghada for snorkelling has more ideas for the evening and other days.
The sun on the water is strong in every season. Coral should not be touched or stood on. You are back at the resort in the afternoon; dinner is at the hotel.
After breakfast you check out, leave your bags at the hotel and meet the safari team. The Eastern Desert begins just behind the town, with dry valleys and mountains of granite. The program usually combines a ride by quad bike or jeep with a stop at a Bedouin camp for tea; the activities included are those listed in your final booking, and they depend on age, the weather and the operator's safety rules. Wear closed shoes, protect your phone from the dust and tell the guide about any back or neck problems before riding.
Back at the hotel you collect your bags and transfer to Hurghada airport, 15 to 30 minutes from most hotels, for the flight to Cairo, about one hour. Our representative meets you and drives you to your hotel for the last night.
After breakfast and check-out, our representative drives you to Cairo International Airport in time for your international flight, usually three hours before departure; keep your passport, money and medicines in your hand luggage. This is the end of the tour.
Comfortable, well located
More space and better ships
Our highest level
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 time. From December to February, days are around 18 to 22 °C in Cairo and 23 to 26 °C in Aswan and Luxor, and the Red Sea is about 21 to 23 °C, cool enough that some people like a short wetsuit for snorkelling. From May to September, Aswan and Luxor often pass 40 °C, so visits start very early, while the sea is at its warmest, around 28 °C in August. Christmas, New Year and Easter are the busiest weeks. Strong winds sometimes cancel boat trips from Hurghada; the operator decides on the day.
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; you need it at check-in on the ship and for both domestic flights. The visa is not included.
The currency is the Egyptian pound. Cards are accepted on the ship and in hotels; drinks on board are paid before you disembark. Keep small notes for the horse carriages at Edfu, the boat crew, markets and toilets at some sites. Tips are not included; 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 is required at the time of booking. The final payment is due 30 days before departure, and bookings made within 30 days of departure are paid in full. We accept Visa or Master Card by secure online payment, Visa or Master Card by email, and wire transfer. 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; Egypt entry visa; Travel insurance; Drinks unless listed in the confirmed meal plan; Entry inside the Great Pyramid; Special tomb tickets in Luxor; Optional Cairo dinner cruise unless confirmed in the final booking; Optional Red Sea activities not listed in the confirmed itinerary; Personal expenses; Early hotel check-in; Late hotel check-out; Tips and gratuities; Any service not listed under “What’s Included”.
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 fly from Cairo to Aswan on Day 2 (about 1 hour 20 minutes), sail from Aswan to Luxor on the cruise, drive from Luxor to Hurghada on Day 5 in a private car (about four hours) and fly from Hurghada to Cairo on Day 7 (about one hour). Both domestic flights are included; book your international flights to and from Cairo.
It is enough to see the highlights, but it is a busy week with no free day. If you want time to rest, add a night in Cairo before the flight to Aswan, or a third night in Hurghada; because the tour is private, we can change the plan and the price with it.
The port authority and the boat operator decide on the day. If the trip cannot run on Day 6, we try to move it to the morning of Day 7 or offer another activity; tell us when you book if snorkelling matters most to you.
No. The snorkelling crew provides masks, fins and life jackets, and you can stay near the boat or the shore. Tell the crew if you are not confident in the water.
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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