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9 days, Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel

Classic Egypt with a Nile cruise and Abu Simbel

From the pyramids of Giza to the temples of Luxor and Abu Simbel: four nights sailing the Nile, the Grand Egyptian Museum and historic Islamic Cairo.

Giza pyramids

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About this trip

This is the journey most people picture when they dream of Egypt. You begin at the foot of the Great Pyramid, then fly south and step aboard a Nile cruise, where the river becomes your hotel and every morning brings a new temple: Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae.

From Aswan you cross the desert to the giant statues of Abu Simbel, then end in the lanes of Islamic Cairo and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar. Private guides, four nights on the Nile and nothing to organise yourself: you simply watch Egypt drift past from the sun deck.

Duration

9 days / 8 nights

Destinations

Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel

Trip style

Nile cruise and history

Accommodation

Hotels · Nile cruise

Getting around

Private car with driver · Domestic flights · Boats on the Nile

Day by day

Itinerary

  1. Our representative meets you at Cairo International Airport, helps you with the arrival formalities and takes you by private car to your hotel. Check in and relax; the evening is free to enjoy Cairo at your own pace.

    • Pyramids & Sphinx
    • Grand Egyptian Museum

    After breakfast, the Giza Plateau with your Egyptologist: the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, the Great Sphinx and its Valley Temple, and the panoramic viewpoint over the whole plateau. Lunch at a local restaurant, then the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to the complete treasure of Tutankhamun. Back to your hotel.

    • Karnak
    • Luxor Temple

    Breakfast and check-out, then a flight to Luxor, where we meet you and take you to your Nile cruise. Check in and lunch on board, then the vast temple complex of Karnak and the elegant Luxor Temple. Dinner and night on board in Luxor.

    • Valley of the Kings
    • Hatshepsut

    The West Bank: royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the terraced temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Back on board for lunch as the ship sails south through the Esna lock, with village life and palm groves drifting past. Dinner and night on board.

    • Temple of Horus
    • Kom Ombo Temple

    The Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best preserved temple in Egypt. Lunch on board as you sail on, then the double temple of Sobek and Horus at Kom Ombo and its Crocodile Museum. The ship continues to Aswan for dinner and the night.

    • High Dam
    • Unfinished Obelisk
    • Philae
    • Felucca

    The High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk still lying in its granite quarry, and a motorboat to Philae, the island temple of Isis. Lunch on board, then a traditional felucca sail around the islands of Aswan. A visit to a Nubian village is available as an option. Last night on board.

    • Temple of Ramses II
    • Temple of Nefertari

    An early check-out and a private drive across the desert to Abu Simbel: the Great Temple of Ramses II, the Temple of Queen Nefertari, and the remarkable story of how both were moved to save them from the rising lake. Back in Aswan, a flight to Cairo, where we meet you and take you to your hotel.

    • Citadel
    • Old Cairo
    • Khan el-Khalili

    The Citadel of Saladin and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, then Old Cairo: the Hanging Church and the Ben Ezra Synagogue (when open to visitors). Lunch at a traditional Egyptian restaurant, a walk along historic El Moez Street, and time in the Khan el-Khalili bazaar for its cafés, souvenirs and shopping.

  9. Breakfast and check-out, then a private transfer to Cairo International Airport, with help at departure. Home with unforgettable memories of Egypt.

What's in your price

What's included

  • Meet and assist at all airports
  • 4 nights in a Cairo hotel with daily breakfast
  • 4 nights on a Nile cruise with full board
  • Lunch on days 2 and 8 at local restaurants
  • Domestic flights Cairo–Luxor and Aswan–Cairo
  • All airport transfers and private air-conditioned transport
  • Abu Simbel excursion by road
  • Private Egyptologist guide on touring days
  • Entrance fees to the sites listed

Not included

  • International flights
  • Egypt visa
  • Travel insurance
  • Drinks, unless included on the cruise
  • Tips for guides, drivers and cruise staff
  • Personal expenses
  • Optional extras: hot-air balloon, sound and light shows, Nubian village, inside the Great Pyramid, Tutankhamun's tomb

Where you stay

Hotels and Nile cruise

Choose your comfort level. The hotels below are examples: we confirm the exact hotel with your price, or one of the same standard.

Cairo and Giza

  • Barceló Cairo Pyramids★★★★
  • Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir★★★★
  • Grand Pyramids Hotel★★★★
  • Pyramids Valley★★★★
  • Novotel Cairo El Borg★★★★
  • Mercure Cairo Le Sphinx★★★★
  • Swiss Inn Nile Hotel★★★★

Nile cruise

  • Nile Carnival★★★★
  • MS Blue Shadow★★★★
  • MS Concerto★★★★
  • MS Nile Style★★★★
  • MS Sarah★★★★
  • MS Royal Signature★★★★
  • MS Royal Beaurivage★★★★
  • MS Esmeralda★★★★
  • Amwaj Livingstone★★★★

From $1,437 per person

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