Begin with the Pyramids. Sail the Nile through four millennia of temple-lined riverbank. End with three days on the Red Sea reef. Egypt's greatest journey, in one seamless itinerary.
Your Journey Route
This ten-day journey is built around Egypt's three most iconic experiences. Cairo gives you the Giza plateau, the Grand Egyptian Museum, and the medieval bazaars of Khan el-Khalili. Your Nile cruise threads the temples of Aswan, Kom Ombo, Edfu and Luxor aboard a five-star ship with full board included. Hurghada closes the loop with two days of coral reef, warm turquoise water, and the absolute rest that follows a week among the pharaohs.
Every transfer is private and air-conditioned. Every temple is visited with an Egyptologist guide. Every hotel and cruise ship is selected for quality and comfort. This is Egypt done properly, without compromise.
Your driver meets you at Cairo International Airport with a name board. Private air-conditioned transfer to your centrally located hotel in the heart of Cairo. Welcome briefing with your guide, an early dinner at the hotel, and a good night's sleep before the days ahead.
The day Egypt visitors come to Egypt for. The Giza plateau at dawn is a different world from the midday crowds. Your Egyptologist guide brings the complex alive with the engineering, politics and ritual behind every stone. Afterward, the Grand Egyptian Museum holds Tutankhamun's complete burial treasure in a purpose-built space of extraordinary scale.
Cairo's depth is not just Pharaonic. The old city layers 2,000 years of Christian and Islamic heritage over Roman foundations. Coptic Cairo holds the Hanging Church, built over a Roman fortress tower. Khan el-Khalili has been a trading bazaar since the 14th century. The noise, colour and scent of its narrow lanes is one of the great urban experiences on earth.
An early flight south to Aswan, Egypt's most serene Nile city. Your guide meets you at the airport and takes you directly to Philae Island, where the Temple of Isis sits on a Nile island reachable only by motorboat. Then the Unfinished Obelisk, abandoned in the granite quarry when a crack appeared, still lying where it fell 3,500 years ago. Board your Nile cruise ship for dinner.
The ship sails north from Aswan through a landscape of golden cliffs and date palms, mooring at Kom Ombo for the afternoon visit. The dual temple of Sobek (the crocodile god) and Horus sits directly on the Nile bank. Its crocodile mummies, preserved in the adjacent museum, are among the most unusual artefacts in Upper Egypt. The ship sails again at dusk.
The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved ancient Egyptian temple in existence. Its towering granite falcons at the entrance and its interior rooms, still with original paint on the ceilings, give a better picture of what an active ancient temple looked like than almost anywhere else. Horse-drawn carriages take you from the ship to the temple gates.
The West Bank of Luxor is the ancient world's greatest necropolis. The Valley of the Kings holds sixty-three royal tombs cut into the limestone cliffs; the wall paintings inside remain strikingly vivid after 3,200 years. Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, cut into the cliff face at Deir el-Bahari, is architecturally unlike anything else in Egypt. Transfer to Hurghada by road in the afternoon (approximately 3.5 hours).
Your all-inclusive resort includes direct Red Sea beach access and all meals, drinks and non-motorised water sports. The reef at most Hurghada hotels begins within 50 metres of the shoreline. This is your day to do as much or as little as you like after a week among the monuments.
A second day to enjoy the Red Sea at your own pace. Many guests use this day for the Giftun Island boat trip or a diving discovery session with the resort's PADI centre. Others simply read, swim and allow the quiet of the sea to settle after ten days of history.
Breakfast at the hotel. Private transfer to Hurghada International Airport for your return flight to Cairo or direct international departure. For guests connecting through Cairo, a flexible connection time is arranged based on your flight schedule.
An early-morning flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel lets you stand before Ramesses II's four colossal statues without the 3-hour road convoy. Back on board by 11am.
A speedboat to Giftun Island National Park, where the reef begins within metres of the beach. Snorkelling equipment included. Lunch on the island.
A 2-hour supervised scuba introduction at Hurghada's PADI-certified dive centres. No certification required. Suitable for confident swimmers aged 10+.
The boy pharaoh's burial chamber requires a separate ticket from the Valley of the Kings entry. Limited daily access makes this worth booking in advance.
A private felucca sail around Elephantine Island in Aswan at sunset. The pink granite rocks, the Aga Khan Mausoleum and the golden cliffs make this unmissable.
Sunrise over the West Bank from a hot-air balloon: the temples, the Nile and the Eastern Desert spread out below in the early light. The iconic Egypt photograph.
Absolutely. This itinerary is specifically designed as a first Egypt experience. It covers the essential sites in a logical geographical loop, every transfer is private, and your Egyptologist guide is with you at every site to provide context and manage logistics. No prior knowledge or travel experience in Egypt is required.
October through April is the ideal window. Cairo and Luxor in January sit at a comfortable 20–22°C with brilliant blue skies. The Red Sea is swimmable year-round (minimum 22°C), but October to April gives the best snorkelling visibility. Summer (May–September) sees Luxor temperatures exceed 40°C, which we strongly advise against for a touring itinerary.
This is an entirely private tour. You will not be mixed with other travellers at any point. Your guide, vehicles, and boats are exclusively for your group. This means full flexibility on pacing and timing at each site. Solo travellers, couples, families and small groups are all accommodated, with pricing adjusted accordingly.
Your three nights aboard a five-star Nile cruise ship include a private cabin, all meals (full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner), guided shore excursions at each stop, and all entry tickets to the temples visited from the ship. Alcoholic beverages and personal expenses are not included. The ships we use are selected for quality, cleanliness and the attentiveness of their crew.
Most nationalities (including EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens) can obtain a tourist visa on arrival at Cairo International Airport for US$25, paid in cash. Alternatively, the e-visa can be purchased online before travel at visa2egypt.gov.eg. We recommend the e-visa to avoid queues. Your confirmation documents will include a full visa guide for your nationality.
Yes. Every itinerary we run is adjustable. Common extensions include: a day trip to Abu Simbel from Aswan (by air or road), an extra night in Cairo to visit the Egyptian Museum or Memphis and Saqqara, a longer Red Sea stay in Hurghada or Sharm El Sheikh, and a Jordan extension to Petra and Wadi Rum. Contact us on WhatsApp and we will build a custom quote within 24 hours.
Egypt's main tourist destinations — Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh — are safe and well-established tourism destinations visited by millions of international travellers annually. Our guides are professional, licensed and deeply familiar with the logistics of each site. We monitor all travel advisories daily and will proactively communicate any changes that affect your itinerary.
We offer flexible cancellation terms discussed at booking. As a general guide: cancellations more than 30 days before departure receive a full refund of any paid deposit minus any non-refundable supplier costs. Cancellations within 30 days are subject to the cancellation terms of the hotels, cruise and airlines involved, which we will communicate transparently at the time of booking. We strongly recommend comprehensive travel insurance for all tours.
Private transfers and flexible pacing make this deeply romantic. The Nile cruise especially.
Egyptologist guides tailor the storytelling to all ages. Children find the mummies and the pyramids genuinely thrilling.
Single supplement available. A safe, seamless experience with a guide by your side at every site.
This tour covers the essential Egypt in one logical, unhurried loop. The perfect first visit.
Every journey we build is private, guided and crafted around you. Tell us your travel dates and group size and we'll send you a personalised itinerary within 24 hours.
