Egypt's essential monuments, experienced without compromise. Five-star hotels throughout, a five-star cruise ship with full board, and a private senior Egyptologist giving you access that group tours simply cannot offer.
Your Journey Route
Nine days that place you inside Egypt's greatest monuments before the coaches arrive and after the crowds depart. Cairo in a five-star hotel with a private Egyptologist whose sole task is to tell you what matters most. An early flight to Aswan in first class, a chartered microplane to Abu Simbel at sunrise, then four nights aboard a five-star ship sailing the Nile's most spectacular stretch. Every visit is private. Every meal on the cruise is included. Nothing about this itinerary is rushed or shared.
Your private driver meets you at Cairo International Airport and transfers you to your five-star hotel. The evening begins with a private sunset drive to a viewpoint above the Giza plateau, the pyramids silhouetted against the last light of day. Welcome dinner at the hotel rooftop restaurant.
Giza at dawn, before public opening, in a silence most visitors never experience. The option to enter the Great Pyramid interior (tickets pre-booked). Then the Grand Egyptian Museum: a private 2.5-hour tour with your senior Egyptologist, including the Tutankhamun gallery in serious depth. Afternoon free in Cairo.
The full Coptic circuit of Old Cairo with your guide: the Hanging Church above the Roman fortress tower, the Church of Abu Serga built on the site where the Holy Family rested, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue. Then the Citadel and Muhammad Ali Mosque with the view over the whole city. Khan el-Khalili with a private guide to find what you want, ending at El-Fishawy for tea.
First-class domestic flight from Cairo to Aswan. Private embarkation on your five-star Nile cruise ship. Philae Island by private motorboat: the Temple of Isis, flooded by the Aswan Dam and now restored on its new island, is one of the most romantic sites in Egypt. Sundowner on the ship deck. Dinner on board.
Dawn departure by chartered microplane from Aswan to Abu Simbel (45 minutes each way). You arrive before the road convoys, walking into Ramesses II's great temple in near-total silence. Nefertari's smaller temple alongside it. Back at the ship by midday: the Unfinished Obelisk in the ancient quarry and a private felucca around Elephantine Island in the afternoon. Dinner on board.
A leisurely morning sailing the Nile northward through the valley of date palms and sandstone cliffs. Kom Ombo is timed for the afternoon, after the main coach tours have departed. The double temple of Sobek and Horus in the late light, the Crocodile Museum, and the sunset from the ship deck as the river turns gold.
The Edfu visit is timed for 6am, 45 minutes before the temple gates open to other visitors. Horse-carriage from the ship to the temple. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the most completely preserved ancient Egyptian temple in existence, and experiencing it in complete privacy at dawn is one of the defining moments of this itinerary. Sail north to Luxor, afternoon at leisure on deck.
Optional: hot air balloon at dawn over the West Bank (pre-booked, weather-dependent). Luxor West Bank in depth: Valley of the Kings with three tombs or more, optional Nefertari's tomb in the Valley of the Queens, and Hatshepsut's mortuary temple. Evening: Karnak illuminated after dark and Luxor Temple at night, the sphinx avenue between them still partially visible.
A final private 2-hour Karnak visit in daylight, the best light for the reliefs in the hypostyle hall. The colours in the ceilings of the inner sanctuary are among the best-preserved in Egypt. Then departure options: direct flight from Luxor to international connection, or fly Cairo for onward travel. Your guide accompanies you to the airport.
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. Pre-booked and weather-dependent.
One of the most beautifully painted tombs in the Valley of the Queens. Requires a special permit and strict timed entry. Among the finest examples of ancient Egyptian art.
A private decorated felucca for a candlelit dinner on the Nile in Aswan. The pink granite rocks, golden cliffs and stars above make for an evening to remember.
Two nights at a 5-star Alexandria hotel: Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Citadel of Qaitbay on the Mediterranean, and seafood on the corniche at sunset.
Three nights in the Western Desert at the oracle oasis beyond the Great Sand Sea. One of the most remote and spectacular places in Africa.
Petra and Wadi Rum added after Cairo, making a 14-day two-country journey. The rose-red city of Petra is the natural companion to an Egypt grand tour.
This tour is entirely five-star throughout, hotels and cruise. The Egyptologist is a senior specialist rather than a licensed guide. Abu Simbel is visited by chartered aircraft rather than a road convoy. Every temple visit is timed for exclusivity. It costs approximately 50% more but the experience quality is significantly higher.
Yes. We charter a light aircraft from Aswan to Abu Simbel (approximately 45 minutes each way). This means you arrive before the large tour coaches which drive 3 hours from Aswan. You typically have 45–60 minutes at the temples before any other groups arrive. It is one of the genuinely extraordinary moments of this itinerary.
Your Cairo accommodation is a centrally located five-star hotel (brands such as Four Seasons, Kempinski, or equivalent). The Nile cruise ship is a genuine five-star floating hotel, not a floating bedroom with a restaurant. All transfers are in premium Mercedes or equivalent vehicles.
October to April for comfortable touring temperatures. November through February is the premium season, with crisp clear days at 20–25°C.
Yes, a Jordan extension (Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum) is available and pairs beautifully with this itinerary. It adds 5–6 days. Contact us for a combined quote.
The balloon is weather-dependent and cannot be 100% guaranteed. We pre-book it for Day 8 and have a backup full-day itinerary if conditions prevent it. Most October-to-April visits do operate. If cancelled due to weather, you will not be charged.
Entirely. You have a private vehicle, private guide, and private access arrangements at every site. On the cruise ship, you will be aboard with other guests (typically 16–40 passengers on five-star ships), but your shore excursions are always private.
A 20% deposit secures your dates. Balance is payable 45 days before departure. We accept international bank transfer and all major credit cards. Full payment terms are provided in your booking confirmation.
The Nile cruise at sunset, felucca under stars, VIP access. Romance at its highest expression.
Five-star everywhere. No compromises on comfort, quality or exclusivity at any point in the journey.
Milestone birthdays and anniversaries deserve a journey this carefully designed and this memorable.
Small board or leadership groups who need quality, efficiency and an impressive cultural immersion.
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.
