Egypt 10-Day Luxury Private Tour

Welcome to Egypt. Your representative meets you at Cairo Airport and your private driver takes you to your hotel, where you can settle in and rest after the flight. There is nothing planned today, so take the evening gently. If you arrive in good time, a quiet dinner overlooking the Nile is an easy way to begin. Your local team is on hand for anything you need, and your Egyptologist will be in touch to go over tomorrow’s plans.

Meet your private Egyptologist and begin with the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, ideally in the cooler morning light. Your guide shares the stories behind the monuments and finds the quieter viewpoints. After lunch, drive about forty minutes south to Saqqara and the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest of Egypt’s great stone monuments. A ticket to go inside one of the pyramids is included; the passage is steep and narrow, so you can decide on the day how much climbing feels right. Return to your hotel with time to rest before dinner.

Spend an unhurried day at the Grand Egyptian Museum, close to the Giza plateau. Your Egyptologist helps you focus on the galleries that interest you most, from the colossal statue of Ramesses II in the great hall to the complete treasures of Tutankhamun, and makes the stories easy to follow. Pause for lunch and a coffee with a view of the pyramids, then return to your hotel with a free late afternoon to pack and relax before tomorrow’s flight.

After breakfast, take the short flight south to Luxor, about an hour in the air. Your local team welcomes you and transfers you to your cruise ship, where lunch is served on board while your cabin is prepared. Once the heat of the day eases, visit Karnak with your guide and walk through its great hall of 134 giant columns, then continue to Luxor Temple as the light softens over the statues and obelisk. Dinner is on board, with the lights of Luxor on the river.

Early risers can add an optional sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the west bank. Then cross the river with your guide to the Valley of the Kings, where painted royal tombs lie deep in the hillside, and the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut, with a short stop at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back. Your guide chooses a manageable route and explains which tombs your ticket includes. Return to the ship for lunch and a slow afternoon as the cruise sets sail and the Nile scenery unfolds.

Today the river sets the pace. Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, then sail on past fields, palm groves and quiet villages. In the afternoon, explore the twin temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to Sobek and Horus and beautifully set on a bend of the Nile. Between visits, enjoy your cabin, the lounge or the sun deck. The ship reaches Aswan in the evening, ready for tomorrow. Visits follow the cruise’s sailing schedule.

Instead of the long desert road, a short morning flight of about 45 minutes takes you from Aswan to Abu Simbel. Your guide meets you there for the great temple of Ramesses II, its four colossal statues facing the sunrise, and the smaller temple of Queen Nefertari beside it, both moved to higher ground when Lake Nasser was created. Fly back to Aswan around midday and return to the ship for a late lunch and a long, restful afternoon on deck. Flight times are confirmed in your proposal.

Disembark after breakfast at a gentle hour. With your guide, take a small boat to Philae Temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis and set on its own island. Then check in to your hotel above the Nile and enjoy a slow afternoon. Aswan is the most relaxed city on the river, and the terraces here are made for watching the feluccas glide past the granite islands at sunset. If the wind is right, a felucca sail among the islands is included.

After a leisurely breakfast, take the short flight back to Cairo. Depending on the flight time, spend the afternoon with your guide in Coptic Cairo, home to the Hanging Church and some of the oldest Christian sites in the world, then stroll through the lanes around Khan el-Khalili, Cairo’s historic bazaar, as the lanterns come on. We keep this day flexible, with time to return to your hotel and freshen up before a relaxed farewell dinner of your choice.

Enjoy breakfast when your flight time allows and, if there is time, a last coffee overlooking the Nile. Your private driver takes you to Cairo Airport, with collection timed around traffic and check-in requirements, and your local team stays in touch until you leave. If you would like more time in Egypt, a few days on the Red Sea coast or extra nights in Cairo can easily be added to your private itinerary. Safe travels.