Country(ies): Egypt
Tour type: Small Group
Group size: Min: 2 | Max: 18
Accommodation: 5-star hotels, sleeper train & felucca sailboat
Meals:
Transport: A/C minibus, sleeper train, felucca sailboat
Highlights: The Pyramids & Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, Philae Temple, Abu Simbel option, Nile felucca cruise, Temple of Karnak & Valley of the Kings, Colossi of Memnon, Red Sea at Hurghada
We have several Egypt Tours and this one covers Cairo and the Nile Valley as well as the Red Sea at Hurghada. We start with visits to the iconic Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza where our local Egyptologist guides will start their explanations about ancient Pharaonic history and the evolution of pyramid building. While in Cairo we'll also visit the huge Egyptian Museum, home to a host of ancient artefacts, mummies, and the famous King Tutankhamun display.
Next, we board an overnight sleeper train and head south into Upper Egypt, arriving in Aswan the next morning. Aswan is home to one of the most scenic stretches of the Nile and we'll take a boat trip to the beautiful island Philae temple. An option is also available to visit the amazing temples built by Ramses II at Abu Simbel, which were completely dismantled and moved when Lake Nasser was flooded.
We take to the Nile next for a relaxing overnight river cruise on a traditional Nile felucca sailboat, accompanied by our friendly Nubian crew. This is a great way to break up your sightseeing with some relaxation time and to see rural Egyptian life pass you by on the banks of the Nile. After leaving the boat we'll visit Edfu temple en-route to Luxor, which is considered by many as the world's greatest open air museum. Here we'll tour both the east bank of the river to see the huge temple complex at Karnak and Luxor temple, which is beautifully lit up at night; and also the west bank of the Nile to explore tombs in the Valley of the Kings, see Queen Hatchepsut temple and Deir El-Medina, the valley of the artisans, as well as the Colossi of Memnon. You can also take a spectacular hot air balloon flight here if you wish.
Finally we head east to a beach resort in Hurghada for some relaxation time by the Red Sea. Snorkelling, scuba diving and other watersports options are available, and you can extend your time here if you wish. The tour then finishes back in Cairo with a walk through the back streets of the Khan-el-Khalili bazaar. Some further optional day trips and extensions are also available after the tour ends.
The tour is based on 5-star hotels in Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada, with an overnight sleeper train journey from Cairo to Aswan. Our support boat will join with the group during the felucca cruise, providing welcome clean toilets, showers, and a hygienic kitchen. Upgrades are available to change the sleeper train journey to a flight & hotel, and the felucca cruise to an extra night in the hotel in Aswan.
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Similar tours:
The following tours run alongside this tour with slight adjustments in the itinerary and accommodation...
Hotel Gala Dinners
Many of Egypt's hotels and Nile cruise boats arrange a very special gala dinner with entertainment in the evening on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Payment for these is often optional on Christmas Eve (24 Dec) but may be compulsory on New Year's Eve (31 Dec), whether you attend or not. Prices can range from around US$50 to over US$180 per person. Final decisions on prices and whether dinners are compulsory are made relatively close to the time. We aim to always select hotels that make their Gala Dinners optional, though this is not always possible. Gala dinner prices are therefore not included in our prices above, but will be added to your booking if they become required. Please budget accordingly, especially for New Year's Eve. More information is available on request.
Total Solar Eclipse 2027 departure:
In August 2027, Egypt will be one of the best places, worldwide to view the total solar eclipse. We are therefore offering a departure to coincide with this, which will include a viewing experience south of Luxor, within the path of totality on August 2nd 2027. As many hotels are yet to release their rates for 2027, final pricing for our Total Solar Eclipse departures will be confirmed closer to the date of departure. A deposit paid now secures your space on one of these very special departures and a second deposit will be payable 6 months prior to the trip start date, by which point final pricing will be available. Should the final price of this departure be more than 20% higher than the rates currently advertised you will be offered the option of cancelling with a full refund.
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Small-group departure dates are listed below. The tour is also available as a customisable private departure on any other dates. Please contact us for details and prices.
The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often use on this tour. From time to time we may exchange these for similar properties at the same level. In general, specific hotels cannot be guaranteed on our group tours, but you may select your preferred options if you are booking a tailor-made trip.
Our tours are designed to include all that you need to enjoy a really special time in the destination youre visiting. However, we do also offer some extra options to complement the tour and add some additional sightseeing or activities, or some extra time at either end of the tour.
All accommodation based options (e.g. Single supplements, extra nights, cruise upgrades) should be booked and paid for in advance so that we can make the appropriate arrangements. Other options may either be booked and paid for in advance or while you are on the tour, though we recommend booking in advance to ensure there are no issues with availability.
Many options are priced the same throughout the year, but some may incur single or high season supplements - full details are given on the tour reservation form or on request.
The detailed Tour Notes below have been written to give you some more detailed information about how the tour runs, what to expect, and how to prepare for your holiday. We recommend downloading an up to date copy of these shortly before you travel in case of any changes.
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