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/coach, sleepter train & felucca sailboat
Highlights: The great Pyramids & Sphinx, antiquities of the Egyptian museum, Abu Simbel option, hidden tombs - Valley of the Kings, relaxing on a traditional Felucca, Red Sea at Hurghada
Discover the secrets of Egypt on this comprehensive 12-day tour, which takes you all of the way up the Nile into Upper Egypt. You start in Cairo with a visit to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx before heading to Aswan where we visit the beautiful island temple of Philae by boat. An incredible optional tour to Abu Simbel can also be added here. You will then start your traditional Egypt Nile felucca cruise down the Nile on your way to Luxor in the Nile Valley. En-route our support facilities boat docks with us so you can take advantage of its toilet, showers and massage deck. Once in Luxor you will visit some amazing temples including the huge complex at Karnak, and the less visited site of Medinat Habu on the West Bank of the Nile. Other visits include Queen Hatchepsut's temple, the Colossi of Memnon and of course the ancient Pharaonic tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Next stop is then the Red Sea resort of Hurghada for some relaxation and optional activities by the sea. Hurghada is famous for its scuba diving, snorkelling, and great seafood and there are lots of adventurous activities to choose from such as quad biking, kite boarding, windsurfing, fishing or camel rides. Alternatively you can just relax on the beach and lap up the year-round sunshine. The tour finishes by driving back to Cairo, but you can fly home directly from Hurghada if you wish.
Accommodation is in 5-star hotels, with upgrades available to change the sleeper train journey to a flight & hotel, and the night on the felucca to an extra night in the hotel in Aswan if you prefer some more comfort for these nights.
If our scheduled departure dates don't work for you, or you would prefer not to travel with a group, then we can also run this tour privately for you. Please contact us for more information and prices.
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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 normally 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 in 5-star hotels. 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, especially for New Year's Eve. 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. More information is available on request.
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 more information and prices for your preferred date and number of travellers.
The hotels and accommodations listed below are the ones we most often 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.
Steigenberger Cairo Pyramids Hotel
Cairo
It features two pools, several restaurants and bars, free WiFi, a spa and fitness centre, and both classic and family rooms. The rooms overlook the gardens and feature air-conditioning, TVs, safes, and minibars. The hotel offers an airport shuttle.
Sleeper train
Cairo, Luxor & Aswan
On the sleeper train you have a private twin-berthed cabin, which features two large seats; fold down beds with mattress, sheets, pillow, blanket; storage locker and wash basin. An airline style evening meal and breakfast are included.
Tolip Aswan Hotel
Aswan
Tolip Aswan Hotel overlooks the Nile and sits close to several tourist sites. Rooms have en-suite bathrooms, TVs, minibars, WiFi, and balconies with river views. Facilities include a pool, bar, gym, and sauna.
Felucca Sailboat
Aswan
Feluccas are very basic traditional Nile sailboats and make for an extremely relaxing and enjoyable way to travel down the river.
Steigenberger Nile Palace Hotel
Luxor
This hotel, formerly Le Meridien Luxor, is a modern hotel built in 2001. It is ideally situated right on the banks of the Nile and is within easy reach of all the major sites of Luxor.
Jaz Makadi Oasis Resort
Hurghada
This property is 3 minutes walk from the beach. This village-style resort, built in the Nubian Style. It is just 250 yards from Makadi Bay's sandy beach. The lagoon-style pool has waterslides and is surrounded by palm trees and sun loungers.
Le Riad Hotel de Charme
Egypt
Le Riad Hotel de Charme is an award winning all-suite boutique hotel located in the heart of Old Cairo on the busy, mainly pedestrian El Moez Street surrounded by old Ottoman Houses and a short walk from the Khan-el-Khalili bazaar.
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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Nubians & Beaches & Country Reviews
Product Reviews
Posted 26th of Mar 2019
The trip was amazing. Just like I said overpriced
Product Review
Posted 29th of Mar 2019
Important Egyptian sites were available to visit. They were visited.
Product Review
Posted 27th of Mar 2019
This was a great trip and worth every penny. Our Egyptologist tour guide was 'Big Mo' which made all the difference. He was knowledgeable, kind, and hospitable. He made sure we had a solid introduction to each tour site and then was available for more detailed information if we wanted. Book a tour with 'Big Mo' if at all possible!
Product Review
Posted 27th of Mar 2019
Excellent value—I purchased it initially on Groupon and Encounters Travel allowed us to make additions.
Product Review
Posted 26th of Mar 2019
Excellent tour. From the moment we landed in Cairo until we left, we were well taken care of. We experienced so much of Egypt -- from temples and pyramids and tombs to a bonfire dinner and sing-a-long on an island. Our guide (Waleed) was exceptional. His love and knowledge of Egypt was evident throughout the tour. He helped Egypt come alive for us. We were very pleased with the tour.
Product Review
Posted 26th of Mar 2019
Perfect adventure! Food, Tours, Service, Guides, even transportation!
Product Review
Posted 26th of Mar 2019
With all we did and the amount of travel, I was shocked at how cost effective the tour company made it. You get your money's worth after you think about busses, felucca sailboat, overnight train, hotel rooms, and the amazing tour guide.
Product Review
Posted 17th of Jan 2019
Great value for the price!
Product Review
Posted 17th of Jan 2019
Great value for the price!
Product Review
Posted 7th of Jan 2019
My Egyptian tour was the trip of a lifetime, The Egyptian and Nubian people were friendly and welcoming. The food and hotels were fantastic and the country of Egypt was stunning!!!
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jan 2019
All the sights were great and our tour guide explained and told History on all we saw.
Product Review
Posted 5th of Jan 2019
Worth every penny! Go to Egypt with Encounters Travel!
Product Review
Posted 4th of Jan 2019
Really enjoyed the various excursions especially the overnight felucca, hot air balloon, abu simbel and Camel ride against the pyramids
Product Review
Posted 3rd of Jan 2019
The tour for the price was EXCELLENT!
Product Review
Posted 3rd of Jan 2019
The price was great and the people wonderful!
Product Review
Posted 2nd of Jan 2019
Bucket list experience. A must.
Product Review
Posted 4th of Dec 2017
Amazing value for the price. We loved our guide, Big Mo!
Product Review
Posted 21st of Nov 2017
See above review for more details.
Product Review
Posted 15th of Sep 2017
We really got to see a lot for the time we spent in Egypt and Encounters made sure no time was wasted in waiting for transportation and rooms and things like that. We had a great group, a great guide, and really learned a lot. All accommodations were exceptional and we couldn't believe how we did everything for such a good price
Product Review
Posted 12th of Jun 2017
There was a time many years ago that I wanted to travel to Egypt and didn't because of the cost. This trip was, to me, very affordable. I think everyone should experience this trip. The tour guide was alos excellent, Sherif Mohammad.
Product Review
Posted 8th of Jun 2017
Incredible trip; our guide was really knowledgeable and answered all questions regarding history.
Product Review
Posted 7th of Jun 2017
Great tour! Safe, comfortable, and fascinating. It was a joy to travel to so many wonderful places and always know I was in good hands.
Product Review
Posted 7th of Jun 2017
As stated before it was a great trip
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jun 2017
The whole experience was wonderful.
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jun 2017
Amazing trip. It was well layed out and guided. We also we're lucky to have a great group in which we all got along really well.
Product Review
Posted 6th of Jun 2017
Exceed expectations and very professional.
Product Review
Posted 10th of Apr 2017
excellent value on all aspects - tours, transportation, accommodations and included fees
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Posted 9th of Apr 2017
Price was excellent! Very affordable for 2 people.
Product Review
Posted 6th of Apr 2017
The tour was exceptional for the price I paid. Really saw and did so much.
Product Review
Posted 5th of Apr 2017
Prices were great. Our US dollar went a long way.
Product Review
Posted 5th of Apr 2017
Did not like the overnight train, but enjoyed everything else. We did not spend the night on the sail boat, but enjoyed sailing in the afternoon and retuning to the hotel.
Product Review
Posted 18th of Mar 2017
Very well organized with knowlegable guide.
Product Review
Posted 16th of Mar 2017
This tour is incredible - we saw all the major sights in Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor, and enjoyed several days at the Jaz Makadi Resort in Hurghada. The tour is arranged more or less chronologically and you have the same guide the entire time, so you really get a great experience following the cultural/religious/political development of ancient Egypt over several thousand years.
Product Review
Posted 16th of Mar 2017
Sights coverd and seen breath taking. Total enchament.
Product Review
Posted 16th of Mar 2017
Good value for price just be aware of additional tours.