Cairo & Nile Cruise Egypt Tour – 10 Days

After breakfast, your guide takes you to the Giza Plateau for the main pyramid visit. You see The Pyramids of Giza in their desert setting, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre and the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure. Your guide explains how these enormous tombs were planned, built and used within the wider funerary complex.

You then continue to The Sphinx, whose human head and lion’s body face the eastern horizon. There is time for photographs and for a closer look at the surrounding temples, subject to access arrangements on the day. The walking is generally manageable, but the ground is uneven and the midday sun can be strong.

After the visit, return to Cairo for a relaxed afternoon. Your guide can help you plan optional local activities, while the evening remains free before tomorrow’s museum visit.

Today focuses on the Cairo museum, where your guide leads you through galleries of ancient Egyptian sculpture, jewellery, funerary objects and everyday artefacts. The collection spans thousands of years, so the visit is organised around the pieces that best explain Egypt’s pharaonic history rather than trying to cover every room at once.

Allow time to pause at the larger statues and finely carved reliefs, then discuss the customs behind mummification, temple worship and royal burial. Museum layouts and gallery access can change, so your guide adjusts the route to the open collections on the day.

After lunch, you return to the hotel or continue with free time in Cairo. Keep your documents, medication and valuables together, since they will be needed during the flight south. The evening is your final night in Cairo before the early transfer to Aswan.

Enjoy a slower morning in Cairo after three days of sightseeing. Breakfast is followed by free time for rest, a café visit or a final look around the area near your hotel. We keep this day flexible because flight schedules and individual energy levels can vary, and a calm afternoon makes the next travel stage easier.

Our team reviews the transfer and domestic flight arrangements with you. Pack a small day bag for Aswan with sun protection, comfortable walking shoes, water and any items you need during the first hours after landing. Larger luggage can be organised according to the cruise and hotel arrangements.

Later, settle in for your fourth Cairo night. The following day begins with the airport transfer to Aswan, followed by the southern temples and cruise embarkation. Your guide explains where luggage is handled and when you can expect access to your cabin.

Transfer to Cairo airport for the flight to Aswan, then continue by road to Abu Simbel. The journey is an early start, but it brings you to two temples cut into the rock beside Lake Nasser. Inside, carved scenes show Ramses II, the gods and royal ceremonies, while the smaller temple honours Queen Nefertari.

Your guide explains how the temples were relocated during the creation of the lake, a major engineering project that preserved the monuments in a new position. Expect warm conditions, open ground and a visit that takes several hours including the return journey. Entry arrangements and transport timing depend on the day’s operating schedule.

Return to Aswan and board your Nile cruise. After check-in, settle into your cabin, have a meal and watch the river landscape change as the boat prepares for its sailing programme. This is the first of four cruise nights.

Begin with a visit to the High Dam, which controls the flow of the Nile and created Lake Nasser. Your guide outlines its role in irrigation and electricity, as well as the changes it brought to villages and ancient sites along the river. The broad views across the water are a clear contrast to the narrow river valley farther north.

Continue by motorboat to Phiala temple, more commonly spelled Philae Temple, on an island reached across the lake. The sanctuary is dedicated mainly to Isis and includes courtyards, columns and reliefs from several periods. Your guide points out the details that survived the temple’s relocation.

Return to the vessel for lunch and a Sailing Trip along the Nile. Spend the afternoon on deck, watching feluccas, cultivated fields and desert slopes pass by. The cruise schedule may include time at anchor rather than continuous sailing, depending on river traffic and navigation conditions.

The cruise continues north after breakfast. At Kom Ombo, leave the vessel to visit Kom ombo temple, an unusual double sanctuary dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder. Its paired halls and mirrored entrances make the layout easy to understand as you walk through the courtyards and reliefs.

Back on board, continue towards Edfu while the river scenery unfolds around you. After the vessel docks, a short transfer takes you to Edfu temple, one of the best-preserved large temples in Egypt. The entrance pylons, processional route and inner rooms show how a major religious complex was arranged.

Return to the cruise after the guided visit and sail towards Luxor when the schedule permits. There is usually time to rest, read or sit on deck. Wear practical shoes for the shore visits, since some paths are uneven and the approach can be busy with local transport.

Arrive in Luxor and visit Karnak temple, entering through its monumental approach into a vast complex of pylons, courts, columns and sacred spaces. Your guide helps you follow the main route and explains how successive rulers expanded the temple over many centuries. The Great Hypostyle Hall is a central stop, with towering columns covered in carved inscriptions.

Continue to Luxor temple, where avenues, statues and later additions reflect the changing history of the city. The temple was linked to Karnak by a ceremonial route and played an important role in festivals connected with kingship and the gods.

Return to the cruise for your fourth night on board. Depending on docking arrangements, some walking may take place from the riverbank rather than directly beside the entrance. Keep your camera, water and head covering with you during the temple visits.

After breakfast, disembark and cross to Luxor’s west bank for the final major sightseeing day. Visit The valley of Kings, where selected royal tombs are open according to the current site rotation. Descend into the decorated chambers to see painted scenes of the afterlife; the paths can be steep, warm and dusty, so sturdy footwear is useful.

Continue to Queen Hatshepsut temple, built in terraces against the cliffs. Its colonnades and reliefs describe the queen’s rule and the trading expedition to Punt. Nearby, stop at Colossi of Memnon, two large seated statues that once guarded the entrance to a much larger temple complex.

After lunch, transfer to your Luxor hotel for the only overnight stay in the city. The afternoon is free for rest. Your guide confirms the next day’s airport or railway transfer, depending on the departure arrangements attached to your booking.

Have breakfast at the hotel before your departure transfer. Our team collects you at the agreed time and allows for the road journey, airport procedures or onward connection required for your itinerary. Keep passports, travel documents and essential medication in your hand luggage.

If your departure is later in the day, you may have a little free time at the hotel, subject to check-out arrangements. No additional sightseeing is scheduled, which keeps the final day practical after the cruise and west bank visits.

Your Egypt tour ends in Luxor, with assistance available for the transfer and any final logistics. The exact departure sequence depends on your confirmed transport, so our team provides the details before you leave the hotel.