Egypt 7-Day Tour with Cairo and Nile Cruise

After breakfast, travel to the Giza Plateau for your first full day of sightseeing. Your guide will explain the layout of the site before you see the three main pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu. You will have time for photographs and to walk through the designated viewpoints, then continue to the nearby Sphinx, carved with a lion’s body and a human head.

After lunch, continue into central Cairo for the Cairo museum, where galleries hold statues, funerary objects, jewellery and other pieces from several periods of ancient Egyptian history. The collection gives useful context to the monuments you saw in the morning, and your Egyptologist guide can point out objects connected with royal burial and daily life.

Return to your hotel after the visits. The day involves walking over uneven ground at Giza, so comfortable shoes, sun protection and water are practical choices.

Travel from Cairo to Luxor by domestic flight, followed by a transfer to the cruise vessel. The exact airport and boarding sequence depend on the confirmed travel arrangements, but our team coordinates the transfers so you can move between the airport, sightseeing and the boat without handling the logistics alone.

Once in Luxor, visit Karnak, the vast temple complex on the east bank of the Nile. Walk along the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes and enter the Great Hypostyle Hall, where huge columns still carry traces of ancient decoration. Your guide will explain how successive pharaohs expanded the complex and why it remained an important religious centre.

Return to the vessel for check-in, lunch or the next included meal according to the cruise schedule. Settle into your cabin and watch the river landscape change as the boat prepares to begin its three-night sailing towards Aswan.

After breakfast, cross to Luxor’s west bank for the day’s main visits. Begin at the Valley of the Kings, where tombs were cut into the hills for New Kingdom rulers. Your guide will discuss the burial customs and decoration while you enter the tombs included in the site plan. Conditions inside can be warm, and the ground is uneven in places.

Continue to the Hatshepsut Temple, built against the cliffs at Deir el-Bahari. Its terraces, ramps and surviving reliefs show how the monument was designed to connect the royal cult with the surrounding landscape. A short stop at the Colossi of Memnon follows before returning to the cruise vessel.

After lunch, the boat continues south when the navigation schedule permits. Spend the afternoon on deck, reading the river banks, villages and cultivated fields as they pass. The pace is quieter after the morning’s walking, with the crew handling the sailing arrangements and meals on board.

Spend the day travelling south on the Nile, with the cruise schedule shaping the order of the visits and sailing periods. Breakfast is served on board before the vessel reaches its planned sightseeing stops. Your guide will give clear instructions before each shore visit, including the meeting point and the time to return to the boat.

Depending on the navigation timetable, the programme may include the well-preserved Temple of Edfu and a visit to Kom Ombo. At Edfu, you can see the broad entrance pylons and reliefs dedicated to Horus. Kom Ombo sits beside the river and has a distinctive double design, with areas linked to Sobek and Horus. These stops add a different perspective to the royal monuments seen in Luxor.

Between excursions, the boat provides time to rest, use the shared areas or sit on deck. Keep your camera and water with you during shore visits, and follow the guide’s return instructions so the cruise can continue safely towards Aswan.

Arrive in Aswan and complete the cruise disembarkation according to the vessel’s schedule. After your luggage is transferred, visit Philae Temple, sometimes written as Phiala Temple in tour listings. The sanctuary stands on an island and is reached by motorboat, making the approach part of the visit. Explore the courtyards, columns and reliefs dedicated mainly to Isis, while your guide explains how the temple was moved to higher ground during the Nubian flood-control project.

Later, take a traditional Felucca sailing trip on the Nile. These small wooden boats use a tall sail and depend on the day’s wind and river conditions, so the route and duration can vary. The experience is unhurried: sit back, watch the granite islands and riverbank scenery, and listen as your local crew explains the boat.

Return to shore and transfer to your accommodation in Aswan. The afternoon is suitable for a slower pace after several days of temple visits, though boarding the boat and walking on uneven surfaces still require care.

Leave Aswan early for the overland journey to Abu Simbel. The temples are in southern Egypt near Lake Nasser, so the transfer takes a substantial part of the morning. Our team will confirm the road arrangements and departure sequence in advance, allowing you to travel with the documents and water you need for the visit.

At the site, see the great rock-cut temple of Ramesses II and the smaller temple associated with Queen Nefertari. The four seated royal figures at the main façade lead into halls decorated with reliefs of the king, gods and military scenes. Your guide will explain the temples’ relocation before the lake was created and point out the details that are easiest to miss without context.

After the visit, return to Aswan for your onward transfer, airport connection or other departure arrangement. The timing depends on your confirmed travel plans, so keep luggage ready and follow the meeting instructions provided by our team.