8-Day Cairo & Nile Cruise Tour

After breakfast, travel with your guide to the Giza Pyramid Complex. Walk around the pyramids and hear how the royal tombs were planned, built and used. You have time to view the Great Pyramid and its neighbouring monuments from several points, with an optional interior visit subject to local access and ticket arrangements. The desert plateau also gives you clear views across Giza and toward Cairo.

Continue to the Great Sphinx, where the lion-bodied guardian faces the pyramid area. After lunch, visit the Egyptian Antiquities Museum in central Cairo. Its galleries bring together statues, jewellery, coffins and objects from several periods of Egyptian history, including the famous Tutankhamun collection. The day ends with a return transfer to your hotel, leaving the evening free to rest or dine independently.

Enjoy breakfast and a final morning in Cairo before the transfer to the airport for your flight to Luxor. Flight arrangements are handled according to the confirmed schedule, and our team assists with the airport process. On arrival, meet your local guide and transfer to the cruise vessel. Check-in and cabin allocation take place before lunch or according to the ship’s operating schedule.

Once settled aboard, take in your first views of the river from the deck. A Nile River Sailing Excursion is a calm introduction to southern Egypt: farmland, palm trees and villages pass slowly along the banks while the ship begins its journey. The rest of the day allows you to use the vessel’s facilities, review the next morning’s plan and enjoy your first dinner on board. Your cabin is your base for four cruise nights.

Begin on Luxor’s West Bank, where your guide explains how ancient Egyptians prepared royal burials and decorated their tombs. Enter selected chambers in the Valley of the Kings Tombs, following painted scenes that show the journey to the afterlife. Conditions inside can be warm, with uneven ground and steps, so comfortable shoes and water are useful.

Continue to the Hatshepsut Mortuary Temple, built against the cliffs in a series of terraces. The route then passes the Memnon Colossus Statues, two large seated figures that once guarded the approach to a much bigger temple complex. After lunch and a rest period, visit the Luxor Temple Site on the East Bank. Its avenue, courts and columns are especially atmospheric later in the day. Return to the ship for dinner and the overnight stay in Luxor.

The ship sails south after breakfast, giving you a slower view of life along the Nile. Keep a camera nearby for scenes of cultivated fields, irrigation channels and small riverside settlements, but remember that riverbank activity and sailing times can change with the ship’s schedule. Meals and free time take place on board while the vessel continues toward Edfu.

At Edfu, travel a short distance from the river to see Edfu Temple, one of Egypt’s best-preserved ancient sanctuaries. The guide points out its monumental gateway, reliefs and inner halls before you return to the ship. Continue sailing to Kom Ombo, where the Kom Ombo Dual Temple has two sacred sections dedicated to different deities. Its riverside setting makes the visit distinct from the earlier temples. Reboard after the tour for dinner and an overnight cruise toward Aswan.

Arrive in Aswan and begin with the Aswan High Dam. From the viewpoints near the dam, your guide explains how the project changed flood control, farming and settlement patterns along the Nile. The broad reservoir landscape contrasts with the narrower river scenes seen during the cruise. Allow time for photographs, while following local instructions around the viewing areas.

Continue by motorboat to Philae Temple Island. The boat crossing adds a practical part to the visit, and the approach gives you views of the temple rising above the water. On the island, walk through courtyards, columns and relief-covered halls dedicated to the goddess Isis. The site was relocated to higher ground during the creation of the reservoir, a story your guide will explain during the visit. Return to the cruise vessel for lunch or scheduled free time, then spend your final night on board in Aswan.

An early Abu Simbel optional excursion may be arranged, subject to availability and the confirmed transport schedule. The journey is long and starts before breakfast, but it leads to two rock-cut temples decorated with colossal royal figures and detailed reliefs. Your guide explains their connection with Ramses II and the relocation of the temples. Travellers who do not take the excursion can enjoy a later morning in Aswan before the transfer.

After disembarkation, transfer to Aswan airport for the flight to Cairo. On arrival, check in at your Cairo hotel and take a more relaxed afternoon or evening in the city. Depending on timing, visit a local market with your guide to browse spices, textiles, souvenirs and everyday Egyptian goods. Keep purchases modest if you are flying the next day, and agree on the meeting point and return transfer before exploring.

Enjoy your final breakfast in Cairo before check-out. The departure transfer is arranged around your confirmed flight time, allowing for Cairo traffic and the airport’s check-in requirements. Our team helps with luggage and makes sure you know where and when the driver will meet you, so the last morning stays straightforward.

If your flight is later in the day, you may have limited free time at the hotel after check-out, depending on the property’s facilities and luggage arrangements. This is not a scheduled sightseeing day, and no additional attraction is added that could put your departure at risk. Leave extra space in your luggage for permitted purchases, keep travel documents accessible and carry water during the airport transfer. Your Cairo and Nile programme ends at the airport.