10-Day Egypt Christmas & New Year Tour: Pyramids, Nile Cruise & Red Sea

After breakfast, your private Egyptologist leads you onto the Giza Plateau, the royal cemetery of Egypt's 4th Dynasty and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

📍Pyramids of Giza

The Giza Pyramid Complex, on the Giza Plateau near Cairo, features the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), originally 146.6 m (481 ft) tall and now approximately 138.5 m (454 ft), alongside the pyramids of Khafre (Chephren) and Menkaure (Mycerinus), plus smaller Queens’ Pyramids. Finish at Panorama Point for sweeping views of all three pyramids rising above the desert.

💡Did You Know? Inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Grand Gallery rises approximately 8.6 m (28 ft) and extends toward the King’s Chamber, which is built with massive granite blocks.

📍The Great Sphinx

Carved from the limestone bedrock of the Giza Plateau, the Great Sphinx of Giza features a lion’s body and a human face traditionally identified with Pharaoh Khafre, the builder of the nearby Pyramid of Khafre. Between its paws stands the Dream Stele of Thutmose IV, commemorating the pharaoh’s encounter with the Sphinx.

💡Did You Know? The Great Sphinx faces due east toward the rising sun. In ancient Egyptian religion, the rising sun was associated with Ra, the sun god, and the daily cycle of renewal and rebirth.

📍The Valley Temple of Khafre

The Valley Temple of Khafre, associated with royal funerary rituals, including the purification and preparation of Khafre’s body for burial and his journey into the afterlife. 

🔻Traditional Egyptian Lunch

Enjoy a traditional Egyptian lunch featuring authentic local flavors and beloved national specialties.

📍The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM)

The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), near the Giza Pyramids, is the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization. Climb the Grand Staircase, lined with colossal statues of pharaohs and ancient Egyptian kings, and explore the complete collection of treasures from Tutankhamun’s tomb, including his iconic golden funerary mask, jewelry, and royal possessions.

💡Did You Know? The GEM’s Hanging Obelisk of Ramesses II is elevated on four pillars, allowing visitors to walk beneath it and view the pharaoh’s cartouche carved into its base.

Return to your hotel and relax. Tomorrow, fly south to Aswan, where your Nile cruise adventure begins.

A short morning flight carries you to Aswan, Egypt's warmest winter city and the gateway to ancient Nubia.

📍The Aswan High Dam & Lake Nasser

Completed in 1970, the Aswan High Dam transformed the Nile by controlling its annual floods, generating hydroelectric power, and creating Lake Nasser, named after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Stretching across southern Egypt into Sudan, Nasser Lake is one of the world’s largest artificial man-made lakes by capacity.

📍The Unfinished Obelisk

Carved directly into Aswan’s ancient granite bedrock, the Unfinished Obelisk was abandoned after a crack appeared in the stone. Had it been completed, it would have stood approximately 42 m (138 ft) tall and weighed around 1,200 tonnes, making it the largest known ancient Egyptian obelisk. It is believed to have been commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut during the 18th Dynasty. 

📍Philae Temple

Take a scenic motorboat ride to Philae Temple, an ancient sanctuary dedicated to Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic, motherhood, and protection. Set on Agilkia Island near Aswan, the temple forms part of the UNESCO-listed Nubian Monuments.

💡Did You Know? To protect Philae Temple from flooding after the construction of the Aswan High Dam, UNESCO led an international rescue campaign in the 1970s and moved it from Elephantine Island to Agilkia Island. 

🔻Board Your 5-Star Nile Cruise

Check in to your cabin and enjoy lunch on board as the ship sails north along the Nile to Kom Ombo, where it moors for the night.

Wake beside the Nile at Kom Ombo, where a Ptolemaic temple rises from a sandy hill 📍 

📍Kom Ombo Temple

Standing on the banks of the Nile, Kom Ombo Temple is one of Egypt’s most unusual ancient sanctuaries. This symmetrical double temple was dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile-headed god associated with the Nile and fertility, and Haroeris (Horus the Elder), a form of the falcon-headed god Horus. 

🔻Next door, the Crocodile Museum displays mummified crocodiles and artifacts linked to Sobek’s ancient cult.

Back on board, relax on the sundeck with afternoon tea as the ship sails on to Edfu, where it moors for the night.

A horse-drawn carriage (known locally as a calèche or hantour) carries you to Edfu Temple. By evening, you'll reach Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes.

📍The Temple of Horus at Edfu

Built during the Ptolemaic Period, beginning under Ptolemy III Euergetes in 237 BC, the Temple of Horus at Edfu is dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god of kingship and protection. Remarkably well preserved, it is one of Egypt’s most complete ancient temples, with monumental gateways, columned halls, detailed hieroglyphic inscriptions, and a sacred inner sanctuary, showcasing the enduring traditions of ancient Egyptian religion under Greek rule.

🔻Sailing Through the Esna Locks

Back on board, enjoy the changing Nile water levels as your cruise passes through the Esna Lock, rising or lowering to continue its journey toward Luxor.

📍Karnak Temple

Explore Karnak Temple, Luxor’s vast ancient religious complex, dedicated primarily to Amun-Ra and expanded by generations of pharaohs over more than 2,000 years. Walk through the spectacular Great Hypostyle Hall, where 134 massive columns rise above intricately carved hieroglyphic reliefs, and discover monumental gateways, obelisks, and sacred courtyards.

💡Did You Know? The Avenue of Ram-Headed Sphinxes at Karnak features statues symbolizing Amun, whose sacred animal was the ram. Each sphinx protects a figure of Pharaoh Ramesses II between its paws.

🔻Enjoy dinner aboard your Nile cruise ship, moored in Luxor. 

On Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, celebrate with a festive gala dinner on board. Tomorrow, cross the Nile to explore Luxor’s remarkable West Bank and its royal tombs and mortuary temples.

Cross to the West Bank of Luxor, where the New Kingdom pharaohs were laid to rest in the desert hills of the Theban Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For an unforgettable start, add a sunrise hot air balloon ride.

📍The Valley of the Kings

Explore the Valley of the Kings, the royal burial ground of Egypt’s New Kingdom pharaohs, home to more than 60 discovered tombs carved into the limestone hills of Luxor’s West Bank. Highlights include the tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

💡Did You Know? The skilled artisans who carved and decorated the royal tombs lived in the nearby village of Deir el-Medina. You can still explore the remains of their homes and visit their own beautifully decorated tombs.

📍The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

At Deir el-Bahari, the magnificent terraced Temple of Hatshepsut rises against towering limestone cliffs on Luxor’s West Bank. Built for Queen Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt’s few female pharaohs, the temple features elegant colonnades, monumental ramps, and reliefs depicting her divine birth and trading expedition to the Land of Punt.

📍The Colossi of Memnon

Standing on Luxor’s West Bank, the Colossi of Memnon are two enormous seated statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, each approximately 18 m (59 ft) tall. Carved from quartzite, they have watched for more than 3,000 years.

💡Did You Know? After an earthquake damaged one statue in 27 BC, it reportedly produced a singing or whistling sound at dawn. Ancient visitors travelled to hear that mysterious vocal phenomenon, which ceased after Roman Emperor Septimius Severus had the statue repaired around AD 199.

Spend the night in Luxor. Tomorrow, leave the ancient temples behind and head to the Red Sea, where coastal relaxation and turquoise waters await.

After breakfast, drive through the Eastern Desert to Hurghada, the heart of Egypt's Red Sea Riviera. Check in to your beachfront resort and spend the afternoon by the pool or on the sand. 

Today is yours. Relax on the beach, or choose your Red Sea adventure.

🔻Snorkelling at Giftun Island

Sail to the protected Giftun Islands to snorkel over coral reefs alive with clownfish, parrotfish, and sometimes dolphins, then relax on white-sand beaches such as Mahmya. 

🔻Desert Safari, Bedouin BBQ & Show

Ride by quad bike or jeep into the Eastern Desert to a Bedouin camp. As the sun sets, a BBQ dinner awaits, followed by folkloric dances and a whirling Tannoura show. Then the music fades, and the desert's deep silence is broken only by the stars.

💡Insider tip: Desert evenings are cold in December, so bring a warm jacket for stargazing.

After a relaxed breakfast by the sea, the final chapter of your 10 Days Egypt Christmas holidays gently begins. Transfer to Hurghada International Airport for your flight to Cairo, and check in to your hotel to enjoy your last night at your own pace.

After breakfast, transfer with our representative to Cairo International Airport for your flight home.

🔻Not ready to leave? Extend your stay to celebrate New Year's Eve or Coptic Christmas on 7 January. 

Send us your dates, and we'll tailor it to you, or add Petra or Dubai with our multi-country tours.