Egypt Vacation - 9 Days to Cairo, Luxor & Nile Cruise to Aswan

Breakfast sets the stage for a day among the icons of ancient Egypt. Meet your private Egyptologist and journey through the royal Giza Plateau.

Pyramids of Giza

Stand before the Giza Pyramids: the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. Built around 4,500 years ago. Continue to the Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren; also spelled Khephren) and the Pyramid of Menkaure, known in Greek as Mykerinos or Mycerinus and Menkheres, with time for panoramic desert views and memorable photographs.

💡Insider Reveal: The Giza necropolis is more than its three famous pyramids. The plateau contains 9 pyramids in total, including three pyramids built for members of King Khufu’s royal family: his mother, Queen Hetepheres I, and his wives, Queen Meritites I and Queen Henutsen.

The Great Sphinx & Valley Temple

Continue to the monumental Great Sphinx of Giza, known in Arabic as Abu al-Hawl, “Father of Terror.” Its ancient Egyptian name was Hor-em-Akhet (“Horus in the Horizon”), while the monument is traditionally attributed to Pharaoh Khafre; the colossal guardian combines a lion’s body with a royal human head, traditionally associated with Pharaoh Khafre.

Visit the nearby Valley Temple of Khafre, built from massive limestone and granite blocks and believed to have been used for the pharaoh’s mummification and funerary rituals before his burial in the pyramid. 

💡Did You Know? The Sphinx faces east toward the rising sun, linking the monument with ancient Egyptian ideas of kingship, rebirth, and the solar cult.

Lunch at 9 Pyramids Lounge

Enjoy a relaxing lunch at 9 Pyramids Lounge, offering a spectacular setting overlooking the Giza Pyramids. This provides a perfect opportunity to unwind and enjoy a delicious meal before continuing your visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). 

The Grand Egyptian Museum

After Lunch, travel approximately 2 km to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), overlooking the Giza Plateau. Explore its vast collection of ancient Egyptian treasures, with over 100,000 artifacts, including more than 5,000 artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun, including his famous golden mask, royal jewelry, ceremonial objects, furniture, chariots, and personal belongings.

Return to your luxury hotel and unwind after a day when pharaohs, pyramids, and priceless treasures become part of your own Egyptian story.

After breakfast, travel with your private Egyptologist guide to Giza and go deep into the world of ancient Egypt.

Saqqara & the Step Pyramid

Meet your private Egyptologist and travel to Saqqara, the vast necropolis of ancient Memphis, about 30 km south of Cairo. Explore the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the world’s earliest large-scale monument built entirely in stone and a landmark in the evolution of Egyptian pyramids.

💡Did You Know? The Step Pyramid was designed by Imhotep, the brilliant architect, physician, and later deified figure who transformed the traditional royal mastaba into a six-tiered pyramid rising about 62 meters.

An Egyptian Village Experience

Continue to a traditional Egyptian village away from the main tourist trail. Share a farm-to-table lunch prepared by the local community, meet farmers, see traditional agricultural practices, and experience the warmth of authentic Egyptian hospitality

Return to your 5-star Cairo hotel for a relaxing evening.

Get ready to travel deeper into the world of the pharaohs. Check out of your hotel and transfer to Cairo International Airport for your short domestic flight to Luxor.

Upon arrival, you will meet our private Egyptologist guide and be transferred by private, air-conditioned vehicle to Karnak Temple Complex.

Karnak Temple Complex

Begin at Karnak Temple, ancient Thebes’ vast temple complex and one of Egypt’s greatest religious sites. Walk beneath the towering columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall, where 134 massive columns once supported a monumental sacred space.

💡Insider Reveal: The Karnak complex was not built by one pharaoh. For nearly 2,000 years, rulers expanded and reshaped the complex (including Hatshepsut, Seti I, and Ramses II), dedicating it to Amun-Ra, the powerful state god of ancient Thebes.

Board Your Luxury Nile Cruise

Then board your luxury Nile cruise and enjoy lunch as the ship begins sailing through Upper Egypt. Let the river carry you south through timeless villages, palm groves, and desert landscapes.

Luxor Temple

Later, explore Luxor Temple, built by Amenhotep III and Ramesses II and closely connected with the annual Opet Festival. During this important celebration, the sacred barques carrying Amun, Mut, and Khonsu were ceremonially carried from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple along the magnificent Avenue of Sphinxes, linking the two great temple complexes.

Start before dawn with an optional hot air balloon ride over Luxor’s West Bank. Watch the Nile Valley awaken beneath you, with ancient temples and the desert stretching toward the horizon. The experience usually lasts around 30-40 minutes, depending on weather conditions.

Valley of the Kings

After breakfast, meet your private Egyptologist and explore the legendary Valley of the Kings, the royal necropolis of ancient Thebes. Enter selected tombs carved deep into the limestone cliffs, decorated with vivid scenes from the Book of the Dead and other funerary texts.

💡 Did You Know? Beyond the standard visit, you can enter the tomb of King Tutankhamun (KV62), discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, and also the spectacular Tomb of Seti I (KV17), one of the Valley’s most beautifully decorated royal tombs. Subject to opening and ticket availability, check with your tour guide.

Temple of Hatshepsut

Continue to the spectacular Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari. Built into the cliffs of the Luxor West Bank. Its three broad terraces, connected by long ramps and framed by colonnades, celebrate one of Egypt’s most powerful female pharaohs.

💡Insider Reveal: Hatshepsut’s famous expedition to the Land of Punt is depicted on the temple walls, showing ships, exotic plants, animals, and goods brought back to Egypt.

Colossi of Memnon

Pause at the Colossi of Memnon, two colossal stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III on Luxor’s West Bank. Erected around 1350 BCE, each statue rises about 18 meters (60 feet) and once guarded the entrance to Amenhotep III’s enormous mortuary temple. 

Then, head back to your Nile cruise and enjoy your sail toward Edfu for an overnight.

Wake to the gentle rhythm of the Nile and savor your breakfast as your luxury cruise carries you deeper into Upper Egypt.

Edfu Temple

Take a charming 10–20-minute horse-drawn carriage ride from the cruise dock to Edfu Temple (Temple of Horus), one of Egypt’s best-preserved ancient temples. Located on the west bank of the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, this magnificent Ptolemaic temple is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god, and features towering pylons, colossal statues, and beautifully carved hieroglyphs.

💡Did you know? Edfu was built between 237 and 57 BCE during the Ptolemaic period, but its inscriptions preserve ancient myths, including the legendary battle between Horus and Set.

Kom Ombo Temple

Return to the cruise by horse-drawn carriage and sail south toward Kom Ombo Temple, a remarkable riverside temple dedicated to two gods: Horus the Elder, the falcon god, and Sobek, the crocodile god. Built mainly during the Ptolemaic Dynasty between 180 and 47 BCE, the temple is unique for its symmetrical design, with twin sanctuaries reflecting its dual dedication.

Explore the temple’s reliefs, including ancient medical instruments and the famous Nile nilometer (an ancient device used to measure the Nile River’s water level), then visit the Crocodile Museum, home to mummified crocodiles once associated with Sobek worship.

Back on board, have lunch, and relax on deck as your luxury Nile cruise continues south to Aswan.

Rise early and journey from the Nile to one of ancient Egypt’s most extraordinary masterpieces.

Abu Simbel Temples

Take a short flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel (45-50 min), then explore the magnificent Abu Simbel Temples with your private Egyptologist. Carved into the rock by Ramesses II in the 13th century BCE, the temples are famous for their colossal royal statues and remain part of the Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae UNESCO World Heritage Site.

💡Insider Reveal: The temples were relocated in the 1960s to save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser after the Aswan High Dam. The entire complex was carefully dismantled and rebuilt about 65 meters higher and 200 meters inland.

Sunset Felucca & Elephantine Island

Fly back to Aswan and enjoy some free time on your cruise before boarding your private sunset felucca ride on the Nile River, Egypt’s traditional wooden sailing boat, for a peaceful cruise around Aswan. Feel the breeze across the Nile as the sun sets behind the desert islands and palm-lined shores to discover Elephantine Island, located in the middle of the river directly opposite central Aswan. Measuring approximately 1.2 km long and 400 meters wide, the island offers a fascinating blend of ancient history and living Nubian culture.

Explore its peaceful Nubian communities, traditional houses, and local culture, a living bridge between ancient Pharaonic history and modern Nubian heritage.

Return to your luxury Nile cruise for a relaxing evening on board.

Leave the Nile behind with one final masterpiece of ancient Egypt before returning to Cairo.

Philae Temple

After breakfast and cruise check-out, take a motorboat and cross the Nile to Agilkia Island, home to the magnificent Philae Temple. Dedicated primarily to Isis, the temple complex is celebrated for its elegant columns, reliefs, and sacred island setting. The surviving complex includes Ptolemaic and Roman-period architecture, showing that worship at Philae continued long after the age of the great pharaohs.

💡Insider Reveal: Philae was originally located on Philae Island but was relocated stone by stone to Agilkia Island in the 1970s to save it from the rising waters of Lake Nasser following the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

After your visit, transfer to Aswan Airport for an approximately 1 hour 20-minute flight to Cairo.

On arrival, enjoy a private transfer to your luxury hotel and relax.

Every journey ends, but some places stay with you forever!

Enjoy your breakfast at your luxury hotel before your private transfer to Cairo International Airport (CAI) for your international departure.

Until the Nile calls you back.