Egypt Adventure: 8-Day Tour (Cairo, Aswan, Luxor & Overnight Felucca)

Today, the big names of ancient Egypt finally come into view. After breakfast, head to the Giza Plateau, where the Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx have been dominating the skyline for more than 4,500 years.

Giza Pyramids

Stand before the Pyramids of Giza and start with the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), the oldest and largest of the three main pyramids and the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. Then explore the pyramid complex and its remarkable neighbors, including the Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren) and the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure (Mykerinos). The Giza Necropolis is far more than three pyramids; it also contains queens’ pyramids, tombs, temples, and the remains of the ancient settlement connected with the pyramid builders.

💡 Insider Reveal: Hidden in the shadow of Khufu’s Great Pyramid are three smaller tombs built for the powerhouse women of the 4th Dynasty: Queen Hetepheres I (Khufu’s mother) alongside his wives, Queen Meritites I and Queen Henutsen.

Great Sphinx & Valley Temple

Make your way to the Great Sphinx, carved directly from the limestone bedrock beside the Valley Temple of Khafre. With the body of a lion and the head of a human, this colossal guardian is one of the most recognizable symbols of ancient Egypt.

Just beside the Sphinx stands Khafre’s Valley Temple, one of the best-preserved structures in the Giza pyramid complex. Built from enormous blocks of limestone and granite, the temple formed an important part of Khafre’s funerary complex, where rituals connected with the king’s burial and transformation into the afterlife were performed.

Lunch, Egyptian Style

By now, you’ll have earned lunch. Follow your guide to a local restaurant and dig into koshary, one of Egypt’s ultimate comfort foods, a hearty mix of rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, tomato sauce, and crispy onions. 

Grand Egyptian Museum

Next stop: the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), officially opened on November 1, 2025. Just a short drive from the Giza Plateau, this spectacular museum is dedicated entirely to ancient Egyptian civilization and brings an enormous collection into one modern setting.

Walk through the Grand Hall beneath the colossal statue of Ramesses II, climb the Grand Stairs, and explore the museum’s galleries as your Egyptologist points out the objects worth slowing down for. The complex covers around 500,000 square metres, while the museum building itself spans about 92,000 square metres.

💡 Insider Reveal: Here’s the part history lovers have been waiting for: the Tutankhamun Galleries, featuring more than 5,000 treasures from the boy king’s tomb, are part of the visitor experience.

Cairo to Aswan by Sleeper Train

Meet our representative and transfer to the train station for your overnight sleeper train to Aswan.

Tonight, your hotel room is on rails; settle into your cabin, watch Cairo disappear into the darkness, and get some rest while Aswan waits at the end of the line.

Good to Know

• Giza heat & walking: Exploring the Giza Plateau involves plenty of walking, with limited shade in the summer. Bring water, sun protection, and comfortable, lightweight clothing.
• Inside the Great Pyramid: The passages inside Khufu’s Great Pyramid are narrow, low and warm, so they may not suit anyone with claustrophobia. Entry is available for an additional fee and can occasionally be closed to visitors.
• Sleeper train: The Cairo-Aswan journey takes approximately 13 hours. Dinner and breakfast are included, but it’s worth stocking up on your favourite snacks before boarding.

Good morning, Aswan! Our representative will meet you and take you straight into your first Upper Egyptian adventure.

Philae Temple

Hop aboard a short motorboat ride across the Nile to Agilkia Island, where the beautifully restored Philae Temple rises among the water and granite islands of Aswan.

Dedicated mainly to Isis, one of ancient Egypt’s most important goddesses, the temple complex is filled with towering columns, carved reliefs, and scenes of the gods and pharaohs. Your Egyptologist will help you read the stories hidden in the stone and explain why this temple is so special.

💡 Insider Reveal: Philae Temple isn't actually standing on its original island. When the construction of the Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge the ancient sanctuary beneath the rising waters of Lake Nasser, an international UNESCO-led rescue project carefully dismantled the temple complex stone by stone and rebuilt it on higher Agilkia Island in the 1960s and 1970s.

After exploring Philae, return by motorboat and transfer to your Obelisk Nile Aswan hotel. Check in, freshen up, and take some time to relax. 

Evening in a Nubian Village & Authentic Nubian Dinner

Later, head out to a Nubian village for a very different side of Egypt. The colourful homes and welcoming atmosphere offer a chance to experience the Nubian culture and warm Nubian hospitality.

Tonight, share dinner with a local Nubian family, enjoying traditional home-style Egyptian and Nubian dishes while getting a glimpse into everyday life along the Nile. Expect conversation, laughter, and the chance to connect with your hosts over food rather than simply sitting down for another tourist meal.

Then it’s time to go back to your hotel for a well-earned night’s sleep.

Today, Aswan is yours to explore. Following breakfast, choose your own pace. Set off early for Abu Simbel, or sail aboard a felucca ride.

Abu Simbel Temples

For many travellers, Abu Simbel Temple is the day’s big adventure. Travel south through the desert to the shores of Lake Nasser and stand before the four towering figures of Ramesses II, carved directly into the mountainside.

Step inside to discover monumental halls and beautifully carved scenes celebrating the pharaoh and the gods. Then visit the neighboring Temple of Hathor, built by Ramesses II for his beloved royal wife, Queen Nefertari. Take your time exploring its impressive halls, chambers, and beautifully preserved ancient carvings before returning to Aswan. 

💡 Insider Reveal: When the Aswan High Dam threatened to drown the Abu Simbel Temples beneath the rising waters of Lake Nasser, a UNESCO-led international rescue campaign dismantled the temples and rebuilt them higher up. The rescue took years and was completed in 1968.

Good to Know: The road journey takes around 4 hours each way, so the Abu Simbel trip starts very early. Your tour guide can arrange a private minivan excursion for your group, or discuss alternative join-in tours and flights if available.

Or Sail the legendary Nile

If Abu Simbel isn’t calling your name, keep things closer to home. Climb aboard a traditional felucca boat and let the wind carry you around Aswan’s islands. Stop at Kitchener’s Island to wander through its botanical gardens, browse the local bazaar, or simply find a quiet spot beside the Nile.

Whichever you choose, Aswan gives you room to make the day your own.

Today, the Nile sets the pace. You have a free morning in Aswan, so use it your way. You could take a short motorboat trip to the Tombs of the Nobles, or simply enjoy a slow breakfast before your next adventure begins.

By late morning, meet your group, step aboard your traditional Nile felucca, and let the sails do the rest.

Nile Felucca Boat

Once you’re out on the water, everything feels a little slower. Watch fishermen working along the riverbanks, palm trees leaning toward the water, and small villages passing by as your Nubian sailing crew takes care of the journey. Lunch is served on board, with simple, hearty meals prepared by your crew. 

And when the sun begins to drop, find a comfortable spot on deck and watch the Nile turn golden. This is the kind of Upper Egypt you can’t experience from a tour bus.

Good to Know: 

• Your route and sailing time can change with the wind and currents, as the felucca is powered by the wind, not an engine.
• Tonight, forget the hotel room. Your bed is a mattress on the open deck of the felucca, beneath a sky filled with stars. Your crew provides dinner, blankets, and a shared bathroom on board. Conditions are deliberately simple, so come prepared to embrace the experience: there is no cabin or enclosed sleeping area, and the deck is your bedroom for the night.
• From October to March, nighttime temperatures can occasionally fall to around 5°C, so bring an extra warm layer. A sleeping sheet or sleeping bag is also recommended. Mosquito nets are provided, but insect repellent is worth packing too.

By the time the stars come out, you’ll understand why travelling the Nile itinerary this way feels so different. No engines, no traffic, no city noise, just a traditional sailboat, the river and Egypt unfolding around you.

Say goodbye to your Nubian sailing crew this morning and leave the felucca behind as you continue north toward Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes and the world’s greatest open-air museum.

Depending on the wind and your sailing route, you’ll disembark between Aswan and Luxor before continuing by private, air-conditioned vehicle; there may be time to visit Kom Ombo Temple or the remarkably preserved Temple of Edfu as optional tours.

Karnak Temple

Your first major stop is Karnak Temple, one of the largest and most impressive religious complexes ever built in ancient Egypt. Walk beneath towering pylons, past colossal statues and into the famous Great Hypostyle Hall, where 134 massive columns once supported a monumental roof. Your Egyptologist will help you read the walls and understand how generations of pharaohs, more than 30 pharaohs, added their own mark to this vast sacred complex for roughly 2,000 years.

Your Evening in Luxor

After Karnak, the rest of the day is yours. Head to the Luxor bazaar to browse spices, souvenirs and everyday Egyptian goods, settle into a local teahouse with a glass of mint tea, or simply relax at your hotel after several days of travelling through Upper Egypt.

If you still have energy for more exploring, you can ask your Egyptologist guide about optional visits such as Luxor Temple, the Luxor Museum or the Mummification Museum.

Tonight, sleep in Luxor. Tomorrow, it’s time to cross the Nile and meet the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings.

Today, you cross the Nile into the world of the pharaohs. Hop into your private, air-conditioned vehicle and head to Luxor’s West Bank.

Valley of the Kings

Continue deeper into the desert hills to the legendary Valley of the Kings, the royal burial ground of Egypt’s New Kingdom rulers. More than 60 tombs and chambers have been discovered here, carved into the limestone hills and decorated with vivid scenes, hieroglyphs, and religious texts designed to guide the dead into the afterlife.

With your Egyptologist tour guide leading the way, enter three tombs included with your ticket and take a closer look at the colourful walls that have survived for thousands of years.

If you want to go beyond the included tombs, ask your guide about optional entrances such as the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) or the spectacular Tomb of Seti I (KV17), two of the Valley of the Kings’ most famous royal tombs.

Colossi of Memnon

Your first glimpse of the West Bank comes in the form of two enormous stone figures: the Colossi of Memnon. Standing around 18 metres high, these weathered statues once guarded the entrance to the vast mortuary temple of Amenhotep III. Although much of the temple has disappeared, the two seated figures remain, quietly watching over the West Bank as they have for thousands of years.

💡 Insider Reveal: The name “Colossi of Memnon” actually comes from the ancient Greeks, who associated the statues with Memnon, a legendary king and hero. The statues themselves represent Amenhotep III, one of the most powerful pharaohs of Egypt’s New Kingdom.

Traditional Lunch With a Local Family

Leave the tombs behind and visit a local village on the West Bank, where you’ll sit down with a family for a home-cooked Egyptian lunch. Expect generous plates, familiar local flavours and the kind of hospitality where the table quickly becomes the centre of the conversation.

This isn’t just a meal. It’s a chance to see how people actually live in the communities surrounding some of Egypt’s most famous ancient sites.

📌Local Tip: Egyptian hospitality is generous by nature, so don’t be surprised if your hosts encourage you to try a little more of everything. Come hungry!

Your Last Hours in Luxor

Take some time to relax, browse the local Luxor shops at your own pace. If you want to squeeze in one last ancient Egypt tour, your leader can help arrange optional visits such as Hatshepsut Temple, Medinet Habu, Deir el-Medina or the Valley of the Queens.

Later, meet your group and transfer to the station for your overnight sleeper train from Luxor to Cairo, which takes approximately 10 hours. 

And just like that, Cairo comes back into the scene. You will arrive early this morning and enjoy one last breakfast with your group. 

Day-use rooms are available until midday, giving you time to freshen up and relax before your onward journey. We recommend booking a departure flight no earlier than 3:00 PM to allow enough time for your transfer to Cairo International Airport (CAI). Our representative will accompany you to the airport for your flight home.

If you’re not ready to leave Egypt just yet, add extra nights in Cairo, head to the Red Sea, or speak with your booking agent about extending your Egyptian adventure.