Cairo · Nile cruise (Luxor–Aswan) · Aswan · Cairo
Egypt – The Nine-Day Nile
Egypt is the trip people mean when they say "once in a lifetime," and it rewards doing properly. Two full days in Cairo put the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the new Grand Egyptian Museum within easy reach. Then the country slows to the pace of the river — four nights sailing the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, a temple before breakfast and the banks drifting past your deck. A night follows at the legendary Old Cataract above the Aswan cataracts, and a last day back in Cairo among its Coptic churches and the lanes of Khan el-Khalili. Landmark hotels, an iconic river-side palace at Aswan, an intimate cruiser on the water, every arrival smoothed for you: Egypt without the friction, in the season when the light is kind.
First-timer pace, average fitness. Temples and tombs mean uneven ground, steps and sun — comfortable for most, not a hike.
- Length
- 9 days
- Regions
- 4
- Transport
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers · domestic flights Cairo–Luxor & Aswan–Cairo · 4-night Nile cruise
Day by day
Day 1 — Arrive Cairo
You land in Cairo to a private welcome: a representative meets you before passport control to take care of the visa stamp, immigration and your luggage, so the first thing you feel of Egypt is ease, not a queue. A private vehicle carries you to your hotel on the Nile, and the rest of the evening is yours — take in the river from your window and let the trip begin at your own pace.
(A VIP fast-track through immigration is available if you’d like it.)
Day 2 — Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx & the Grand Egyptian Museum
The morning is the Giza plateau: the three great pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, and the Sphinx keeping its long watch. There’s the chance to step inside the Great Pyramid, and time for a camel ride on the sand before lunch at the Khufu Restaurant overlooking the plateau. In the afternoon, the Grand Egyptian Museum — the vast new home of Tutankhamun’s treasures and thousands of years of antiquity, unhurried, with your Egyptologist to bring the halls to life. Evening back at your hotel.
Day 3 — Fly to Luxor: Karnak, Luxor Temple & aboard the Nile
After breakfast you fly south to Luxor — ancient Thebes — and step straight into Karnak, an avenue of sphinxes and a forest of towering columns raised and re-raised across two thousand years. You visit Luxor Temple, then board your boutique cruiser and settle into a Luxury cabin as lunch is served on the water. A cocktail reception and dinner aboard as the Nile slips past. Overnight in Luxor.
Day 4 — The West Bank: Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut & the Colossi of Memnon
A morning on the west bank, the land of the dead in ancient belief. You descend into the Valley of the Kings — with the chance to enter the tombs of Tutankhamun and Ramses VI, their colors still vivid after three thousand years — then the great terraces of Hatshepsut’s temple set against the cliffs, and the Colossi of Memnon facing the river. Lunch aboard as the ship begins upriver toward Esna; afternoon tea and sunset snacks on deck. Overnight at Esna.
Day 5 — Edfu & Kom Ombo
Two temples today, both close to the water. Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, is the best-preserved temple in Egypt — you reach it the old way, by horse-drawn caleche. Downstream at Kom Ombo, a rare double temple to Sobek and Haroeris stands right at the river’s edge. Between them the banks roll past from your deck as the ship sails on to Aswan. Overnight in Aswan.
Day 6 — Philae, the High Dam & a Nubian evening
A short boat ride carries you to the island temple of Isis at Philae — rescued stone by stone from the rising waters and rebuilt on higher ground, one of Egypt’s most romantic sites. You also see the Unfinished Obelisk in its ancient quarry and the Aswan High Dam, with Lake Nasser stretching to the horizon. Dinner aboard, and a Nubian folkloric evening. Overnight in Aswan.
Day 7 — Disembark: the Old Cataract, the souk & a felucca
You disembark after breakfast and move to the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract, the palace hotel on the rocks above the cataracts — the Aswan of Agatha Christie, and a night that becomes the memory people talk about afterward. The afternoon is gentle: the Aswan souk, and a felucca under a white lateen sail, drifting among the islands as the sun drops and the river turns to gold. (An excursion to the great rock temples of Abu Simbel can be added this day for those who want it.) Overnight at the Old Cataract.
Day 8 — Fly to Cairo: Coptic & Islamic Cairo
You fly north to Cairo and spend the day tracing the city’s other faiths and centuries: the Hanging Church, the Church of St Sergius and the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Coptic Cairo; the Citadel and the Mosque of Mohamed Ali above the rooftops; lunch at the storied Naguib Mahfouz in the heart of the bazaar; and the lanes of Khan el-Khalili, where craftsmen have worked gold, silver and brass for centuries. A final night at The St. Regis Cairo. Overnight in Cairo.
Day 9 — Departure
A private transfer takes you to Cairo International for your onward flight, timed to your departure so the last morning stays unhurried.
Where you'll stay
Included
- Accommodation as listed — 2 nights Cairo, 4 nights on the Nile, 1 night at the Old Cataract in Aswan, 1 final night in Cairo
- A private English-speaking Egyptologist at each stage of the journey
- All sightseeing and entrance fees as listed
- Entry inside the Great Pyramid (Cheops)
- Camel ride at the Pyramids of Giza
- Full board on the Nile cruise; daily breakfast in Cairo and Aswan; listed meals with water, tea and coffee
- Domestic flights (Cairo–Luxor, Aswan–Cairo), economy
- All private transfers and porterage
- Arrival and departure meet-and-greet and assistance
- In-destination representative support throughout
Not included
- International flights
- Egypt entry visa (e-visa, ~US$30, arranged online before you travel)
- Travel insurance — required, and we'll help you choose
- Optional experiences (e.g. an Abu Simbel excursion; VIP airport arrival)
- Drinks other than those listed (charged as taken)
- Personal items (laundry, calls, room service)
- Tips and gratuities
What we'd rather tell you now
Most of what goes wrong on a trip is an expectation nobody corrected in advance. So here's what this journey is not, before you spend anything.
- Season matters October to April is the comfortable window. Luxor and Aswan in summer routinely pass 40°C / 105°F. We steer this trip to the cooler months on purpose.
- A boutique cruiser, not a private boat The Nile leg is an intimate deluxe ship with private guiding ashore, not a chartered sailing dahabiya. A private dahabiya is a different — lovely — product we can build instead, and we have a real one ready to quote.
- Comfortable pace, real sites Temples and tombs mean uneven ground, steps and sun. It suits most travelers of average fitness; it isn't a mobility-free trip — tell us early and we'll plan around it.
- A private guide at each stage, not one guide throughout You have an expert English-speaking Egyptologist in Cairo and again on the river and at Aswan — the standard on this trip and genuinely good. One dedicated guide who accompanies you the whole way is a lovely upgrade we can arrange.
- Domestic flights carry luggage limits The internal flights have soft limits; we send packing guidance before you go.
- The e-visa is yours to hold; VIP immigration is optional Egypt requires a visa; the e-visa is quick to arrange online. A standard meet-and-greet is included, and a VIP fast-track through immigration is available as an add-on — but the visa fee itself isn't included.
Plan this journey
Every price here is a starting point. Tell Milli your dates and who's traveling, and she'll come back with the exact trip and the exact number, in a written quote — not a brochure.
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