10 Day Treasures of Egypt Tour Giza Pyramids & Cairo & Nile Cruise & Abu Simbel

Ancient Egypt rewards a well-planned route. This 10-day private tour links Giza and Cairo with the major temples along the Nile, then adds Abu Simbel, domestic flights, hotels, a cruise, meals, and airport transfers. I like the wide coverage and the calm of having a tour team manage the complicated moves. The main concern is the pace: several days begin early and pack three major sights into a single outing.

I also like the Egyptologist guide and the private format, since your group can ask questions and move at its own rhythm. At $2,795 per person, the price is serious, but it includes nine nights, three domestic flight segments, many entrance tickets, seven lunches, four dinners, and round-the-clock airport pickup. Drinks, tips, and some free-time spending remain outside the package.

Key points to know before booking

• See Egypt’s essential ancient sites in one route: Giza, Saqqara, Memphis, Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel are all included.
• The private format matters: Only your group participates, which can make airport transfers and sightseeing less stressful.
• Three domestic flights save long overland journeys: The planned route connects Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Cairo by air.
• Abu Simbel requires a long day: Allow about seven hours for the special outing, including the journey.
• Meals are included, but not every meal: Breakfast is provided nine times, with seven lunches and four dinners.
• The schedule favors coverage over leisure: Day 9 is your main free day in Cairo, so this suits an ambitious first visit.

Why this Egypt itinerary works

Egypt is not a compact sightseeing destination. Cairo sits far north, while Luxor and Aswan are hundreds of miles to the south, and Abu Simbel lies well beyond Aswan near the Sudanese border. This route handles that geography with domestic flights and a Nile cruise rather than asking you to spend most of the holiday on roads.

You get two different kinds of Egypt. Cairo and Giza bring the huge, familiar monuments, crowded city streets, Islamic architecture, and busy markets. The cruise section slows the rhythm slightly, letting you reach riverside temples in a logical order.

The tour is private, but the sightseeing itself remains active. Giza and Saqqara require time outdoors, Valley of the Kings involves walking in the heat, and Abu Simbel takes most of a day. I would choose light luggage, good walking shoes, a hat, and a willingness to start early.

Arrival in Cairo and the first night

Day 1 is intentionally simple. An airport representative meets you, helps with arrival formalities, and transfers you to your Cairo hotel. After an international flight, that assistance can be worth more than it sounds, especially when you are tired and unfamiliar with the airport.

The tour includes airport pickup at all hours. Your first night is in Cairo, giving you a base before the ancient-site touring begins the next morning.

The accommodation is listed as the named hotels and cruise vessel, or similar alternatives. Since the exact properties are not specified, confirm the hotel names, room category, and cruise standard before paying. That information will help you judge the $2,795 price more accurately.

Day 2: Giza, Saqqara, and Memphis

The Pyramids of Giza are the obvious star, and the three-hour visit gives you time to see the pyramid complex and Sphinx without treating them as a quick photo stop. The Great Pyramid is the only surviving member of the ancient Seven Wonders, and its scale is still difficult to grasp until you are standing beside it.

You will have time for photographs at the pyramids and Sphinx. Entrance admission is included, but the tour information does not specify whether entry inside a pyramid is covered. Ask before departure if entering one of the pyramids is important to you, since extra tickets may apply.

Saqqara gives the day more depth. The Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed during the Third Dynasty, is an early major stone monument and looks very different from the smooth-sided pyramids at Giza. A two-hour stop allows your guide to explain how pyramid design developed from earlier mastaba tombs.

The Saqqara visit involves open-air walking and uneven historic ground. You can no longer enter every part of the complex, so focus on the surviving structure, surrounding tombs, and the story of Imhotep, the architect linked to the Step Pyramid.

The final stop is Memphis, once an important ancient capital. The open-air museum includes a large statue of Ramses and an alabaster sphinx. One hour is enough for the main displays, though it may feel brief if you prefer museums and inscriptions over a quick overview.

This is a full day of monuments, but the order makes sense. You begin with the most famous sight, then move backward through the development of Egyptian building and government.

Day 3: Cairo’s museum, citadel, and market

The Egyptian Museum receives three hours, a useful amount of time for a first look at its enormous collection. About 120,000 antiquities are held there, with only a representative portion displayed. Your Egyptologist can help you avoid wandering past important objects without context.

Three hours is not enough to see everything. It is enough to concentrate on the main galleries and ask for help prioritizing the pieces most relevant to the rest of your trip. If you enjoy museums, this may be the day when you wish for more free time.

The Cairo Citadel occupies a hill near the city center and was built as a medieval Islamic fortification. The site offers a change from pharaonic monuments, with historic walls, mosques, and broad city views. Two hours should give you time to explore without turning the visit into a rushed photo stop.

Khan Al-Khalili brings you into Cairo’s traditional bazaar district. You have two hours to browse, shop, and watch daily city life. Admission is not included, although the market itself is free to enter. Prices for purchases, food, and drinks are also your responsibility.

I would treat the market as a place to explore rather than a mandatory shopping assignment. Give yourself time to look, compare prices, and say no politely. The tour’s private structure may also help here, since your guide can arrange a meeting point if members of your group want different amounts of shopping time.

Day 4: Karnak and Luxor Temple

The itinerary shifts to Luxor, where Karnak and Luxor Temple sit on the Nile’s east bank. Karnak receives two hours, enough to appreciate its huge scale and major halls, but not enough to examine every chapel and inscription.

Karnak developed over many centuries and was dedicated mainly to Amun. Its size can make the site feel confusing at first, so this is a place where your Egyptologist adds real value. Ask about the ceremonial route, the columns, and how later rulers added to the complex.

Luxor Temple also receives two hours. Unlike Karnak, it feels closely tied to the modern city around it. The temple was built around 1400 BCE and was known in ancient Egyptian language as the southern sanctuary.

The two visits complement each other. Karnak shows a vast religious center, while Luxor Temple offers a more concentrated monument with a strong connection to the city. Admission is included at both sites.

The precise transfer and cruise timing should be confirmed before departure. The trip description identifies the Cairo to Luxor, Luxor to Aswan, and Aswan to Cairo flight route, plus cruise accommodation, but it does not spell out every transfer hour.

Day 5: Tombs and temples on Luxor’s west bank

The Valley of the Kings is one of the most rewarding stops because the experience shifts from massive exteriors to decorated underground tombs. The tour includes visits to three tombs, with about three hours at the valley.

Tomb assignments and special-ticket access can change, so ask which three tombs are included. The standard entry does not necessarily cover every famous tomb, and the tour information does not promise access to any particular one.

The Valley can be hot, and the walking surface is not always easy. The payoff is the painted decoration inside the tombs, where the ancient burial beliefs become more immediate than they do at a monumental temple.

The Temple of Hatshepsut follows with one hour. Built for the Eighteenth Dynasty ruler Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, it rises in terraces beneath the cliffs. Its design differs sharply from the tombs and temples you see elsewhere, giving the day a welcome change of shape.

The final stop, the Colossi of Memnon, lasts about 30 minutes and is free. These huge statues of Amenhotep III have watched over the Theban Necropolis for roughly 3,400 years. This is a short stop, but it works well as a final look at the west bank before returning to the cruise or hotel arrangements.

Day 6: Edfu and Kom Ombo by the Nile

The cruise section reaches the Temple of Horus at Edfu. Built during the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BCE, it is among Egypt’s best-preserved ancient monuments. Desert sand protected much of the structure after pagan worship ended, and its intact roof gives the interior a powerful sense of enclosure.

The temple is dedicated to Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris. Two hours gives you time to see the major chambers and reliefs while your guide explains the myths and rituals behind them.

Kom Ombo is unusual because it is a double temple. One half honored Sobek, the crocodile god, while the other was dedicated to Horus the Elder. The shared design makes the site especially useful for understanding how different cults operated side by side.

You receive two hours at Kom Ombo, and admission is included. The location beside the Nile makes it a memorable cruise stop, but expect heat and exposed walking. Keep water with you, even though drinks are not included in the tour price.

Day 7: The long road to Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is the day that separates a broad Egypt itinerary from a truly ambitious one. The two rock-cut temples were built near the modern border with Sudan and now face Lake Nasser. The visit takes about seven hours, so this is not a casual add-on.

The larger temple is associated with Ramses II, while the smaller temple honors Queen Nefertari. The scale of the façades and the effort involved in creating them make the long outing worthwhile for many first-time visitors.

The practical issue is time. After several active sightseeing days, seven hours can feel demanding, especially if you are traveling with young children or dislike long transfers. The private format may help with departure timing, and the operating team has accommodated a later Abu Simbel start for some groups, so ask if a different departure is possible for your date.

Admission is included. Pack a simple day bag, sun protection, and anything you need during a long outing. Since the schedule allows no separate leisure day for Abu Simbel, treat it as a major part of the tour, not a spare-hour excursion.

Day 8: Philae, Aswan, and the flight north

Philae is reached by boat, although the supplied details do not specify the exact boat arrangement or whether that cost is separately listed. The temple complex was devoted to Isis and remained important through the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods.

Its modern story is nearly as striking as its ancient one. A UNESCO rescue project moved the monuments block by block from Philae Island to Agilika Island to save them from rising water. Three hours allows you to appreciate the sanctuary, later additions, and its island setting.

After Philae, your tour leader takes you to Aswan Airport for the flight to Cairo. A representative meets you at Cairo Airport and transfers you to your hotel. This handoff is one of the useful features of the package, since flight days can otherwise become confusing after a full morning of sightseeing.

The airport and transfer portions are listed as included in the wider service, but admission is not relevant to the airport stop. Confirm baggage rules and flight times directly with the company, since those details are not provided here.

Day 9: Your only free day in Cairo

Day 9 is listed as a free day in Cairo, with no planned admission. This is your chance to rest, revisit a favorite area, or add a site not covered by the main route.

It is also the day that reveals the tour’s main tradeoff. The itinerary covers a large share of Egypt’s famous monuments, but leaves only one clearly open day. If you prefer slow mornings and long café stops, this program may feel too tight. If you want a first visit that handles the major ancient sights, the packed schedule is its strength.

Use the day for personal plans only after checking your final departure time and transfer arrangements. The next morning is reserved for airport departure.

Day 10 and the service style

After breakfast, a representative escorts you to the airport according to your flight time. The company’s strongest service feature is the repeated personal handoff: arrival assistance, hotel transfers, airport pickup, and departure support are all part of the arrangement.

Names associated with the operating team include Ahmed, Randa, Amina, Mohammed, Ibrahim Draz, Ahmed Abdul, and Mohamed El Sadek Amin. Staff assignments can vary, so do not book solely to secure one particular guide, but you can request a preferred guide when asking questions before departure.

Past service feedback has especially praised the organization, airport assistance, flexible changes, clean large vans, patient staff, and guides who kept groups feeling safe and cared for. One group also appreciated the ability to adjust plans and add activities. Those details suggest a company that pays close attention to logistics, which matters in a country where transfers and timing can easily eat into sightseeing.

What the $2,795 price includes

The price is easiest to judge as a package rather than as ten days of sightseeing alone. Included are:

• Nine nights in hotels and cruise accommodation, or similar
• A qualified Egyptologist guide
• Round-trip domestic flights on the Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Cairo route
• Airport pickup and transfers
• Nine breakfasts
• Seven lunches
• Four dinners
• Many of the major entrance tickets listed in the daily schedule

Drinks are excluded, along with tips for guides and drivers. Khan Al-Khalili admission is listed as not included, though the market itself generally functions as a public bazaar. You should also confirm any optional pyramid-tomb tickets, special tomb admissions, boat charges, and extra activities before departure.

For a private 10-day program with domestic flights, cruise lodging, meals, guiding, and transfers, the package can offer solid value if you plan to visit these same sites independently. Its value is less clear if you want lots of free time, dislike organized touring, or prefer to choose budget hotels and local transport yourself.

Who should book this tour

I would recommend it to a first-time Egypt visitor who wants the main sights handled in one booking. Families can benefit from the private format, especially since children must be accompanied by an adult and the group can avoid sharing every transfer with strangers.

It also suits couples and small groups who care about service and want help from the airport onward. The pace is best for people who would rather see more monuments than spend several days resting.

I would hesitate if you need a slow itinerary, have difficulty with long days in the heat, or want extensive time for Cairo’s museums and neighborhoods. The tour is ambitious, and Abu Simbel is a serious day trip, not a light excursion.

The cancellation terms are fairly clear: cancel at least six full days before the local start time for a full refund. A cancellation two to six days ahead receives 50 percent, while less than two days brings no refund. Changes follow the same cutoffs, so check the local time carefully.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The tour lasts approximately 10 days and includes nine nights of accommodation.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins in Cairo, with airport assistance and transfer to your Cairo hotel on arrival.

Is the tour private?

Yes. Only your group participates in the private tour or activity.

Are domestic flights included?

Yes. The package includes round-trip local flights on the Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Cairo route.

Is a guide included?

Yes. A qualified Egyptologist guide is included.

Which pyramid sites are included?

The route includes the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. It also visits the ruins and open-air museum at Memphis.

Is Abu Simbel included?

Yes. Abu Simbel is scheduled as a day trip lasting about seven hours, with admission included.

How many meals are included?

The package includes nine breakfasts, seven lunches, and four dinners. Drinks are not included.

Are tips included?

No. Tips for guides and drivers are excluded.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can receive a full refund by canceling at least six full days before the experience start time. Canceling two to six days ahead provides a 50 percent refund. Less than two full days receives no refund.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if your goal is to see Egypt’s major ancient sights with the hard parts arranged for you. The combination of private transfers, domestic flights, Nile cruise accommodation, an Egyptologist, and Abu Simbel gives you an efficient first visit with strong logistical support.

Skip it if you want an unhurried Cairo stay or dislike early, full sightseeing days. At $2,795, the best value comes from using nearly every included element. If that sounds like your travel style, this is a practical way to cover an enormous amount of Egypt without spending your holiday solving transport puzzles.