A Taste of Egypt
Discover ancient Egypt: Cairo, its capital; Aswan, gateway to Africa; Luxor, site of Luxor and Karnak temples; the iconic Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren; 3 nights aboard a deluxe Nile cruise ship.
Overview
Style | Small Group TourTravel with a small, intimate group of no more than 16 likeminded travelers (and often much fewer), escorted by an English speaking guide and/or tour manager for some or all of your journey. (Some exceptions, including special promotional packages, may accommodate up to 30.) More of these packages
Dedicated tour escorts & guides throughout |
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Departures | December 2024 – December 2025 | Group Size | 16 travelers max |
Themes | History & Culture, River Cruises | ||
Activity Level | Moderate | ||
What to Expect | This fast-paced, escorted tour includes a reasonable amount of walking or hiking and requires an average level of physical fitness. Expect early wake up times and very long days in order to fit in all included visits. The Nile cruise portion of this tour can total up to 100 passengers. Travel safely and confidently with our new health & safety protocols. | ||
Already booked? | Find everything you need to know before you go, including information about passport & visa requirements, flights, luggage, and more. |
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Step back in time and discover the ancient wonders of Egypt on our A Taste of Egypt tour. Enjoy nine fascinating days exploring this historic country, starting in the sprawling capital city of Cairo, where East and West meet in a wonderful mix of precious antiquities and bustling modern life. Explore the treasures in the Egyptian Museum, browse the ancient bazaars and visit the Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. Fly to Aswan and embark on a three-night deluxe Nile River cruise, touring the East Bank of the Nile from Aswan to Kom Ombo and Esna to Luxor and the Temple of Karnak. Egypt is known as the world's greatest outdoor museum, and you'll soon discover why it is a bucket list destination for world travelers.
Package includes
- Flights
- Cruise
- Coach
- Transfers
- Hotel
- Meals
- Guides
- Round trip flights from New York (JFK) via EgyptAir, including taxes & fees
- Arrival & departure transfers with meeting, assistance and porterage
- All intra-Egypt flights and ground transportation
- 3 nights Deluxe hotel accommodations in Cairo
- 1 night Deluxe hotel accommodations in Aswan
- 3 nights aboard a 5-star Nile cruise ship in an outside, middle deck cabin
- 15 meals: 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches & 3 dinners
- All shore excursions on Nile Cruise
- Comprehensive touring program including entrance fees
- Professional English-speaking Egyptologist tour director and local guides
Optional add-ons
- Exciting optional excursions in Cairo
- Optional excursion to Abu Simbel
Why you'll love it
- Spend 3 nights sailing along the Nile River aboard your deluxe Nile cruise ship.
- Browse the Egyptian Museum's extensive collection of ancient treasures.
- Marvel at the mysterious Sphinx and the great Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren.
- Tour the granite quarries at Aswan's High Dam, which controls the Nile and is Egypt's major source of hydroelectric power.
- Share a pot of tea with a family in a local village.
- View the unique and fascinating drawings at the Temple of Kom Ombo.
- Sail from Esna to Luxor, the capital of the New Kingdom and an important trade center of the ancient world.
- Visit the Temple of Karnak, one of the most signification monuments of the Pharaonic legacy.
- Explore the Valley of the Kings, once a royal burial ground for pharaohs.
- Discover the ancient mysteries of King Tut on an included tour of his tomb in Luxor.
Itinerary at a Glance
- 1 Depart USA
- 2 Cairo
- 3 Cairo, Pyramids & Sphinx, Aswan
- 4 Aswan
- Optional Excursion: Abu Simbel, $350
- 5 Kom Ombo & Esna
- 6 Luxor
- 7 Luxor & Cairo
- Optional Excursion: Hot Air Balloon Ride (purchased locally), $170
- 8 Cairo
- Optional Excursion: Citadel of Saladin & Khan El Khalili Bazaar, $90
- Optional Excursion: Memphis & Sakkara, $90
- Optional Excursion: Walking Tour of Art Galleries in Zamalek with dinner, $70
- 9 Cairo/USA
Dates & Prices
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 Depart USA
- Check in for your overnight flight for Cairo, Egypt
Day 2 Cairo
- Arrive in Cairo, Egypt and transfer to your hotel
- Enjoy the day at leisure
Hilton Cairo Zamalek Residences or similar
Full Day ItineraryArrive in Cairo, where East and West come together in a wonderful mix of old and new. After customs formalities, you'll be met by our representatives in Cairo and escorted to your centrally located hotel overlooking the Nile River. You'll have the rest of the day to relax after your long flight or explore independently.
Day 3 Cairo, Pyramids & Sphinx, Aswan
- Tour the Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren
- Discover the treasures of the Egyptian Museum
- Board your evening flight from Cairo to Aswan
Mövenpick Resort Aswan or similar Breakfast & lunch
Full Day ItineraryThis morning, your guide will escort you on a fascinating tour of the most famous of all sites in Egypt—the Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren. These monuments have stood for 46 centuries and may be the most visited in Egypt. The Sphinx, a feline character with the body of a lion and the face of Khufu (Cheops in Greek), is 50 meters long and 22 meters high. Carved from a single stone, it lies just before the Pyramids, and even today, its meaning and origin remain shrouded in mystery.
After lunch, enjoy a tour of Cairo, beginning at the Egyptian Museum, where you'll view, among other treasures, the priceless antiquities of Tutankhamun's tomb.
This evening, transfer to the airport for your short flight to Aswan, the gateway to Africa for the ancient Egyptians. Originally named "Syene" for the coarse-grained syenite extracted from its quarries, Aswan became a trading hub for spices, leather, ivory, fruit, grains, baskets, and mummified and living crocodiles.
Day 4 Aswan
- Join an optional tour to Abu Simbel
- See Aswan's High Dam and the granite quarries
- Enjoy a tour by felucca
Full Day ItineraryEarly this morning, take advantage of an optional excursion to the temple complex of Abu Simbel.
See Aswan's High Dam, which controls the Nile and is a significant source of hydroelectric power in Egypt. Also, tour the granite quarries where a partially carved and cracked obelisk will demonstrate how the giant forms were hewn from the solid rock. Continue to the pier for embarkation aboard your deluxe Nile cruise ship. Settle into your cabin and enjoy lunch on board.
Enjoy a tour by felucca (a small, swift Egyptian sailboat) before returning to your cruise ship for dinner.
Spend the night in Aswan.
Note: All 2024 departures will stay on the MS Tamr.
Optional Excursion: Abu Simbel, $350Early this morning, fly from Aswan to nearby Abu Simbel, the site of the Great Temple of Ramses II, one of the most magnificent of all temples in Egypt and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Part of the Nubian Monuments, the twin temples of Abu Simbel were initially carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Ramses II in the 13th century BCE as a lasting tribute to himself and his queen Nefertiti. After the creation of Lake Nasser, formed by the building of Aswan High Dam in 1968, the Abu Simbel complex was relocated in its entirety high above the reservoir. After exploring the temple complex, return to Aswan. Space is limited. This tour must be pre-booked and is not available for purchase locally.
Day 5 Kom Ombo & Esna
- Visit Philae Temple and enjoy a cup of tea at a Nubian house
- Tour the Temple of Kom Ombo
Full Day ItineraryVisit Philae Temple, the holiest site for Isis worshippers for centuries. The temple was officially closed down in the 6th century CE by the Byzantine emperor Justinian, and it was the last pagan temple to exist in the Mediterranean world. After the construction of the Aswan Dam, the half-submerged temple complex was completely dismantled and rebuilt to the original specifications on the nearby island of Agilika, which was reshaped and landscaped to resemble the original Philae. Metal pylons on the old island of Philae can still be seen rising from the water to the south of Agilika. Then enjoy a cup of tea in a Nubian house and learn about the local Nubian culture!
After lunch aboard the cruise ship, sail to Kom Ombo, where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the river bank. The Temple of Kom Ombo is unique in all of Egypt and is shared by the two gods, Sobek and Haroeris. These Ptolemaic temples overlook the Nile and feature fascinating renderings on the walls, including detailed drawings of surgical instruments.
After dinner onboard, enjoy an Egyptian Galabeya Party onboard the ship.
Spend the night in Esna.
Note: All 2024 departures will stay on the MS Tamr.
Day 6 Luxor
- Sail to Luxor
- Tour the East Bank of the Nile and the Temple of Karnak and Luxor Temple
Full Day ItineraryVisit the East Bank of the Nile. Highlights of today's tour include visits to the Temple of Karnak, one of the most significant monuments of the Pharaonic legacy, with work carried out on the temples over 1500 years, and Luxor Temple, strikingly graceful and enhanced over the centuries by Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Alexander the Great, and others.
After dinner onboard, enjoy a Belly Dancer and Tanoura show.
Spend the night in Luxor.
Note: All 2024 departures will stay on the MS Tamr.
Day 7 Luxor & Cairo
- Disembark after breakfast
- Tour the West Bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings via motor coach
- Visit the mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
- Discover the ancient tomb of King Tutankhamun
Hilton Cairo Zamalek Residences or similar Breakfast & lunch
Full Day ItineraryAfter breakfast, disembark and board your touring coach to visit the West Bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings, where 64 of Egypt's Pharaohs have their royal tombs hewn into the sheer rock. Continue to the impressive Deir El Bahari mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, an architectural wonder built against a looming cliff face backdrop, and the Colossi of Memnon, two giant seated statues of Amenhotep III. Afterward, discover the ancient tomb of King Tutankhamun, commonly referred to as King Tut. Explore the rooms covered in mural paintings and the burial chamber, which still contains the pharaoh's mummy in its original sarcophagus.
Then, transfer to the airport for your short flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel for check-in and overnight.
Optional Excursion: Hot Air Balloon Ride (purchased locally), $170Day 8 Cairo
- Spend the day at leisure or join an optional excursion
Hilton Cairo Zamalek Residences or similar Breakfast
Optional Excursion: Citadel of Saladin & Khan El Khalili Bazaar, $90This morning, visit the Citadel of Saladin, built on the remains of a Crusader-style fortress and the Alabaster Mosque. Later, visit the Khan El Khalili Bazaar. Embrace the spices as you admire exotic clothing, jewelry, hand-hammered copper, ceramic ware, and other treasures that await your deft bargaining to win them at astounding prices.
Optional Excursion: Memphis & Sakkara, $90Optional Excursion: Walking Tour of Art Galleries in Zamalek with dinner, $70This evening, enjoy a guided visit to the trendy Zamalek suburb, an island in the Nile alongside Cairo. Zamalek is one of Cairo's most dynamic enclaves and cultural hubs, home to eclectic galleries, fair trade shops, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, and bars. Stroll through the neighborhood and discover wonderful artworks by some of Egypt's most talented contemporary artists showcased at galleries such as Safar Khan Art Gallery or Picasso Art Gallery. Afterward, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 9 Cairo/USA
- Bid farewell to Egypt as you're escorted to the airport for your return flight
- Arrive in the USA later today
Breakfast
Hotels & Ships
Hotels
In the unlikely event that a particular hotel is not available, a similar or better hotel may be substituted.
Cruise Ships
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Trip Details
- What should I know before I go? We've compiled a comprehensive checklist, including information on how to pay your balance due, flights & transfers, packing & luggage, and more.
- Do I need a visa or other documents? Are there any entry requirements? Travel visas are required for this package. Please review the visa & entry requirements.
- Can I make changes to my trip? Want to upgrade your seats? Something else? Just ask!
- Can I bring my kids? Are there any age restrictions? To book this package, you must be 18 or older. Your traveling companions must be 8 or older at time of travel.
- Should I purchase travel insurance? Yes! We recommend you purchase travel insurance to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. For your convenience, we offer a plan provided by Travelex Insurance Services.
- What's the fine print? Review the terms & conditions for this package.
- What should I know about Egypt? Check out our guide for practical travel tips, the best time to go, videos, and more.