Tours
16 nights Spiritual 2 domestic flights
Sacred Egypt
Seventeen days through the temples, with a night under the stars at Abusir
from$3,155per person Ask about this tour
Nights16
Places12
Flights2
Group1 to 6, or more
Best monthsOctober to March
For travellers who come for the temples rather than the beaches. Cairo and Giza, then Aswan, Abu Simbel, Philae, Luxor’s two banks, Abydos, Dendera, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Akhenaten’s Amarna, ending with a night around the fire with our Bedouin hosts at Abusir and the sun temple of Abu Gorab at dawn.
Day by day
The route
Every day below can be moved or swapped. Tell us what matters to you.
- Day 1 · Giza & the Pyramids
Arrival in Cairo
- Pickup at Cairo airport and transfer to the guest house or your hotel
- Welcome drink at a local café: coffee, tea or iced lemon, shisha if you like, and a chat about the days ahead
- Day 2 · Giza & the Pyramids
The pyramids, and the show at night
- The Sphinx and the three pyramids, with a camel or horse ride around them
- Inside the third pyramid, the Queen’s pyramid and two tombs of the pyramid engineers
- The Giza dunes for the panoramic view of all nine pyramids
- Lunch with the family
- Sound and light show from the guest-house rooftop, or a seated ticket if you prefer
- Day 3 · Cairo
Museum, mosques and the bazaar
- The Egyptian Museum
- Islamic Cairo: Amr ibn al-As, Al-Azhar, Muhammad Ali Mosque at the Citadel and Al-Hussein
- Khan el-Khalili bazaar after dark
- Sufi dance show (tanoura) in the evening
- Day 4 · Saqqara, Dahshur & Memphis
Dahshur, Saqqara and Memphis
- Dahshur: the Red Pyramid (you can go inside) and Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid
- Saqqara: the Step Pyramid of Djoser and the tombs
- The open-air museum at Memphis, the old capital
- Day 5 · Cairo
Coptic Cairo and the Nile at sunset
- A walk through Islamic Cairo
- Coptic Cairo: the Church in the Cave (St Simeon), the Coptic Museum and the Hanging Church
- Picnic in Al-Azhar Park with the view over the old city
- Nile dinner cruise with an open buffet and belly dancing
- Day 6 · Aswan & Nubia
Fly to Aswan, Philae by boat
- Morning flight Cairo to Aswan
- Philae, the temple of Isis, by boat
- The High Dam and a Nile crossing
- Day 7 · Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel at sunrise
- Abu Simbel before dawn: the great temple of Ramses II and the temple of Nefertari
- The Nubian desert in the afternoon
- Day 8 · Edfu
Kom Ombo and Edfu
- Sobek’s temple at Kom Ombo
- Horus’s temple at Edfu, on to Luxor
- Day 9 · Luxor
The Valley of the Kings
- The Valley of the Kings and Tutankhamun’s tomb
- The Valley of the Queens and Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahari
- Day 10 · Luxor
Karnak and Luxor Temple
- Karnak Temple in the morning light
- Luxor Temple and a crossing of the Nile by boat
- Day 11 · Dendera
Dendera
- Hathor’s temple and the zodiac ceiling
- Day 12 · Abydos
Abydos
- Seti I’s temple and the Osireion
- Day 13 · Luxor
A quiet day in Luxor
- Free morning; optional balloon or a felucca at sunset
- Day 14 · Amarna
Amarna, Akhenaten’s city
- Drive north to Amarna: the tombs of the nobles and the royal road
- Day 15 · Giza & the Pyramids
Fly to Cairo
- Back to Luxor and the evening flight to Cairo
- Day 16 · Abusir & Abu Gorab
A night with the Bedouin at Abusir
- Abusir’s pyramids in the late afternoon
- Fire, tea and dinner with our Bedouin hosts; sleep under the stars
- Day 17 · Abusir & Abu Gorab
Abu Gorab at dawn, departure
- The sun temple of Abu Gorab as the sun comes up
- Transfer to the airport
Included
- Accommodation in a 3-star hotel or at our guest house
- Entrance tickets and fees for every activity
- Breakfast and lunch, and the Bedouin dinner at Abusir
- All tips at the sites, so nobody asks you for money
- All ground transport, private
- Domestic flights where the itinerary lists them
Not included
- Egyptian entry visa (on arrival, about $25)
- International flights
- Drinks
- Tips for the tour team
- Dinner, except the Bedouin dinner at Abusir
Optional extras
- Abu Simbel Sun Festival · $125 · Only on 22 February and 22 October
- Sunrise hot-air balloon over Luxor · Priced at the time of booking
Where you sleep
Where you sleep
In Cairo you stay at Pyramids Temple Guest House unless you prefer a hotel. Elsewhere, 3-star hotels we have used for years, or as listed.
6 nights
Pyramids Temple Guest House
Giza · 800 m to the Sphinx
See the guest house 9 nights
3-star hotel
Aswan, Luxor and Minya
1 nights
Bedouin tent
Abusir
Prices
per person, USD
| Adult | Student | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 travellers | $4,505 | $4,105 |
| 4 or more | $3,155 | $2,990 |
Children: Under 5: 50% off · Over 5: 25% off
Accommodation in a 3-star hotel or at our guest house. Entrance tickets and fees for every activity.
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