- Sample authentic Egyptian flavours on a food tour of Cairo
- Quad bike near the Pyramids of Giza
- Explore the Nile on a kayaking adventure
- Stay in Nubian accommodation and enjoy a home-cooked meal
- Sandboard the desert dunes
- Explore the temples of Abu Simbel
Pyramids & Pharaohs in Egypt
Culture
Activity Level
Easy & Moderate
See our Activity Level Guidelines to check if this holiday is right for you.
Comfort Level
Superior
Itinerary
Cairo Luxor
Arrive in Egypt
Welcome to Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Here, raucous modern life meets ancient history. Upon arrival, check into the Hyatt Regency Cairo West, just outside the city. This hotel has views over the pyramids.
Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Cairo West (or similar)
Visit the Pyramids of Giza, Egyptian Museum and Al-Azhar Mosque
The welcome briefing with your leader will be held at the reception on day two. Please have your breakfast first and bring your insurance details to the meeting.
After breakfast, we head to the Pyramids of Giza, spending an hour on a quad bike with the pyramids as our backdrop. Then there’s a tour to reveal the secrets of these intriguing structures.
Later, in downtown Cairo, we visit the Egyptian Museum to see the riches of Tutankhamun’s tomb and other Egyptian treasures. The day continues at the architecturally beautiful Al-Azhar Mosque, one of the oldest examples in the city.
Accommodation: Hyatt Regency Cairo West (or similar)
Kayak down the Nile then explore the souks; board sleeper train
We board kayaks this morning and paddle on the Nile for around two hours. Then it’s back to downtown Cairo for a food tour and the chance to sample traditional Egyptian dishes. We also have an afternoon tour of Old Cairo to wander the narrow lanes of the Khan El-Khalili bazaar.
Tonight, we board a sleeper train to Aswan, the southern frontier of ancient Egypt.
Accommodation: Sleeper train
Wake up in Aswan; explore the Nile by felucca
There’s a full day on the Nile today. We board a felucca (a traditional wooden sailing boat) and get to know this famous waterway a little better. There’s time to relax and enjoy the scenery as we pass rocky islets and glimpse the golden dunes beyond the west bank. Later, we check into Anakato Hotel, a traditional Nubian-style accommodation.
Accommodation: Anakato Hotel (or similar)
Marvel at the Temples of Abu Simbel
We rise before the sun this morning to travel through the desert to Abu Simbel. It’s renowned for its colossal temples – spectacular examples of ancient Egyptian art and engineering overlooking Lake Nasser. After, there’s downtime back at Anakato Hotel before the adventure continues in the late afternoon when we take a desert walk with a Nubian guide. We feast on a home-cooked Nubian meal and learn about the culture and history of this region. For those flying to Abu Simbel, please note that timing will be different.
Accommodation: Anakato Hotel (or similar)
Board the dunes
This morning, we sandboard across the dunes. It’s an extreme sport that’s sure to get your heart pumping. The rest of the day is yours to swim and kayak in the Nile, explore Aswan bazaar or take an optional tour of Philae Temple, the High Dam or a nearby Nubian village.
Accommodation: Anakato Hotel (or similar)
Explore Luxor
It’s to Luxor today, taking an approximately six-hour transfer. We tour the ancient Karnak Temple and marvel at the grandeur of the surviving monuments. After sunset, we visit Luxor Temple, built between 1390 BCE and 1352 BCE. Tonight, we stay at the Sonesta St. George hotel on the east bank of the Nile.
Accommodation: Sonesta St. George hotel (or similar)
Visit the Valley of the Kings
We have an early transfer this morning, which takes us to the Valley of the Kings, the site of 63 royal tombs. It was part of the ancient city of Thebes and the burial site of almost all the pharaohs of the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties. Then it’s onto the Colossi of Memnon, two giant, faceless stone statues guarding the entrance to the temple of Amenophis III. There are tombs with extra tickets that are paid locally like King Tutankhamun, Ramses VI and Seti I. In terms of size and decoration, Tutankhamun’s tomb is not as impressive as many of the other tombs, but is, of course, historically very interesting.
There’s lunch at El Marsam restaurant (at your own expense) and then a visit to ACE Luxor animal hospital, a charity dedicated to treating animals in the most impoverished communities of Luxor.
Tonight, there’s a farewell dinner at El Sofra restaurant (at your own expense), dining on traditional Egyptian dishes.
Accommodation:
Sonesta St. George Hotel (or similar)
Depart Egypt
The adventure ends this morning after breakfast and we begin our return journeys home. However, if you’d like a little more time to explore, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay.
Hotels, sleeper train and Nubian guesthouse
Enjoy a range of accommodation styles on this Egyptian adventure, where we have downtime in four- and five-star (local rating) hotels, while also spending a night on a sleeper train and staying in a Nubian guesthouse. Below are the hotels we typically use.
Cairo: Hyatt Regency Cairo West (nights 1 and 2)
Our time in Egypt begins in style with a stay at this contemporary resort with views of the Pyramids of Giza. There are plenty of facilities to enjoy, including a year-round pool with a sunken bar, a 24-hour gym, and a spa. There are plenty of dining options too, including a European food hall, a Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant, and an industrial-style lounge bar serving cocktails.
Cairo to Aswan: Sleeper train (night 3)
We travel from Cairo to Aswan on the overnight sleeper train. We stay in first-class cabins, which are compact and have bunk beds. Bedding is provided. The train tends to shake due to the condition of the track and is quite noisy. Earplugs are a good idea. A basic dinner and breakfast are provided, you may wish to take snacks with you. There is a shared toilet in each carriage.
Aswan: Anakato Hotel (nights 4-6)
Spend three nights immersing yourself in Nubian culture, language, songs and food at Anakato Hotel, where we stay in traditionally styled accommodation. The meals are homemade (typically Nubian tajines) with ingredients freshly picked from their farm.
Luxor: Sonesta St. George hotel (nights 7 and 8)
Our adventure ends at this rather grand hotel beside the Nile. Sonesta St. George is located in the heart of Luxor with stunning views of the river. You can relax in the sauna or enjoy the outdoor pool. The restaurant serves a variety of local and international dishes for an enjoyable dining experience.
Worth knowing
- The sleeper trains in Egypt are fairly dated so although classified as first class you should be prepared for a lower standard than Western countries.
Reviews
Add your own reviewAdventures in Egypt
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Egypt
Most Inspirational Moment
Too many to say. Pyramids, Nile cruise, Tukenkhamun, impressive ancient Egyptian artefacts and temples.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Rania was the best leader we could have had. Very knowledgeable, professional, organised, enthusiastic, fun,etc. Rania ensured we packed in as much as was possible. Her knowledge was impressive. Nothing was too much trouble for her. She worked tirelessly to make sure we got to places on time and before the crowds. Her energy levels were amazing. She made us feel one big family.
Advice for Potential Travellers
It is a more tiring schedule than you think but we’ll worth the travelling and early starts. Maybe do a bit of homework before you come out.
All the sights with a good group, though bit rushed
I found the trip did exactly what it said on the tin – go and see all the main sights in 9 days, visiting the Pyramids, and the major temples. The group was nice, and being a 30s-40s trip they were all around my age which was good. The hotels were good quality, which others like, though I felt that using 5-star hotels took Exodus away from the good mid-range hotels I’m used to, and was a largely unnecessary expense in a country where most of the accommodation is much better value. The main negatives for me were being bussed everywhere to a timetable – which made it feel less like adventure travel, and the fact that a lot of the sights felt quite rushed, with relatively little time to do independent sightseeing – the worst example of this being the Philae temple visit. This was an optional extra that we paid more for, but (partially due to the sleeper getting in late, which admittedly was beyond their control) we ended up being there for only 90 min, with no unguided time. But apart from this the trip was a good introduction to Egypt and its history.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeing the pyramids for the first time. The amazing carvings in so many of the temples. Nice group.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Ahmet was pretty much always an enthusiastic, knowledgeable leader, even when things weren’t going quite right (for example when the sleeper train arrived significantly late). Nothing was generally too much trouble, and he made the tour much more than it would have been without him. By the end of the trip he was still the same as at the start, ready to explain how great Egypt is, and how ‘everything started in Egypt’! Only issues I noticed were a couple of times where we could have used time better (once we did a 40 min coach trip, that Google maps confirmed was actually only to drive less than 2 miles - I think we were killing time without being told, which annoyed me - we just drove one way and then the other through Luxor town!), and a delay in getting alternative flight info that caused me issues and cost on the return flight.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Don’t expect to do everything in depth, and consider adding more time after the trip - I spent an extra day in Luxor, and 2 days in Cairo, and would recommend that. I went back to Karnak temple and spent another half day on my own, in addition to the quick trip with the group. I also hired a taxi in Cairo and went to the ‘other’ pyramids at Darshur/Saqqarah - which I felt was one of the best days of the whole trip, less tourists, more time to see, and almost better than the Giza pyramids in my view. The sunrise at Abu Simbel wasn’t really worth it - we didn’t really see anything additional - though going to Abu Simbel is worth it. The sound & light show at Karnak (which I did independently) wasn’t really worth it).
Would you like to include flights with your booking?
- ATOL protected
- Competitive flight prices
- Full refunds in the event of FCDO cancellations or major disruption at your UK departure airport
- Specialist support to rearrange flights and transfers
- Regional flights available from many UK airports
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