This 8-day private luxury Egypt tour takes you through Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan with a private Egyptologist guide from the moment you land, a route built for travelers who want to see Egypt's essential sites without sharing a schedule, a guide, or a vehicle with anyone outside their group. It's one of our most requested Egypt Luxury Tours for travelers who want depth, not just a checklist of monuments.
Three nights in Cairo open the trip. Your guide walks you through the Giza Pyramids and Great Sphinx, then into the Grand Egyptian Museum to see King Tutankhamun's treasures up close, with the history explained in context rather than recited from a plaque.
If you want a preview of what a full day in the city looks like, our guide to Cairo's top attractions covers the sites this leg is built around.
From Cairo you fly to Luxor, where the East Bank holds Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple and the West Bank holds the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut, four sites that cover close to 3,000 years of Egyptian history in a single day.
See our Luxor attractions guide for more on what each site actually involves.
The next four nights are spent aboard a deluxe Nile cruise sailing from Luxor to Aswan, with stops at the riverside temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo and views of village life along the water you don't get from a bus window.
In Aswan, the tour closes at the Aswan High Dam and the Temple of Philae, with time to take in the Nile islands before your flight back to Cairo, both covered in more depth in our guide to things to do in Aswan.
Cairo opens the trip with the pyramids and the museum; Luxor and the four-night Nile cruise carry you south through Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, and Kom Ombo; and Aswan closes it at the High Dam and Philae Temple. A private guide and air-conditioned vehicle handle every transfer along the way.
Your 8-day private luxury Egypt tour begins the moment you land at Cairo International Airport, where our representative meets you at the gate and stays with you through baggage claim.
From there, a private, air-conditioned vehicle takes you straight to your Cairo hotel. Your tour manager meets you at check-in to walk through the full itinerary and confirm the details of each coming day, so nothing is left to figure out later.
With check-in handled for you, the morning opens up for a first tour around Cairo, a light introduction to the city before the pyramid and museum days ahead. A welcome drink awaits on arrival, and the night is yours to rest at the hotel.
After breakfast, your guide picks you up for a full day covering close to 5,000 years of Egyptian history. The morning starts at the Giza Plateau, home to the Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, built over 4,500 years ago, with the Great Sphinx standing guard beside them.
There's time for photos, an optional camel ride across the sand, and a stop at the Valley Temple of Khafre to see how ancient Egyptians approached royal burial.
From Giza, you move to the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to more than 160,000 artifacts, among them the treasures recovered from King Tutankhamun's tomb.
After lunch at a local restaurant, the afternoon turns to Coptic Cairo: the Fortress of Babylon, the Hanging Church, and the Church of St. Sergius, where tradition holds the Holy Family once stayed, followed by the Synagogue of Ben Ezra.
The day closes in Islamic Cairo, walking the medieval streets and souks of Khan El Khalili, with a stop for mint tea at the historic Fishawy Café before heading back to your hotel
After an early breakfast and checkout, you fly from Cairo to Luxor, where you're met at the airport and taken straight to check in to your 5-star Nile cruise ship.
Following lunch on board, the afternoon is given to Luxor's East Bank, starting with the Karnak Temple Complex, the largest religious structure ever built, expanded over centuries by successive pharaohs and dedicated to the Theban deities.
Walking its colonnades, courts, and rows of obelisks gives a sense of scale that photos alone don't capture.
From Karnak, you continue to Luxor Temple, built along the Nile by several pharaohs across different reigns and used for centuries as a center of celebration and ritual dedicated to the gods.
Visiting toward evening, when the temple's lighting comes on, adds a different read on the same stones you saw from Karnak just hours earlier.
You return to the ship for the evening, with dinner served on board as the cruise gets underway.
Meal: Full Board
Stay: Overnight on board
Breakfast on board comes first, then you meet your Egyptologist guide for a tour of Luxor's West Bank. The first stop is the Colossi of Memnon , two giant statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that have stood on this site for roughly 3,400 years, acting as guardians at the entrance to the Theban necropolis.
From there, you continue to the Valley of the Kings, the burial site of more than 60 New Kingdom pharaohs, including Tutankhamun and Ramses II, where tombs cut into the mountainside were built to carry each pharaoh into the afterlife with everything he was believed to need.
The morning closes at the Temple of Hatshepsut at El Deir El Bahari, built for Egypt's first female pharaoh and one of the most distinctive pieces of architecture in the country.
Back on board, lunch is served as the ship casts off and begins sailing south toward Edfu, with the afternoon free to watch the Nile countryside pass by. Dinner and evening entertainment follow on board.
Optional: A sunrise hot air balloon ride over Luxor, taking in the temples, tombs, and Nile Valley from above.
Meals: Full Board
Stay: Overnight on board
Breakfast on board starts the day before you set out for the Temple of Edfu, one of Egypt's best-preserved Ptolemaic temples, dedicated to Horus, the falcon-headed god of protection and kingship.
The walls and hieroglyphics here have held up well enough that the stories carved into them are still easy to follow, even without prior knowledge of Egyptian mythology.
From Edfu, the ship sails on to Kom Ombo, home to a double temple unlike anything else on this route, one side dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, and the other to Haroeris, the falcon-headed god. The layout itself reflects how ancient Egyptians linked these two deities to health, fertility, and protection.
Back on board, lunch is served as the ship continues toward Aswan, with the afternoon left open to watch the Nile's riverbanks and desert edges pass by. Dinner is served on board in the evening.
Meals: Full Board
Stay: Overnight on board
Breakfast on board comes first, then a full day of sightseeing in Aswan begins at the High Dam, the structure credited with reshaping Egypt's agriculture and economy by controlling the Nile's yearly flood.
From there, a short motorboat ride takes you to the Temple of Philae, dedicated to the goddess Isis and set on its own island surrounded by open water.
Next comes the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in the granite quarry where it cracked during carving. It's the largest known obelisk ever attempted in ancient Egypt, and seeing it half-carved into the bedrock tells you more about how these monuments were actually made than a finished one ever could.
You sail back to the ship for the evening, with dinner served on board in the quiet of the Nile after dark.
Optional: A day trip to Abu Simbel, the rock-cut temples built by Ramses II, fronted by four colossal seated statues on the shore of Lake Nasser.
Meals: Full Board
Stay: Overnight on board
After a last breakfast aboard the Steigenberger MS Minerva, you disembark and transfer to Aswan Airport for the short flight back to Cairo. On arrival, our representative meets you and takes you to your hotel.
The rest of the day is yours; rest at the hotel or head out to Khan El Khalili for some last shopping and a walk through Cairo at your own pace, with no schedule to follow after four days on the water.
Meals: Breakfast
Stay: Overnight in Cairo
Itinerary Changes — The order of days can shift slightly due to flight schedules, Nile cruise sailing times, or site closures beyond our control (a security visit, for instance, as happened during a recent tour when the Grand Egyptian Museum closed for a state visit). Your guide adjusts the schedule on the spot to make sure nothing you were meant to see gets dropped
Physical Requirements — Expect uneven ground at most temple and tomb sites, some stairs (particularly in the Valley of the Kings tombs and at Karnak), and warm daytime temperatures for most of the year. The pace is set by you and your guide, so this suits most fitness levels, but it isn't a fully step-free itinerary.
Dress Code for Religious and Historical Sites — Modest clothing is expected at temples and mosques: shoulders and knees covered for all travelers. Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are worth packing given the terrain at Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and Philae Temple.
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At Aten Tours, we are proud to create experiences that leave lasting memories. Read genuine feedback from travelers who explored Egypt’s wonders, enjoyed luxury holidays, and discovered the world with confidence and ease.
Traveling solo in Egypt with Aten Tour was one of the best decisions I made. As a 22-year-old female traveler, I was a little nervous before arriving, but I felt safe and well looked after from day one. Everything was well organized, my guide was knowledgeable, kind, and always happy to help, and I never had to worry about a thing. The whole trip was smooth, enjoyable, and filled with unforgettable moments. I'm so glad I chose Aten Tour and would definitely travel with them again.
My fiancé and I booked a private 5-day tour of Egypt with Aten Tours, covering Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Luxor. From the moment we arrived, everything was perfectly organized. The team took care of every detail, making our trip completely stress-free. Our guides were knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate about Egypt's history, and every destination exceeded our expectations. Even after returning home, we still find ourselves talking about this unforgettable experience. We highly recommend Aten Tours to anyone looking for a well-planned and memorable trip to Egypt.
Traveling with Aten Tour made our vacation completely stress-free. Every hotel, transfer, and excursion was exactly as promised, and the team was always available whenever we had a question. We really appreciated the personal attention and warm hospitality throughout the trip. We came home with unforgettable memories and would definitely recommend Aten Tour to anyone planning a trip to Egypt.
We booked an 8-day trip with Aten Tour, and it turned out to be one of our favorite vacations. Everything was well organized from start to finish, which made traveling around Egypt really easy. We never felt rushed, the hotels were great, and the team was always helpful whenever we needed anything. Egypt had been on our bucket list for a long time, and we're so glad we chose Aten Tour for this experience.
Our family booked a tour with Aten Tour after reading several positive reviews, and they definitely lived up to our expectations. Communication before the trip was quick and helpful, and everything during the tour was exactly as described. The hotels were comfortable, the transportation was smooth, and the guides made every stop interesting with their stories and local knowledge. Egypt had always been a dream destination for us, and this trip made it even more memorable.
All FAQ about Egypt
Yes. Since the tour is private and tailor-made, extra days in Cairo, Luxor, or Aswan can be added before or after the core 8-day route — just let us know when you inquire so we can adjust flights and cruise timing accordingly.
Yes, entrance to the Grand Egyptian Museum is included in the tour price, along with every other site on the itinerary.
Most sites involve uneven ground and some stairs, particularly at the Valley of the Kings tombs and Karnak Temple. The pace is set by you and your guide, so it suits most fitness levels, though it isn't a step-free itinerary.
It's included as a core part of the itinerary—4 nights full board, sailing from Luxor to Aswan with stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo along the way.
The price covers 3 nights at a 5-star Cairo hotel, 4 nights full board on a deluxe Nile cruise, domestic flights between Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan, entrance fees to every site on the itinerary, a private Egyptologist guide, and a private air-conditioned vehicle throughout.
