Egypt Tour 11 Day Cairo & Alexandria Nile Cruise & Abu Simbel Hotel & Flight Inc

The big draw here is simple: in 11 days, you see the Pyramids, Nile temples, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria without having to stitch together trains, hotels, guides, and airport transfers yourself. The route covers Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Alexandria, with four nights on the Nile between the major temple stops.

I like the private format and the amount included. Your own group travels by private vehicle, airport and port transfers are arranged, and the package covers six Cairo hotel nights, four nights on the cruise, entrance tickets, breakfasts, and many lunches and dinners. I also like the mix of famous sights and less obvious stops, especially Saqqara, Coptic Cairo, Kom Ombo, and Philae.

The main caution is pace. You’ll change cities, take domestic flights, rise early for major sites, and spend long days visiting ruins. Guide quality may also vary, so ask for a clear daily schedule and confirm cabin location before paying. A few past guests praised the organization and communication, while others found guides less engaged or received a noisy cabin near the ship’s engine.

Key points to know before booking

• Four nights on the Nile: The cruise links Luxor and Aswan, with stops at Kom Ombo and Edfu along the way.
• Abu Simbel is included: This major excursion adds one of Egypt’s most memorable ancient sites to the route.
• Private touring throughout: Only your group takes part, with private transport and arranged transfers.
• Six Cairo hotel nights: Cairo is used as both your starting point and your base after the cruise.
• Meals are partly covered: Breakfast is included daily, with cruise lunches and dinners plus eight listed lunches and four listed dinners overall. Drinks cost extra.
• A packed historic route: You’ll visit pyramids, tombs, temples, churches, Roman sites, a medieval fortress, and a famous bazaar.

An ambitious route from Cairo to Abu Simbel

This tour works best if you want Egypt’s major sights in one organized trip. At $2,793 per person, the price is not a budget package, but it covers a lot: 10 nights of accommodation, a four-night deluxe Nile cruise, private transport, an Egyptologist guide, admission tickets, domestic flights shown in the schedule, breakfasts, and many other meals.

That bundle has real value because Egypt’s sights are spread far apart. Cairo to Luxor, Luxor to Aswan, and Aswan to Cairo involve long distances or flights. Having a representative meet you on arrival, help with airport formalities, and arrange transfers removes much of the usual friction.

You should still check the exact hotel and ship names before booking. The package promises six nights in five-star Cairo hotels and four nights on a deluxe cruise, but the supplied details do not name the properties or ship. Ask for the cabin deck and location, too. One past complaint involved a cabin at the back of the boat near the engine, with noise serious enough to prompt a protest.

The tour is private, but that does not mean leisurely. Day 2 gives you three hours at the Giza Plateau and three hours at the Egyptian Museum. Day 3 covers Saqqara and Memphis. Then come Cairo’s Islamic and Coptic quarters, a flight to Luxor, a cruise, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria. You see a great deal, but you will need stamina.

Cairo begins with the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum

Arrival day is intentionally light. A representative from Look at Egypt Tours meets you, helps with arrival formalities, and transfers you to your Cairo hotel. Use the evening to rest rather than chase another sight. The next morning starts the main program.

The Giza Plateau needs no introduction, but the three-hour visit gives you time to look beyond the standard postcard view. You’ll see the Great Pyramids, the other major pyramids, and the Sphinx, all at the foot of the plateau. The Great Pyramid is the only surviving monument of the ancient Seven Wonders, and its scale is difficult to grasp until you are beside it.

Bring water, a hat, and shoes that handle uneven ground. The site is open, exposed, and hot at the wrong time of day. Your guide can help explain the purpose of the pyramids and the Sphinx, but allow yourself a few quiet minutes simply to look. This is one of the few places where the famous image really does match the experience.

The Egyptian Museum provides a useful counterpoint. Instead of huge monuments outdoors, you move through rooms filled with ancient objects, including the museum’s famous collection of Egyptian antiquities. The collection contains about 120,000 items, though only a portion is displayed at one time.

Three hours is enough for a guided introduction, but not enough to absorb every room. Stay close to your guide for the key objects, then use any free minutes for the pieces that catch your eye. The museum can feel crowded and visually dense, so a focused visit is better than trying to see everything.

Saqqara and Memphis show how Egypt built its first pyramids

Day 3 moves south of Cairo to Saqqara, where the Step Pyramid of Djoser is the main event. Built for the Third Dynasty ruler Djoser and associated with the architect Imhotep, it is widely regarded as Egypt’s earliest major stone structure.

The pyramid’s six rising levels show an early stage in pyramid design. It reaches about 60 meters and was built from local stone. Compared with Giza, Saqqara feels more like a place where you can follow the development of royal tombs rather than simply admire a finished monument.

The visit lasts about three hours, which allows your Egyptologist guide to explain the site’s importance. The wording in the supplied description is cut off in places, so you should ask in advance which areas are open on your date. Ancient sites can have changing access rules, and the included ticket does not guarantee that every tomb or interior space will be available.

Memphis follows for about an hour. The former capital is now represented by ruins near Mit Rahina, including a huge statue of Ramses II and an alabaster sphinx associated with Hatshepsut. Memphis is less visually grand than Giza, but it helps you understand that ancient Egypt was not just a string of isolated monuments. These were parts of a large political and religious center.

Cairo’s citadel, bazaar, and churches add later layers

Day 4 shifts away from pharaohs. At the Citadel of Saladin, you’ll visit a medieval Islamic fortification on Mokattam Hill. The site once had a reputation for fresh air and broad views over Cairo. Today, it offers a change of pace after several days of ancient temples and tombs.

Next comes Khan Al-Khalili, Cairo’s historic market district. You’ll have about an hour, enough for a first look at the lanes, shops, and old-city atmosphere. It is a useful place to buy small souvenirs, but bargain carefully and do not feel pressured to purchase. The short visit may leave you wanting more time to wander.

Coptic Cairo completes the day with the Babylon Fortress, the Coptic Museum, the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George, and other religious sites. This stop matters because it broadens the story of Egypt beyond the pharaohs. You’ll see how Christian and Islamic Cairo developed around older parts of the city.

Each of the three stops is scheduled for about an hour. That keeps the day moving, but it also limits time inside museums and churches. If you care especially about Coptic Cairo or the bazaar, tell your guide early. A private tour gives you more room to discuss priorities than a large coach trip would.

Luxor brings the great temples and royal tombs

After breakfast on Day 5, you check out and transfer to Cairo airport for the flight to Luxor. The schedule then takes you to Karnak and Luxor Temple on the east bank of the Nile.

Karnak is not a single building. It is a large temple complex dedicated mainly to Amun, with construction beginning as early as 2000 BC. Its columns, courts, and religious spaces make it one of the most impressive stops on the route. Two hours is a useful amount of time for a first visit, though the scale can make the tour feel quick.

Luxor Temple is smaller and more compact, with about an hour scheduled. Built around 1400 BCE, it was known in ancient Egyptian as the southern sanctuary. I like the way Karnak and Luxor Temple work together: Karnak shows a vast religious complex, while Luxor gives you a more concentrated sense of how temple space was organized.

Day 6 crosses to the west bank. The Valley of the Kings was the burial ground of many New Kingdom pharaohs. Your included ticket allows entry to three tombs, but Tutankhamun’s tomb requires a separate ticket.

The tombs are not simply empty rooms. Their painted walls and carved passages were made for the afterlife, though treasure hunters, floods, and modern tourism have damaged some surfaces. Photography rules and access can change, so follow your guide and site instructions. Three tombs may sound like a lot, but the interiors differ, and a good explanation helps you notice the symbols rather than rush through.

The Temple of Hatshepsut is set against the cliffs and is dedicated to one of Egypt’s most notable female rulers. Its terraces make it visually different from the Valley tombs. The stop is listed as only one minute in the schedule, which is clearly not enough for a real visit, so confirm the actual timing with the operator. The Colossi of Memnon are also included as a stop, giving you a quick look at two giant statues of Amenhotep III.

The four-night cruise links Edfu, Kom Ombo, and Aswan

The Nile cruise is the trip’s organizing middle section. Four nights on board give you a moving base instead of repeated hotel changes, and the ship carries you between temple stops.

At Kom Ombo, you’ll see an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic period, roughly 180 to 47 BC. One side was dedicated to Sobek, the crocodile god, while the other honored associated deities. The two-part plan makes this temple feel different from the single-focus complexes around Luxor.

Edfu’s Temple of Horus is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt. Built between 237 and 57 BC, it was protected by desert sand after pagan worship ended. Its intact roof helps create a strong sense of enclosure, and the reliefs are easier to read than those at many more exposed ruins. Three hours are scheduled here, giving your guide time to explain the temple’s connection to Horus, Isis, and Osiris.

The cruise includes full board for four nights, with buffet lunch and dinner listed on board, along with daily breakfast. Drinks are not included, so budget for them separately. The package also lists dinner every day on the cruise, four dinners overall, and eight lunches in total. Since meal wording can be read in more than one way, ask the company for the final meal schedule.

A cruise is comfortable for sightseeing, but it is not a quiet retreat by definition. Cabin placement matters, especially near engines. Ask for a cabin away from the rear machinery area if possible, and request the ship name before departure.

Abu Simbel and Philae are the Aswan highlights

Abu Simbel is one of the strongest reasons to choose this route. The complex contains two huge rock-cut temples near the border with Sudan, on the western shore of Lake Nasser and about 230 kilometers southwest of Aswan.

The temples were built for Ramses II and are known for their monumental scale. Three hours on site gives you time to see both temples and study the carved façades and interior rooms. The distance from Aswan makes this a demanding day, but omitting Abu Simbel would leave out one of southern Egypt’s defining sights.

Philae offers a different mood. The temple complex was an important center for the worship of Isis, with additions from pharaonic, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods. Its current setting on Agilika Island is the result of a major rescue project that moved the monuments block by block to protect them from rising water.

The three-hour visit lets you see how several eras overlap in one place. You should also expect a transfer to the island as part of the visit, though the supplied schedule does not spell out every transport step. Your guide can connect the carvings and buildings to the long history of worship at the site.

Alexandria adds Roman ruins and a coastal fortress

After breakfast on Day 9, you check out of the cruise and fly back to Cairo, then transfer to your hotel. Day 10 is devoted to Alexandria, a long day trip that adds a different side of Egypt to the route.

The Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa are underground tombs and are often described as one of the Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages. The site brings together Egyptian, Greek, and Roman influences, making it a useful stop for understanding Alexandria as a meeting point of cultures.

Pompey’s Pillar is a large Roman triumphal column at the Serapeum. It is the largest example of its type outside the imperial capitals of Rome and Constantinople. The stop takes about an hour, enough to see the column and the surrounding archaeological remains.

The Roman Amphitheater is modest in size and partly ruined, but its galleries and semi-circular seating show how public performance spaces worked in Roman Egypt. Do not expect a giant arena. Its value is in the surviving structure and the contrast with the pharaonic monuments earlier in the trip.

The final stop is the fortress associated with Sultan Qaitbey, built in the 14th century on a narrow arm of land extending into Alexandria’s harbor. Its position by the water makes it one of the more scenic stops, and it gives the day a later Islamic-era finish.

What the price includes, and what it leaves out

At $2,793 per person, this is best judged as a packaged private trip rather than a low-cost sightseeing deal. The price includes 10 accommodation nights, six nights in Cairo hotels, four nights on a deluxe Nile cruise, private vehicles, round-trip private transfers, an Egyptologist guide, and entrance tickets listed throughout the route.

Breakfast is included for all 10 mornings. The package also lists eight lunches and four dinners, with buffet lunch and full board meals on the cruise. Drinks are extra, and you should confirm whether any meals during airport or transfer days require separate payment.

The strongest value comes from the logistics. You do not have to arrange Cairo airport pickup, the Cairo to Luxor flight, the cruise connection, the Aswan to Cairo flight, or the final airport transfer on your own. You also avoid paying separate admission at every major stop.

The tradeoff is limited flexibility. Alexandria receives one day, Cairo’s museums and old quarters receive short scheduled visits, and the west-bank stop at Hatshepsut has an obviously incomplete time entry. Ask for the day-by-day timetable before booking, especially if you want more time at the Egyptian Museum, Khan Al-Khalili, or Alexandria.

Who should book this Egypt tour?

You should consider it if you want the classic Egypt route in one booking, prefer private transport, and value having an Egyptologist guide explain the sites. It suits first-time visitors who want Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria without handling every domestic connection themselves.

It is less suitable if you want slow mornings, long independent walks, or several free days. The itinerary is tightly packed, and the range of sites means you will spend much of the trip moving, touring, and checking in.

The operator has received praise for airport assistance, communication, and staff support, including specific praise for responsive planning by Ahmed. At the same time, the overall rating shown is 4.1 from seven ratings, and the feedback is not uniform. Some people found guides less motivated, while another reported having to complain about a noisy engine-side cabin. Those details do not cancel the good organization, but they do make pre-trip confirmation important.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if your priority is seeing as much of Egypt as possible in 11 days, with major admissions, hotels, a Nile cruise, private transfers, and an Egyptologist guide arranged together. Abu Simbel, Philae, Saqqara, and Alexandria give the route more range than a basic Cairo and Nile package.

Before paying, confirm the hotel and ship names, cabin position, domestic flight details, daily meal plan, and realistic timing at Hatshepsut. If those details suit you, the $2,793 price can be reasonable for the amount of transport and sightseeing included. If you want a slower trip, choose a longer itinerary instead.

FAQ

How long is the Egypt tour?

The tour lasts approximately 11 days, including arrival and departure days.

Which cities and regions does the tour visit?

The route includes Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Memphis, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria.

How many nights are spent on the Nile cruise?

You spend four nights on a deluxe Nile cruise.

Are hotels included?

Yes. The package includes 10 accommodation nights, including six nights at five-star hotels in Cairo and four nights on the Nile cruise.

Are meals included?

Breakfast is included every day. The package also lists eight lunches and four dinners, with buffet lunch and dinner provided on the cruise. Drinks are not included.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. The tour is private, and only your group participates. Private transport and round-trip private transfers are included.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can receive a full refund if you cancel at least six full days before the experience start time. Cancellation two to six full days before the start receives a 50 percent refund, while cancellation less than two full days before the start is nonrefundable.