Egypt from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya & Ghana

Key takeaways

Getting there

EgyptAir flies nonstop to Cairo from five African cities: Johannesburg, in about 8½ hours; Lagos, in about 5 to 5½; Abuja and Nairobi, in about 4½ to 5; and Accra, in about 5½. Frequencies change by season, so check the current schedule when you book. We meet you on arrival at Cairo airport and take you to your hotel.

The visa: read this first

South Africans apply for the e-visa on the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg. The fees changed during 2026, so check the current amount there, and pay only on the official portal.

With a Nigerian, Kenyan or Ghanaian passport, check the current documents and processing time with the Egyptian embassy itself, and apply as soon as your dates are fixed — earlier still for Christmas and Easter. Once your journey is confirmed, we send the itinerary and hotel confirmations the application asks for. The decision is the embassy's alone, so until the visa is issued, choose flight fares you can change.

Anyone in your party travelling on a different passport follows that passport's rule. Every passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your stay.

Important: Nigerian, Kenyan and Ghanaian passports: there is no e-visa and no visa on arrival. Do not set off for the airport without your visa.

Time difference

Egypt's summer time runs from the last Friday of April to the last Thursday of October. With a gap this small, there is no jet lag to speak of.

When to come: Christmas, Easter and the December holidays

October to April is the season, with warm, dry days and cool evenings: 24–26°C by day in Luxor in December and 20–22°C in Cairo. The Christmas and New Year fortnight is the busiest of Egypt's year, when the best Nile cabins and hotel rooms go first; with an embassy visa to arrange as well, start planning four to six months ahead.

Egypt has a Christmas of its own: the Coptic Orthodox Church marks the Nativity on 7 January, with a midnight liturgy at the Hanging Church in Old Cairo. Easter, in March or April, is warmer but comfortable, with early starts at the temples. In the mid-year holidays, Egypt's hottest months, the Red Sea and Alexandria suit better than Luxor and Aswan.

Families and several generations together

A private journey is built around the people in it. With grandparents and children together, the sites take the cool of the morning and the afternoons can divide — a second vehicle lets the grandparents rest while the children swim. Interconnecting rooms, a ground floor or a lift are arranged at booking, and on a Nile cruise the hotel moves and you do not. Tell us the ages in your party and anything about mobility, and we plan each day around it.

Faith and food

Cairo's religious heritage is part of many journeys: in Old Cairo, the Hanging Church and the church of Abu Serga, traditionally held to mark where the Holy Family sheltered in Egypt; across the city, the mosques of Islamic Cairo and the Citadel. One full day takes in both. If you would like to attend a service or Friday prayers during your stay, tell us and we plan the day around it.

Halal food is the norm in Egypt's restaurants and hotels. Tell us any dietary rules in your party, and we brief the hotels and boats before you arrive.

How a private journey works

Everything is private: your own licensed Egyptologist, your own vehicle and driver, and hotels chosen for the room rather than the star rating. Egypt's currency is the Egyptian pound; our prices are set in euros, and you can pay us by PayPal, card or bank transfer. Tell us your dates and how many of you are travelling; we reply within one working day with a real itinerary and a clear price, with no obligation.