Egypt Icons & Nile Cruise
Ten unhurried days from the Pyramids of Giza to the temples of Upper Egypt, threaded together by a three-night Nile cruise.
What does Egypt Icons & Nile Cruise include, and what does it cost?
Egypt Icons & Nile Cruise is a private 10-day, 9-night journey through Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Aswan and Luxor, from €1,915 per person. It includes a private Egyptologist guide throughout. International flights are not included. A flight version, in place of the two sleeper-train nights, is from €2,045.
Overview
This is the full sweep of Egypt, paced to be lived rather than ticked off. You begin in Cairo with the treasures of the Egyptian Museum, take a day on the Mediterranean at Alexandria, then ride the sleeper train south to Aswan. From there a three-night Nile cruise carries you downstream past Kom Ombo and Edfu to Luxor, where the temples of Karnak and the royal tombs of the West Bank wait. You return to Cairo for the Pyramids of Giza and the timeworn lanes of Islamic Cairo. Travel is private throughout, led by your own Egyptologist.
Itinerary
Cairo & the Egyptian Museum
- Private meet-and-greet at Cairo International Airport
- Transfer to your hotel and welcome briefing
- Afternoon at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir — the royal gold of Tanis and the masterpieces of the Old Kingdom
Alexandria on the Mediterranean
- Drive to Alexandria along the desert road
- Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa and Pompey's Pillar
- Citadel of Qaitbay on the old Pharos site and the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina
- Seafront seafood lunch before returning to Cairo
Coptic Cairo & overnight train to Aswan
- Hanging Church, Abu Serga and the lanes of Old Cairo
- Early evening transfer to the station
- Board the sleeper train south to Aswan with private cabins and dinner aboard
Aswan & embarkation
- Arrive Aswan and visit the High Dam and the Unfinished Obelisk
- Sail by motorboat to the island Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis
- Board your Nile cruise ship and settle in for lunch on the river
Sailing to Kom Ombo & Edfu
- Morning sail downstream through the Nile valley
- Kom Ombo, the twin temple of Sobek and Horus the Elder
- Continue to Edfu and the great Temple of Horus, the best-preserved in Egypt
Esna lock & arrival in Luxor
- Sail through the Esna lock as the valley opens out
- Afternoon arrival in Luxor with time to rest aboard
- Optional sound-and-light evening at Karnak (extra)
Luxor East Bank
- Karnak, the largest temple complex of the ancient world
- Luxor Temple in the heart of the city
- Disembark and transfer to your Luxor hotel
West Bank & train to Cairo
- Valley of the Kings and the tomb-painted hills of Thebes
- Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon
- Evening sleeper train back to Cairo
Giza & Saqqara
- The Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and the Great Sphinx
- Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, the world's oldest stone monument
- Panoramic viewpoint across the Giza plateau
Islamic Cairo & departure
- Saladin Citadel and the alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali
- Khan el-Khalili bazaar for a last wander
- Private transfer to the airport for your departure
Included & not included
Included
- Private Egyptologist guide throughout
- 9 nights' accommodation — 4- or 5-star hotels and a deluxe Nile cruise
- 3-night full-board Nile cruise, Aswan to Luxor
- Sleeper-train berths Cairo↔Upper Egypt (both directions)
- All entrance fees to sites and monuments
- Lunch on each touring day
- Private air-conditioned transfers
- Hotel pickup & drop-off
- Bottled water every day
Not included
- International flights to and from Egypt
- Egypt entry visa
- Tipping (gratuities)
- Personal expenses
- Optional extras — Abu Simbel, camel rides, dinner cruise, drinks
Comfort & pace
Good to know
Is the Nile cruise private?
You travel with your own Egyptologist and private transfers, but the cruise ship itself is shared with other guests. Cabins are private and all sightseeing is run as a private group.
How do the overnight trains work?
You travel in a private sleeper cabin with dinner and breakfast served aboard. It saves a daytime transfer and arrives refreshed for the morning's sightseeing.
Can Abu Simbel be added?
Yes. Abu Simbel is offered as an optional extra from Aswan, by short flight or by private car, and is best added on the Aswan day. We arrange it on request.
What is the best time of year to travel?
October to April brings comfortable temperatures across both Cairo and Upper Egypt. Summer is hot in the south, so we start early and rest in the afternoons.
How demanding is Egypt Icons & Nile Cruise?
The walking on Egypt Icons & Nile Cruise is moderate, as on any journey built around monuments. Nights: Hotels in Cairo and Luxor, three nights on the Nile cruise, and two nights on the sleeper train — hotels instead on the flight version. By road: A day trip from Cairo to Alexandria and back by road. There are no pre-dawn starts.
Can we fly instead of taking the sleeper train?
Yes. Egypt Icons & Nile Cruise is also arranged with domestic flights in place of the two sleeper-train nights, with those nights in hotels instead — from €2,045 per person. Ask for the flight version when you enquire.
Is this journey right for you?
- Travellers who would rather see four things properly than twelve badly
- Anyone who wants a licensed Egyptologist beside them, not a headset and a flag
- Couples and families for whom pace, comfort and privacy decide whether a trip works
- Visitors marking something — a honeymoon, an anniversary, a milestone birthday
- Anyone looking for the lowest price on Egypt — we are not the cheapest and do not try to be
- Coach tours, shared group departures and itineraries sold by the seat
- Hostels, dormitories and hop-on backpacking routes
- Travellers who would rather organise the logistics themselves
What this journey is, without exception
Every operator in Egypt uses the word luxury. These are the specifics behind ours — checkable before you pay for anything.
A licensed Egyptologist, not a guide
Every journey is led by a guide licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism with a degree in Egyptology. They are with you at the monuments, not waiting in the car park — and they are yours for the day, answering your questions rather than reciting to forty people.
Your party only
No shared coaches. No fixed departure dates. No strangers on your itinerary. If you are two people, the vehicle, the guide and the pace belong to two people.
Built around you, then written down
We design the itinerary from your interests and your dates — not from a catalogue page. You receive it in writing before anything is paid, and it changes as often as you want it to until it is right.
One price, itemised
The quote lists what is included and what is not, line by line, before you commit. Your Egyptologist, private air-conditioned transfers and lunch on touring days are inside the price on every journey, and entrance fees are inside it on every multi-day one. Where something sits outside — monument tickets on a day tour, for instance — it is named on the page you are reading, at the rate the ticket office charges, not discovered at the end.
Reachable while you travel
You have a direct line to the people who planned your journey for the whole time you are in Egypt — not a call centre, and not a number that stops answering after the deposit clears.
Time protected, not filled
A day with four sites crammed into it is a cheaper day to sell and a worse day to live. We plan around light, heat and crowds — the Valley of the Kings at opening, the Egyptian Museum when the coaches have gone — and we leave the afternoon alone.
On price, plainly
Kemet sits at the upper end of the Egyptian market and we are comfortable saying so. A private Egyptologist for a week costs what it costs; so does a car that is yours alone and a room that faces the river rather than the car park. What we will not do is quote low, then recover the difference through optional extras, shopping stops and an itinerary that quietly turns into a group. Every price on this site is a per-person starting point for a private journey, and the written quote that follows is the price you pay.
Preparation reading
Guides to help you prepare for this journey.
Egypt Travel Guide
Everything you need to plan a trip to Egypt — visa requirements, the best time to go, getting around, top destinations, culture and practical essentials.
Best Time to Visit Egypt
Egypt's best travel season is October to April, when Nile Valley temperatures are mild and monuments are comfortable to explore. Here is what to expect season by season and destination by destination.
Getting Around Egypt
How to travel between Egypt's cities and sites — domestic flights, the sleeper train, Nile cruises, the Cairo Metro, taxis and private transfers explained.
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Talk to a local expert
Our team lives and breathes Egypt travel. Share what draws you here — we'll help you design the journey that fits.