The river, then the reef
10 Days in Egypt: the Pyramids, a Nile Cruise and Sharm el-Sheikh
Giza, three nights on the Nile from Aswan to Luxor, then three nights on the Red Sea coast of Sinai.
10 days · 9 nights · Cairo, the Nile and Sharm el-Sheikh · Private
- Nothing is booked until you accept a written quote
- A Deluxe Travel Egypt brand: read the reviews

- Duration
- 10 days · 9 nights
- On the road
- One night on the sleeper train, three nights sailing, and two domestic flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh
- At the sites
- Five days of sightseeing, then three free days by the sea
- Format
- Private
- Pace
- Moderate
Before you choose
Is this the right tour for you?
This ten-day tour follows Egypt's story down the Nile and then leaves it for the sea. It begins at the pyramids, cruises from Aswan to Luxor through the temples of Upper Egypt, and ends with three nights at Sharm el-Sheikh, on the Red Sea coast of Sinai.
In Cairo you see the Egyptian Museum, the pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, and the bazaar of Khan el-Khalili, before the sleeper train carries you south overnight. At Aswan you board the ship for the High Dam and Philae, the island temple of Isis that was moved to save it. The ship sails north to Kom Ombo, the temple built twice over for the crocodile and the falcon, and to Edfu, the Temple of Horus whose walls are a library turned outwards, and on through the lock at Esna to Luxor.
After the last morning in Luxor, for the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, the Colossi of Memnon and Karnak, you fly to Sharm el-Sheikh by way of Cairo. Three nights by the sea follow, with breakfast and dinner at the hotel and the days free for the beach or a boat to Ras Mohammed. A flight back to Cairo and a last night there end the trip.
Hotels, the cruise with full board, the sleeper train, an Egyptologist guide, transfers and entrance fees are included. The domestic flights are not, and the quote adds them at the fare for your dates.
Our advice
The price leaves out the two domestic flights, so compare it with other tours only once the quote adds them. In return you get the Nile and the Red Sea in one trip.
Consider instead: Rather end without the sea? The other 10-day tour cruises from Luxor to Aswan and ends with a free day in Cairo.
10 days
Day by day
Day 1
Arrive in Cairo
Met at Cairo airport with a name sign, helped through arrival and taken to your hotel.
Day 2
The Egyptian Museum, Giza and Khan el-Khalili
The Egyptian Museum, the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and the Sphinx, then the old bazaar. In the evening, the sleeper train to Aswan, with dinner on board.
Giza Plateau: Three generations of kings built here; the plateau asks who did the building, and how they lived.
Day 3
Aswan: board the ship, the High Dam and Philae
Breakfast on the train and a transfer to the ship. After lunch on board, the High Dam and the temple of Isis at Philae. Night on board in Aswan.
Philae: The island that was moved.
Day 4
Kom Ombo
Sail north to Kom Ombo and its double temple of Sobek and Haroeris, then on towards Edfu. Night on board.
Kom Ombo Temple: A temple built twice over, side by side, for the crocodile and the falcon.
Day 5
Edfu, the Esna lock and Luxor
The Temple of Horus at Edfu, then through the lock at Esna and on to Luxor. Night on board in Luxor.
Edfu Temple: The temple of Horus, whose walls are a library turned outwards.
Day 6
Luxor's West Bank and Karnak, then fly to Sharm
Leave the ship for the Valley of the Kings, the temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon, then Karnak. In the evening, a flight to Sharm el-Sheikh by way of Cairo. Night in Sharm.
Valley of the Kings: The royal cemetery of the New Kingdom, cut into a dry valley beneath a pyramid-shaped peak.
Day 7
Sharm el-Sheikh, free
A day at leisure. A boat to Ras Mohammed, the national park at the tip of Sinai, can be added.
Day 8
Sharm el-Sheikh, free
Another day by the sea, with breakfast and dinner at the hotel.
Day 9
Fly to Cairo
Transfer to Sharm airport for the flight to Cairo. Night in Cairo.
Day 10
Departure
Transfer to Cairo airport for your flight home.
The details
What is included
Highlights
- The pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum
- Three nights cruising from Aswan to Luxor: Philae, Kom Ombo and Edfu
- The Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and Karnak
- Three nights at Sharm el-Sheikh, half board
- One night on the sleeper train
Included
- Meet and assist on arrival and in each city
- 2 nights in a Cairo hotel with breakfast
- 1 night on the sleeper train with dinner and breakfast
- 3 nights full board on a Nile cruise ship, with its sightseeing
- 3 nights in a Sharm el-Sheikh hotel with breakfast and dinner
- Multilingual Egyptologist guide
- Entrance fees for the sites in the itinerary
- Taxes and service charges
Not included
- Domestic flights Luxor–Sharm el-Sheikh and Sharm el-Sheikh–Cairo
- Entry visa
- International flights
- Optional tours
- Tips and personal spending
- Travel insurance
Places you visit
- Egyptian Museum
- Giza pyramids
- Great Sphinx
- Khan el-Khalili
- Aswan High Dam
- Philae Temple
- Kom Ombo Temple
- Temple of Horus at Edfu
- Esna Lock
- Valley of the Kings
- Temple of Hatshepsut
- Colossi of Memnon
- Karnak
- Sharm el-Sheikh
- Group
- Private tours; shared cruise ship
- Transport
- Sleeper train, Nile cruise ship, domestic flights and air-conditioned vehicles
- Departure
- Arrival in Cairo on day 1
- Meeting point
- Cairo International Airport
- Guide languages
- English, Other languages on request
- Best time to go
- October to April for cooler days on the Nile
- Entrance tickets
- Included: entrance fees for the sites in the itinerary
- Optional extras
- Domestic flights; entry inside a pyramid; a boat to Ras Mohammed; a sunrise balloon in Luxor
- Cancellation
- Multi-day terms: ask when you enquire.
- Your price
- Set in your written quote for your party, dates and pickup, with the payment and cancellation terms.
Details checked
Add to the day
Experiences nearby
A felucca at sunset in AswanThe Nile at Aswan, around Elephantine Islandfrom USD 25 per boat
Saqqara by quad and dirt bikeThe desert edge at Saqqara, south of Gizafrom USD 100
A tandem skydive over EgyptThe drop zone east of Cairo; Giza and El Gouna on event datesfrom USD 280
Down inside the Red PyramidDahshur, south of Cairofrom USD 120
The tomb robbed twiceLuxor West Bankfrom USD 150
Cairo by its street foodDowntown and Islamic Cairofrom USD 25
A Nubian village by boatGharb Soheil, on the Nile's west bank near Aswanfrom USD 40
Local tips matched to this route
Complete this day
We place these around the tour’s real timing. Anything that cannot fit cleanly stays an untimed request until we confirm it.

Around Elephantine and the islands of the First Cataract
Paddle the Nile at Aswan
An hour on the water among the granite islands, quieter and closer than any boat trip; some paddles end near Philae at sunset.
Late afternoon · About 1–2 hours. Late afternoon, when the light softens and the river is calm.
We confirm the kayak operator, life jackets, the route and the water conditions on the day.
Add as a request
Photo: Hananelmahmoudy123, CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions
Before you ask
Are the flights to and from Sharm el-Sheikh included?
No. The parent company's price leaves out the domestic flights, and your quote adds them at the fare for your dates.
Do I need a different visa for Sharm el-Sheikh?
No. You arrive in Cairo on an Egyptian visa, which covers Sharm el-Sheikh too. The free Sinai entry stamp matters only to travellers who fly straight into Sinai.
Will we see Tutankhamun's treasures?
Not at the Egyptian Museum: they now have their own galleries at the Grand Egyptian Museum near Giza. Ask to swap the museum on day 2 if Tutankhamun matters most to you.
Is the price for children different?
Yes. The parent company's terms charge nothing up to 2 years, a quarter of the price from 2 to 6, and half from 6 to 12, and the airfare can add to it. Tell us the children's ages and the quote shows it.
Deluxe Trips Egypt
Ask for this tour, for your dates.
Send your dates and party size here. We reply with a written quote: the price for your party, what is included and the terms. Nothing is booked until you accept it.
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Photography credits (13)
Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0; KennyOMG, CC BY-SA 4.0; Mohammed Moussa, CC BY-SA 4.0; I, Rémih, CC BY-SA 3.0; Zezinho68, CC BY-SA 4.0; Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0; Berthold Werner, CC BY 3.0; U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Erin Dunkleberger, Public domain; Olaf Tausch, CC BY 3.0; Arria Belli, CC BY-SA 2.0; Warren LeMay, CC0; Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0; Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0


