| Duration |
11 Days / 10 Nights |
|---|---|
| Tour Location |
Cairo / Aswan / Luxor / Abydos / Dendera |
| Tour Type |
Daily Tour |
| Pickup |
Cairo Airport |
Start your legendary 11 day in-depth culture Egypt tours with Tripidays, covering Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor across ten nights, with five consecutive nights based in Luxor to maximize time on the West and East Banks. Maximum temple density: this itinerary visits more pharaonic monuments than any other 11-day package, including the exclusive Dendera and Abydos temples, the rarely visited Esna Temple, Habu Temple, Valley of the Queens, and Deir El Medina. Five consecutive nights in a Luxor hotel mean you reach the temples at dawn, before the crowds arrive, a depth of access a fixed river schedule cannot offer.
Your Journey beginning in the heart of Cairo. On Day 1, arrive and check in before enjoying a magical Nile dinner cruise under the city lights. Day 2 takes you deep into ancient wonders at the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, Khafre’s Valley Temple, and the Grand Egyptian Museum. On Day 3, fly south to Aswan to explore the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk, and the island Temple of Philae. Then, Day 4 covers Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples on the road north. If you wish to explore different travel durations and routes, browse our full collection of Egypt Tour Packages designed for every style of traveler. Day 5 adds Esna Temple before the Luxor hotel base begins.
Only on this route
Most standard 11-day Egypt tours limit the less-visited monuments — fixed routes usually prioritize the main sights. This route gives Day 9 to Dendera and Abydos, after dedicated visits to Esna, Habu Temple, and Deir El Medina.
Arc I · Cairo to the Plateau
The Old Kingdom monuments and the GEM anchor the first two days
Your Tripidays representative meets you at Cairo Airport and transfers you directly to your 5-star hotel. The evening opens with a Nile dinner on the water, the city skyline reflecting across the river as you settle in for what lies ahead.
As night falls, sail along the timeless Nile on a traditional dinner cruise ship. Enjoy delicious Egyptian dishes, live folklore performances, and glittering Nile reflections, your first taste of authentic Egypt travel package magic.
Dinner
Your guide picks you up after breakfast for the short drive to the Giza Plateau. The morning runs from the pyramids to the Grand Egyptian Museum, covering the full arc of Old Kingdom achievement in one day.
Stand before the great pyramids of Giza, Egypt’s eternal symbols of human genius. Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, guarded by the legendary Sphinx, introduce you to the pharaohs and their visions of eternity. This is where history becomes real, and where your in depth culture Egypt tours experience truly begins.
Your guide walks you inside the granite-lined hall where Khafre's priests performed the embalming rites before the pharaoh's mummified body moved to the pyramid above. The structure is one of the best-preserved Old Kingdom temples in Egypt, and almost no tour groups stop here.
Under the silent gaze of the Great Sphinx, you move through stories of mythology, ambition, and mystery that have fascinated the world for hundreds of years.
You'll enter one of the largest archaeology museums ever built, 450,000 square metres housing over 100,000 artefacts. The Tutankhamun galleries alone hold more than 5,000 objects from the boy king's tomb, many displayed together for the first time since Howard Carter excavated them in 1922.
Breakfast, Lunch
Arc II · Aswan to Kom Ombo
Two temple stops on the road north mark the shift from Nubia into Upper Egypt
A domestic flight takes you south from Cairo to Aswan, where your guide meets you at the airport. Aswan runs slower than Cairo, the light is different here, amber rather than white, and the Nile narrows enough that you can see the Nubian houses on the west bank from the road.
Upon landing in Aswan, your guide introduces you to one of modern Egypt’s greatest achievements, the Aswan High Dam, a symbol of national transformation.
Your guide will bring you into the open granite quarry where the largest obelisk ever attempted, 42 metres, nearly twice the height of those at Karnak, lies, where the workers abandoned it when a crack appeared in the rock. You can walk alongside it and see the chisel marks exactly as they were left, 3,500 years ago.
Sail to the stunning Temple of Isis, rescued stone by stone from rising waters and reborn on Agilkia Island. Here, your guide shares the powerful myths of Isis and Osiris moments that make this an unforgettable highlight of your 11 day cultural Egypt itinerary.
Breakfast, Lunch
The road north from Aswan to Luxor passes through sugar cane country. Your guide will stop at both Kom Ombo and Edfu on the way, two of the best-preserved temple complexes in Upper Egypt and two very different architectural personalities.
Discover Egypt’s only twin temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus and the crocodile god Sobek. Its unusual dual design, sacred healing rooms, and riverbank setting make this site truly special.
Then continue to the Temple of Horus in Edfu, one of Egypt’s best-preserved temples, where every wall still whispers stories of legendary battles between Horus and Seth. Visitors who enjoy combining temple exploration with a slower Nile route often prefer Dendera and Abydos on a Luxor river journey by air, pairing Upper Egypt's most important temple complexes with a flight-based itinerary.
Breakfast, lunch
Arc III · Esna, East Bank, West Bank
Five hotel nights in Luxor unlock dawn access across both banks of the Nile
The drive from Edfu reaches Esna before noon. Esna Temple sits below street level, the modern town has simply built up around it over two millennia, and your guide will take you down the steps to the hypostyle hall, the only part fully excavated. Then you continue north into Luxor, where five nights begin. Travellers focused on Egypt's officially protected heritage sites often combine this route with Egypt's UNESCO World Heritage experience, which expands the journey beyond Cairo and Luxor into additional internationally recognized historical landscapes.
The Temple of Esna is the beautifully preserved entrance hall of an ancient temple dedicated to Khnum, famous for its 24 intricately carved sandstone columns and colorful astronomical ceiling. It also features some of the last hieroglyphic inscriptions ever written in ancient Egypt.
Breakfast, lunch
The Luxor East Bank morning starts at Karnak before the buses arrive. Your guide has timed the pickup for the light.
Begin at the monumental Karnak Temple, a living timeline spanning 1,500 years of expansion. Walk beneath the towering hypostyle columns and along the avenue of ram headed sphinxes. This was ancient Egypt’s religious heart, where pharaohs proved their divine power.
Continue to Luxor Temple, dedicated to the divine triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. From dramatic statues of Ramses II to the Avenue of Sphinxes linking Luxor to Karnak, this site tells powerful stories of worship, ceremonies, and royal triumph.
Breakfast, Lunch
The ferry crosses from the East Bank in the early morning. The West Bank is where the pharaohs buried their dead, a completely different landscape from the temples across the river, all limestone cliffs and hidden valleys.
Step into the afterlife of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs, the Valley of the Kings. The royal tombs, including the resting place of Tutankhamun and Seti I, bring ancient beliefs into vivid reality.
Marvel at Queen Hatshepsut’s breathtaking terraced temple, proof that a woman could rule, build, and redefine Egypt’s destiny.
The two towering statues of Amenhotep III still stand guard, echoing the grandeur of a mortuary complex long lost to time.
Breakfast, Lunch
The West Bank again, with the sites most tours skip. Begin your day with a delicious, energizing breakfast before embarking on an unforgettable journey through the wonders of Luxor with our expert guide. Guests wanting a more premium experience can also add VIP escorted service to your cultural tour, creating a fully managed journey with enhanced assistance and upgraded travel support throughout Egypt.
You'll enter the smaller valley where the pharaohs' wives and children were buried, 90 tombs in total, most undecorated. Your guide will take you into the tombs with painted walls: the colours here, protected from sunlight for three millennia, are among the sharpest in all of Egypt.
Stand at the base of the first pylon and look up at the exterior reliefs: Ramesses III recorded his victories over the Sea Peoples here in images that stretch across 60 metres of carved stone. Medinet Habu is the best-preserved mortuary temple in Egypt and the least visited of the major West Bank sites. Your guide will have it nearly to yourselves most mornings.
You'll walk through the remains of the village built specifically to house the craftsmen and their families who carved and painted the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings. The workers' own tombs, funded from their wages, are decorated as elaborately as the royal ones, a detail that makes this the most humanising site on the entire 11-day cultural Egypt tour.
Breakfast, Lunch
Arc IV · Dendera, Abydos and Old Cairo
The two most rarely paired temple sites in Egypt, then the medieval quarter
The longest day of the tour, and for many archaeology enthusiasts, the defining one. Both temples require a drive north of Luxor; your guide will collect you early. Dendera and Abydos are named itinerary days on this tour and no other 11-day package in the portfolio.
Walk into one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt. Dendera Temple is dedicated to Hathor, the goddess of love, music, and joy. The ceilings still boast original colors, preserved for more than 2,000 years.
Then continue to the sacred Abydos Temple, one of Egypt’s oldest holy sites and a spiritual landmark dedicated to Osiris. Stories, reliefs, and ancient inscriptions here reveal Egypt’s earliest religious traditions.
Breakfast, lunch
A flight returns you to Cairo for the final full day. Old Cairo is a different city from the one you arrived in, quieter, layered, the architecture running from Fatimid to Coptic to Ottoman within a few streets.
You'll find the Royal Mummies Hall here, where 22 pharaohs and queens, including Ramesses II and Hatshepsut, are displayed in a climate-controlled gallery designed around the preservation of the bodies, not just the artefacts. It is one of the most considered museum spaces in Egypt.
Your guide brings you up to the medieval fortress that commanded Cairo's skyline for seven centuries. From the terrace, the Giza plateau is visible on clear days: pyramids, city, and citadel in one sightline, each from a different era.
You'll enter the oldest Coptic church still in active use in Cairo, built directly over a Roman gatehouse so that the nave appears to hang above the street below. The carved ivory-inlaid screens that separate the sanctuary from the nave date from the 13th century.
From the outside, it looks like the Coptic churches around it are from the same period, same builders, same limestone. Inside, the restored ark and the geniza cavity in the wall, where 280,000 medieval manuscripts were discovered in 1896, are the details worth pausing on.
Walk through the heart of historic Islamic Cairo, where minarets, medieval gates, and ancient houses frame one of the oldest streets in the city.
You'll walk into one of the oldest continuously operating market districts in the world, founded in 1382 and still running on the same medieval street plan. Your guide can walk you through the gold souk, the spice alley, and the perfume quarter before you find a table at Fishawi's, the coffeehouse that has not closed since 1773.
Breakfast, lunch
Your Tripidays representative transfers you to Cairo International Airport for your departure flight. The transfer timing is arranged around your flight schedule.
Your 11-day journey through the heart of pharaonic, religious, and modern Egypt comes to a close. Our team provides a smooth transfer to Cairo International Airport, ensuring your adventure ends just as beautifully as it began.
Breakfast
* You can let us know if you'd like to customize your tour itinerary to meet your needs. We value your input and aim to accommodate your requirements.
This tour includes 10 nights in comfortable hotels across Cairo, Aswan, and Luxor; two domestic flights (Cairo–Aswan, Luxor–Cairo); a private Egyptologist guide throughout; entrance fees to all 13 named sites; all transfers by private vehicle; and meals as specified per day.
This is the only 11-day itinerary that covers 13 pharaonic sites, including the exclusive Dendera and Abydos temples, Esna Temple, Habu Temple, Valley of the Queens, and Deir El Medina, with five consecutive nights in a Luxor hotel, giving you dawn access before other groups arrive.
Dendera's hypostyle hall contains the original Dendera Zodiac ceiling, a 1st century BC astronomical map still in position, and the rooftop carries inscriptions the priests used to track the rising of Sirius. Abydos holds the King List of Seti I, naming 76 pharaohs in sequence on a single wall, the most complete ancient record of Egyptian kingship in one location.
Five consecutive nights in Luxor means your guide can schedule the West Bank temples at dawn and the East Bank sites in the cooler late afternoon, without the fixed timetable a river schedule imposes. You visit Habu Temple and Deir El Medina on a dedicated morning, sites that most tours reach only briefly, and Day 9 leaves Luxor for the full-day Dendera and Abydos excursion without any packing or room changes.
Yes. Two domestic flights are included: Cairo to Aswan at the start of the Aswan segment, and Luxor to Cairo at the end of the Luxor base. No additional flight costs apply for these routes.
Prices shown include your hotel stay by default. Switch off to see tour-only pricing if you're arranging your own accommodation.
Xmas window: 21 Dec – 7 Jan / Easter window: 29 Mar – 11 Apr
Xmas window: 21 Dec – 7 Jan / Easter window: 29 Mar – 11 Apr
Xmas window: 21 Dec – 7 Jan / Easter window: 29 Mar – 11 Apr
Xmas window: 21 Dec – 7 Jan / Easter window: 29 Mar – 11 Apr
11 Days / 10 Nights
Cairo Airport
Cairo / Luxor / Aswan / Faiyum
10 Days / 9 Nights
Cairo International Airport
Cairo / Luxor / Aswan / Abu Simbel / Bahariya Oasis / White Desert / Black Desert
12 Days / 11 Nights
Cairo Airport
Cairo / El Minya / Luxor / Aswan / Dendera / Abydos / Faiyum
All things you should know before visiting Egypt & Beyond
Tripidays Egypt Tours has been offering an exceptional range of Egypt tours, vacation packages, Nile cruises, day trips, and shore excursions tailored to meet the diverse interests of travelers worldwide for over 45 years.
