| Duration |
5 Days / 4 Nights |
|---|---|
| Tour Location |
Cairo / Giza / Luxor / Abu Simbel |
| Tour Type |
Daily Tour |
| Pickup |
Cairo Airport |
This 5 day Cairo, Luxor, and Abu Simbel tour is one of our most comprehensive Egypt holiday packages, covering three of Egypt's most significant ancient sites: Cairo and Giza, Luxor's East and West Bank temples, and the rock-cut temples at Abu Simbel in a single five-day private itinerary. The tour is the only 5 day overland tour connecting Cairo, Luxor, and Abu Simbel's temples, flying to Abu Simbel from Luxor to maximise temple time without an overnight cruise. All domestic flights, first-class train travel, and private Egyptologist guides are included.
Day 1 opens with a Cairo arrival and a Nile dinner cruise. Day 2 works through Giza's full plateau, the Great Pyramids, Valley Temple of Khafre, the Great Sphinx, and the Grand Egyptian Museum before a flight south to Aswan. Day 3 begins at sunrise with a dedicated day at the Abu Simbel temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari, then continues by first-class train from Aswan to Luxor. Day 4 covers Luxor's East Bank at Karnak Temple and the illuminated Luxor Temple at dusk, then the West Bank's Valley of the Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut, and Colossi of Memnon, ending with an evening flight back to Cairo. Day 5 is the departure.
Only on this route
Most 5 day overland Egypt tours skip Abu Simbel entirely the site sits 280 kilometres south of Aswan and reaching it adds a full day most itineraries cannot absorb. This tour flies from Aswan to Abu Simbel on Day 3, returning the same day before the Aswan–Luxor train, keeping every night in a fixed hotel.
Arc I · Giza to Aswan
Cairo's plateau and a southbound flight close the day
A Tripidays representative meets you at Cairo International Airport and transfers you to your hotel. No sightseeing today, the evening is reserved for a Nile dinner aboard a moving cruise boat, where tanoura dancers perform against the lit skyline.
You'll board as the city lights come on and the Nile turns dark, the boat moves, Cairo does not, and the contrast is immediate. The performance runs about two hours: folkloric music, tanoura spinning, and a three-course dinner on the water before your first night in Egypt.
Dinner
Your guide picks you up after breakfast for the Giza Plateau, then continues through Saqqara and the Grand Egyptian Museum before an early-evening flight south to Aswan. This is the heaviest sightseeing day of the 5 day Cairo, Luxor, and Abu Simbel tour plan for a full six to seven hours on site.
You'll approach the Giza plateau from the south road, and the scale takes a moment to read correctly. The base of the Great Pyramid of Khufu measures 230 metres per side, making the structure wider than most city blocks. Your guide will position you for the classic three-pyramid alignment before taking you close enough to see the individual limestone casing blocks still intact at the base.
Enter the mortuary temple where priests once prepared Khafre's body before burial, and you'll find granite walls rising four metres with almost no decoration. The power here is in the material and the silence, not the carvings. The T-shaped hall uses polished Aswan granite against alabaster floors, a combination that has survived nearly 4,500 years without structural failure.
Visit the Great Sphinx, an enigmatic statue with the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh guarding the Giza Plateau.
Continue your exploration at the GEM, where the rich heritage of Egypt is showcased through priceless artifacts, offering a glimpse into the life of the pharaohs.
Breakfast, Lunch
Arc II · Abu Simbel Temples
Ramesses II's rock-cut sanctuary, then the Aswan–Luxor train
An early morning departure from Aswan by private vehicle takes you to Abu Simbel, approximately 280 kilometres south. After the temple visit, you return to Aswan for lunch and board a first-class train to Luxor in the afternoon, arriving in the evening.
Depart for the magnificent Abu Simbel Temples, one of Egypt's most awe-inspiring sites. These colossal temples, carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, stand as a testament to ancient engineering and devotion. Travellers who prefer sailing the Nile rather than overland transfers can add a Nile cruise to your Abu Simbel visit with an itinerary that combines the temples of Abu Simbel with a multi-day cruise between Aswan and Luxor.
Breakfast, Lunch
Arc III · Karnak to Valley of the Kings
Luxor's two banks, then an evening flight back to Cairo
A full day on both banks of the Nile at ancient Thebes, then an evening flight from Luxor back to Cairo.
Journey next to the West Bank and enter the Valley of the Kings. This ancient burial ground of pharaohs, including Tutankhamun and Ramesses the Great, is a testament to the Egyptians' beliefs in the afterlife.
Enter the three-tiered mortuary temple built directly into the cliff face at Deir el-Bahari, and your guide will point out the colonnade reliefs that record Hatshepsut's trading expedition to the land of Punt, boats, exotic animals, and stacked incense trees depicted with a precision that reads almost like a documentary record. The temple was defaced systematically after Hatshepsut's death, her image cut away, then incompletely restored; both the erasure and the restoration are visible.
Before lunch, make a brief stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III, once a gateway to his memorial temple.
Spend the afternoon back on the East Bank, exploring the Karnak Temple in more detail. Its vast complex, with its forest of towering pillars, is a stunning display of the grandeur of Egypt's religious fervour.
As the sun begins to set, make a final stop at the Luxor Temple, a magnificent ancient site dedicated to the gods Amun, Mut, and Khonsu. Built-in 1400 BCE, this temple becomes even more captivating and mysterious when lit up at night. If your main interest is spending more time inside Luxor's archaeological sites rather than travelling south to Abu Simbel, consider our Luxor temple deep dive without Abu Simbel itinerary, which dedicates additional time to Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple and the Valley of the Kings.
Breakfast, Lunch
Transfer from your Cairo hotel to Cairo International Airport for departure. No sightseeing is scheduled on Day 5. Travellers who would rather explore Egypt's Mediterranean heritage can swap Abu Simbel for Alexandria, replacing the southern temple excursion with visits to Alexandria's Greco-Roman landmarks, historic waterfront, and cultural attractions.
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.
The tour includes 4 nights at (2 Cairo, 1 Aswan, 1 Luxor), a private Egyptologist guide for all sightseeing days, domestic flights Cairo–Aswan and Luxor–Cairo, first-class Aswan–Luxor train, entrance fees to all listed attractions including both Abu Simbel temples, daily breakfast, and select lunches and dinners.
This is the only 5 day overland tour connecting Cairo, Luxor, and Abu Simbel's temples, flying to Abu Simbel from Luxor to maximise temple time without an overnight cruise. No other 5 day package in this price category routes Giza, Abu Simbel, and the full Luxor East and West Bank in a single private itinerary.
Abu Simbel is a full dedicated day in this itinerary, not a morning add-on. You visit both temples: Ramesses II's rock-cut sanctuary with its four 20-metre colossi and the solar alignment chamber, and the adjacent Temple of Nefertari, the only ancient Egyptian temple where a queen is depicted at equal scale to a pharaoh.
Long transfers use domestic flights and first-class train: you fly from Cairo to Aswan on Day 2, take a first-class Aswan–Luxor train on Day 3, and fly from Luxor back to Cairo on Day 4 evening. All in-city movement is by private vehicle with your guide. There are no overnight buses, no shared coaches, and no river sailing legs.
Yes. The tour includes two domestic flights: Cairo to Aswan on Day 2 and Luxor to Cairo on Day 4. The Aswan–Luxor sector uses a first-class train rather than a flight; this is included in the tour price.
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
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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.
