A journey to the real essence of Egypt.
If you are open minded, flexible and the type of person that prefers authenticity, off the path experiences when traveling and you love getting to know and experience local’s daily life and culture – even if in some cases some luxury would need to be compromised to get to the real deal, this is the best Egypt tour for you!
Feel the real essence of the country by experiencing from close the real life of locals in two different locations: lower Egypt (the Delta area) and upper Egypt (at the Nile in Luxor’s countryside). You will also stay at lovely boutique hotels, discover the spectacular Abu Simbel temples, explore the world famous Giza Pyramids, some other additional lesser-known pyramids and the main sightseeing places along the legendary Nile river onboard your exclusive and traditional Dahabiya sailboat, one of our favourites in the Nile!
Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, our representative will welcome you and assist you with the entry process before escorting you to your hotel in a modern, air-conditioned vehicle. Your tour leader will assist you to ensure a smooth check-in and will then review your holiday itinerary with you to confirm pick-up times for each tour and answer all your questions.
Overnight at the Steigenberger Pyramids Hotel
The Delta area, is a triangle shaped green area full of life, local flora, fauna and crops, where the Nile river encounters the Mediterranean Sea offers a great contrast with the surrounding desert landscapes. This green and fertile land has provided abundant nourishment and resources to Egyptians for thousands of years.
Today, you will explore the delta’s countryside at Monufia, well known due to its agricultural heritage. People of Monufia are known to have a simple life and by their hospitality. Today, you will be hosted by a traditional local family and you will be able to visit their home and family farm, you will have the chance to have a bike (or donkey!) ride to the nearby local small cheese factories where locals prepare their home made cheese with the milk that their cows and goats provide. You will enjoy their traditional homemade fresh dishes based on local ingredients, visit their local markets and hang out places.
This tour offers you a unique chance to meet, connect with locals from de Delta area and get an insight of the daily life of Monufians. Enjoy this authentic journey that connects travellers and locals.
After breakfast, you will be accompanied by your private guide to the spectacular Giza Plateau to visit one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Great Pyramid of Giza where you will have the chance to enter inside and explore its large and narrow corridors, the pyramid of Chefren, and pyramid of Mykerinus, along with the famous Sphinx and Valley Temple. Don’t forget to bring your torch for the full fun of the experience (pure Indiana Jones style!).
After that, you will have the chance to visit the world-famous Egyptian Museum which houses the largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities in the world.
After breakfast, your private guide will pick you up from your hotel, and drive you south to start your private tour to lesser known gems of the area. Dahshur is a famous royal necropolis with many impressive Pyramids of king Snefru. You will explore the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, named like that due to its inner burial chamber made of rosette limestones. The site is about 40 km from Cairo. Afterwards, you will drive to Saqqara necropolis where you will visit the Step Pyramid of Zoser, the world’s oldest major stone structure which was built in the 3rd Dynasty (around 2630 BC) for King Djoser.
Delicious local lunch will be served at a local restaurant, before moving on to enjoy an excursion to Memphis City, the ancient capital of the Old Kingdom which is like an open air museum!
At the end of the day you will be transferred back to your hotel to relax after a full sightseeing day.
After breakfast, you will be picked up to take you to the airport to fly to Luxor where you will be picked up by our representative and transferred to your hotel.
After checking-in, get ready to get to know the local people and discovering the countryside life in Upper Egypt. You will visit the local market where locals buy fresh food, vegetables, fruits and also Egyptian bread. Afterwards, a little motorboat ride will transfer you to the family farms of the West Bank to visit a local family at their own house where you will have the chance to meet the real Egyptians of the area, get to know them and see how their daily life is. You will also learn to cook some local delicacies with them that you will eat for lunch later. After this authentic experience, you will be transferred to your charming hotel The Djorff Palace Hotel, a lovely peaceful oasis in the West Bank where you will spend the night.
After a delicious breakfast at your hotel, you will embark your lovely Dahabeya Sailboat on full board basis to sail the Nile the traditional way, just as the Ancient Egyptians did it thousands of years ago (just with the comfort of the 21st century!)
This morning you will explore with your guide the fascinating Karnak Temple. This big temple complex is the largest ever constructed for religious purposes and it was known as Ipet-isu by ancient Egyptians, meaning “ The most select of places”. After this visit, you will be transferred to the UNESCO Heritage site and world famous Valley of the Kings where you will visit 3 stunning royal tombs.
After the sightseeing, start your sailing journey along the Nile while enjoying a yummy lunch on board. Enjoy the afternoon sailing to Esna, be delighted in the picturesque Nile landscapes and peaceful atmosphere while you relax with your favourite drink and snacks at the chaise longs of the sundeck. Enjoy the sunset from your sailboat at the Nile and afterwards a delicious dinner will be served cooked by your on-site chef with first quality local ingredients.
Enjoy Your breakfast while you enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the Nile river early morning and start sailing tof El Kab, one of the ancient settlements of Upper Egypt . Continue sailing to Edfu and enjoy a freshly prepared lunch on board.
This afternoon, a short ride across the local village will take you to Edfu Temple, dedicated to the god Horus. It is one of the largest and best-preserved monuments of Egypt, two beautiful granite statues of the falcon god Horus flank the entrance.
Continue our sailing journey and be delighted by the simple life of the farmers and fishermen that you will observe from your sailboat, enjoy the gorgeous nature along the Nile River and the green fertile landscapes with sugar cane fields, banana, and date palm-trees.
Shortly before sunset, the boat crew will drop anchor near Sheikh Rehan Island, where you will enjoy dinner in an atmospheric and quiet surrounding.
Enjoying breakfast on board while you sail calmly to Gebel Silsela.
After lunch, we go to shore to discover the old Pharaonic quarries of Silsela where thousands of workers cut sandstone to supply the pharaohs with their favorite materials to get their temples built. You will visit the off the path rock-cut Temple of Hormoheb and you will enjoy a breathtaking view from the top of the mountain, worth the trek all the way up!
Tonight you will spend the night at a quiet coast of Al Bashir Island where you will enjoy a BBQ dinner.
Continue your sail journey along the Nile and after breakfast your will explore Kom Ombo temple with your guide. Kom Ombo is unique as it’s the only twin temple existing in Egypt and it’s dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. You will also pay a visit to the nearby museum which contains a number of fascinating mummified crocodiles.
After the sightseeing, enjoy a delicious lunch at the sundeck of your lovely dahabiya and spend the afternoon your sailing towards the romantic city of Aswan, where you will have dinner and spend the night in a quiet area of the Nile.
After breakfast, you will disembark your lovely Dahabiya and will visit the Nubian museum to know more about this interesting native ethnic group that has been living in South Egypt and Northern Sudan for thousands of years. The Nubians have a traditional history that dates back to the Egyptian dynasties. After this, a short boat ride will take you to the charming temple of Philae dedicated to the two Goddesses, Isis and Hathor.
After your visit, you will check in your lovely Nubian eco-lodge located in a quiet picturesque small island of the Nile in front of Philae Temple where you will have the chance to enjoy real Nubian hospitality and the unique traditional Nubian architecture.
This morning you will have an early start for a good reason. You will join a tour that includes an expert egyptologist guide and a 3h car ride across the desert all the way to the south of the country, near the border with Sudan to explore Abu Simbel, the majestic temples of Ramses II and his beloved wife Nefertari.
After this fascinating tour, you will enjoy a yummy lunch and afterwards you will be transferred to your Nubian eco-lodge to enjoy the afternoon at leisure.
Today you will be picked up from your lovely hotel and transferred to Aswan airport to transfer to Cairo where you will catch your flight back home
Meet and greet service by our representatives at airports
Assistance of our guest relations during your stay
Entry Visa for Egypt provided upon arrival at Cairo Airport
All airport transfers by a private air-conditioned deluxe vehicle
Accommodation for 3 nights in Cairo including daily breakfast.
Accommodation for 1 night in Luxor including daily breakfast.
Accommodation for 4 nights onboard Dahabiya on full board basis
Accommodation for 2 nights in Aswan including daily breakfast.
Domestic flight Cairo/Luxor – Aswan/ Cairo
All sightseeing tours in Cairo – privately guided tours
All sightseeing tours on the Dahabiya sharing Dahabiya group
Abu Simbel Tour, group tour by land
All sightseeing tours in Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan as mentioned in the itinerary
Entrance fees to all sites as indicated on the itinerary.
Tea, Coffee during Meals onboard your Dahabiya
Local English-speaking tour guide during your tours
Lunch at a good quality local restaurant
Bottled water during your tours and transfers
All service charges and applicable taxes included
Do you fancy having a chat about Authentic Egypt? Personally, it's one of our favourite things to talk about.