Egypt Private Tours: 12-Day Dahabiya Nile Cruise

Begin at Dahshur with the Red and Bent Pyramids of King Sneferu, two steps in the story of how the true pyramid was perfected, where you can step inside the Red Pyramid. Continue to Saqqara for the Imhotep Museum, the Step Pyramid of Djoser and the carved tombs of Kagemni and Unas. Lunch is served at a garden restaurant near the necropolis before a relaxed afternoon back at the hotel.

Arrive before the plateau opens to the public. With your Egyptologist, enter the Great Pyramid and its Queen's and Subterranean Chambers, both closed to regular visitors, then step into the Sphinx enclosure to stand between its paws while the site is still quiet. Continue to the panoramic viewpoint, then enjoy lunch with a view across all nine pyramids of Giza before an afternoon at leisure. Your Egyptologist will share the story of how the pyramids were built and aligned.

A full, unhurried day at the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest museum in the world devoted to a single civilisation. Climb the Grand Staircase lined with royal statues, then spend time in the Tutankhamun galleries, where more than five thousand objects from the boy king's tomb are shown together for the first time. End with the 4,500-year-old Khufu Solar Boat, restored in its own hall. Lunch is served at the museum, with dinner at the hotel in the evening.

Take a morning flight to Luxor and begin at Karnak, the largest temple complex ever built, with the Great Hypostyle Hall and its 134 columns. Board your dahabiya, a traditional two-masted sailing boat with only a handful of cabins, and settle in over lunch on the open deck. In the evening, visit Luxor Temple as its colonnades are lit, then dine on board beneath the stars. Your Egyptologist sails with you for the whole of the cruise.

Cross to the West Bank for the Valley of the Kings, entering royal tombs painted with scenes of the journey through the afterlife, then the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon. Return to the dahabiya for lunch as the sails are raised and you glide south towards Esna. In the evening, enjoy a candlelight dinner at the Esna Lock as the river traffic passes by. With so few guests on board, the pace of each day is set around you.

Visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best preserved temple in Egypt, its roof and towering pylon still intact. Back on board, spend the afternoon sailing past Gebel el-Silsila, the ancient sandstone quarries where the stone for many temples was cut, their cliffs carved with shrines and inscriptions. The dahabiya moors at a quiet bank for the night, far from the large cruise ships. Lunch and dinner are served on deck, with the river all around you.

Visit Kom Ombo, a rare double temple shared by Sobek the crocodile god and Haroeris the falcon god, beside its small Crocodile Museum. Continue sailing to a quiet Nile island near Kom Ombo for a relaxed lunch ashore, then set sail again towards Aswan through a landscape of palm groves and granite hills. Dinner is served on board as you arrive in Aswan. In the evening, the lights of Aswan reflect across the water from the deck.

A private drive takes you south across the desert to Abu Simbel, where Ramses II carved his great temple and a smaller one for Queen Nefertari into the mountainside. Both were moved block by block in the 1960s to save them from the waters of Lake Nasser. Return to Aswan in the afternoon for a final dinner aboard your dahabiya. The drive takes about three and a half hours each way, so the day begins before dawn with breakfast packed for the road.

Leave the dahabiya after breakfast and take a short boat ride to the island Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis. Enjoy lunch in a Nubian home, then visit the Unfinished Obelisk, still lying in its granite quarry. In the late afternoon, fly to Cairo and check in to the Four Seasons at The First Residence, with a quiet evening overlooking the Nile. Your guide will be waiting at the airport to take you to the hotel.

Visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and its Royal Mummies Hall, then the great mosques of Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifai. Walk the medieval Al-Muizz Street, lined with mosques, fountains and palaces, and pause for coffee at the Naguib Mahfouz Café. End the afternoon in the lanes of Khan el-Khalili before a farewell dinner celebrating your journey on the Nile. Your guide will lead the way through the busiest lanes so you can simply enjoy the scene.

A last breakfast by the Nile closes one of our signature Egypt private tours. Take your time over a final coffee overlooking the river, or a last walk along the Corniche if your flight leaves later in the day. A private transfer then takes you to Cairo International Airport, where our team assists you through check-in and security. Your trip concierge remains available until you are on board. We hope to welcome you back to Egypt soon.