Egypt Small Group Tour: 14-Day Middle Egypt, Nile & Alexandria

Egypt opens its doors the moment you land. Our team greets you at the airport, eases you through formalities and drives you privately to the Kempinski Nile Hotel, where the Great Pyramid rises close by. Rest and settle in through the afternoon. As evening falls, meet your Egyptologist and fellow travellers over a welcome dinner, and look ahead to the extraordinary journey that awaits.

Begin at Saqqara, standing before the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the first great stone building in history and the start of the pyramid age. Linger over a relaxed lunch, then return to Giza for the afternoon. Your Egyptologist brings the story of the pharaohs to life, before dinner and a restful night at the Kempinski Nile Hotel.

Spend a full, unhurried day at the Grand Egyptian Museum, the world's largest museum devoted to a single civilisation. Climb the Grand Staircase lined with royal statues, then stand before Tutankhamun's golden mask among more than five thousand treasures from his tomb, shown together for the first time. Marvel at the restored Khufu Solar Boat, enjoy lunch at the museum, and keep the evening free.

Drive south along the Nile into Middle Egypt, a region few travellers ever reach. At Beni Hassan, climb to the rock-cut tombs of Middle Kingdom governors, painted 4,000 years ago with lively scenes of wrestlers, hunters, farmers and craftsmen. Pause for lunch along the way, then reach Minya, on the banks of the Nile, for a quiet dinner and a night at the Grand Aton Hotel.

Descend into Tuna el-Gebel, where underground galleries hold thousands of mummified ibis and baboons sacred to Thoth, and visit the elegant tomb of Petosiris. Cross the river to Tell el-Amarna, the city Akhenaten built for the sun god Aten. Continue south in the evening to Abydos for dinner and a night at the House of Life, overlooking the desert.

Begin at the Temple of Seti I in Abydos, home to some of the finest reliefs in Egypt and the King List naming seventy-six pharaohs. Continue to Dendera and the Temple of Hathor, with its painted astronomical ceiling and rooftop chapels. Lunch is served between the temples. Reach Luxor in the afternoon and board MS Le Fayan, where your cabin and a relaxed dinner on the river await.

Enter the royal tombs of the Valley of the Kings with your guide, then continue to the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut. After lunch on board, explore Karnak and its Great Hypostyle Hall of 134 columns, followed by Luxor Temple. As the day closes, the ship sets sail south through the Esna Lock towards Edfu.

Ride by horse-drawn carriage to the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best preserved temple in Egypt. Sail on to Kom Ombo for its double temple shared by Sobek and Haroeris, and the Crocodile Museum with its mummified crocodiles. Enjoy the sun deck as you glide towards Aswan, then dress in a traditional galabeya for a festive Egyptian night on board.

Take a short boat ride to the island Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis and rebuilt stone by stone on Agilkia Island to save it from the rising Nile. After lunch on board, a motorboat winds through the granite islands of the First Cataract to a Nubian village, where you visit a family home and a local school. Evening brings Nubian music and dance on board.

Leave the ship after breakfast and fly to Abu Simbel, where Ramses II carved his great temple, and a smaller one for Queen Nefertari, into the mountainside. Moved block by block in the 1960s, they were saved from the rising waters of Lake Nasser. Return through Aswan and Cairo to Alexandria, arriving in the evening at the Four Seasons at San Stefano, right on the Mediterranean shore.

Discover the city founded by Alexander the Great. Descend into the Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, where Egyptian and Roman art meet underground, and visit the Roman Amphitheatre, the only one of its kind in Egypt. After a seafood lunch by the sea, see the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Citadel of Qaitbay, built on the site of the Pharos Lighthouse. The evening is yours to stroll the Corniche.

Leave the Mediterranean coast and return to Cairo in the afternoon, a drive of about three hours. Settle into the Waldorf Astoria Cairo Heliopolis, a refined base for your final days in Egypt. In the evening, gather with your group for a farewell dinner in Cairo, celebrating the journey you have shared across the land of the pharaohs.

Spend your last full day in Cairo at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, where the Royal Mummies Hall holds more than twenty kings and queens, including Ramses II and Hatshepsut, in softly lit galleries. After lunch, wander Khan el-Khalili, the bazaar of lanterns, spices and silver, with time for shopping and coffee. Your guide will suggest the best stalls for perfume, textiles and jewellery.

Your journey ends with a slow breakfast in Cairo and time to pack at leisure, or a last walk along the Corniche if your flight leaves later. A private transfer 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.