Luxury Small Group Tours Egypt: 7-Day Pyramids, Abu Simbel & Nile Cruise

Begin at the Grand Egyptian Museum, the largest museum in the world devoted to a single civilisation. Your guide leads you up the Grand Staircase of royal statues to the Tutankhamun galleries, where more than five thousand objects from his tomb are shown together for the first time, then on to the restored Khufu Solar Boat. After lunch, wait for the plateau to close to visitors, then enter the Great Pyramid's Queen's and Subterranean Chambers, normally closed, and stand between the paws of the Sphinx at sunset.

An early flight takes you south to Abu Simbel, where Ramses II carved four colossal statues of himself into the mountainside more than 3,200 years ago, beside a smaller temple for Queen Nefertari. Both temples were moved block by block in the 1960s to save them from Lake Nasser. Fly on to Aswan for the island Temple of Philae, dedicated to Isis, then board MS Le Fayan for lunch, a first afternoon on the river and a captain's welcome cocktail in the evening.

Wake as the ship sails north along the river. At Kom Ombo, explore a rare double temple shared by two gods, Sobek the crocodile and Haroeris the falcon, and see the mummified crocodiles in the small museum beside it. Lunch is served on board as fields and villages slip past. In the afternoon, visit the Temple of Horus at Edfu, the best preserved temple in Egypt, its roof and great pylon still intact. In the evening, dress in a galabeya for a festive dinner.

Cross to the West Bank of Luxor, the ancient city of the dead. In the Valley of the Kings, enter royal tombs with your guide, including the tomb of Tutankhamun, where the young king still rests in his painted burial chamber. Continue to the terraced Temple of Hatshepsut, built for one of Egypt's few female pharaohs, and pause at the Colossi of Memnon on the way back. The afternoon is yours to enjoy on board, followed by an evening of entertainment.

Leave the ship after breakfast for Karnak, the largest temple complex ever built, where the Great Hypostyle Hall holds 134 giant columns. Walk the Avenue of Sphinxes towards Luxor Temple, begun by Amenhotep III and completed by Ramses II, before lunch in Luxor. In the afternoon, fly to Cairo and check in to the Four Seasons at The First Residence, overlooking the Nile. The evening closes with a farewell dinner shared with your group and your Egyptologist.

The final morning of one of our favourite luxury small group tours Egypt has to offer. Enjoy a slow breakfast overlooking the Nile and time to pack at leisure, 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, should anything change with your flight.