9-Day Egypt Itinerary: Pyramids, Luxor & Nile Cruise

A Nile Cruise, Unhurried

A 9 day Egypt itinerary at a gentle pace: the pyramids before the crowds, four nights sailing the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, and Abu Simbel at first light.

A starting point rather than a package. Above all, we design every NndeeAfrika journey from scratch around your interests, pace and dates.

Make it yours Day by day

The route Cairo & Giza → Luxor → Nile cruise → Aswan → Abu Simbel

The 9 day Egypt itinerary, day by day

Nothing here is fixed. In fact, this is the route we plan most often. So tell us what to keep, lengthen or swap, and we’ll send you your own version, fully priced.

Best time to go

October–April for comfortable temple days. June–August is punishingly hot in Luxor and Aswan, so we will steer you to other months.

US travelers: check current entry requirements for each country on travel.state.gov and we also walk you through visas at booking.

Days 1–2

Cairo & Giza

First, stay beside the plateau and walk to the pyramids at opening time. Then the Grand Egyptian Museum with a private Egyptologist, and old Cairo in the cool of the evening.

Day 3

Luxor

Fly south to Karnak and the Valley of the Kings, arriving early, before the heat and the coaches.

Days 4–7

Nile cruise, Luxor to Aswan

Next, board a small ship for Edfu, Kom Ombo and the river villages, with temples by day and the Nile drifting past your cabin by night.

Day 8

Aswan & Abu Simbel

Philae by boat and a dawn flight to Abu Simbel, standing before Ramses before the light hardens.

Day 9

Home

Fly Aswan to Cairo and onward. Also, many travelers add the Red Sea, or pair Egypt with a Kenyan safari.

Feluccas and cruise boats on the Nile at Aswan with the desert escarpment behind, Egypt

The Nile at Aswan, with feluccas under sail and the desert a few hundred meters either side

Where you’ll stay on this route

We select your accommodation privately after we understand your dates, pace and priorities. Then we recommend each camp, lodge or villa for its location, guiding, privacy, room configuration and seasonal suitability. Finally, you’ll see the places we suggest, and why, in your proposal.

Plan your private safari

Hotels & Nile cruise

Every hotel night and your Nile cruise ship, named night by night.

Private Egyptologists

Private Egyptologist guides at the sites, with private transfers throughout.

Site fees & flights

Site entrance fees, domestic flights and meet-and-greet on every leg.

One transparent quote

Priced to your budget, your hotels and the season. No set packages.

This journey at a glance

Duration & route

9 days · Pyramids, Nile Cruise & Abu Simbel

Best months

October – April

Best suited to

Culture-focused travelers and families

The heart of it

The temples of the Nile with private guiding throughout

Typical private investment

Every itinerary is priced individually, to your budget.

Based on two guests sharing. Final pricing therefore depends on season, camps, private guiding, internal flights and itinerary length. However, the price excludes international flights.

Generally included

Hotels and Nile cruise ship named night by night · private Egyptologist guides · site entrance fees · domestic flights and transfers · airport meet & greet · a founder’s direct line while you travel.

This itinerary is a starting shape rather than a package. In short, every journey is fully tailor-made around your dates, pace and interests. Design this journey privately →

Questions about this journey

Worth it. The temples between Luxor and Aswan sit on the river, so a small ship removes the driving entirely and you wake beside the next site. We use vessels with a few dozen cabins rather than floating hotels.

Yes, and it works beautifully. Cairo connects easily to Nairobi, so Egypt plus a Kenyan safari is a natural two-week pairing: pyramids first, bush second, beach if you have the days.

A fair amount on uneven stone, in heat. For this reason, we plan the big sites for early morning, keep afternoons free, and can arrange private access and wheelchairs where needed. Tell us about mobility at inquiry.

Make this journey yours.

Tell us when you’d like to go and what you’d change. We’ll send back your own fully priced version within a few days.

This Egypt Nile cruise itinerary is a starting point; most travelers change the pace, and that is the idea.

Plan your safari