Essential Egypt - 10 days

Essential Egypt - 10 days

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Essential Egypt - 10 days

10 Days Starting and ending in Cairo

Visiting: Cairo, Pyramids of Giza, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Kom Umbu, Luxor, Luxor Governorate

Tour operator:

On The Go Tours

Tour code:

2444/ESSE

Guide Type:

Fully Guided

Group size:

2 - 40

Physical rating:

Low

Age range:

16 + if accompanied by an adult. Where a tour includes an overnight felucca the minimum age to travel by felucca is 18 yrs. We accept aged 16+ on the Nile Cruisers.

Special diets catered:

Vegetarians

Tour operated in:
English

This tour is no longer available

Tour Overview

A value-packed adventure through ancient Egypt. Travelling from Cairo, home of the legendary Pyramids of Giza, to Aswan with its colourful souqs and Luxor, famed for its awe-inspiring temples and incredible Valley of the Kings. Combined with two days felucca sailing along the River Nile, this is the best of Egypt in 10 days!

Highlights

  • Cairo - Gaze in awe at the legendary Pyramids of Giza, see the iconic Sphinx and explore the Necropolis of Saqqara

  • Cairo Museums - See King Tutankhamun's treasures in the Grand Egyptian Museum and meet the mummies of might pharaohs at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

  • Nile felucca sailing - Sail the River Nile on board a traditional felucca and spend two nights sleeping under a blanket of stars (or upgrade to a 5 star Nile Cruise)

  • Aswan - Take a scenic boat ride out to Agilika Island to explore the beautiful Philae Temple and shop in Aswan's colourful souks

  • Luxor - Roam around the colossal Temple of Karnak and take an optional tour of the Luxor Temple beautifully illuminated at night

  • Luxor's West Bank - Discover beautifully preserved pharaoh's tombs in the Valley of the Kings, see the towering Colossi of Memnon and visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

  • Kom Ombo - Discover the unique double Temple of Kom Ombo, on the bank of the River Nile

Itinerary

Expand All

Day 1 : Cairo

Location: Cairo

Meals Included: No Meals

You will be met upon arrival at Cairo Airport and transferred to our start hotel. Spend the rest of the day at leisure or, if you arrive early, opt to join our optional Backstreets of Cairo tour which departs the hotel at 10am.If you'd like to extend your stay in Egypt we also offer a pre or post tour Day Trip to Alexandria.

Day 2 : Pyramids Of Giza

Location: Pyramids of Giza

Meals Included: Breakfast

Our tour begins with a visit to one of the world's most famous sights this morning - the legendary Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Built over 4500 years ago, the three great pyramids are sole survivors of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. After our tour of the Giza Plateau we travel to the ancient necropolis of Saqqara to see Zhoser’s step pyramid. A visit to a government supervised Papyrus Museum will also be made at some point during today.

Day 3 : Cairo

Location: Cairo

Meals Included: Breakfast

Cairo - Aswan. This morning we have a guided tour of the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which contains an incredible array of relics and antiquities including the treasures of King Tutankhamun and his spectacular gold funerary mask. Then we travel on to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization to see the mummies of ancient Egyptian pharaohs on display in the Royal Mummies' Hall. Some of the mummies you will see are so well preserved, they still have thick locks of hair, visible finger nails! After the museums there's time to relax back at the hotel before we board the night train to Aswan this evening.
Please Note: the Grand Egyptian Museum is scheduled to open in late 2022, though an official opening date has yet to be released. If travelling prior to the opening of the new facility we'll visit the Egyptian Museum instead.

Day 4 : Aswan

Location: Aswan

Meals Included: Breakfast

Our train pulls into Aswan early this morning and we check into our hotel. Then we take a scenic boat ride out to Agilika Island for a guided tour of the beautiful Philae Temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Isis. Travelling back to Aswan we visit a perfume oil emporium before spending the rest of the day at leisure. Relax by the hotel pool, explore Aswan's colourful souks and watch a beautiful sunset over the Nile.

Day 5 : Abu Simbel

Location: Abu Simbel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Aswan - Nile felucca cruise. Consider booking our optional early morning excursion by road to visit the spectacular Temples of Ramses II at Abu Simbel this morning. Alternatively enjoy a free morning in Aswan. This afternoon we board a felucca for a relaxing 2-night sailing trip on the River Nile.
If sailing by felucca is not your style, consider upgrading to a 5 star luxury Nile Cruise, please see the tab above for prices. For more information about Nile Cruising please

Day 6 : Felucca Cruise

Location: Kom Umbu

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy a relax day sailing the River Nile. Soak up the sunshine on deck, enjoy the views perhaps enjoy a refreshing swim in the river. In the afternoon we reach Kom Ombo and take a motorboat to visit this ancient temple, which is dedicated to the crocodile headed god - Sobek. Then we return to the felucca for our second night onboard.

Day 7 : Luxor

Location: Luxor

Meals Included: Breakfast

Kom Ombo - Luxor. Leaving the felucca we drive to the ancient city Luxor this morning, which is often referred to as the world's greatest open-air museum. The afternoon is free to relax by the hotel pool or independently explore. This evening there is an optional visit to the spectacular Temple of Luxor, which is beautifully illuminated at night (book and pay locally).

Day 8 : Luxor

Location: Luxor Governorate

Meals Included: Breakfast

Luxor - Cairo. We travel to Luxor's West Bank this morning for a guided tour of the legendary Valley of the Kings, which is home to an array of beautifully decorated pharaoh's tombs, some of which you can enter. Arriving at the West Bank we will be greeted by the towering 18m-high Colossi of Memnon and after the Valley of the Kings we enjoy a tour of the beautiful Temple of Queen Hatshepsut.
Returning to the hotel there's time to relax by the pool and have lunch before we visit the Temple of Karnak this afternoon. Karnak is a spectacular religious complex dedicated to the gods, and built on a gigantic scale. This evening, we board the night train to return to Cairo.

Day 9 : Cairo

Location: Cairo

Meals Included: Breakfast

This morning we arrive back into Egypt's bustling capital. After hotel check-in the rest of the day is free to relax or explore Egypt’s capital at leisure. If you'd like to do some last minute souvenir shopping we offer an optional visit to Cairo's bustling Khan el Khalili bazaar.

Day 10 : Cairo

Location: Cairo

Meals Included: Breakfast

Cairo. After breakfast, hotel check-out and onward transfer to the airport.

What's Included

  • Accommodation
    3 - 4 star

  • Breakfast daily, 2 lunches and 2 dinners

  • 2 overnight trains from Cairo to Aswan and Luxor to Cairo (Private 2 berth sleeper cabin)

  • 5 nights 4 star hotels, 2 nights aboard felucca (open deck). If booking our Nile Cruise Upgrade: 4 nights 4 star hotels and 3 nights 5 star Nile Cruiser (en suite cabin)

  • Airport arrival and departure transfer on day 1 and day 10

  • Touring - Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Aswan and Luxor

  • Escorted by an Egyptian tour guide degree qualified in Egyptology

  • All relevant transfer and transportation in private modern air-conditioned vehicles

  • 5 nights 3 - 4 star hotels, 2 nights aboard felucca (open deck). If booking our Nile Cruise Upgrade: 4 nights 3 star hotels and 3 nights Nile Cruiser (en suite cabin)

What's Not Included

  • International flights and visa

  • Tip for your tour guide. We recommend you allow USD$5-7 per day, per traveller. Tipping your guide is an entirely personal gesture

  • Entrance Fees: USD$100-120pp, paid in local currency

Check out our Q&As

  • What is the standard of the hotels on this tour?

    3 - 4 star

  • Are airport transfers included in this tour?

    Airport arrival and departure transfer on day 1 and day 10

  • Are the local guides on the tour English speaking?

    Yes

  • What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?

    Ensuring our footprint is light and that the benefits of travelling reach the local communities you visit is paramount to us. We’re proud to say that when travelling with us, the large majority of your holiday funds remain within the countries you visit, supporting local economies at a grass roots level.

  • How long has the tour company been trading?

    Since 1998

  • Who will be my travelling companions on the tour?

    With English-speaking tours, it's not a huge surprise that most on our travellers are from English-speaking countries or have English as their second language. Our group tours cater for everyone from 18 years old to 70+

  • Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?

    Yes

Reviews of this Operator

Calvin  

Wonderful experience

05-Jan-2023

Jamal is our tour guide. Right from the start, he created a group chat in whatsapp and if any issues to make sure we contact him. He was on the ball with every issue thrown at him. Luggage being left behind, stragglers wondered off in a different path, hotel room etc. He explains the various site along our route to give us a better understanding of the local cultures. We had a great time, thanks to Jamal.

Trustpilot
Norma Sullivan  

Land of the Northern Lights 5 day tour of Iceland

10-Sep-2021

The Land of Northern Lights tour was a triumph! My tour of Southern Iceland was absolutely wonderful. The venues chosen, the timing allotted at each venue and the variety of things to experience was nearly perfect. Our guide, "Thor", was smart, amusing, full of history and anecdotal stories as well as being incredibly hospitable and helpful. This small group experience was my first, but not my last thanks to On the Go.

Trawls (Google Reviewer)  

On The Go Tours Sri...

05-Feb-2024

On The Go Tours Sri Lanka was an incredible experience that was made even better by our tour guide Akthar. He was incredibly knowledgeable about his country and he loved sharing it with us. The tour covers a wide range of activities so you can truly experience what Sri Lanka is all about. The beautiful 4-5 star hotels at the end of every day was an absolute bonus. Thanks for a great trip OTGT I’m sure this won’t be my last

Xtreme Floor Care (Google Reviewer)  

Traveled through Egypt with On...

30-Nov-2023

Traveled through Egypt with On the Go Tours, professional service, very informative and helpful tour guides. The choice of hotels was excellent... Definitely recommend this company

Gavin Harrigan  

King Tutankhamun 10 day tour of Egypt

16-Sep-2021

I have just returned from my tour with On The Go and it was an amazing trip! From arriving at the airport and meeting the OTG representative, everything was well organised and hassle free.  Our tour guide was Amir. He is awesome!! From the beginning he was so friendly and enthusiastic about showing us around Egypt, giving us loads of information at each place and time to explore ourselves. Learnt so much from him about this fascinating place, and he was always happy to answer more questions.   The trip itself was amazing. There's lots of travelling on this trip, but it's really not too bad, and the sights you see when you get to where you are going are worth it. I'm not a big fan of boats, but the Felluca ride across the Nile was pretty fun too.  On the first day I also did the optional tour of Cairo with Ahmed Helal - another excellent guide from OTG. It's worth doing this add on as you don't spend much time in Cairo, and you go to three very different places.  I'm so glad that I decided to do this trip. It was just ace.  If you're thinking about it too, you should probably just book it. And hopefully you get Amir as your guide.

Paul Kelly (Google Reviewer)  

TOTALLY MOROCCO We booked a 9...

26-Feb-2023

TOTALLY MOROCCO We booked a 9 day tour of Morocco visiting many main cities and places of interest. The coach was very comfortable and we felt safe with the driver Suliman. The guide was Hicham Touraouine and he was fantastic. He spoke perfect English as well as French, Arabic and Berber. He was so kind and considerate and made a good tour great. We particularly enjoyed ‘glamming in the Sahara Desert. So much to see and do and great food and company. We would definitely use On The Go Tours again, especially if Hicham was the guide. Paul & Penny

Rolly Hay hay (Google Reviewer)  

Gallipoli tour. The guide was...

28-Sep-2023

Gallipoli tour. The guide was awesome. Everything went like clockwork.. My complaint is that you expect 4 people to cramp together on the back seat of the van for 4 hours. That is poverty travel. Not really acceptable for the price paid. So uncomfortable. If was to do this trip again I'd just rent a car. Although the guide was amazing, but that's 3 hours of the trip.

Sarah Paterson (Google Reviewer)  

Terrible tour of India. For...

27-Dec-2023

Terrible tour of India. For some reason On the Go hadn't realised that my room mate had booked her own room for the first night of tour. So the hotel in Delhi had tried to put me in her room after midnight, by wheeling in an extra bed. She went Crazy!! I then had to sit in hotel reception for hours. While the tour guide said he couldn't find me a room. Throughout the tour the guide consistently ask me and my room mate for money for my room, causing more friction between us. Don't book with this company had the worst experience ever. Go with Intrepid or G Adventure

brandy hoffman (Google Reviewer)  

I had used them once...

09-Aug-2023

I had used them once before and loved them. I decided to try them again for a Baltic tour not knowing that they put me on another Tour group- Baltic vision. Loved that tour but was not impressed they marked up the cost for me over 100%. I understand taking some for yourself because of paperwork, but over double the cost everyone else paid on the tour. Just double check before you book with them that you’re not over paying.

Giovanni Guidi (Google Reviewer)  

I booked three tours with...

19-Aug-2023

I booked three tours with this agency. While the first two experiences were very nice, with well-thought-out itineraries and knowledgeable guides, the third tour was an absolute nightmare for us. Due to the unavailability of an hotel from the trip notes, the agency opted to replace it with another they claimed was "similar." To our dismay, this alternative was nothing short of a decrepit, filthy establishment that threatened to ruin our entire safari experience in South Africa. But the fiasco didn't end there. This so-called hotel began proposing and organizing activities starkly different from what we were promised in the trip notes, together with an awful services of their guides and vehicles. And when this disaster struck and we desperately needed their support? The agency ghosted us. It took them an entire day to respond, and when they did, they simply shrugged off our concerns, asserting it was too late to fix anything, even though three nights of our trip were still ahead. The level of unprofessionalism was staggering. Forced to salvage our experience, we took matters into our own hands, leaving that awful place to book another hotel and activities for the remainder of our trip—all at my own expense. Based on my experience, I suggest travelers to think twice before considering this agency. Seek out reputable companies known for their commitment to customer service and integrity.

Book with Confidence

  • Transfer as credit to Future Tours

    On The Go Tours allows you to transfer existing payments to a future tour to avoid cancellation fees if you can't travel and inform on the go tours, 60 days before departure.

  • Low Deposit

    On The Go Tours requires a minimum deposit of 200 GBP per person or the full booking value, whichever is less, with the final balance not due until 60 days before departure.

  • Cancellation Policy

    We don't charge a cancellation fee, here is a summary of on the go tours charges.

    Up to 60 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of deposit.

    At 59 days before tour starts: Forfeit 50% of booking price.

    At 30 days before tour starts: Forfeit 100% of booking price.

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