Tour

Ancient Wonders of the Nile - Small Group
from USD 4695

Insight Vacations

Tour Code: YW945M26
Vacation Type: Regional
Brochure:
Duration: 9 Days
Country: Egypt

Travel through Egypt on a Small Group tour, splitting your time between Cairo and a multi-day cruise on the Nile aboard a traditional dahabiyya. Explore Cairo, from the Saladin Citadel and Alabaster Mosque to the Hanging Church and the Great Pyramids of Giza, and a visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum. Fly to Luxor to see the Valley of the Kings and sail to Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae Temple. Along the way, meet artisans at a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and enjoy dinner on a private Nile island.



Map Ancient Wonders Of The Nile Small Group Guided Tour Y945 WY945 2027

Intra Tour Air

  • Intra Tour Air Aswan to Cairo

Intra Tour Air Tax

  • Intra Tour Air Tax Aswan to Cairo

Intra Tour Air

  • Intra Tour Air Cairo to Luxor

Intra Tour Air Tax

  • Intra Tour Air Tax Cairo to Luxor

Transfer Airport

  • Arrival Included Transfer Cairo Airport to Hotel
  • Departure Included Transfer Hotel to Cairo Airport

Gold Seal Protection

  • Gold Seal Protection

Dining Summary

  • 8 Breakfast (B)
  • 5 Lunch (L)
  • 6 Dinner (D)

Choice Highlights

  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Aswan: Satisfy your curiosity and your taste buds over an Egyptian cooking demonstration with your talented onboard chef.
  • Aswan: Ever wondered what it is like to be in the driver's seat? Enjoy a tour of the Captain's quarters and learn about how he sails through the Nile and how knowledge has been passed down through generations.

Additional Included Highlights

  • We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
  • From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
  • 4 night Nile cruise aboard your mid-size cruise ship featuring air-conditioned cabins with private facilities, on either MS Medea, MS Miriam, MS Giselle, MS La Boheme or similar. Please note that gratuities are not included for the Travel Director, Nile Cruise staff, Drivers and Airport Escorts.
  • Included economy class flights between Cairo/Luxor and Aswan/Cairo with transfers between airports and hotels.
  • Complimentary transfers from/to Cairo Airport are available on arrival and departure days, or with additional accommodation booked through Insight Vacations.

Authentic Dining

  • Al Ramady: Enjoy dinner on Al Ramady Island, a small sand island in the Nile. You’ll arrive by boat in the early evening and sit down to an al fresco meal of Egyptian dishes such as grilled meats, seasonal salads, mezze and freshly baked bread.
  • Kom Ombo: Learn about traditional Egyptian attire and immerse yourself in local culture at an Egyptian dinner and galabeya party.

Insight Choice

  • Aswan: Satisfy your curiosity and your taste buds over an Egyptian cooking demonstration with your talented onboard chef.
  • Aswan: Ever wondered what it is like to be in the driver's seat? Enjoy a tour of the Captain's quarters and learn about how he sails through the Nile and how knowledge has been passed down through generations.

Insight Experiences

Aswan: On a traditional Nile felucca, meet a sailor and learn the art of sailing this ancient Nile craft. Visit the High Dam and Granite Quarries.

Make Travel Matter

Aswan: In Aswan, meet the women of a local women-owned co-operative whose mission is to support vulnerable women from the local villages to learn new skills and become financially independent. The organisation provides a hub of support and comfort for over 300 women who may live in poverty or suffer from loneliness and want to become financially independent. Thanks to their newly learnt skills, the women are now able to provide the main source of income for their family. The co-op also strives to reduce waste with a secondary mission to ensure a cleaner world by using waste and natural material like bamboo or palm trees to create fine handicrafts. Your visit directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.

Top Rated Highlights

  • Cairo: Take a short scenic flight to Luxor where you will begin your Nile Cruise.
  • Valley of the Kings: Explore the Valley of the Kings, home to the magnificent tombs of Egypt's Pharaohs, with an Egyptologist.
  • Karnak: Stand amid a vast forest of columns in the largest temple complex known to man, as your Egyptologist explains the significance behind it. Walk the avenue of ram-headed sphinxes, see the of Rameses II and the Hypostyle Hall.
  • Edfu: Visit the only temple in Egypt that is dedicated to two gods.
  • Silsila: Visit Gabal El Silsila Temple, a small riverside sanctuary between Edfu and Kom Ombo set below sandstone cliffs on one of the Nile’s narrowest stretches. Walk among its rock-cut chapels and reliefs as your Local Expert explains how quarries here supplied stone for major temples such as Karnak, Luxor and Edfu, linking this quiet site to Egypt’s larger monuments.
  • Kom Ombo: Visit the unique temple as it is the only double temple in Egypt.
  • Philae Island: Travel by motorboat to Philae Island and witness the majestic Temple of Isis rising from the waters.
  • Cairo: Discover Cairo’s history on a city tour taking in the Saladin Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali, with its domes and courtyard, before continuing to Coptic Cairo to visit the Hanging Church, built above a Roman gate, and see how these landmarks trace Egypt’s Islamic and Christian traditions.
  • Giza: With your Egyptologist, meet the enigmatic Sphinx and venture deep inside one of the pyramids, to the chambers where the pharaohs went to meet their Gods in the afterlife.
  • Giza: Visit the Giza Plateau to see the three Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, iconic monuments of Egypt’s Old Kingdom. Walk among the pyramids and go inside one of them to view its internal passages and burial chamber, gaining a closer look at the scale and construction of these ancient royal tombs.
  • Cairo: At the Grand Egyptian Museum, discover the complete collection from Tutankhamun’s tomb — displayed together for the first time — from ceremonial beds to his golden funerary mask. With your Egyptologist, explore the reconstructed solar barque once buried beside the Great Pyramid of Giza, stand before the 11‑metre statue of Ramses II, and wander through one of the largest collections of ancient artefacts spanning the Predynastic to the Greco‑Roman eras. 

Well-being

  • Our highly-skilled Travel Director and certified Egyptologist will ensure your journey is seamless, serving as your expert guide, consummate organiser, and friend overseas.
  • Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxury, air-conditioned coach with onboard washroom. Alternate vehicles without onboard washroom may be used on occasion. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
  • We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.

  • Cairo Marriott & Omar Khayyam Casino
  • Dahabiyya Princess Judi sailboat
Day 1 Arrive In Cairo

Arrive in Cairo, a city of more than 20 million people, home to the Pyramids of Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Transfer from the airport to your hotel and take time to settle in after the flight. This evening, meet your Travel Director and fellow small group travellers over a welcome drink and small bites, a relaxed start before tomorrow’s sightseeing.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Cairo Marriott & Omar Khayyam Casino

Day 2 Fly To Luxor And Board Your Dahabiyya

Take an early morning flight to Luxor, then visit the Valley of the Kings with an Egyptologist. Continue to the Colossi of Memnon, the twin statues that once marked the entrance to the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, before exploring the vast Karnak Temple complex with its halls, pylons and obelisks. In the afternoon, you’ll board your dahabiyya, a smaller traditional Nile boat, to settle into your cabin and have lunch on board, before your first evening on the river.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Dahabiyya Princess Judi sailboat

Day 3 Cruise The Nile To Edfu Temple Relaxed Start

Enjoy a Relaxed Start on your dahabiyya as it sails along the Nile towards Edfu. On arrival, you’ll go ashore to visit the Temple of Edfu, one of Egypt’s best-preserved temples dedicated to the falcon god Horus. Back on board, spend the afternoon on deck with your small group, reading, playing cards or simply looking out at the river as the boat continues its journey. This evening, you’ll travel by boat to Al Ramady, a private Nile island.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Dahabiyya Princess Judi sailboat

Day 4 Gabal El Silsila And Kom Ombo Temple Relaxed Start

Cruise along the Nile this morning on your dahabiyya, passing riverbank villages and palm groves on the way to Gabal El Silsila Temple. Here, you’ll go ashore to visit a small riverside sanctuary set below sandstone cliffs, linked to the area’s ancient quarries. You’ll then continue by boat to Kom Ombo to explore its double temple, dedicated to Sobek and Horus the Elder, and visit the small crocodile museum. In the evening, you’ll return to your dahabiyya for dinner and another night on board with your small group.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Dahabiyya Princess Judi sailboat

Day 5 History And Culture In Aswan Relaxed Start

Travel by boat to visit Philae Temple, relocated to its island site after the construction of the Aswan High Dam and dedicated to the goddess Isis. Afterwards, explore a local bazaar, with time to browse stalls selling spices, textiles and simple handcrafted souvenirs. Spend your afternoon your way, with Insight Choice. Enjoy an Egyptian cooking demonstration on board, seeing how classic dishes are prepared. Or sit down to tea with your captain to hear more about daily life on the river and working on a dahabiyya.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Dahabiyya Princess Judi sailboat

Day 6 Aswan Relaxed Start

If you wish, you could join an Optional Experience to Abu Simbel to see the rock temples of Ramesses II and Nefertari on the shores of Lake Nasser. Later, visit the Aswan Women’s Cooperative for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, meeting female artisans at a local weaving school who are preserving traditional techniques. Afterwards, join a local sailor for a felucca ride on the Nile before returning on board for a Gallabiyah party, an evening where you can wear a traditional Egyptian robe with music and simple entertainment hosted by the crew.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Dahabiyya Princess Judi sailboat

Day 7 Cosmopolitan And Cultural Cairo

Disembark your dahabiyya this morning and fly to Cairo. Visit the Saladin Citadel, including the Ottoman-style Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali with its prominent domes and courtyard. Continue to Coptic Cairo to see the Hanging Church, built above the old Roman gatehouse. This evening is free to explore Cairo at your own pace – perhaps visit Khan el-Khalili bazaar, find a cafe in Downtown Cairo or book a local restaurant for dinner. Alternatively, you can choose from Optional Experiences, including the Giza Sound and Light Show at the pyramids or a Nile cruise with dinner and entertainment.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Cairo Marriott & Omar Khayyam Casino

Day 8 The Pyramids Of Giza

Travel to the Giza Plateau to see the three Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure and view the Sphinx at close range. Explore inside one of the pyramids to see its internal passageways and burial chamber. Later, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum to explore galleries of colossal statues, painted coffins and objects from the tomb of Tutankhamun, including jewellery and ritual items. In the evening, join your small group and your Travel Director for dinner in Cairo to bring your journey through Egypt to a close.

Duration: 1 Day

Accommodation: Cairo Marriott & Omar Khayyam Casino

Day 9 Farewell Cairo

Say goodbye to your small group and your Travel Director this morning as your Egyptian journey comes to an end. A transfer will take you from the hotel to Cairo International Airport for your onward flight.

Duration: 1 Day

Departs On Returns On Single OccupancyTwin Room Definite Departure  
Sun, 10 Jan 2027 Mon, 18 Jan 2027 USD 6,095USD 4,695
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Sun, 24 Jan 2027 Mon, 01 Feb 2027 USD 6,095USD 4,695
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Sun, 07 Feb 2027 Mon, 15 Feb 2027 USD 6,095USD 4,695
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Sun, 21 Feb 2027 Mon, 01 Mar 2027 USD 6,095USD 4,695
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Sun, 07 Mar 2027 Mon, 15 Mar 2027 USD 6,095USD 4,695
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Sun, 21 Mar 2027 Mon, 29 Mar 2027 USD 6,190USD 4,750
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