Home / Luxury Journeys / Private Egypt by Dahabiya, 11 Days
Luxury collection · 11 days, 10 nights
Eleven private days: the pyramids and Luxor's temples on land, then four slow nights sailing from Esna to Aswan aboard the Akhnaton Dahabiya, and a last look at Cairo.
The journey
A private Egyptologist guide leads every visit on this trip. Cairo comes first, with the Giza pyramids, the Great Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum. A flight then takes you to Luxor for two nights, with Karnak, Luxor Temple and the Valley of the Kings.
At Esna you board the Akhnaton Dahabiya for four nights on the river. It stops at Edfu, Gebel El Silsila and Kom Ombo, and you walk through Wadi El Shat, Daraw's camel market and Koubania, a Nubian village. You fly from Aswan back to Cairo for the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Citadel of Saladin.
The route
Day by day
Welcome to Cairo. A professional representative is at Cairo International Airport to greet you and handle all arrival procedures with you. A private, air-conditioned vehicle takes you on to your hotel. After check-in, nothing else is scheduled, so you can unpack, rest and settle in before the touring begins.
After breakfast, you set off with your private Egyptologist guide for the Giza Plateau. You stand at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, with the neighboring pyramids of Chephren and Mykerinos, then admire the Great Sphinx and walk into the Valley Temple. Later you visit the Egyptian Museum, on Tahrir Square, with its major collection of ancient artifacts. Along the way, lunch is served at a local Egyptian restaurant, and then you return to your hotel.
After breakfast, you check out and are driven to Cairo Airport for the flight to Luxor. Your private guide meets you there and begins your tour of the East Bank with the Karnak Temple Complex, where the Hypostyle Hall rises in towering columns. Luxor Temple follows, and your guide shows you where the Avenue of Sphinxes once joined it to Karnak. You then check in at your Luxor hotel and rest.
This morning you cross the river for Luxor's West Bank, with its royal tombs and great temples. The Valley of the Kings comes first: here Tutankhamun, Ramses II and other pharaohs were laid in their tombs. You go on to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari, set into the cliffs, and then pause before the massive Colossi of Memnon. Afterward, you return to the hotel for a quiet evening.
Once you have checked out after breakfast, a drive of about 1 hour brings you to Esna and your boat, the elegant Akhnaton Dahabiya. Your first visit is the Temple of Esna, followed by a walk through the local market. The dahabiya sets sail for El Kab, the ancient city of rock-cut tombs and ruined temples. Your first dinner is served on board or on the riverbank as you settle into life on the water.
The dahabiya sails on toward Edfu today. After breakfast, you reach the Temple of Horus by horse-drawn carriage, and your guide points out the detailed carvings and towering pylons. Lunch is back on board. Later your guide leads a walk through Wadi El Shat, past small villages and over desert paths. It is a quiet place, and dinner follows on the dahabiya.
Gebel El Silsila is the first stop, and you can relax on deck while the dahabiya makes its way there. Ashore, you explore chapels carved from the rock and the ancient quarries that supplied stone for temple building. After lunch the boat continues to Kom Ombo, where you visit the twin temple of Sobek and Horus the Elder. Dinner, near Maniha, is taken under an open sky.
This morning the boat heads for Daraw. Ashore, you walk through the local camel market and get a glimpse of village life. The dahabiya then continues to Koubania, a Nubian village among mango and citrus groves. You spend your final evening on board in this peaceful place by the water.
After breakfast, you leave the dahabiya in Aswan and are driven to Aswan Airport to fly to Cairo. There our representative meets you and escorts you to your hotel. Spend what is left of the day as you like in the capital, or simply rest after four nights on the river.
Your last full day starts at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), where your guide walks you through galleries of ancient treasures shown with modern exhibition design. Next you head to the Salah El Din Citadel and the Mohamed Ali Mosque, known as the Alabaster Mosque, with panoramic views over Cairo. Lunch is included, and the final evening is spent at your hotel.
Have breakfast at your hotel and check out. Our representative then accompanies you on the drive to Cairo International Airport, and you leave for home. Your trip, which began at the pyramids of Giza and carried you along the Nile by dahabiya, comes to a close here.
Where you'll stay
Proposed properties. The room category, view and meal plan are confirmed in your written proposal, subject to availability.
The same route can be quoted with these hotels and vessels, subject to availability for your dates. See the Ultra-Luxury collection.
What's included
Questions
On land, yes: your guide, vehicle and driver are for your group alone. The dahabiya is shared with its other guests unless your group charters the whole boat, and the guided visits are private.
Cairo & Giza: The St. Regis Cairo (4 nights); Luxor: Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa (2 nights); Dahabiya: Akhnaton Dahabiya (4 nights). The alternatives are named on this page, and your proposal confirms the room category.
No. These are booked and paid separately: domestic flights on two legs: Cairo to Luxor, and Aswan back to Cairo.
No. Tips for guides, drivers and hotel or ship staff are not included; they are customary in Egypt.
Yes. The same route can be quoted with the ultra-luxury hotels and vessels listed under Where you'll stay, subject to availability for your dates.
Yes. The length, the hotels and the pace can all be adjusted before you confirm, subject to availability.
The price depends on your dates, hotels, room type and group size. Your written proposal shows the full price, what it includes and the terms; no payment is taken with a request.
Your private proposal
Tell us your dates, who is traveling and what matters most. We reply with a written proposal: the hotels, the full itinerary, the price and the terms.
Design your private journeyNo payment is taken with a request.
