Luxury Egypt10 Day Egypt Tour: Ultimate Nile Cruise With Abu Simbel
This 10 day Egypt tour from Look at Egypt Tours is a private archaeology route that runs from Cairo and Saqqara down the Nile to Abu Simbel. The listed price is $4,700 per person on Viator, and Viator adds $25 in extra charges at checkout, listed separately. You get 4 nights of full board on a Nile ship such as MS Blue Shadow or MS Concerto, 5-star hotels, all domestic flights and a qualified Egyptologist guide. The itinerary covers Old Cairo, the Egyptian Museum, Dendera, the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Philae and Abu Simbel. This page walks through what the price covers, what it does not, and who should look at a different route in this comparison of luxury Egypt tours. Compare it with the other Egypt luxury tours.
About This Tour
Look at Egypt Tours sells this as a hand-crafted cultural trip for archaeology fans and history buffs. It is private, so your group has the guide and vehicle to itself. The route starts in Cairo with Saqqara and Old Cairo, flies to Luxor for Dendera, the museums and the west bank, then cruises to Aswan and finishes at Abu Simbel. The listing is titled Luxor to Aswan for the cruise leg, but the sightseeing itself begins in Cairo.
The practical shape is 10 days with 4 cruise nights on full board and the remaining nights in 5-star hotels, though the listing does not state how many hotel nights or which hotels. All domestic flights are included per the description, as are breakfast, lunch and dinner, round-trip private transfers and the Egyptologist guide. Gratuities and the entry visa are extra. Viator also adds $25 of charges at checkout on top of the $4,700 price, and the listing does not explain them.
$4,700 per person listed, with Viator adding $25 of extra charges at checkout. The two figures are listed separately and the listing does not itemise the $25.
10 days total, with 4 nights of Nile cruise full board. The number of hotel nights is not stated.
Hotel pickup is included, the pickup time is not stated. A qualified Egyptologist guide leads a private group.
5-star hotels, names and night counts not stated, plus 4 nights on MS Blue Shadow, MS Concerto or a similar ship, full board.
All domestic flights per the description are included, and Abu Simbel is included. No balloon is mentioned.
Gratuities and the entry visa are excluded, and the $25 of checkout charges sits outside the headline price. Free cancellation up to 6 full days before, 50% refund between 2 and 6 days, none inside 2 days.
Check Dates and Availability
Starting times are not published, the listing says to check availability to see them. Enter your dates to see live prices for your group size.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer The short answer
This 10 day Egypt tour costs $4,700 per person listed, and Viator adds $25 in extra charges at checkout, so budget for both figures. It is a private tour with a qualified Egyptologist, 4 nights of full board on a Nile ship, 5-star hotels, all domestic flights and Abu Simbel included. Cancellation is free up to 6 full days before departure, half back between 2 and 6 days, and nothing inside 2 days.
Key takeaways
- Entrance fees read as included only 'for the mentioned places', so confirm what that line covers before booking, and see what the price actually covers.
- The listing names no Giza or Alexandria visit. If you want both, the 12-Day Luxury Egypt Nile Tour adds Fayoum and Alexandria over 12 days.
- Want a balloon over Luxor? The 9-Day Private Egypt Cruise Tour includes one at $2,300.
- Shorter and much cheaper: the 8-Day Cairo Aswan Luxor Private Tour is the pick at $1,800.
What the Price Actually Covers
The inclusions list is generous on hotels, meals, flights and guiding but vague on tickets, and a few costs sit outside the from-price. Here is the split, taken from the listing's own inclusion and exclusion lines.
Included, Excluded and Vague
The included list covers round-trip private transfer, breakfast, lunch and dinner, 4 nights of Nile cruise full board on MS Blue Shadow, MS Concerto or a similar ship, a qualified Egyptologist guide, and an inclusion line that reads only 'for the mentioned places'. That last line is the vague one. It probably means entrance fees at Saqqara, Old Cairo, the Egyptian Museum, Dendera, the Luxor Museum, the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor Temple, Philae and Abu Simbel are covered, but you should confirm with the operator before you pay.
Excluded are gratuities and the entry visa per person. Viator also adds $25 of extra charges at checkout on top of the $4,700 price, and the listing does not explain them, so ask before booking if that matters to your budget.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nile cruise, 4 nights | Yes, full board | MS Blue Shadow, MS Concerto or similar, class not stated |
| 5-star hotels | Yes | Names and night counts not stated |
| All domestic flights | Yes | Per the description |
| Egyptologist guide | Yes | Qualified, private group |
| Entrance tickets | Probably | Listed only as 'for the mentioned places', confirm first |
| Abu Simbel | Yes | Listed as included, with no travel mode stated |
| Hot air balloon | No | Not mentioned in the listing |
| Visa | No | Excluded, per person |
| Gratuities | No | Excluded |
| Checkout charges | No | Viator adds $25 on top of the listed price |
Ticket Costs You Might Still Meet
Even when entrance fees are covered, some sites sell separate tickets for special areas, and the ministry price list shows how much those run. The Egyptian Museum in Tahrir is EGP 550 for foreign adults on the ministry list. Pyramid and tomb interiors can carry separate tickets, so ask the operator which interiors this tour enters.
The visa is yours to buy, and the FCDO lists the on-arrival visa at US$30 cash, while the fee has also been reported at US$45 since a December rise, so check the current figure before you fly.
- Egyptian Museum in Cairo: EGP 550 foreign adult on the ministry price list
- Visa on arrival: US$30 per the FCDO, also reported at US$45 after the December rise, cash
- Tips: excluded, budget for the guide and the cruise crew
Sources: UK FCDO travel advice: Egypt, Wikipedia: Egypt
The six-tiered Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. Photo: Wknight94 talk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing sells the route and the sights rather than a timed hour-by-hour plan, so pickup times and daily start times are not stated. Here is the shape of the 10 days from the sights it names and the legs it includes.
Cairo Days: Saqqara, Old Cairo and the Museums
The tour starts in Cairo with hotel pickup included, the time not stated, and round-trip private transfers throughout. The Cairo days cover Saqqara, about 30 km south of the city per Wikipedia and 40 km per Rough Guides, where the listing highlights newly discovered tombs, then Old Cairo with its mosques and churches, and the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, which holds over 170,000 items. No daily start times or site durations are stated in the listing, so plan on full sightseeing days and ask the operator for the schedule when you book.
Nights in Cairo are in 5-star hotels, the names not given.
Fly to Luxor: Dendera and the Great Temples
All domestic flights are included per the description, and the Cairo to Luxor flight runs about 1 to 1.5 hours per Rough Guides. In Luxor the itinerary covers Dendera, the temple of Hathor, the Luxor Museum, the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple. This is the archaeology heart of the tour.
The Cruise: 4 Nights Full Board from Luxor to Aswan
You then board a Nile ship such as MS Blue Shadow or MS Concerto for 4 nights of full board, breakfast, lunch and dinner all covered. Modern cruises on this route run mostly from Luxor to Aswan, and the listing titles the trip accordingly. The stretch between the two cities is about 214 km by road per Rome2Rio and 220 km per Wikipedia, with temple stops along the way at the riverside sites the Nile is known for.
Drinks are not mentioned as included, so assume they are extra on board unless the operator says otherwise.
Aswan, Philae and the Finish at Abu Simbel
The cruise ends in Aswan, where the itinerary covers Philae Temple. The final set piece is Abu Simbel, included in the price, The listing does not say whether you fly or drive the roughly 230 km from Aswan (280 to 290 km in some sources), so ask the operator. The temples were moved between 1964 and 1968 ahead of the rising water of Lake Nasser, and the four seated colossi on the Great Temple facade stand 20 m tall.
The end city and the return point are not stated in the listing, so confirm where the tour finishes before you book your international flight home.
Egypt in 10 Days with a Nile Cruise
A 10-day Egypt route with a Nile cruise, walked through day by day. Third-party video by Egypt Adventures Travel. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Who This Tour Rules Out
This is a private tour with no shared group size to worry about, and it is suitable for all fitness levels, but several stated limits and gaps will send some travellers to a different listing.
Health, Heat and Tombs
The listing says the tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels but not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health. That matters because Luxor's average summer highs run above 40 C. If summer travel is your only option, book the cooler months instead, October to February is the preferred cruise season, and read the guide to the best time to visit Egypt. The listing does not say how the Abu Simbel leg is travelled, so ask whether it is a flight or a long road transfer.
Access and Children
The tour and its transportation are wheelchair accessible, which is worth weighing if mobility is a factor. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and Viator lists age bands from infant to adult 12-99 for pricing, not as limits. No minimum age is stated.
Terms, Gaps and Money
The cancellation terms are stricter than most listings on the site: free cancellation only up to 6 full days before departure, 50% between 2 and 6 days, and nothing inside 2 days. If you want flexibility, most alternatives offer 24-hour free cancellation, for example the 9-Day Egypt Sleeper Train Tour at $3,200. The listing names no Giza pyramids, no Alexandria and no Red Sea beach time.
If you want Fayoum and Alexandria added, the 12-Day Luxury Egypt Nile Tour covers both, though it costs more and all sales are final. And if the $4,700 plus $25 is above budget, the pick at $1,800 is the 8-Day Cairo Aswan Luxor Private Tour, which covers the core route with entrance fees included.
An aerial view of the Temple of Dendera and its surrounding enclosure. Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There and What to Add
The tour starts in Cairo and includes all domestic flights and round-trip private transfers, so your job is to reach Cairo. A few big sights sit outside the route, and they are easy to add before or after.
Getting to the Start
The listing includes round-trip private transfer, and an optional skip-the-line airport service with visa help is offered, where the operator helps you get your visa and skip the queue on arrival. Your passport must be valid at least 6 months after arrival with a blank page, per the FCDO. The on-arrival visa is listed by the FCDO at US$30 cash, though a December rise to US$45 has also been reported, so carry cash for the higher figure.
What the Route Skips
The listing names neither the Giza pyramids nor the Grand Egyptian Museum, which stands about 2 km from the pyramid complex and holds over 100,000 artefacts. Both are an easy add-on from Cairo before the tour, and the guide to the pyramids of Giza tour covers the ticket picture, where the ministry price list shows the Great Pyramid interior at EGP 1,000 and other guides list EGP 900. Memphis, Dahshur and Alexandria are also outside the route, and Alexandria sits 140 miles (225 km) from Cairo.
If you would rather have a Red Sea break built in, the 9-Day Private Egypt Cruise Tour ends with 3 nights in Hurghada, and the dahabiya Nile cruise guide covers the sailing alternative to a big ship.
- Grand Egyptian Museum: about 2 km from the pyramids, foreign adult ticket reported at EGP 1,450 and at EGP 1,000 during the trial period
- Saqqara: about 30 km south of Cairo per Wikipedia, on this tour already
- Alexandria: 140 miles (225 km) from Cairo, not on this tour
- Red Sea: Hurghada is the common beach add-on, not on this tour
Day by Day on the Route
The listing names the sights and the legs but does not publish clock times, so the steps below follow the stated route in order. Pickup is included and start times are confirmed when you check availability.
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Start
Arrive in Cairo and settle in
The tour begins in Cairo with round-trip private transfer and 5-star hotel accommodation. An optional skip-the-line airport service helps with the visa on arrival. No start time is stated.
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Early days
Saqqara and its new tombs
Saqqara lies about 30 km south of Cairo per Wikipedia and 40 km per Rough Guides, and the listing highlights newly discovered tombs there. The Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest complete stone building complex known, is also at Saqqara, though the listing does not name it. Drive time is not stated.
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Cairo days
Old Cairo and the Egyptian Museum
The itinerary covers the mosques and churches of Old Cairo and the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square with its collection of over 170,000 items. The ministry price list shows the museum at EGP 550 for foreign adults, and the inclusion line 'for the mentioned places' probably covers it.
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Mid tour
Fly to Luxor for Dendera and the museums
All domestic flights are included per the description, and Cairo to Luxor takes about 1 to 1.5 hours in the air per Rough Guides. The sightseeing covers Dendera, the temple of Hathor, and the Luxor Museum.
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Luxor days
Valley of the Kings, Karnak and Luxor Temple
The west bank day covers the Valley of the Kings, used for royal burials from about 1539 BC to 1075 BC. Karnak and Luxor Temple follow. This is the deepest archaeology stretch of the tour, with your qualified Egyptologist guiding throughout.
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Cruise leg
Four nights on the Nile, full board
You board MS Blue Shadow, MS Concerto or a similar ship for 4 nights from Luxor toward Aswan, with breakfast, lunch and dinner covered. The Luxor to Aswan stretch runs about 214 km by road per Rome2Rio and 220 km per Wikipedia, with temple stops along the river.
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Last days
Philae and the finale at Abu Simbel
In Aswan the itinerary covers Philae Temple, then Abu Simbel, which is included. The listing does not say how you get there. The four colossi at the Great Temple stand 20 m tall. The end city is not stated, so confirm it before booking your flight home.
Pros and Cons
This is one listing among many. The honest strengths and the honest problems are below, with the fixes attached.
What we genuinely like
- Genuinely private throughout, with a qualified Egyptologist guiding every included sight
- All domestic flights and round-trip private transfers included, with Abu Simbel included
- Four nights of full board on the cruise covers every meal on board
- The route adds Dendera and the Luxor Museum, sites most shorter listings skip
- Wheelchair accessible including the transportation
The honest downsides
- The $4,700 price is not the whole price, Viator adds $25 of charges at checkout and the listing does not explain them, so ask before booking
- Entrance fees read only as 'for the mentioned places', confirm in writing which tickets that covers
- Free cancellation ends 6 full days before departure and there is no refund inside 2 days, most rivals allow 24-hour cancellation
- The listing names no Giza pyramids, Grand Egyptian Museum, Alexandria or balloon, which other tours at lower prices do name
- Hotel names, night counts, the end city and daily start times are all unstated, so you book on trust
- Drinks are not stated as included on the cruise, budget extra on board
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want Giza, a balloon or beach time in the price, or who may need to cancel late, should compare the alternatives before committing.
Questions About This Tour
How much does this 10 day Egypt tour really cost?
The listing price is $4,700 per person, and Viator adds $25 of extra charges at checkout, listed separately and not explained in the listing. The visa and gratuities are excluded on top. For a cheaper private option, the 8-Day Cairo Aswan Luxor Private Tour is the pick at $1,800.
Are entrance fees included?
Probably, but the inclusion line reads only 'for the mentioned places', so confirm in writing with the operator which tickets that covers before you pay. For reference, the ministry price list shows the Egyptian Museum at EGP 550 for foreign adults. See what the price actually covers for the full split.
Is Abu Simbel included and how do you get there?
Yes, Abu Simbel is included, but the listing does not say whether you fly or drive the roughly 230 km from Aswan, so ask the operator. The Abu Simbel guide covers the temples, the tickets and the moving of the site.
What is the cruise ship like?
You get 4 nights of full board on MS Blue Shadow, MS Concerto or a similar ship, so the exact vessel is assigned by the operator and the class is not stated. The guide to the Nile river cruise explains what ship classes mean in practice.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes, but the window is short: a full refund up to 6 full days before departure, 50% between 2 and 6 days, and no refund inside 2 days. If flexibility matters, most other listings offer 24-hour free cancellation, for example the 9-Day Egypt Sleeper Train Tour.
Is this tour suitable for older travellers or anyone with health issues?
The listing says it is suitable for all physical fitness levels and not recommended for travellers with poor cardiovascular health, and it is wheelchair accessible including the transport. Summer heat is the main strain, Luxor averages above 40 C in summer, so travel October to February and read the best time to visit Egypt.
What should I add before or after the tour?
The Giza pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, about 2 km apart, are the obvious Cairo add-ons since the tour starts there and skips both, and the Grand Egyptian Museum guide covers the ticket figures. Alexandria and a Red Sea stay are the other common extras.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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