5 Days Cairo Aswan Luxor Tour: Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel

Welcome to Cairo, the city of a thousand minarets! Our team will meet you at the CAI airport. Then, our local staff will take you to your hotel in Cairo for check-in. Relax and recover from your jet lag. Tonight, you can choose to explore on your own or enjoy an optional show.

Optional Pyramids Sound and Light Show or Nile River Dinner Cruise:

Pyramids Sound and Light Show: Experience ancient Egypt's history told through the eyes of the Great Sphinx itself. Utilizing stunning 3D mapping technology, this show reveals the dramatic eras of the pharaohs and the ancient mysteries of how the iconic pyramids were built.

Nile River Dinner Cruise: Spend a memorable evening aboard a luxury vessel. Indulge in a gourmet dinner accompanied by live traditional belly dancing and an energetic Tannura show. Head to the open sundeck to capture stunning, illuminated views of the Cairo Tower and the glowing city skyline. This premium two-hour experience comes complete with seamless, round-trip hotel transfers.

After breakfast at your hotel, a 30-minute drive brings you to the legendary Giza Plateau.

Accompanied by your expert Egyptologist guide, you will discover the rich history and enduring mysteries of the three iconic pyramids: Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure—the sole surviving wonder of the ancient world. You will have ample free time to explore the area independently, with the flexibility to step inside a pharaoh's burial chamber if you choose (optional entry; guides are not permitted inside).

Next, you will drive to a spectacular panoramic viewpoint, the perfect vantage point to photograph all three pyramids rising from the desert sands against the distant Cairo skyline.

Your journey continues at the nearby Valley Temple of Khafre, an ancient site historically used for the purification and mummification rituals of the pharaoh before burial.

From there, a short drive brings you to the feet of the Great Sphinx. Measuring 190 feet long and 65 feet high, this legendary monument was carved from a single massive block of limestone, featuring the body of a lion and the head of a king to stand as a loyal guardian over the royal tombs.

Afterward, head directly to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilization. Brimming with over 100,000 artifacts across 5,000 years of history, you are greeted at the entrance by a colossal statue of Ramesses II before exploring 12 massive exhibition halls.

The absolute highlight is King Tutankhamun’s complete tomb collection, featuring his famous golden mask, inner coffins, and royal thrones. For the first time, these treasures are fully displayed alongside the ancient Khufu Solar Boat in one magnificent place.

Conclude your thrilling day with a 1.3-hour flight to Aswan for your next adventure.

This morning, a private, air-conditioned vehicle will escort you to the awe-inspiring Abu Simbel Temples.

Note: To beat the intense desert heat, the tour departs early, around 4:00 AM.

Part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, these twin temples were carved directly into the mountainside in the 13th century BC by Pharaoh Ramesses II as an eternal monument to himself and Queen Nefertari, celebrating his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. To save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, the entire complex was remarkably relocated to an artificial hill in 1968.

Today, Abu Simbel stands as one of Egypt’s premier destinations. You will enjoy an exclusive tour with an expert Egyptologist guide, starting outside before the four colossal rock-cut statues to learn about the site's history and its 1813 rediscovery. To manage crowd flow, local regulations prohibit guiding inside the structures.

Once inside, you can freely explore the First Hypostyle Hall, which depicts the Battle of Kadesh, and the Second Hall, filled with sacred reliefs. Deep within the inner Sanctuary, you will find the four statues that experience the famous Solar Miracle (10.22 and 2.22), where the morning sun precisely illuminates the gods just twice a year.

Afterward, enjoy a comfortable drive back to Aswan.

After breakfast, drive 3.5 hours from Aswan to Luxor.

We arrive at the hidden canyon of the Valley of the Kings as early as possible to beat the heavy tourist buses and the midday sun. For nearly 500 years during the New Kingdom, pharaohs abandoned the highly visible pyramids—which acted as beacons for grave robbers—in favor of these secretive, rock-cut tombs hidden beneath the peak of Al-Qurn.

Your guide will lead you down the long, sloping corridors of three remarkable tombs. As you descend, the rock walls come alive with intricate paintings designed to guide the Pharaoh’s soul safely into the afterlife.

You will see the incredibly fresh yellow, blue, and red pigments that depict the sun god's nightly journey, and stand in the heart of the burial chambers where massive stone sarcophagi once rested. Because we don't waste time at souvenir factories, you can truly absorb the heavy, sacred silence of this royal necropolis.

Then, we stop at the Colossi of Memnon, two giant quartz-sandstone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that have weathered the Nile floods for over three millennia.

Next, visit Karnak Temple. Spend your morning exploring the overwhelming Great Hypostyle Hall, a massive forest of 134 giant sandstone columns that stands as the largest religious complex ever built.

Overnight in Luxor.

Before flying to Cairo, you can choose an optional sunrise hot air balloon ride.

Wake before dawn to drift silently over the Nile, sugarcane fields, and the West Bank canyons as the sun paints the valley in gold.

After that, take a 1.2-hour flight from Luxor to Cairo.

Upon arrival in Cairo, our local staff will escort you to CAI airport for your departure. (If your flight departs later in the day, you can contact us to arrange a delayed airport drop-off.