Packages

Egypt tour packages: what you get, and what you pay for

Most Egypt tour packages sell the same core route: Cairo and Giza, a flight south, and a few nights between Luxor and Aswan. The difference is how you travel it, private or in a group, five days or fourteen, and how much of each day is yours. This page covers what you are actually buying and what to check first.

What do Egypt tour packages usually include?

A standard package covers airport transfers, hotels with breakfast, transport between sites in a private air-conditioned car or coach, a licensed Egyptologist guide, and entry tickets to the sites named on the itinerary. Domestic flights or an overnight train between Cairo and the south are usually included too. If a Nile cruise is part of it, that covers the cabin and all meals on board.

What is left out matters more. International flights, your visa, travel insurance, tips, and most lunches and dinners on land are normally extra. So are the paid add-ons: the chamber inside the Great Pyramid, the tombs of Seti I and Nefertari, Abu Simbel, a balloon flight over Luxor. Tipping is a real part of the cost in Egypt, not a rounding error, so find out what is customary and budget for it.

Private tour or small group: which suits you?

Private means your own guide and driver. You set the start times, skip what bores you, and stay an hour in one tomb if you want. It costs more per person, and the gap is widest for solo travellers and couples. At four or more people sharing a car and a guide, private pricing often lands close to group pricing.

Group departures are cheaper and fixed. You go when the group goes, at the group's pace, which in practice means early starts and some waiting. Two things worth knowing. Group sizes vary a lot, from a handful of people to a full coach, so ask for the maximum in writing rather than trusting the word small. And both group and private itineraries often include shopping stops at papyrus, perfume or alabaster workshops. Those stops pay commission, and you can ask for them to be dropped.

How many days do you need?

Five days is Cairo, Giza and either a fast run to Luxor or a short cruise. It works, but you will feel the travel. Eight days is the common shape: Cairo, then Luxor to Aswan with three or four nights on a boat. That covers the headline sites without a punishing schedule, and it is the length most itineraries are built around.

Ten days lets you add Abu Simbel properly, Alexandria, or a few slow days on the Red Sea. Fourteen opens up the White Desert, Siwa, or diving, and buys you mornings without a 5am alarm. Below five days, most of your time goes on transfers and airports. A three or four day highlights trip is not worth the flight unless you are already in the region.

What drives the price?

Season first. October to April is high season and priced accordingly, with Christmas and New Year the peak of the peak. Summer in Luxor and Aswan regularly passes 40C in the shade and prices drop hard, which is a real option if you can handle very early mornings and long afternoons indoors.

After that: hotel category, the standard of the cruise boat, private or group, how many of you share a car, flying to Abu Simbel rather than driving, and the single supplement if you travel alone. The same itinerary, the same sites, the same guide hours can vary widely in price on hotel and boat class alone. Decide which of those you actually care about before comparing quotes.

Is a Nile cruise worth it?

For most people, yes. The stretch between Luxor and Aswan is the part of Egypt that still looks like the paintings, and you see it from the water instead of through a coach window. Kom Ombo temple stands on the riverbank, a few steps from where the boat ties up. Edfu temple sits a few kilometres inland, so that stop means a horse carriage or a minibus at each end.

Two honest caveats. Boats moor several deep at the smaller stops, so you may walk through two other lounges to reach the bank. And star ratings on Nile boats are local ratings, not comparable to European hotels, so a five-star boat may not feel like one. Dahabiyas, the small sailing boats carrying a dozen or so passengers, are quieter and better company, but they cost more and move slowly.

What should you check before booking?

Ask who actually runs the trip on the ground. Many Egypt packages are sold by a company abroad and operated by a local firm in Cairo. That is normal and often better, but it changes who you speak to when a flight moves, so get the operating company named.

Then check the detail: which entrance tickets are included and which are extra, the boat's name in writing, whether Abu Simbel is included or an add-on, the single supplement, the guide's language, the deposit and cancellation terms, and what happens if a boat is swapped. These trips are quoted rather than bought off a shelf, so compare written itineraries line by line instead of headline prices.

Common questions

Do I need a visa for Egypt?+

Most visitors, including British, Irish, EU, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders, need a tourist visa. It can be bought online in advance or on arrival at the airport. Rules and fees change, so check your own government's current guidance shortly before you travel rather than relying on an operator's summary.

Is Egypt safe for tourists?+

The main tourist corridor of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea coast is heavily policed and used by large numbers of visitors year-round. North Sinai and several border areas carry government warnings, while the South Sinai resorts around Sharm el-Sheikh are treated separately. Check your foreign ministry's advice for the specific places on your itinerary, since it is written region by region.

Can I add days to a package on my own?+

Usually yes. Most operators will quote the core itinerary and let you add nights at either end: a couple of days in Alexandria, a stop on the Red Sea, or simply a slower start in Cairo. Ask for the extra nights priced separately, so you can see what each addition costs rather than accepting one bundled figure.

Which paid extras are worth the money?+

Abu Simbel is worth the day, whether you fly or drive. The chamber inside the Great Pyramid is a hot, cramped climb to a bare room holding a granite sarcophagus, so skip it unless the idea itself appeals. Nefertari's tomb costs several times a standard Valley ticket, and its painted walls are among the best preserved in Egypt.