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Egypt Expedition

Egypt Expedition

11 days, 4 cities156
See dates and prices

From $2969 without flightsPayments as low as $79

Pyramids of Giza in a desert on a sunny day with clouds in the sky
Pyramids of Giza in a desert on a sunny day with clouds in the sky
Hot air balloons in the sky over a river in Egypt with boats and mountains
Stone wall with Egyptian carvings and hieroglyphics
Felucca boats sailing on an Egyptian river at sunset
Trip Type:
Activity Level:

Why go?

Imagine yourself an archeologist, discovering the Pyramids of Giza. Imagine yourself royalty, worshipped in history’s most revered shrines. Imagine yourself the sun god Ra, on the turqoiuse banks of the Red Sea. Now pinch yourself—this is Egypt, and it's very real.

Picture yourself

  • Wondering if aliens exist as you gaze at the pyramids

  • Flying high above endless desert in a hot air balloon

  • Snorkeling in the perfectly-turquoise water of the Red Sea

  • Getting up close with a mummy at King Tut’s tomb

  • Losing yourself in the bustling streets and markets of Cairo

What you'll get

  • Round-trip flights & airport transfers (or book 'em yourself)

  • 9 nights in handpicked accommodations

  • Daily breakfasts

  • 7 dinners

  • 3 lunches

  • Expert Tour Director

  • 24/7 support from our travel gurus

  • Tour of Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx

  • Sunset felucca sailboat ride on the Nile

  • Entrance to Egyptian Museum

Map for the Egypt Expedition tour
Full trip itinerary

Itinerary

  • Day 1: Overnight Flight

    Read up on your pharaohs, board your overnight flight to Cairo, and channel your inner-mummy for some shut eye. You’re about to uncover a trip you’ll never forget.

    This tour requires a visa for U.S. citizens. Check entry requirements or call us with questions at 800-766-2645.

  • Day 2: Arrive in Cairo

    Welcome to Cairo! The capital city of Egypt is the starting point for your odyssey through ancient wonders and modern marvels. From the banks of the Nile River straight into your eyeballs, Cairo is an extraordinary city, home to nearly 20 million people, and the gateway to the Great Pyramids.

    Please note: Getting to Egypt takes some time. Arrivals tend to be late on this day.

    Today's highlights:

    • Land at the airport and meet a waiting EF representative.
    • Transfer to your hotel, check out your room, and start to meet your fellow travelers as they arrive.
    • Enjoy an included dinner upon arrival to your hotel.
  • Day 3: Sightseeing Tour of Cairo + Welcome Dinner

    Forget everything you learned in history class. Actually, wait, don’t do that. Just be prepared to have your mind blown seeing all the Egyptian stuff you learned about in school IRL on your tour of Cairo.

    In the evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner of local cuisine and drinks with fellow travelers at an authentic local spot. Afterwards, you’re free to take the party elsewhere!

    Today's highlights:

    • Visit the Egyptian Museum to gawk at ancient artifacts and learn about Egyptology.
    • Explore Coptic Cairo, a historically Christian neighborhood, that’s home to some of the world’s oldest churches.
    • Float like a butterfly to the Muhammed Ali Mosque (named for the founder of modern Egypt, not the boxer) within the Salah El-Din Citadel overlooking the city.
  • Day 4: Pyramids of Giza + the Sphinx

    It’s time. Today you get to spend time at the oldest, and only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World: the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Two fun facts we love about the Great Pyramid: it was the tallest structure in the world for nearly 4,000 years; and Cleopatra lived closer in time to the moon landing than the construction of the Great Pyramid. This not a drill, people, this is one of humankind’s greatest accomplishments in the flesh.

    Today's highlights:

    • Tour the grounds and take plenty of pictures at the Giza Necropolis, where you’ll learn about the construction, excavation, and the pharaohs buried here.
    • Experience the unrivaled majesty of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
    • Shake paws with the Great Sphinx: part lion, part human, fully awesome.
  • Day 5: Travel to Luxor + Sightseeing

    Kiss Cairo goodbye and head south to Luxor today. Sure, Giza gets all the attention—it sits at the popular kids table—but trust us when we say that Luxor is every bit as stunning and jam-packed with ancient treasures. Once the site of the city of Thebes, now dubbed “the world’s greatest open-air museum.”

    Today's highlights:

    • Board your short morning flight from Cairo to Luxor.
    • Pick your jaw up off the ground as you stroll through the sprawling temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor, which includes the Great Temple of Amun-Re and the Avenue of the Sphinxes.
    • Admire the still intact hieroglyphics decorating the walls and pillars. That one over there looks like it says “buy a round of beers for your group.“ Weird!
    • Taste the local specialties with an included dinner in Luxor.
  • Day 6: Explore the Valley of the Kings + Optional Desert Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride

    Here be mummies. Cross the Nile today and behold the sacred sights of the West Bank of Luxor. For 500 years, this is where ancient Egyptians built tons of tombs and shrines to royalty including Queen Hatshepsut and King Tut. Explore the thusly-named Valley of the Kings today, and do your best not to disturb any sleeping pharaohs.

    Today's highlights:

    • Listen closely as your guide teaches you about the Valley of the King’s many limestone tombs and their ancient inhabitants.
    • Look straight up at the Colossi of Memnon—two 60-foot statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that you would not want to play basketball against.
    • Climb the stairs of the reconstructed Temple of Queen Hatshepsut built into the cliffs.
    • Visit the tomb of King Tut, the valley’s most famous resident, where for an extra cost, you may enter the burial chamber to see his mummy where it still lays at rest.
    • Cruise down the Nile on a felucca—a traditional Egyptian sailboat, the likes of which have been in use since ancient times—for a magical sunset.

    Desert Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride (extra cost)

    Hop in a hot air balloon before dawn and get a new perspective on Egypt from all the way up. See firsthand from the fertile Nile to the endless desert as far as the eye can see.

    Please note that departure for sunrise is subject to weather conditions.

    Why wait? Save money by booking this optional excursion before your trip departs.

  • Day 7: Travel to Hurghada via Dendera

    After a full day of mummy hunting, be sure to check yourself for any supernatural curses. Be a good pal and check your neighbor, too. None? Great! Today you’re headed up the Nile to Dendera, home to one of the best-preserved temple complexes remaining from Ancient Egypt.

    Today's highlights:

    • Take a private morning bus to Dendera—just long enough to edit all your pics thus far.
    • Enjoy the immaculately preserved Dendera Temple Complex and be sure to look up at the ceiling, recently cleaned of centuries of soot to reveal the original paint.
    • Take a peek at the Dendera Light Relief—a wall carving that some say depicts modern usage of electricity in ancient times.
    • Continue on to the Red Sea coastal resort city of Hurghada, and enjoy an included dinner upon arrival.
  • Day 8: Mahmya Beach Day

    After a week in the desert, you may be shocked by how happy you are to see sand. Specifically, the pristine white sand beaches of Mahmya where the perfectly turquoise water of the Red Sea meets Giftun Island. Trade in your archaeologist trowel for a beach towel, and make a splash in paradise.

    Today's highlights:

    • Soak up some sun on the world class beaches of Mahmya.
    • Cool off in the water with swimming and some of the best snorkeling found anywhere.
    • Indulge in island life with an included Egyptian lunch & dinner.
  • Day 9: Free Day in Hurghada

    Good news! Your prayers to the sun god, Ra, have been answered. Today you get a full day in Hurghada to do as you please, and plenty of food included for lunch and dinner. Enjoy the amenities of the resort town, lay back, catch some rays, and try and remember to also pray to the god of sunscreen.

    Free time suggestions

    Kushari: If you haven’t by now, be sure to try the mouthwatering ubiquitous hodgepodge: kushari. Rice + pasta + lentils, mixed together and smothered in a spiced tomato sauce = drool.
    Beach Time: If you didn’t get enough sun yesterday, hit the beach today for a little R&R. When in paradise, do as the Egyptians do.

  • Day 10: Return to Cairo + Farewell Dinner

    It’s your last day in Egypt. You’ve almost climbed the metaphorical pyramid that is this trip. As you head back to Cairo for one last day of fun, sun, and sailing, be sure to think back on all the exploring you did: pyramids, temples, vibrant marketplaces, a rich culture not so different from your own, and heck, maybe even a little self-discovery out there on the road.

    Farewell Dinner
    Share some last laughs and revisit the best moments of the trip at this included farewell dinner with the group.

    Today's highlights:

    • Return to Cairo via private bus, and start planning your reunion trip somewhere new with this group of people who have gone from strangers to family in a mere 10 days.
    • Bargain your way through a souk—a traditional Egyptian open-air market perfect for people-watching, and picking up those last-minute souvenirs.
  • Day 11: Fly Home

    Wadaeaan ya aisdiqa'!
    Your next destination awaits—home. Before you head to the airport, make sure to take one more group photo and grab that final drink. But this isn’t goodbye because you can always get the gang back together for another trip soon.

Reviews


Overall rating: 4.9 out of 5
Based on 156 authentic traveler reviews
  • Egypt- book it now!

      Diego, traveled Sep. 2021

    Egypt was amazing time! Our instructor, Heba, made this one of a lifetime experience. She was amazing and made sure we were well prepared for the events each day. We visited museums, temples, tombs, cruised Nile River, sailed off the Red Sea. Buffets all around. Pyramids, islands, snorkeling.. Just about everything you can do we did it all in this trip! She ... See more

  • Trip of a lifetime!

      Anonymous, traveled Sep. 2021

    The most jaw dropping place I have ever been! This was my 3rd EF trip and by far my favorite. Seeing the pyramids, climbing inside the great pyramid and touching 2,500 BC hieroglyphics was amazing. GO ON THIS TRIP! YOU WILL LOVE IT! Our TD Heba was so great! She was our guide and historian. she knew everything and became very protective of us when peddlers ... See more

  • Perfect Mix of Adventure and History

      Lauren, traveled Jan. 2024

    If you've had your eye on the Egypt trip, do it! You become truly awed and humbled by the history you learn about and get to witness first hand on this trip. Seeing an entirely different culture was fascinating and eye opening. I feel like even on the more adventure or relaxing oriented activities of the trip (like snorkeling in Hurghada, or the hot air ball... See more

  • Balance

      Maria, traveled Jan. 2024

    It was a good mix of adventure, history and relaxation/downtime with fellow travelers.

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