Egypt Holidays · Style
Every Egypt holiday we sell is private by default – just your party, your own Egyptologist guide, your own driver, your own car. There are no coach-group joins, no fixed departure dates we're moving you to fill seats, no strangers at your hotel. Currently from £863 per person (6 days).
7 matching holidays ·
Rated 4.6 out of 5 across 38 Tripadvisor and Google reviews · ETAA Licence 718 (Category A)
The hallmarks
A private Egypt holiday is exactly what it sounds like: your party only, your own Egyptologist, your own driver, your own car. Every Egypt holiday we sell is private by default – there are no coach-group joins, no fixed departure dates we're moving you to fill seats, no strangers at your hotel breakfast. Your guide picks you up at Cairo airport and stays with you through the whole circuit.
Picture your party of four arriving at the Valley of the Kings at 8am with a personal Egyptologist who lingers an hour on the column you're interested in and skips the one you're not. The 30–50% premium over coach-group prices is, in our experience, what every British client says afterwards was the best money they spent on the holiday.
How to choose
Three pillars determine what 'private' delivers on your specific itinerary. The party size is the biggest economic lever.
Larger parties pay less per person because the guide and driver are fixed costs that split across the party. The cruise cost stays the same per cabin regardless. Tell us your headcount and we send the per-person quote upfront with no markup gymnastics.
Every private Egypt holiday includes an Egyptologist with you at every temple. The choice is whether to extend the guide to off-temple moments – bazaar shopping in Khan el-Khalili, dinner at Abou El Sid, evening sound-and-light at Karnak. Most clients add Khan el-Khalili and the evening shows. Some add every meal.
We're an Egyptian operator, so we hold no ATOL and are not an ABTA member; our licences are ETAA (Licence 718, Category A) and IATA (#90255546). We don't sell international flights. Book yours with an ATOL holder so the flight carries UK protection, then send us the details and we plan the family's arrival around them.
BudgetNile (cruise route)
This eight-day Luxor round trip follows the Nile between Luxor and Aswan, with visits to major temples and river towns. In Luxor, the itinerary includes Karnak Temple and the West Bank, including the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut Temple. Further south, sightseeing includes Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae Temple. We arrange the accommodation, transfers and guided visits with an English-speaking Egyptologist. Unlike one-way Nile itineraries, a Luxor round trip begins and ends in Luxor; the listed route also includes stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo. Standard entrance fees for guided sights listed in the itinerary are included. The specific meal plan follows the itinerary.
MidCairo
This eight-day Egypt itinerary links Cairo’s Giza Plateau and Grand Egyptian Museum with ancient sites along the Nile and at Abu Simbel. In Luxor, visit Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple and the West Bank monuments, including the Valley of the Kings and the Temple of Hatshepsut. The Nile cruise segment includes stops at Edfu and Kom Ombo before sightseeing in Aswan and an early morning visit to Abu Simbel. Unlike shorter cruise itineraries that allow little time at river temples, this programme includes visits to both Edfu and Kom Ombo. We arrange the trip on the ground as a licensed Egyptian tour operator, with English-speaking Egyptologists for guided visits.
MidAswan
This nine-day land tour links Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan and Luxor, with private Egyptologist guiding at the major attractions named in the itinerary. In Cairo, visits include the Giza Plateau, the Grand Egyptian Museum, Old Cairo and Khan El-Khalili; Alexandria brings the Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa, Bibliotheca Alexandrina and Qaitbay Citadel. In Aswan, the itinerary includes Philae Temple, the Unfinished Obelisk and Aswan High Dam, followed by Luxor’s East and West Banks. We arrange the accommodation, transfers and transport between cities. Unlike fixed-seat group coach tours, sightseeing here is by private vehicle with an Egyptologist guide.
MidCairo
This 10-day land tour links Cairo, Giza, Saqqara, Alexandria, Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor, with visits to major ancient sites and museums. In Cairo, see the Giza Plateau, the Egyptian Museum and Khan El Khalili; in Alexandria, visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Qaitbay Citadel and the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa. Aswan’s itinerary includes Philae Temple and the Unfinished Obelisk, while Luxor brings visits to Karnak Temple, Luxor Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Our Egyptologist guide accompanies the sightseeing. Unlike mass coach programmes, the supplied itinerary specifies limited daily group sizes and guided walking at sites. Expect early starts, particularly for temple visits.
MidCairo
This 15-day Egypt itinerary connects Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, Luxor and Hurghada, with sightseeing from the Giza Plateau to the Red Sea. Discovery Tours Egypt is a licensed Egyptian tour operator; we arrange private transfers, domestic flights and tours with Egyptologist guides. The route includes a three-night cruise between Aswan and Luxor, with visits to Kom Ombo and Edfu, followed by time on Luxor’s East and West Banks. In Hurghada, the programme includes a Red Sea snorkelling excursion and a quad safari. Unlike large coach-group tours, scheduled transfers and excursions are by private air-conditioned car. Abu Simbel is available as an optional excursion.
MidLuxor
Discover the very best of Egypt on this 7-day private guided tour. Starting in Luxor, the itinerary combines Luxor, Cairo, Nile and Aswan — with all domestic flights, private Egyptologist guide and handpicked accommodation included in every tier from Comfort to Luxury.
MidAlexandria
This 6-day Cairo and Alexandria holiday combines Cairo’s pharaonic and medieval sites with a full-day visit to Alexandria. You travel with an expert Egyptologist and private air-conditioned transfers. Highlights include the Giza Pyramids Complex and Great Sphinx, the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), Saqqara’s Step Pyramid and a day in Alexandria to see Qaitbay Citadel and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. We run departures daily and use private vehicles rather than coach-style group transfers, which gives flexibility on pickup times and pacing. Entrance fees listed in the itinerary are included; international flights, the Egypt entry visa and tipping are not included in the price.
Practical questions
On a private Egypt holiday, you and your party have your own dedicated Egyptologist guide, driver, and car for the entire trip. Pace, stops, and meal timing are yours to set. On a group tour, you share a coach and guide with 20–40 strangers, the schedule is fixed, and stops are determined by the itinerary not your interest. We only sell private holidays.
For the temple sites – Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel – yes. A private guide will spend an hour on a column you'd otherwise pass in 90 seconds. The premium runs 30–50% over group prices; most clients say they'd never go back.
Prices on this page currently start from £863 per person (6 days, two sharing); each card shows its own from-price. UK flights £450–£700 separate. Add 25–35% for Christmas, New Year and the school half-terms.
The cruise itself runs with other guests on board – you don't get a private ship at standard pricing. What you DO get private on a cruise day: your own Egyptologist guide who stays with your party at temple visits (so a 10-cabin floor doesn't all flood the same column at Karnak), your own dinner table, and your party's preferred timing for embark / disembark. For a fully private cruise, see the dahabiya option under /egypt-tours/luxury/ – 6–12 cabins, sails under canvas, often chartered exclusively by one party.
Not through us. We are an Egyptian operator and do not sell international flights, so our private holidays are ground-only and ATOL does not apply to them. Book your flights yourself (BA, Egyptair, Wizz Air and others fly from the UK) – we recommend using an ATOL holder so the flight is protected – and we build the holiday around your arrival and departure times.
Whatever appears under "Included" on that holiday's page. In most cases that means hotels, the Nile cruise if the holiday has one, entrance fees for the sites on the itinerary, an English-speaking Egyptologist and transport. A number of holidays include internal flights or the sleeper train as well, so do check the one you are looking at. Flights from the UK are not included.
If you are travelling over Christmas and New Year, try to have the booking confirmed roughly six months beforehand, and the same goes for Easter. Cairo hotels are difficult to secure over Eid. For the total solar eclipse in August 2027 there is very little left, so if we find you space it is worth taking.
Between about 25% and 50% of the holiday price. The season decides it, along with whether train or flight tickets are included.
You can cancel. How much is refunded depends on how near to departure you are. Our cancellation and refund policy page gives the terms in full. Cancellation and refund policy
From the Cairo desk
Every Egypt holiday we sell is tailor-made – your dates, your party, your pace. Send a short brief or talk to the Cairo desk direct. Replies inside one working day.
– Suhaila & the Cairo team · 38 years · 6 offices · IATA #90255546
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