How many days do you need in Egypt?

Nine days lets you see Cairo, Giza, Luxor, the Nile and Aswan with free time to rest. That's the length of our Egypt Experience.

Where do you stay on the Caviar in the Air Egypt trip?

Three nights at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza in Cairo, four nights aboard Sun Boat IV and one night at Le Meridien Cairo Airport.

What isn't included in the Egypt trip?

International flights, visa fees and travel medical insurance. Optional add-ons include the Grand Egyptian Museum tour, a sunrise balloon ride, Tutankhamun's tomb and entry inside the small pyramid.

9 Days in Egypt: Our Cairo, Luxor and Aswan Itinerary

Q: Is a camel ride at the pyramids included?

No. We don't arrange camel rides at Giza because the animal welfare standards there aren't where they need to be.

This is the itinerary we run on our Egypt Experience, built with our Egyptologists, local guides and hospitality partners. Every day mixes the big monuments with quieter moments, and there's free time built in so you can actually rest.

What does a 9-day Egypt itinerary look like? Three nights in Cairo for the Egyptian Museum, Islamic Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza. Then a short flight to Luxor and four nights on Sun Boat IV, sailing past Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Philae. You finish with one easy night beside Cairo airport.

Key facts

Dates: September 17-25, 2027 (and September 15-23, 2028).
Where you'll stay: 3 nights at Four Seasons Nile Plaza, 4 nights on Sun Boat IV, 1 night at Le Meridien Cairo Airport.
Getting around: domestic flights Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo, with every transfer handled.
Not included: international flights, visa fees and travel medical insurance.
Our trip: the Egypt Experience, with a private Egyptologist throughout.

Here's what nine days with Caviar in the Air in Egypt looks like. Our next departure is September 17-25, 2027.

Day 1: Cairo, Arrival and Welcome

Look for your name at arrivals. Your transfer takes you to the Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza, with the river right outside your window. Cairo traffic is famous for a reason, so treat the drive as your first look at the city.

Afternoon: rest and recover from your flight. Message the concierge the second you arrive and let us handle the rest.

Evening: a long Mediterranean welcome dinner at a table beside the Nile. This is where the group comes together.

Day 2: The Egyptian Museum and Islamic Cairo

Morning: your private Egyptologist walks you through the Egyptian Museum on Tahrir Square, to Tutankhamun's golden mask and the royal jewelry.

Afternoon: yours to enjoy. Or add the optional guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum out at Giza, which fully opened in November 2025 and shows Tutankhamun's collection together in one place.

Evening: a walk down Al-Muizz Street through medieval Islamic Cairo, then into the alleys of the Khan el-Khalili bazaar for a multi-course Egyptian dinner. The spices, the perfume stalls, the copper, the call to prayer echoing between old buildings: this is Cairo at its most intoxicating.

Day 3: The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx

Morning: the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx with your Egyptologist, who walks you through the whole plateau properly: the Great Pyramid, the causeways and the Sphinx. You'll touch the stones. You'll understand, in your body, what people are capable of building.

Travelers smiling in front of the Great Sphinx and a pyramid at Giza

Optional: go inside the small pyramid on your own ticket at the gate.

Afternoon: a long lunch beside the pyramids with real Egyptian cooking. We don't arrange camel rides at Giza, because the animal welfare standards there aren't where they need to be.

Evening: free. Cairo's restaurant scene has plenty of opinions, and your concierge can point you to the right table.

Day 4: Fly to Luxor and Board the Boat

Morning: a short flight from Cairo to Luxor. By lunchtime you're aboard Sun Boat IV, an intimate 40-guest riverboat with a pool on the sun deck, your home for the next four nights.

Afternoon: Karnak Temple. I've written about why the hypostyle hall stays with you, and the feeling doesn't fade with repeat visits. Then Luxor Temple, with its obelisk and statues.

Luxor Temple's floodlit pylon, obelisk and seated statues of Ramesses II at night Photo: Caviar in the Air

Evening: afternoon tea, a welcome dinner on board and a belly dancing performance in the lounge.

Day 5: The West Bank, Kings and Queens

Early morning (optional): a sunrise hot air balloon ride over Luxor's West Bank.

Hot air balloons rising at sunrise over Luxor's West Bank, with more inflating on the launch field below Photo: Wendy Morris / Unsplash

Morning: the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, where the painted walls still hold their color. Tutankhamun's own tomb is a separate ticket if you want it.

Then the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, built for one of the few women who ruled Egypt as pharaoh. Her successors later tried to erase her name from her monuments, and her story hits differently when you're a woman standing in her temple. We finish at the Colossi of Memnon, which have stood guard for about 3,400 years.

Afternoon and evening: lunch on board, then we sail to Esna. Tea on deck, the Captain's Welcome Cocktail, dinner and a film under the stars.

Day 6: Edfu and Kom Ombo

Morning: the Temple of Horus at Edfu, one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt, with reliefs so crisp you can almost read the rituals off the walls.

Afternoon: lunch as we sail on to Kom Ombo, with tea on deck.

Evening: Kom Ombo Temple, a rare double temple split between Sobek the crocodile god and Horus the elder. Then the Galabia party: traditional dress, Egyptian music and a dance floor that doesn't quit.

Kom Ombo Temple lit up in gold at night beside the Nile Photo: Caviar in the Air

Dinner on deck under a sky full of stars. The stars over the Nile really will take your breath away.

Day 7: Aswan, Philae and a Nubian Night

Morning: the Aswan High Dam, then Philae Temple on Agilkia Island. Philae is dedicated to Isis, and it was moved stone by stone to save it from the rising water after the dam was built. The boat ride to the island is beautiful.

Carved twin towers of the first pylon at Philae Temple near Aswan Photo: Caviar in the Air

Afternoon: lunch on board, a motorboat ride out on the Nile and time in the botanical garden.

Evening: tea on deck, dinner and a Nubian cultural show with drums, color and music.

Day 8: Back to Cairo

Morning: last breakfast on the water, then we leave the boat. Your tour leader takes you to Aswan Airport for the short flight to Cairo.

Afternoon: Le Meridien Cairo Airport is a walk from the terminal, so there's no transfer and no traffic. The afternoon is yours: sleep, swim, repack, or just sit still.

Day 9: Departure

Breakfast, check out, and a short walk back to the terminal, three hours before your flight, because we don't do frantic.

What's Included

3 nights at Four Seasons Nile Plaza in Cairo, 4 nights aboard Sun Boat IV and 1 night at Le Meridien Cairo Airport
Domestic flights Cairo to Luxor and Aswan to Cairo, plus all transfers
Private Egyptologist guide throughout
Daily breakfast, all meals on the riverboat and the featured lunches and dinners
Entry to the temples and sites on the itinerary
Onsite tour leader and daily concierge support

Optional add-ons: the Grand Egyptian Museum tour, the sunrise balloon ride, Tutankhamun's tomb ($25 per person through us, as of October 2026) and entry inside the small pyramid. International flights, visa fees and travel medical insurance aren't included.