This private 5 day Cairo Luxor and Aswan tour from Egypt Best Vacations is the shortest itinerary on which you can see the Pyramids, Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Kings in one trip. Two internal flights and a three-hour train do the travelling for you: Cairo for the Giza plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum, a flight south to Aswan for Philae and the dawn run to Abu Simbel, the train north along the Nile to Luxor for the West Bank and Karnak, and a flight back to Cairo for the Citadel and Khan el-Khalili before you leave. From $1,015 per person at 5-star hotels, with a licensed Egyptologist guide throughout and daily departures.
Most short tours make you choose. Our 4 Day Cairo and Luxor Tour Package skips Aswan; our 4 Day Cairo Aswan Abu Simbel Tour skips Luxor. The fifth day is what removes the choice — and the order of the route is what makes it possible. You go to Aswan first so that the Abu Simbel excursion, which leaves before dawn, comes early in the trip while you are fresh, and the train then carries you downstream to Luxor rather than back the way you came. Compare it with our other five-day routes on the 5 day Egypt tour packages page.
Day one is the Giza plateau — the three pyramids and the Sphinx — with the afternoon at your hotel. Day two is a morning flight to Aswan and the town’s three set pieces: the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk still lying in its granite quarry, and the Temple of Isis at Philae, rebuilt on Agilkia Island when its original island was drowned. Day three is Abu Simbel, the two temples of Ramses II and Nefertari raised 65 metres above the rising lake between 1964 and 1968, followed by the seated train to Luxor along the Nile Valley.
Day four is Luxor: the Valley of the Kings, the terraced temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari and the Colossi of Memnon on the West Bank, then Karnak — the largest religious complex ever built, at roughly 100 hectares — on the East. Day five flies you back to Cairo for the Grand Egyptian Museum with the complete Tutankhamun collection, the Citadel of Saladin, founded in 1176, with the Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali inside it, and Khan el-Khalili before your departure transfer.
Egypt Best Vacations representative will meet you at Cairo International Airport to help you through the arrival and visa regulations. Meet your guide outside the arrival terminal to begin your 5-day Egypt tour. Embark on a guided tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, where your Egyptologist explains how and why the kings of the Old Kingdom raised these monuments — and separates the real engineering from the myths. Savor your lunch at a local restaurant, then transfer to your hotel.
Note: The order of Day 1 sightseeing adjusts to your flight arrival time. For evening arrivals, the Pyramids visit moves to another day of your itinerary.
Meals Plan: Lunch Only
Your 5-day Egypt tour package shifting south. Early breakfast in the hotel (or breakfast box) before flying to Aswan to explore the highlights of this beautiful city. Meet your guide just outside the arrival terminal at Aswan Airport to commence your Aswan tour. Your first stop will be at the High Dam, a dam built in the 1960s, to generate hydroelectricity and to stop floods. Then take a motorboat across to the Temple of Philae, the island sanctuary of Isis built mainly in the Ptolemaic era — and rescued stone by stone by UNESCO when the Aswan dams raised the water around it. End your journey at the granite quarry of the Unfinished Obelisk. Then transfer to your your hotel. Overnight in Aswan.
Optional tour: Nubian Village in Aswan
Meals Plan: Breakfast Only
A highlight of your 5-days Egypt itinerary is a trip to the phenomenal temples of Abu Simbel. So, rise with the early sun and fuel up with a breakfast box for an adventure south to Abu Simbel. As the landscape rolls by, anticipation builds for your encounter with the awe-inspiring temples of Ramses II and his cherished Queen Nefertari. Immerse yourself in the grandeur of these colossal structures, marveling at their intricate carvings and rich history.
After exploring the temples, journey back to Aswan, where your next adventure awaits – a scenic train ride to Luxor. Settle into your seat, unwind, and witness the changing views of the Nile while reflecting on the wonders of Abu Simbel. Upon arrival in Luxor, transfer to your hotel for a well-deserved rest, ready to explore the treasures of Luxor tomorrow.
Meals Plan: Breakfast Only
After your breakfast at the hotel, you will explore Luxor highlights. In the first part of your tour, you’ll have the chance to explore the magnificent tombs found in the Valley of the Kings where the kings of the New Kingdom were buried in tombs cut deep into the rock. Your guide will steer you to the three finest tombs open on the day of your visit
Here, the pharaohs of the New Kingdom buried their kings to keep them hidden from grave robbers. A total of 65 tombs can be found in the Valley of the Kings. Your guide will recommend the top three tombs that are open to the public that you should visit. Then, you will be driven to the Temple of Hatshepsut. The female pharaoh who served as a solo pharaoh for about 20 years after convincing the people that she was a man. You will then visit the Colossi of Memnon, the two giant statues that once flanked the entrance of Amenhotep III’s mortuary temple.
Enjoy your lunch at a local restaurant. Then, proceed to the largest temple in Egypt, the Karnak Temple, built by several pharaohs in ancient times. Continue to the majestic Temple of Luxor. Luxor Temple is connected to Karnak by the ceremonial the restored Avenue of Sphinxes. These two temples were dedicated to Amun, Mut, and Khonsu, the Theban Triad. After this, we will transfer to Luxor Airport in order to catch your flight back to Cairo. Enjoy the final night of your Egypt itinerary 5 days in Cairo.
Optional tour: Sunrise Hot Air Ballooning Over Luxor
Meals Plan: Breakfast & Lunch
After breakfast, one last treasure hunt — and it’s the biggest. At the Grand Egyptian Museum, the finds you’ve been circling all week come together: Tutankhamun’s funerary collection reunited in full, colossal statuary in the grand atrium, and gallery windows that frame the very pyramids you stood beneath on Day 1.
Lunch at a local restaurant, then climb to the Citadel of Saladin, the medieval fortress guarding Cairo’s skyline, where the alabaster domes of the Mohammed Ali Mosque catch the afternoon light and the whole city unrolls below the walls. Finish among the lantern shops and spice stalls of Khan El-Khalili, Cairo’s legendary bazaar since the 14th century — the right place for a farewell mint tea and a souvenir that actually means something.
Then your driver takes you to Cairo Airport for departure. Five days, three cities, and the full sweep of ancient Egypt — and when the Nile calls you back, Egypt Best Vacations will be ready with your next chapter.
Meals Plan: Breakfast & Lunch
