Every tour on this page is for women only, capped at sixteen travelers, and run by a licensed Egyptologist. Prices start at $625.
Most women arrive in Egypt having read a lot of conflicting things. Some of it is useful and some of it is frightening and out of date. The rest of this page is our attempt to answer the questions you are actually asking, rather than the ones that are easier to answer.
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Broadly yes, with one honest caveat. Tourist areas are heavily policed and serious crime against visitors is rare. What women commonly experience is persistent attention in public spaces — street comments, constant approaches from vendors, and occasionally being photographed without consent. Travelling with a group removes most of the situations where that happens, because you are met at the airport, driven between sites, and never left to work out logistics alone in a crowd. Many of our guests are solo travelers and most tell us afterwards that the anticipation was harder than the trip.
Sometimes. Our women-only tours are led by both female and male Egyptologists, depending on the date and the itinerary, and we tell you which before you travel. If a female guide matters to you, say so when you enquire and we will schedule one where we can. It is worth explaining why we use both. Beyond the archaeology, a guide’s job on these trips is handling everything around you — ticket queues, vendors, site personnel, drivers, and anyone paying you attention you did not ask for. In Egypt, a male guide can often close that down faster, which is the practical reason many of our women-only departures are led by one. Either way your guide is a licensed Egyptologist and the job is the same.
Our women-only tours run from $625 for a four-day Nile cruise to $1,475 for a ten-day itinerary with Cairo, a cruise and the Red Sea. Price depends on trip length, whether you choose Gold or Platinum accommodation, and the season. International flights are not included. Every quote is itemized before you pay.
Sixteen women maximum on every departure. For comparison, a standard Egyptian coach tour runs forty to fifty people. Sixteen fits one minibus, which means you can hear your guide without a headset and you are not queuing behind your own group at every site.
Yes, and most of our guests do. You join a departure with other women rather than needing to bring anyone. A single supplement applies for hotel and cruise accommodation, since rooms are priced on double occupancy — ask us and we will tell you the exact figure for your dates.
The travelers are, on every departure listed here. Your group will be women. You will still encounter men in the course of the trip — hotel staff, cruise crew, drivers, and site personnel — because that is who works in Egyptian tourism. What you will not have is a mixed travelling group.
Cover your shoulders and knees at temples, mosques and in ordinary streets — loose trousers or a long skirt with a light long-sleeved top is the practical answer, in cotton or linen. Carry a scarf for mosque visits, where you will also need to cover your hair and remove your shoes. Resort areas in Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh are relaxed, and swimwear is normal at hotel pools and beaches. Dressing modestly in public is not a legal requirement for visitors, but it noticeably reduces unwanted attention, which is why we recommend it.
Tell your guide. It happens, particularly at busy sites, and it is one of the things guests find most uncomfortable. Your guide will intervene, and in a group of sixteen women it is far less likely to start in the first place. You are never obliged to pose for anyone, including for a photograph you are then asked to pay for.
Most include Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, with a Nile cruise on many itineraries. Depending on the trip you can also visit Abu Simbel, Alexandria, Siwa Oasis, the White Desert, or the Red Sea at Hurghada. Cairo itineraries include the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Giza plateau.
Many do. You can take a standard cruise ship between Luxor and Aswan, which carries around 60 to 80 cabins with a restaurant, pool and sun deck, or a Dahabiya sailboat with only four to eight cabins that moves under sail and moors at smaller sites. We also run cruise-only itineraries if you want the river without the Cairo days.
It is a good choice on a guided tour and a demanding one independently. The sites are extraordinary, the infrastructure for visitors is well developed, and travelling with a group means the parts that are hard — arrival, transport, tickets, language — are handled. If this is your first trip abroad alone, that structure is worth more than the money it costs.
It is a good time to visit, with a few adjustments. Many sites keep shorter hours, some restaurants close during daylight, and cities are quiet by day and busy after sunset. Hotels and tourist restaurants operate normally throughout. Eating and drinking discreetly in public during fasting hours is the courteous approach. Tell us if your dates fall in Ramadan and we will build the schedule around it.
October to April, when daytime temperatures in Luxor and Aswan suit a full day outdoors. May and September work with early starts. June to August is genuinely hot inland — if you are travelling then, a Red Sea itinerary or a schedule built around early mornings will serve you much better.
Yes. Any itinerary on this page can be booked privately, with your own guide, driver and vehicle and start times you choose, for an additional charge. Ask for the private rate and we will quote it alongside the group price so you can compare.
Yes. Add nights, change hotels, swap a cruise ship for a Dahabiya, add Abu Simbel or Siwa, or combine two itineraries. Tell us how you want the trip to feel and we will build it.