Horizons by Water: Cairo, Luxor & Nile

Cairo

Upon landing in Cairo, meet your field coordinator directly on the tarmac and proceed to the VIP Lounge, bypassing airport lines entirely while our ground team handles all visa and customs paperwork on your behalf. Privately transfer to your hotel in a luxury vehicle, with a separate luggage vehicle ensuring seamless comfort. Your room key will be ready upon arrival. Settle in at your own pace, whether exploring independently or unwinding at your hotel with access to its full range of amenities.

Accommodation: Marriott Mena House Hotel (B) (Pyramids Suite), Cairo

Cairo

Uncover the story of Egypt’s ancient monuments on a private full-day experience with an expert Egyptologist, beginning in Saqqara to see the Pyramid of Djoser and gain special entry to the recently discovered Tomb of Wahtye. Continue to the Giza Plateau to explore the Great Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, then enjoy lunch with prime views across the plateau. The experience culminates with exclusive access to the Dream Stele between the paws of the Sphinx, with your guide sharing insight into this rare vantage point, before a private transfer returns you to your hotel. Dine this evening at Crimson Rooftop Bar, perched above the Nile with sweeping views over Cairo's skyline, where Italian and Mediterranean-influenced cuisine pairs with expertly crafted cocktails in a setting that earns its reputation.

Accommodation: Marriott Mena House Hotel (B) (Pyramids Suite), Cairo

Cairo

Few cities carry as many layers of faith and history as Cairo, and this private, full-day journey with an expert guide reveals the most compelling of them. Explore the Hanging Church, one of Egypt's oldest Coptic churches and former seat of the Coptic Pope, before moving through Moez Street and Khan El Khalili market. A behind-the-scenes visit to a local synagogue, guided by community leaders who bring its history to life firsthand, rounds out the day. Lunch at a personally selected local restaurant follows, before a private transfer returns you to your hotel. Granted after-hours access to the Egyptian Museum, this private evening visit opens one of the world's greatest collections entirely to you. Empty galleries, no time pressure, and an expert Egyptologist revealing the stories behind a collection of artefacts with depth and quiet.

Accommodation: Marriott Mena House Hotel (B) (Pyramids Suite), Cairo

Cairo, Luxor, Nile

Meet your driver and English-speaking representative for a private airport transfer. Travel from Cairo to Luxor by private jet on an approximately 1-hour flight. Transfer from Luxor Airport to your accommodation by private vehicle. Chartered exclusively for your group, Arax is Kazazian's luxury cruise vessel and your private home on the Nile. Welcome bites and cocktails greet you on arrival, with attentive staff on hand throughout. Days on the river unfold at your own pace, with high tea on deck, à la carte dining served throughout the day, and one evening set aside for a candlelit gourmet dinner on a private island by the Nile. As the sun drops over Luxor's East Bank, the sandstone columns of Karnak take on a quality no photograph prepares you for. This private evening journey with your Egyptologist guide moves through one of the ancient world's most extraordinary temple complexes, along the Avenue of Sphinxes and past colossal columns transported 100 miles along the Nile. A pause at a nearby bazaar offers a glimpse of local life before continuing to Luxor Temple, dedicated not to pharaohs but to the rejuvenation of kingship itself. Private transfer included.

Accommodation: Kazazian Cruises - Arax (AI) (Kazazian Private River Boat Charter), Cairo

Luxor, Nile

Wake at dawn as a private vehicle collects you from your hotel for one of Luxor's true bucket list experiences. As the sun breaks over the horizon, you drift above the Nile Valley in a private hot air balloon, the temples and tombs of the ancient world unfolding in silence beneath you. Upon landing, a short drive through the farmlands ends at a local restaurant, where a traditional Egyptian breakfast waits. The West Bank of Luxor holds some of Egypt's most significant royal tombs, and this private, half-day journey with your Egyptologist guide takes you into the heart of them. In the Valley of the Kings, enter the tombs of Ramses the Great and Tuthmosis III before arriving at King Tut's Tomb, discovered nearly intact with treasures that transformed our understanding of ancient Egypt. Continue to Queen Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, one of Egypt's most successful rulers, before visiting the Colossi of Memnon, the sole remaining monuments of Amenhotep III's temple.

Accommodation: Kazazian Cruises - Arax (AI) (Kazazian Private River Boat Charter), Luxor

Nile

Stepping off the Nile cruise and into Edfu, you arrive at the best-preserved ancient temple in Egypt and the second largest after Karnak. Dedicated to Horus, the falcon god, the temple is remarkable for its inscribed building texts, which reveal how ancient Egyptian temples were constructed and used with a clarity that most ruins simply cannot offer. Your private guide brings the story of Horus and the temple's extraordinary legacy to life against one of the ancient world's most intact backdrops.

Accommodation: Kazazian Cruises - Arax (AI) (Kazazian Private River Boat Charter), Nile

Nile

Meet your private guide to explore Kom Ombo, a rare double temple built for two gods rather than one. One half honors Sobek, the crocodile god, while the other belongs to Haroeris, the sun god, with the temple's perfectly mirrored sanctuaries and passageways reflecting this dual devotion. Your guide brings both deities and their stories to life at this compelling Nile-side stop.

Accommodation: Kazazian Cruises - Arax (AI) (Kazazian Private River Boat Charter), Nile

Nile

Delve into Philae Temple with your private guide, relocated stone by stone from its original island to Agilkia Island to preserve it from flooding when the Aswan Dam was built. Continue to the ancient granite quarries, where the Unfinished Obelisk remains embedded in bedrock at nearly 140 feet long, abandoned mid-construction. Your guide reveals Philae's remarkable relocation story and brings ancient carving methods to life through tool marks still visible on the stone.

Accommodation: Kazazian Cruises - Arax (AI) (Kazazian Private River Boat Charter), Nile

Aswan

Disembark from your Nile cruise this morning. Board a privately chartered flight from Aswan to Abu Simbel with your guide to visit the temples of Ramses II and Queen Nefertari, masterpieces of ancient architecture relocated stone by stone in the 1960s in one of the greatest challenges of archaeological engineering in history. Your guide reveals the stories carved into both temples and the modern preservation effort that saved them from Lake Nasser's flooding, before your return flight to Aswan.

Accommodation: Old Cataract (B) (Luxury Nile View Room), Aswan

Aswan, Cairo

Journey from Aswan to Cairo by private jet on an approximately 1.5-hour flight. Travel to the Moqattam Hills, where the medieval Citadel rises above Cairo and the Alabaster Mosque of Mohamed Ali dominates the skyline with soaring domes and the tallest minarets in Egypt. Your private guide walks you through the nineteenth-century Ottoman-inspired architecture, from the alabaster-lined prayer hall to the sweeping views over the city below. The experience concludes with a scenic lunch overlooking the Nile. After the museum closes and the crowds clear, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization becomes yours entirely. This private evening visit with an expert Egyptologist traces Egypt's story from prehistoric times to the present day. The highlight of the evening is the Royal Mummy Hall, where pharaohs excavated from the Valley of the Kings and Queens rest in silence. Your guide reveals the histories and preservation methods that allow these rulers to endure millennia after their deaths.

Accommodation: The St. Regis Cairo (B) (Deluxe Room), Aswan

Cairo

Delve into the largest archaeological museum in the world on a private guided tour of the Grand Egyptian Museum, where the complete Tutankhamun collection is displayed together for the first time. Your guide brings the artifacts, royal statues, and ceremonial treasures into context as you move through a collection that spans thousands of years of Egyptian history. Unwind at Iridium Spa at The St. Regis Cairo, where personalized treatments offer a welcome pause. Reservations can be arranged on your behalf, with treatments paid locally at the hotel.

Accommodation: The St. Regis Cairo (B) (Deluxe Room)

Cairo

Meet your driver and English-speaking representative for a private airport transfer.