Egypt Day Tours 2026/2027: Private Excursions from Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and the Red Sea

What are the best day tours from Cairo?

For a first visit, the Giza Pyramids and Saqqara tour covers the three pyramids, the Sphinx and Djoser's Step Pyramid in six to eight hours. The Grand Egyptian Museum stands about two kilometers from the pyramids, so the GEM and Pyramids tour fits Tutankhamun's treasures and the plateau into one day. With a second day, Saqqara, Memphis and Dahshur shows where pyramid building began, and the Nile dinner cruise closes any sightseeing day.

Can you visit Abu Simbel in one day from Aswan?

Yes. Abu Simbel is about 280 kilometers south of Aswan, three to three and a half hours each way through the desert. Private tours usually leave around 4:00 am, reach the temples of Ramses II and Nefertari before the heat, and are back in Aswan by early afternoon. It is from $115 per person in a group of 9 to 16, or $235 each for two to four, with the guide and entrance fees included.

Is a Luxor day trip from Hurghada worth it?

It is if you are on the Red Sea and have one day for ancient Egypt, but it is a long one: about four hours each way and 14 to 16 hours door to door. You see Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple and the Colossi of Memnon, with lunch and entrance fees, from $145 per person in a group of 9 to 16. With a night in Luxor, you can add the sunrise balloon.

What is the Luxor hot air balloon ride like?

You cross the Nile by boat before dawn and fly for 30 to 60 minutes over the West Bank as the sun comes up: the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's temple, the Colossi of Memnon and the fields along the river. A place in a shared basket is $95; a private basket is quoted on request. Flights are licensed by the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, and if weather cancels yours, we rebook or refund.

Orange Bay or Ras Mohammed: which snorkeling trip is better?

Choose by where you are staying. Orange Bay leaves from Hurghada for the Giftun islands, with calm shallow water and a white-sand beach that suit families and beginners, at $60 per adult and $30 per child. Ras Mohammed leaves from Sharm El Sheikh for Egypt's first national park, with two stops at its reef walls, at $65 per adult and $35 per child.

When is the best time for day tours in Egypt?

October to April is the best season for sightseeing, because the temples and the Giza plateau are far cooler, and an early start still helps in any month. The balloon also flies best from October to April. The Red Sea is the other way round: the snorkeling trips run all year, but the water is warmest from May to October.