Egypt Tours · Style
Every Egypt tour we sell is private by default – just your party, your own Egyptologist guide, your own driver, your own car. There are no coach-group joins, no fixed departure dates we're moving you to fill seats, no strangers in your hotel. The standard private structure: your guide picks you up at Cairo airport, stays with you through Cairo, flies south with you, escorts every temple visit, and hands you over to a colleague only when you change region. Most private Egypt tours run 7–15 days; the cheapest private 7-day shape starts around $1,500 per person, ground-only.
5 matching tours
The hallmarks
A private Egypt tour is exactly what it sounds like: your party only, your own Egyptologist, your own driver, your own car. Every Egypt tour we sell is private by default – there are no coach-group joins, no fixed departure dates we're moving you to fill seats, no strangers at your hotel breakfast. Your guide picks you up at Cairo airport and stays with you through the whole circuit.
Picture your party of four arriving at the Valley of the Kings at 8am with a personal Egyptologist who lingers an hour on the column you're interested in and skips the one you're not. The 30–50% premium over coach-group prices is, in our experience, what every American client says afterwards was the best money they spent on the trip. Private 7-day trips start around $1,500 per person at 4-star, ground-only – and the per-person price drops as your party size grows.
How to choose
Three pillars determine what 'private' delivers on your specific itinerary. The party size is the biggest economic lever.
Larger parties pay less per person because the guide and driver are fixed costs that split across the party. A family of four at 4-star is around $1,300 per person; a couple is $1,500 per person; eight travelers is $1,150 each. The cruise cost stays the same per cabin regardless. Tell us your headcount and we send the per-person quote upfront with no markup gymnastics.
Every private Egypt tour includes an Egyptologist with you at every temple. The choice is whether to extend the guide to off-temple moments – bazaar shopping in Khan el-Khalili, dinner at Abou El Sid, evening sound-and-light at Karnak. Most clients add Khan el-Khalili and the evening shows. Some add every meal.
The cruise itself runs with other guests on board – you don't get a private ship at standard pricing. What you DO get private on cruise days: your own Egyptologist at temple visits, your own dinner table, your party's preferred timing. For a fully private ship, see our luxury slice – dahabiyas at 6–12 cabins are often chartered exclusively by one party.
BudgetNile (cruise route)
Book an 8-day Nile cruise round trip from Luxor with Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, transfers, and guided sightseeing.
MidCairo
Book a 10-day Egypt tour covering Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor with Egyptologist guides, flights, hotels and transfers. Enquire now.
MidLuxor
Book a 7-day Cairo, Aswan and Luxor Nile cruise with Giza, GEM, Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu and Karnak. Enquire now.
MidCairo
Book an 8-day Egypt tour with Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel, plus hotels, Nile cruise, flights and guided sightseeing. Enquire now.
MidAswan
Book a 9 day Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and Alexandria overland tour with private Egyptologists, flights, train travel and major sites included. Enquire today.
Practical questions
On a private Egypt tour, you and your party have your own dedicated Egyptologist guide, driver, and car for the entire trip. Pace, stops, and meal timing are yours to set. On a group tour, you share a coach and guide with 20–40 strangers, the schedule is fixed, and stops are determined by the itinerary not your interest. We only sell private tours.
For the temple sites – Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Abu Simbel – yes, unequivocally. A private guide will spend an hour on a column you'd otherwise pass in 90 seconds. Cruise segments and pyramid visits feel similar private vs group. The premium runs 30–50% over group prices; most clients say they'd never go back.
Private Egypt tours start around $1,500 per person for 7 days at 4-star with Nile cruise included (party of 2). Private tour pricing scales DOWN with party size – a family of 4 splits the guide and driver fixed costs and pays less per person ($1,200–$1,300 pp at 4-star). At 5-star, 7-day private tours run $2,200–$3,500 per person. International flights from the US are separate. Add 25–35% for Christmas, New Year, and US spring break weeks.
The cruise itself runs with other guests on board – you don't get a private ship at standard pricing. What you DO get private on a cruise day: your own Egyptologist guide who stays with your party at temple visits (so a 10-cabin floor doesn't all flood the same column at Karnak), your own dinner table, and your party's preferred timing for embark / disembark. For a fully private cruise, see the dahabiya option under /egypt-tours/luxury/ – 6-12 cabins, sails under canvas, often chartered exclusively by one party.
Yes – we book ground-only by default (ATOL/IATA-protected international flights aren't required from the US the way they are from the UK), but the planning team will identify the best US-Egypt fare combinations and arrange the flights as a separate booking if you'd like one invoice. Most international clients book their own using miles or a preferred carrier; we coordinate to your arrival time once flights are confirmed.
From the Cairo desk
Every Egypt tour we run is tailor-made – your dates, your party, your pace. Send a short brief or talk to the Cairo desk direct. Replies within one working day.
– Suhaila & the Cairo team · 38 years · 6 offices · IATA #90255546
