The 10-Day Egypt Solo Tour

This is the complete circuit. Ten days cover everything that matters in Egypt without compression: enough time at each site to actually absorb it, and enough transitions between cities for the trip to have a natural shape. For solo travelers who don't want to choose between Abu Simbel and the Nile cruise, this package includes both.

Abu Simbel is the reason this tour exists at its length. The two rock-cut temples of Ramesses II, carved into a cliff face in Nubia in 1264 BCE and relocated, block by block, to higher ground in the 1960s to save them from the Aswan reservoir — this is one of the most extraordinary physical objects in the world. Solo travelers consistently describe it as the unexpected high point of the trip. It requires an early-morning flight from Aswan and a return the same day, which is cleanly added to Day 9 of this itinerary.

The first seven days follow the same Cairo-Luxor-cruise-Aswan structure as the 8-day tour, with an additional day in Cairo (Deir el-Medina and deeper time at Luxor sites) and two nights in Aswan instead of one. Ten days is the ideal duration for travelers who want to make the most of their trip to Egypt, rather than fit it into a short window.

Who This Is For

• Solo travelers with a genuine interest in Egyptology who want time to go deeper at each site
• Those who have been to Egypt before on a group or partial tour and want the complete experience
• Female solo travelers who want the 8-day structure with the Abu Simbel addition
• Travelers who are prepared to invest ten days and want to make each one count

What Makes This Tour Different

• Abu Simbel is included as a structured day trip, not an optional extra, with your Egyptologist providing context that makes the experience significantly richer.
• Two nights in Aswan allows proper time in a city that deserves it — the Nubian culture, the felucca, the slower pace of the far south.
• Deir el-Medina, added on the Luxor West Bank section, is the workers' village with some of the most personal and finely painted tombs in Egypt.
• Ten days gives your Egyptologist enough time to calibrate fully to your interests — by Day 4, the sessions are shaped around what you've responded to

What You'll Experience

Day 1 — Arrive in Cairo · Afternoon: Old Cairo 

Private airport transfer. Afternoon in Old Cairo with your Egyptologist — Coptic quarter, the Hanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue. A good first afternoon: the history is compressed, walkable, and introduces the character of the city without the scale of the Pharaonic sites. 

Day 2 — Grand Egyptian Museum 

The full morning at the GEM is structured around your interests. Your guide will spend the first fifteen minutes in conversation about what draws you to Egypt — the political history, the religious systems, the material culture, the engineering — and build the museum session around that. The depth available here is significant; most visitors don't begin to exhaust it. 

Day 3 — Giza & Saqqara 

Giza at first light. The Great Pyramid, Khafre, Menkaure, and the Sphinx. Afternoon at Saqqara — the Step Pyramid complex, the mastaba tombs, and the recently opened Imhotep Museum. Saqqara rewards the traveler who has already been to the GEM: the objects in context.

Day 4 — Fly to Luxor · Karnak · Embark Cruise 

Domestic flight. Karnak Temple in the afternoon — your guide has been building toward this since Day 1. Board the Nile cruise in the evening. First dinner on the river. 

Day 5 — Luxor West Bank Valley of the Kings. 

Three tombs carefully selected. Hatshepsut's Temple. Deir el-Medina — the workers' village — in the afternoon. The tombs here are small, intimate, and painted with scenes of daily life rather than religious ceremony. The contrast with the royal tombs is significant. 

Day 6 — Edfu & Kom Ombo 

Edfu by horse-drawn carriage. Kom Ombo and the crocodile mummy museum. These two temples in one day are a manageable pace on the river — the boat handles the transition.

Day 7 — Sail to Aswan ·

 Disembark. Slow morning on the upper deck as the boat moves south toward Aswan. Disembark in Aswan in the afternoon. Check in to your Aswan hotel — a city with a different character from Cairo and Luxor: quieter, smaller, with a visible Nubian cultural influence. 

Day 8 — Aswan: Philae · Felucca · Nubian Village 

Philae Temple in the morning. Afternoon felucca ride on the Nile. Optional Nubian Village visit — the culture of the Aswan region is distinct from that of northern Egypt, and your guide can contextualise it effectively. Evening at leisure: Aswan's corniche at sunset is one of the better views in Egypt. 

Day 9 — Abu Simbel 

Early-morning flight to Abu Simbel — approximately 45 minutes. The temples open at sunrise. Your Egyptologist accompanies you and provides context that the site itself doesn't supply: why Ramesses II built two temples here, what the astronomical alignment means, and what the 1960s relocation involved logistically. Return flight to Aswan in time for lunch. Afternoon at leisure. 

Day 10 — Aswan, then departure 

Final morning at leisure. Private transfer to Aswan Airport for your onward flight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ten days too long for a solo trip? 

Most solo travelers who take this package say the opposite — ten days feels right for Egypt, and the common regret is not having added more time in Aswan. The itinerary is paced well: the Cairo and Luxor days are activity-dense, the cruise days are slower, and Aswan is genuinely relaxing. You finish the trip without feeling like you compressed it. 

Why is Abu Simbel so consistently described as a highlight? 

It's a function of scale and context. By Day 9, you've seen the GEM, Giza, and the Valley of the Kings — all extraordinary. Abu Simbel is something different: two temples cut directly into a cliff face, three thousand years old, in a location that feels remote even now. The four seated colossi of Ramesses II at the entrance are 20 metres high. Inside, the painted reliefs cover every surface. And then your guide explains what it took to move all of it — and why — in 1968. The combination of the site and the backstory is the thing. 

Can I extend into the Western Desert from Cairo? 

Yes. The White Desert, Bahariya Oasis, and Siwa are all possible extensions from Cairo, either before or after the main itinerary. This requires additional days and changes the character of the trip significantly — the Western Desert is a completely different Egypt. Contact us to discuss. 

Is the 10-day tour available year-round? 

Yes. The optimal window for Abu Simbel specifically is October to February — the morning temperatures are manageable, and the light at the site is at its best. The summer months (June to August) are possible, but the heat in Aswan and Abu Simbel can be intense. October and February are ideal.

→ Book the 10-Day Egypt Solo Tour

 Includes Abu Simbel. No single supplement. Female guide available on request